Pit of Despair: I need Miracle Max

Everything Else
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Me: This is no fair. Come Fezzik, bring my body.
Fezzik: Your body?
Me: Have you any money?
Fezzik: I have a little.
Me: I just hope it’s enough to buy a miracle, that’s all.

So 5 days ago I called the phone company (landline) because I had a bad dial tone. Fuzzy, faint. Of course, it was intermittent, sometimes it’d work, sometimes not. They had me check the exterior connections and call back if those were OK and I needed to call for service.

I tried a few times to get the bad dial tone, got it, held the phone to my wife, who said it was fuzzy, then I put the phone on my left ear without hanging up; dial tone was fine. Right ear: faint, fuzzy.

It’s not the phone, It’s me.

Go to Urgent care, they check for wax buildup. Nope, ear canal is clean. Start 60 mg/day steroids hoping to clear a blocked Eustachian. Then yesterday got to the hearing test. During the test I couldn’t make out spoken words up to 90 db in my right ear.

Got the high dose liquid steroid injected into the middle ear yesterday, the follow up second dose scheduled for next week.

They think (and this sometimes just happens overnight like me) the Stapes bone (last bone in the chain from the eardrum to the Cochlea) gets detached from the oval window (the attachment point of the Stapes to the Cochlea)

Hopefully the steroids will let things reconnect. We’ll do an MRI, too just to be sure it’s not a tumor or other mechanical problem.

No Octave beta testing from me, I’m afraid. Or new speakers, yet.

But man, I’m gonna need a Miracle.

–SSW

1 Like
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Aw man, that stinks.

Hopefully, there is a path to correct this.

Best of luck to you.

In the mean time, make yourself a nice MLT sandwich and enjoy.

3

That is so sad… No Music lover deserves that…

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Only good things for ya, Streets.

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Best of luck to you, I am with you.

7

This is terrifying. Best wishes getting through this.

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Thanks, guys. I mean, like Beethoven, of all the places for something to break for an audiophile . . .

It may be fixed in time, it may not, but always remember, no matter what (especially if the MRI shows something really bad):

Don’t count the days: make the days count!

13 Likes
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Excellent advice and reminder

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Reminds me a bit of an episode I had a couple of years ago when I woke up with a feeling that my head was a little unbalanced. It didn’t take long to realize that feeling was caused by the sound in my right ear being lower in volume and pretty massively distorted - I remember on the drive to work I tried manually closing off my left ear canal, and I had real trouble understanding the radio announcer through the right one. Being an audiophile and so fond of good sounding music, I was in a panic. I got into see the doctor, and he checked for excessive wax or other blockage, found none, and in fact saw nothing in my ENT that seemed odd at all. I was really depressed about it, but within a couple of days whatever it was had cleared up on its own. Hasn’t happened again.

I sincerely hope yours clears up, too.

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Hey SSW, you’re living our worst fear. :flushed:

I’m sending you positive vibes for a speedy recovery.

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Hi @Streets_Still_Works
Wishing you a speedy recovery. Blessings.

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Speedy recovery to you Streets…

Blessings to you

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Hoping Max comes through for you.

Best wishes!

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Many of us my/our vintage suffer the sings and arrow of old(er) age. Like Craig, I too suffered from a sudden but temporary decline in hearing—mine accompanied by a bit of a loss of balance. Fortunately it cleared up in a few hours. Docs found no cause.
Relieved, but concerned.

Here’s hoping Max reaches you soon!

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I’m with everyone else here, Streets. Hoping Max comes through with that miracle!

17

Shudder … I understand your need for a miracle. Losing my hearing is something I tend to obsess about. Music and sounds in general are just too important. Streets, here’s hoping they will find the problem and get you back to where you were. Good luck!

18

Damn that really really bites. I sure hope it is something than can be fixed (and easily, if that’s possible). Best of luck and keep us posted Streets!

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Best of luck to you Streets. I too am going through a lot of medical issues that were not foreseeable. As such, my dream of putting together a new system has gone out the window. But it’s times like these we realize there is much more to life.

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Nuts.

I hope things are going well for you.

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What Elk said. Best of luck Cygnus.