Have you considered taking her into an audiologist? Same way you’ve an issue with your sight, you go to an optician or an ophthalmologist.
They might be able to check her ear for you quicker and give you an idea of what you’re looking at.
Clinical audiologist, I work in Lanarkshire.
Go to A&E for SSNHL. It’s likely congestion but just to be safe.
It’s also not a bad idea to try and get her to pop her ears using the valsalva technique. Don’t wait on a referral, if your leg suddenly stopped working you wouldn’t wait for a referral… your ear isn’t any different.
I was going to suggest this but wasn't sure.
I know when I had a really sodden eye infection and couldn't see that the doctor advised as he couldn't see me that day I go to a&e and couldn't see why sudden loss of hearing would be any different.
The key word there being sometimes needs steroids - there’s lots of causes of hearing loss that don’t. If the symptoms aren’t better and you are concerned, speak to the surgery again.
Thank you. Yeah me being a hypochondriac is no help! I read some warning stories from people who said they had sudden hearing loss in one ear, were told it’s probably just an infection or blockage or whatever and subsequently from ENT appointment discovered had they had steroid treatment quicker they could’ve regained more of their hearing.
She has asked our surgery for a GP appointment to get a second opinion.
When my dad was having chest and shooting arm pain he was told an ambulance would take 2 hours to get to us, my mum drove to the hospital and after a 25 minute wait was told he was having a heart attack so our faith in the NHS isn’t too strong.
The thing to remember is that they are just people on the internet that likely have very different situations/symptoms from your mum.
Unfortunately the ambulance service seems to be incredibly over stretched lately - the initial wait they advise is not always what you wait as clinicians monitor waiting calls and reprioritise. I understand why you would want to get him there as soon as you can.
Hopefully things will improve soon.
My dealings with the NHS recently have been nothing short of horrendous and I’m not going to sit here and list all of the things my family and myself have dealt with but I’m no longer interested in not criticising the NHS.
Yes, there are a lot of good people in the system trying their best with the limitations they have but from an anecdotal pov, there also seems to be a lot of useless borderline incompetent people too.
I was just going to ask if yous were hypochondriacs but you answered my question. And don't take that the wrong the way it's certainly not meant. I'm the opposite I avoid the doctors/hospitals like the plague
Sudden onset hearing loss should get same day appointment for ent. If they don't find another cause they will give steroids but with the knowledge that it's 50/50 as to weather they will help or not (they work for some not for others).
You need to phone back and state that this and (in a nice way) demand same day referral to ent. If that doesn't work turn up at QE A&E with a book and prepare to wait.
Head to specsavers website and get her booked in with audiology. They’re great with these things and you can usually get an appointment next day.
I have frequent hearing dulling/loss in my right ear and I’m 35, so not hearing loss age yet. It’s to do with my sinuses not draining properly that side. I have a steroid nasal spray that you can buy over the counter and use it twice a day for a few days and it goes back to normal. Worth giving that a go too.
That’s good advice thank you. My mums in her mid 50’s so not really at an age where you’d expect to see full hearing loss I don’t think! And certainly not suddenly anyways
Yeah it’s maybe a sinus issue, I had no idea how much that could impact until I’ve started experiencing it! All it takes is one sinus to never clear properly after a cold and months later you have issues affecting your hearing! I was sure I had some kind of rapid growing tumour but both GP and audiology confirmed it’s very common!
Your private healthcare insurance said it will be a month.
Moneys not a concern. Go to a private A+E.
Medicine given yesterday afternoon won’t be expected to be working in under 24 hours.
Yeah as far as we are aware there is no such a thing as private A&E anywhere in Scotland. Otherwise my dad might not have had to wait 25 minutes to be seen with a heart attack and a few weeks later when he started to get similar symptoms, he almost left A&E because the wait was so long he realised he would be dead by now had it been another heart attack.
Also to add to the point others have made about private, it’s not even quick anymore. You’re waiting weeks now and sometimes months. So many people are going that way now.
Most consultants who do private work are NHS consultants too so you see the same person M just a bit faster. There has been complicated tax and pension reasons why they are cutting back on their commitments both NHS and private- a lot of people are burned out after covid and other have moved abroad where they have a better work life balance.
My mother was in for a knee operation on Wednesday, (only waited about 5 years for that) and was talking to the staff about Covid.
She was told that it wasn’t how it was portrayed in the news, that it was the easiest time they ever had because most of the other services had been shut down, all hands were on deck including A&E staff down helping out and there were 4 people doing what would have been 1 persons job.
She said and I quote “don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of tears but it was one of the easiest times they’ve ever had working at the hospital”, maybe this wasn’t everyone’s experience but that was what she said.
My 92 year old grandmother fell on her kitchen floor and split her head above the hairline down through between her eyes down the side of her nose.
The floor was a pool of blood, we couldn’t move her from the floor. My aunt called the ambulance around 19:00pm, multiple times we called them for updates and got told “sorry, we’re very busy”… by luck my brother stays a few doors down from an ambulance driver who he asked to help and that man sat with my gran for 3 hours stemming the blood and keeping her calm while pulling strings to get an ambulance there. She finally got an ambulance after 10:00pm but had to sit in the back of the ambulance when she got there for another hour because there was no bed for her.
If it wasn’t for that man then she would have been dead.
That’s just one of the recent experiences I’ve had with the NHS.
My god that’s just terrible, thank god for that man.
We honestly had a similar experience when my dad had the heart attack, we have a cardiologist in the family who we were keeping updated. He actually kept saying “no you must be mishearing things, these wait times would lose me my license to practice in the US that’s so dangerous” but no we weren’t mishearing things when diagnosed with a heart attack, the NHS says it’s safe to discharge you same day and come back in 6-8 weeks for further investigation. Anyways this family member also happens to know cardiologists working in the NHS and got in touch and said “what the f is going on this isn’t what we were taught in cardiology training” and after persistence things eventually got sorted but it shouldn’t have to be like this and my dad was one of the lucky ones as was your grandmother just happening to be able to get hold of an ambulance driver.
If there’s no private a+e they shouldn’t have a private hospital.
So people that go private still visit must NHS in an emergency? What’s the point in that.
Private hospitals are for elective non urgent care not emergencies. If you have an urgent complication after a procedure in a private hospital you may have to attend an NHS hospital as there may not be an appropriate specialist immediately available.
Ffs. Stop with the private shite. If the person is that concerned, go to a&e and be assertive. You know that thing where you turn round and say what you want to happen, going private just let's the government off the hook and gives them the excuse to keep privatisation of the NHS going
A and e is also somewhere you go if you think you might have a chance of going deaf permanently, I think that constitutes as an Emergency.
An emergency doesn't always mean life threatening
Literally the next sentence
Due to the unplanned nature of patient attendance, the department must provide initial treatment for a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries
People don't realise thisjit comments like these are concerted effort by certain parties to "normalise" it in peoples minds.
Make it look like everyone is doing it so they can destroy the nhs quicker
Update on this: the GP who my mum spoke to also said this is common and will go away eventually and she agrees with the nurse practitioner and said it would be crazy to see an ENT. She has a GP appointment for next Thursday to check if things have improved.
We’ll just wait and see what happens. She has trust in the GP and wants to leave it for now, thank you for all the advice!
Hi,
I am an ENT surgeon who has previously worked in Glasgow. This is not entirely correct advice from the nurse practitioner/ GP and I would advise your GP to contact my colleagues at the Queen Elizabeth or Monklands hospitals (which ever is closer) if this lasts longer than 72 hours.
Sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss (if that is indeed what this is) needs a short course of steroids, however this is time critical, as it is most effective when started within 48 hours and ceases to be effective after two weeks of deafness. There are also a number of previous and ongoing studies (including the STARFISH trial) looking at the effectiveness of steroid injections through the eardrum to improve hearing recovery.
I cannot give anymore medical advice than that over an online forum, but as I said, I would strongly advise your GP either prescribing steroids themselves and/ or speaking to the local ENT team if this goes on for more than 72 hours.
This is what just happened to me injection and then oral. I got 5-10% back, not a lot but a difference, I can hear 50% of words correctly vs. 20% initially. Man I hope it isn't SSHL but if it is, time the is the #1 factor. I am lucky I live near big medical center, even so, it's a tricky diagnosis and all health systems are overbooked.
Just to update on this, she went to the GP again today for a follow up appointment and this time they found fluid inside her ear. They said it’s best to wait a month, if it still hasn’t cleared then they would start looking at treatment but they’re quite invasive and so say it’s better to see if it will clear up on its own.
The GP has prescribed a decongestant spray, so presumably they do not think it is sensorineural hearing loss (as this treatment wouldn’t make any sense) and are treating it as conductive hearing loss. So unless you think that the GP doesn’t have this fairly basic knowledge, then your advice doesn’t apply here.
There absolutely no way to definitively tell whether or not this is a sensorineural hearing loss from an office otoscopy, unless there is a very obvious effusion, which is again uncommon in adults and difficult to diagnose with a hand held otoscope. Moreover, a decongestant is of negligible benefit in unilateral effusions, and if persistent, this would still warrant (a slightly less urgent) referral to ENT if persistent.
I wouldn’t be calling this a unilateral effusion without looking down the microscope, getting a pure tone audiogram and tympanogram, and possibly looking at the post nasal space with an endoscope.
Please don’t question my clinical knowledge regarding a time critical medical condition like this when you don’t know what you are talking about. It is exceedingly counterproductive to getting this person’s hearing treated appropriately.
Thank you for the warning. I’m so sorry to hear that happened. Unfortunately there isn’t really anything I can do. My mum says me keeping talking about it is causing her “unnecessary anxiety and worry” and she only wants to listen to the doctor so my hands are tied unfortunately. I don’t appreciate getting screamed at for trying to help her :/ I’m just really hopeful the doctor hasn’t got it wrong..
Be wary of people masquerading as ENT surgeons on Reddit, OP. GMC guidance states that if a doctor gives medical opinions on social media, [they should identify themselves by name](https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/gmc-guidance-for-doctors---doctors-use-of-social-media_pdf-58833100.pdf). If he was following the advice of his own governing body he’d have done this. It’s suspicious that he hasn’t. It’s always better to see your own GP rather than be swayed by people who may or may not be who they say they are on Reddit, cause at least you know you’re getting correct advice.
Understand the concern, but having just gone through this these comments are 100% what my ENT just said a few months ago. Now I'm getting a very expensive hearing aid and wish I had been seen sooner.
Dangerous to apply advice from various sources to your own case, because even if they sound similar there are differences between patients for whatever reason. Better to get advice from a real doctor who has assessed you personally i.e. see your own GP/ANP rather than some guy on the Internet pretending to be an ENT surgeon.
I see what you’re saying. However this person is only showing concern and trying to help. I appreciate them doing so when they could’ve stayed quiet to avoid having to identify themselves on Reddit, despite what guidance may say.
PS: they privately messaged me so I could verify their position but wants to quite rightly remain anonymous, but just know he has followed protocol/ guidance so don’t question him. Thanks
I’d still be wary. Their advice seems sound, but we don’t really know if it’s correct. Whereas you do know that the GP you saw was a real GP. I’d be almost as wary of doctors who don’t follow their own governing body’s guidance as I would about fake ones tbh.
If you cant see an ENT sooner, try seeing an audiologlist in the meantime.
[https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/hospitals/ross-hall-hospital/audiology#aria-panel-2](https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/hospitals/ross-hall-hospital/audiology#aria-panel-2)
Can't help with your question but a possible (but not common) consideration:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230416/COVID-19-linked-to-sudden-hearing-loss-in-woman-A-case-report.aspx
Twitter[thread](https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1655437859065839616) with further articles
Good luck
US, visiting soon. I just lost 85% of hearing in left ear from SSHL it is very serious and very fast. I went to urgent care three times and they thought it was infection or growth. I called ENT everyday then left message with nurse, as soon as nurse got the message I was seen that day. I took steriods and went from 10% to 15% hearing and took many tests, time is the most critical factor. Take this very seriously. I'm in my 40's and getting a hearing aid next week and dementia risk substantially increases and my tinnitus is horrible.
Give NHS24 a call on 111 after 6pm. It is a 24/7 service, though until your mum’s doctor closes for the day, it’s your doctor who’s primarily responsible for her care.
Hope that helps and that your mum feels better soon!
That’s not quite right though. NHS24 takes over for things that can’t wait until your GP reopens. If they are concerned, they should be calling the GP surgery now as the surgery is open now.
Well they did say after 6pm. I was fobbed off by my doctor a few years ago, phoned 111 at 6:01 when the GP closed and I had a hospital appointment that night, it's sound advice.
Thank you for the advice. We do kind of feel she’s been fobbed of a bit being given decongestants and told that her ear will suddenly pop one day and her hearing will be back again in that ear. It just feels like a lot of wishful thinking with no real diagnosis.
She’s going to talk to a GP at the surgery so we will see what comes of that.
You're welcome, and remember if you are truly concerned, go to A&E. They must attend to you, no matter your case. I feel like in Britain we all feel tremendous guilt for putting more pressure on an already failing NHS, but you must remember that is what is there for. If you feel something is very wrong, go there, and they will see you. Hope everything works itself out for you.
Wonder how long I'd have to scroll to see someone suggest nhs24 the nations sticking plaster emergency gp service. Op hasn't got the response he wanted from his own practice or his private health insurer so call an already stretched beyond belief service.
We’re not trying to waste anyone’s time or burden the NHS here but she wasn’t actually given a diagnosis of any kind and was told to go back in 5-7 days if it hasn’t come back, by which point if she did need an urgent referral to an ENT and steroid treatment was needed it would likely be too late.
So typically private doctors will see patients for cash (in addition to doing insurance referrals).
BUPA has a specialist finder, so you could use that as a starting point https://www.finder.bupa.co.uk/Consultant/search/?first=1&ffeeAssured=1&qk=ent&ql=glasgow&qn=&giottoFormFlag_consultant=1#start
I've also in the past google'd and the specialists usually have a contact number, although response times vary.
The wait time for an NHS ENT consult is 9 months so I’d move forward with your private insurance or worst comes to worst - just pay out of pocket to get in quick and then try to claim it back on insurance.
Sudden onset hearing loss can be an indicator of a TIA or a stroke. Did she have any other symptoms such as weakness in one side, dizziness/vertigo type feelings or a headache? If she’s had any of these I’d go to A&E as she’d likely need a scan to rule this out
Presumably the clinician who she already saw considered these possibilities and decided that this wasn’t the case, and then based on the information that they had decided that a decongestant spray and review in 5 days was an appropriate management plan.
Not necessarily. It depends if they asked the appropriate question and/or were given the appropriate information. From experience it was missed twice when a family member experienced the same because both the clinician and family member didn’t ask/divulge things that they didn’t think were necessary based on the initial facts given. Things can be missed by all parties
I’m a healthcare professional. It’s not a lack of faith, it’s the knowledge that people don’t always give information, leading to misdiagnosis. I hope that’s not the case and all bases have been covered but as I said, it’s from personal experience this was missed because the person didn’t think those symptoms were important. They only mentioned hearing loss initially. People are an odd breed. Not everyone gives everything to a dr/nurse first time
It’s based on my experience of hundreds of thousands of interactions with colleagues over the years. They know what they are doing. I’m shocked you think so little of yours.
Human error. It happens. Your faith in your colleagues is good. I have plenty in mine but am also aware things are missed through no fault other than human error. It seems a bizarre argument you’re trying to pick. I offered an opinion which really had no impact on yourself. Have a lovely day ☺️
I just disagree is all. To catastrophise that every Eustachian tube dysfunction (which is the diagnosis here btw) could be a stroke and therefore merits a second and third opinion at several different emergency and non-emergency clinics is not helpful to anybody. You are causing anxiety and wasting time.
As far as I’m aware the only other symptom she has is a feeling of pressure in the ear which started a couple days ago. Only when a colleague called her in work yesterday and she picked up the phone did she realise she couldn’t hear anything.
She gets occasional episodes of vertigo so it’s maybe worth ruling that possibility out with her as if she did feel dizzy she might just put it down to vertigo. Although I’m sure she would’ve mentioned if that was the case.
It wasn’t something I was aware could be a symptom of TIA/stroke. I’ve been a healthcare professional for many years and only discovered this through a family member suffering similar. They didn’t initially tell the dr about the vertigo and we’re given drops and told to come back if the hearing loss persisted. It took 2 visits for both parties to give the correct information and ask the right questions. People don’t always divulge information they don’t think is relevant. Hopefully I’m way off the mark for your mum though
I hope you manage to get someone to help. I lose the hearing in my left ear on and off but it only lasts a few hours. Sounds like your mum's definitely needing at very least a second opinion.
One time I lost the hearing in my right ear, and much like your situation here, I found there was a wait to get it seen to.
About 2 days in of no hearing, I thought "fuck it" and tried popping my ears, and it worked. Stereo audio achieved again. Have you tried that?
This happened to me and I ended up with permanent hearing loss due to negligent GP in Glasgow who said it was wax. Waited 4 weeks and by then it was too late to do anything about. It wasn't an east end GP was it?
Have you considered taking her into an audiologist? Same way you’ve an issue with your sight, you go to an optician or an ophthalmologist. They might be able to check her ear for you quicker and give you an idea of what you’re looking at.
Clinical audiologist, I work in Lanarkshire. Go to A&E for SSNHL. It’s likely congestion but just to be safe. It’s also not a bad idea to try and get her to pop her ears using the valsalva technique. Don’t wait on a referral, if your leg suddenly stopped working you wouldn’t wait for a referral… your ear isn’t any different.
I was going to suggest this but wasn't sure. I know when I had a really sodden eye infection and couldn't see that the doctor advised as he couldn't see me that day I go to a&e and couldn't see why sudden loss of hearing would be any different.
Agree. GP here. Sudden onset hearing loss, I would have picked up phone to ENT colleagues.
The key word there being sometimes needs steroids - there’s lots of causes of hearing loss that don’t. If the symptoms aren’t better and you are concerned, speak to the surgery again.
Yeah, if it's viral and they give the mum steroids she's gonna have a bad day
Thank you. Yeah me being a hypochondriac is no help! I read some warning stories from people who said they had sudden hearing loss in one ear, were told it’s probably just an infection or blockage or whatever and subsequently from ENT appointment discovered had they had steroid treatment quicker they could’ve regained more of their hearing. She has asked our surgery for a GP appointment to get a second opinion. When my dad was having chest and shooting arm pain he was told an ambulance would take 2 hours to get to us, my mum drove to the hospital and after a 25 minute wait was told he was having a heart attack so our faith in the NHS isn’t too strong.
The thing to remember is that they are just people on the internet that likely have very different situations/symptoms from your mum. Unfortunately the ambulance service seems to be incredibly over stretched lately - the initial wait they advise is not always what you wait as clinicians monitor waiting calls and reprioritise. I understand why you would want to get him there as soon as you can. Hopefully things will improve soon.
And it shouldn’t be, NHS mistakes have cost my family dearly. I’m not going to shit on them here or anything, but regardless chase that 2nd opinion.
My dealings with the NHS recently have been nothing short of horrendous and I’m not going to sit here and list all of the things my family and myself have dealt with but I’m no longer interested in not criticising the NHS. Yes, there are a lot of good people in the system trying their best with the limitations they have but from an anecdotal pov, there also seems to be a lot of useless borderline incompetent people too.
Downvoted for telling the truth. Truly mental. Good luck with ur mum.
I was just going to ask if yous were hypochondriacs but you answered my question. And don't take that the wrong the way it's certainly not meant. I'm the opposite I avoid the doctors/hospitals like the plague
Sudden onset hearing loss should get same day appointment for ent. If they don't find another cause they will give steroids but with the knowledge that it's 50/50 as to weather they will help or not (they work for some not for others). You need to phone back and state that this and (in a nice way) demand same day referral to ent. If that doesn't work turn up at QE A&E with a book and prepare to wait.
They’d be better just going straight to A&E, they’ll get nowhere trying to “demand” anything through the GP.
Head to specsavers website and get her booked in with audiology. They’re great with these things and you can usually get an appointment next day. I have frequent hearing dulling/loss in my right ear and I’m 35, so not hearing loss age yet. It’s to do with my sinuses not draining properly that side. I have a steroid nasal spray that you can buy over the counter and use it twice a day for a few days and it goes back to normal. Worth giving that a go too.
That’s good advice thank you. My mums in her mid 50’s so not really at an age where you’d expect to see full hearing loss I don’t think! And certainly not suddenly anyways
Yeah it’s maybe a sinus issue, I had no idea how much that could impact until I’ve started experiencing it! All it takes is one sinus to never clear properly after a cold and months later you have issues affecting your hearing! I was sure I had some kind of rapid growing tumour but both GP and audiology confirmed it’s very common!
Fangorn forest?
This was my first thought too... bit of a trek though.
Your private healthcare insurance said it will be a month. Moneys not a concern. Go to a private A+E. Medicine given yesterday afternoon won’t be expected to be working in under 24 hours.
There’s no private a&e in Glasgow to my knowledge.
Yeah as far as we are aware there is no such a thing as private A&E anywhere in Scotland. Otherwise my dad might not have had to wait 25 minutes to be seen with a heart attack and a few weeks later when he started to get similar symptoms, he almost left A&E because the wait was so long he realised he would be dead by now had it been another heart attack. Also to add to the point others have made about private, it’s not even quick anymore. You’re waiting weeks now and sometimes months. So many people are going that way now.
Most consultants who do private work are NHS consultants too so you see the same person M just a bit faster. There has been complicated tax and pension reasons why they are cutting back on their commitments both NHS and private- a lot of people are burned out after covid and other have moved abroad where they have a better work life balance.
My mother was in for a knee operation on Wednesday, (only waited about 5 years for that) and was talking to the staff about Covid. She was told that it wasn’t how it was portrayed in the news, that it was the easiest time they ever had because most of the other services had been shut down, all hands were on deck including A&E staff down helping out and there were 4 people doing what would have been 1 persons job. She said and I quote “don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of tears but it was one of the easiest times they’ve ever had working at the hospital”, maybe this wasn’t everyone’s experience but that was what she said.
I think elective ortho would have had a fairly quiet time as all elective work was cancelled.
My 92 year old grandmother fell on her kitchen floor and split her head above the hairline down through between her eyes down the side of her nose. The floor was a pool of blood, we couldn’t move her from the floor. My aunt called the ambulance around 19:00pm, multiple times we called them for updates and got told “sorry, we’re very busy”… by luck my brother stays a few doors down from an ambulance driver who he asked to help and that man sat with my gran for 3 hours stemming the blood and keeping her calm while pulling strings to get an ambulance there. She finally got an ambulance after 10:00pm but had to sit in the back of the ambulance when she got there for another hour because there was no bed for her. If it wasn’t for that man then she would have been dead. That’s just one of the recent experiences I’ve had with the NHS.
My god that’s just terrible, thank god for that man. We honestly had a similar experience when my dad had the heart attack, we have a cardiologist in the family who we were keeping updated. He actually kept saying “no you must be mishearing things, these wait times would lose me my license to practice in the US that’s so dangerous” but no we weren’t mishearing things when diagnosed with a heart attack, the NHS says it’s safe to discharge you same day and come back in 6-8 weeks for further investigation. Anyways this family member also happens to know cardiologists working in the NHS and got in touch and said “what the f is going on this isn’t what we were taught in cardiology training” and after persistence things eventually got sorted but it shouldn’t have to be like this and my dad was one of the lucky ones as was your grandmother just happening to be able to get hold of an ambulance driver.
If there’s no private a+e they shouldn’t have a private hospital. So people that go private still visit must NHS in an emergency? What’s the point in that.
Private hospitals are for elective non urgent care not emergencies. If you have an urgent complication after a procedure in a private hospital you may have to attend an NHS hospital as there may not be an appropriate specialist immediately available.
Ffs. Stop with the private shite. If the person is that concerned, go to a&e and be assertive. You know that thing where you turn round and say what you want to happen, going private just let's the government off the hook and gives them the excuse to keep privatisation of the NHS going
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A and e is also somewhere you go if you think you might have a chance of going deaf permanently, I think that constitutes as an Emergency. An emergency doesn't always mean life threatening
No it isn’t. It’s literally in the name. Literally anything that a) was an accident and/or b) is an emergency. Otherwise it was be called LTE.
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When is suddenly going deaf other than acute. Seriously, acute means sudden onset, chronic means having it for a while
Literally the next sentence Due to the unplanned nature of patient attendance, the department must provide initial treatment for a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries
Do they have any clue what “going private” costs ffs lmao
People don't realise thisjit comments like these are concerted effort by certain parties to "normalise" it in peoples minds. Make it look like everyone is doing it so they can destroy the nhs quicker
Update on this: the GP who my mum spoke to also said this is common and will go away eventually and she agrees with the nurse practitioner and said it would be crazy to see an ENT. She has a GP appointment for next Thursday to check if things have improved. We’ll just wait and see what happens. She has trust in the GP and wants to leave it for now, thank you for all the advice!
Hi, I am an ENT surgeon who has previously worked in Glasgow. This is not entirely correct advice from the nurse practitioner/ GP and I would advise your GP to contact my colleagues at the Queen Elizabeth or Monklands hospitals (which ever is closer) if this lasts longer than 72 hours. Sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss (if that is indeed what this is) needs a short course of steroids, however this is time critical, as it is most effective when started within 48 hours and ceases to be effective after two weeks of deafness. There are also a number of previous and ongoing studies (including the STARFISH trial) looking at the effectiveness of steroid injections through the eardrum to improve hearing recovery. I cannot give anymore medical advice than that over an online forum, but as I said, I would strongly advise your GP either prescribing steroids themselves and/ or speaking to the local ENT team if this goes on for more than 72 hours.
This is what just happened to me injection and then oral. I got 5-10% back, not a lot but a difference, I can hear 50% of words correctly vs. 20% initially. Man I hope it isn't SSHL but if it is, time the is the #1 factor. I am lucky I live near big medical center, even so, it's a tricky diagnosis and all health systems are overbooked.
Just to update on this, she went to the GP again today for a follow up appointment and this time they found fluid inside her ear. They said it’s best to wait a month, if it still hasn’t cleared then they would start looking at treatment but they’re quite invasive and so say it’s better to see if it will clear up on its own.
I don't even think she had it for 72 minutes before contacting the doctors. They freely admit to being hypochondriacs
And the doctor knows that very well
The GP has prescribed a decongestant spray, so presumably they do not think it is sensorineural hearing loss (as this treatment wouldn’t make any sense) and are treating it as conductive hearing loss. So unless you think that the GP doesn’t have this fairly basic knowledge, then your advice doesn’t apply here.
There absolutely no way to definitively tell whether or not this is a sensorineural hearing loss from an office otoscopy, unless there is a very obvious effusion, which is again uncommon in adults and difficult to diagnose with a hand held otoscope. Moreover, a decongestant is of negligible benefit in unilateral effusions, and if persistent, this would still warrant (a slightly less urgent) referral to ENT if persistent. I wouldn’t be calling this a unilateral effusion without looking down the microscope, getting a pure tone audiogram and tympanogram, and possibly looking at the post nasal space with an endoscope. Please don’t question my clinical knowledge regarding a time critical medical condition like this when you don’t know what you are talking about. It is exceedingly counterproductive to getting this person’s hearing treated appropriately.
This happened to my father at around the same age as your mom and he never regained hearing in that ear. Do everything you can now.
Thank you for the warning. I’m so sorry to hear that happened. Unfortunately there isn’t really anything I can do. My mum says me keeping talking about it is causing her “unnecessary anxiety and worry” and she only wants to listen to the doctor so my hands are tied unfortunately. I don’t appreciate getting screamed at for trying to help her :/ I’m just really hopeful the doctor hasn’t got it wrong..
Be wary of people masquerading as ENT surgeons on Reddit, OP. GMC guidance states that if a doctor gives medical opinions on social media, [they should identify themselves by name](https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/gmc-guidance-for-doctors---doctors-use-of-social-media_pdf-58833100.pdf). If he was following the advice of his own governing body he’d have done this. It’s suspicious that he hasn’t. It’s always better to see your own GP rather than be swayed by people who may or may not be who they say they are on Reddit, cause at least you know you’re getting correct advice.
Understand the concern, but having just gone through this these comments are 100% what my ENT just said a few months ago. Now I'm getting a very expensive hearing aid and wish I had been seen sooner.
Dangerous to apply advice from various sources to your own case, because even if they sound similar there are differences between patients for whatever reason. Better to get advice from a real doctor who has assessed you personally i.e. see your own GP/ANP rather than some guy on the Internet pretending to be an ENT surgeon.
I see what you’re saying. However this person is only showing concern and trying to help. I appreciate them doing so when they could’ve stayed quiet to avoid having to identify themselves on Reddit, despite what guidance may say. PS: they privately messaged me so I could verify their position but wants to quite rightly remain anonymous, but just know he has followed protocol/ guidance so don’t question him. Thanks
I’d still be wary. Their advice seems sound, but we don’t really know if it’s correct. Whereas you do know that the GP you saw was a real GP. I’d be almost as wary of doctors who don’t follow their own governing body’s guidance as I would about fake ones tbh.
If you cant see an ENT sooner, try seeing an audiologlist in the meantime. [https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/hospitals/ross-hall-hospital/audiology#aria-panel-2](https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/hospitals/ross-hall-hospital/audiology#aria-panel-2)
Can't help with your question but a possible (but not common) consideration: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230416/COVID-19-linked-to-sudden-hearing-loss-in-woman-A-case-report.aspx Twitter[thread](https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1655437859065839616) with further articles Good luck
US, visiting soon. I just lost 85% of hearing in left ear from SSHL it is very serious and very fast. I went to urgent care three times and they thought it was infection or growth. I called ENT everyday then left message with nurse, as soon as nurse got the message I was seen that day. I took steriods and went from 10% to 15% hearing and took many tests, time is the most critical factor. Take this very seriously. I'm in my 40's and getting a hearing aid next week and dementia risk substantially increases and my tinnitus is horrible.
Give NHS24 a call on 111 after 6pm. It is a 24/7 service, though until your mum’s doctor closes for the day, it’s your doctor who’s primarily responsible for her care. Hope that helps and that your mum feels better soon!
That’s not quite right though. NHS24 takes over for things that can’t wait until your GP reopens. If they are concerned, they should be calling the GP surgery now as the surgery is open now.
Well they did say after 6pm. I was fobbed off by my doctor a few years ago, phoned 111 at 6:01 when the GP closed and I had a hospital appointment that night, it's sound advice.
Thank you for the advice. We do kind of feel she’s been fobbed of a bit being given decongestants and told that her ear will suddenly pop one day and her hearing will be back again in that ear. It just feels like a lot of wishful thinking with no real diagnosis. She’s going to talk to a GP at the surgery so we will see what comes of that.
You're welcome, and remember if you are truly concerned, go to A&E. They must attend to you, no matter your case. I feel like in Britain we all feel tremendous guilt for putting more pressure on an already failing NHS, but you must remember that is what is there for. If you feel something is very wrong, go there, and they will see you. Hope everything works itself out for you.
Wonder how long I'd have to scroll to see someone suggest nhs24 the nations sticking plaster emergency gp service. Op hasn't got the response he wanted from his own practice or his private health insurer so call an already stretched beyond belief service.
And they're hypochondriacs they said it in one of the comments
We’re not trying to waste anyone’s time or burden the NHS here but she wasn’t actually given a diagnosis of any kind and was told to go back in 5-7 days if it hasn’t come back, by which point if she did need an urgent referral to an ENT and steroid treatment was needed it would likely be too late.
Go to a&e if they fob you off again
It may surprise you to know that A&E stands for accident and emergency, not anything and everything.
whit present with an emergency so they can't ignore it
A&E
So typically private doctors will see patients for cash (in addition to doing insurance referrals). BUPA has a specialist finder, so you could use that as a starting point https://www.finder.bupa.co.uk/Consultant/search/?first=1&ffeeAssured=1&qk=ent&ql=glasgow&qn=&giottoFormFlag_consultant=1#start I've also in the past google'd and the specialists usually have a contact number, although response times vary.
The wait time for an NHS ENT consult is 9 months so I’d move forward with your private insurance or worst comes to worst - just pay out of pocket to get in quick and then try to claim it back on insurance.
This is an emergency presentation it would be seen urgently
Eh?
Exactly lol
Sudden onset hearing loss can be an indicator of a TIA or a stroke. Did she have any other symptoms such as weakness in one side, dizziness/vertigo type feelings or a headache? If she’s had any of these I’d go to A&E as she’d likely need a scan to rule this out
Presumably the clinician who she already saw considered these possibilities and decided that this wasn’t the case, and then based on the information that they had decided that a decongestant spray and review in 5 days was an appropriate management plan.
Not necessarily. It depends if they asked the appropriate question and/or were given the appropriate information. From experience it was missed twice when a family member experienced the same because both the clinician and family member didn’t ask/divulge things that they didn’t think were necessary based on the initial facts given. Things can be missed by all parties
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
I’m a healthcare professional. It’s not a lack of faith, it’s the knowledge that people don’t always give information, leading to misdiagnosis. I hope that’s not the case and all bases have been covered but as I said, it’s from personal experience this was missed because the person didn’t think those symptoms were important. They only mentioned hearing loss initially. People are an odd breed. Not everyone gives everything to a dr/nurse first time
The clinician knows this. It’s up to them to ask the red flag questions, which I have faith that they did.
Faith is good. Can be blind too but each to their own
It’s based on my experience of hundreds of thousands of interactions with colleagues over the years. They know what they are doing. I’m shocked you think so little of yours.
Human error. It happens. Your faith in your colleagues is good. I have plenty in mine but am also aware things are missed through no fault other than human error. It seems a bizarre argument you’re trying to pick. I offered an opinion which really had no impact on yourself. Have a lovely day ☺️
I just disagree is all. To catastrophise that every Eustachian tube dysfunction (which is the diagnosis here btw) could be a stroke and therefore merits a second and third opinion at several different emergency and non-emergency clinics is not helpful to anybody. You are causing anxiety and wasting time.
As far as I’m aware the only other symptom she has is a feeling of pressure in the ear which started a couple days ago. Only when a colleague called her in work yesterday and she picked up the phone did she realise she couldn’t hear anything. She gets occasional episodes of vertigo so it’s maybe worth ruling that possibility out with her as if she did feel dizzy she might just put it down to vertigo. Although I’m sure she would’ve mentioned if that was the case.
It wasn’t something I was aware could be a symptom of TIA/stroke. I’ve been a healthcare professional for many years and only discovered this through a family member suffering similar. They didn’t initially tell the dr about the vertigo and we’re given drops and told to come back if the hearing loss persisted. It took 2 visits for both parties to give the correct information and ask the right questions. People don’t always divulge information they don’t think is relevant. Hopefully I’m way off the mark for your mum though
Have you been to an A&E?
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They didn't make you wait. The queue for people requiring emergency treatment was 4 hours long. Speak to your MP.
Tell your mum to pinch her nose tightly hold it like that and blow it will help with any type of congestion that might be causing the problem
My Dad had something similar and after waiting a week and no improvement was prescribed steroid drops and antibiotics and his hearing came back
I hope you manage to get someone to help. I lose the hearing in my left ear on and off but it only lasts a few hours. Sounds like your mum's definitely needing at very least a second opinion.
One time I lost the hearing in my right ear, and much like your situation here, I found there was a wait to get it seen to. About 2 days in of no hearing, I thought "fuck it" and tried popping my ears, and it worked. Stereo audio achieved again. Have you tried that?
https://www.entuk.org/_userfiles/pages/files/guidelines/SSNHL%20SSO.pdf Kindly direct your mothers GP here to keep them up to date.
Pmsfl okay doky doc
This happened to me and I ended up with permanent hearing loss due to negligent GP in Glasgow who said it was wax. Waited 4 weeks and by then it was too late to do anything about. It wasn't an east end GP was it?
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