Hearing loss is something you probably aren't thinking about much in your 20s...until it happens to you. That's how it went for me anyway!
When I experienced hearing loss and - for the most part - recovery, I didn't know anyone else who had gone through a similar experience. A lot of content about hearing loss is from the perspective of someone who is older, so I want to share my story in case you're another 20-something (or not) looking to hear a younger person's experience with hearing loss.
In my case, I literally woke up one day and felt a change in my hearing. I thought it was allergies and pushed off seeing a doctor for weeks until I practiced vocal warm ups, and I heard several pitches and a grinding noise in my left ear.
NOT what a singer wants to experience!
I was lucky that the specialists I found took it pretty seriously and offered two treatments for it. Both were steroids: one I took via pills and the other was a liquid injected into my ear. Yup, it was just as unpleasant as it sounds. But it worked! My hearing recovered and, knock on wood, has remained mostly okay since.
I still experience symptoms from time to time, though, including: fullness in my ear, a muted or muffled sound, tinnitus and ringing, pinching or pain, and sometimes dizzy spells.
I talk about it in more detail in this video.
And, please (!!!), see a doctor if you have any concerns about your hearing or health. I'm not a doctor. I'm just telling my story :)