Hearing Loss During An M.E Flare

Pardon?

Could you say that again?

Could you turn the TV up, please?

Eh?

*Nodding* (As if I heard what they said but didn’t hear a word!)

I say and do all of the above regularly during an M.E flare. I have no idea if it is an M.E thing or not but thought I’d write this blog to see if it resonates with any of you.

I should say that I have had problems with my ears and/or hearing since birth but tests have shown that I have very good hearing. I had a hearing check last year and the specialist told me that my hearing was ‘fine’ but that perhaps a ‘technical issue’ with the wiring between my ears and brain was causing a few problems.

My family, my mum in particular, often tell me that I am talking too loud, especially when I get excited or cross. To me, my voice volume sounds no louder than usual. I know that when I am in a noisy crowded room, I talk louder than usual because I simply can’t hear myself over the noise. However, during a flare when even quiet noises seem LOUD, I find myself talking over the noise unnecessarily.

Do you have M.E? Do you do that?

My ears have caused so many health problems during my life, at a young age I nearly had to have a grommet in my left ear due to repeated ear infections. In my teens, I needed surgery on my left ear (again…left) to repair a badly perforated eardrum. My M.E was triggered by Labyrinthitis infection in my LEFT ear. I find I lose all hearing during Migraine episodes too. When I am trying to get to sleep at night I find that if I lay on my right ear I can’t hear anything, the quietness helps me to get off to sleep. How can that be if I have good hearing?!

I find it very odd that I have both noise sensitivity (pin drop anyone?!) and hearing loss but neither show up in tests.

In the space of one mealtime, I can be driven nuts by the humming of our freezer (humming that no one else can hear) and told off by my mum (like a 12 yr old) for talking too loud.

On rare occasions when I am out with friends, I often mishear or miss entire sentences. Sometimes it’s because of background noise but sometimes it is because my M.E is flaring.

I have been wondering about why my hearing can be affected during a flare or when my battery starts to go flat (i.e. just before sleep). This is what I came up with. I think (I have ZERO medical training) that our brain inflammation squishes the ‘wiring’ between our brains and ears and that squishing means stuff doesn’t work properly. Maybe our brains don’t trust the information given by our ears so choose to tune out? M.E messes up all of our communication channels so why would hearing be any different?

I’d be interested to know if any of Foggy’s M.E-affected Followers also have issues with hearing loss during flares.

Love

Sally

and Foggy (OBVIOUSLY)

xxxxx

 

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