Changed Daily Life After Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss... Auditory Rehabilitation to Regain Sound

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, where the ears suddenly feel muffled and sound disappears, can affect not only hearing but also balance and daily life. Episode 1011 of "Mysteries of the Human Body," broadcasting on KBS 1TV on October 7 at 10 PM, covers timely treatment, cochlear implant surgery, and the auditory rehabilitation process through the cases of people who have experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss. It introduces cases ranging from those experiencing tinnitus and dizziness after hearing does not return, to the process of adapting to unfamiliar sounds after wearing a cochlear implant. The program follows the journey of those whose daily lives have changed due to sudden hearing loss and their efforts to regain sound.

Sudden Hearing Loss, Changes in Hearing and Balance

The program introduces that hearing loss does not stop at being unable to hear sound well, but can also make it difficult to converse with people or engage in outdoor activities. In particular, sudden sensorineural hearing loss can arrive without warning, and the broadcast includes cases where it affects balance in addition to hearing. The main content of the broadcast is when the golden time for hearing loss is and what choices can be made when recovery does not occur even after timely treatment.

The changes experienced by Jin Jae-hee were not limited to hearing loss. When walking, her legs did not move as she intended, making even walking straight difficult. Currently, Jin Jae-hee is exercising steadily to recover her sense of balance and is in the process of returning to her former daily life. It is difficult to understand speech when sounds from a distance or the voices of several people are mixed together at once. When going to gatherings, she looks for a corner seat on the side where she can hear well, and during conversations, she tries to understand the content by looking at the other person's mouth shape. The program reports that the fatigue felt in daily life is great as these situations repeat.

Unrecovered Hearing and Resulting Tinnitus and Dizziness

Self-employed Jo Eun-a (61) experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss after suffering from overwork. She visited several hospitals for treatment and worked hard on health management, but her hearing did not recover. After her hearing declined, intense tinnitus that does not stop for 24 hours a day remained. Even when using a hearing aid, it is not of great help in improving hearing loss and tinnitus. The broadcast introduces Jo Eun-a's process of visiting several hospitals and continuing health management, along with the continuous tinnitus and difficulties in using hearing aids after her hearing did not return. It is a case where tinnitus follows in a situation where hearing recovery is difficult to expect.

Jo Young-taek (49) has experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss several times. After experiencing hearing loss in his youth, when it recurred, he quickly visited a hospital for treatment. The hearing loss that occurred last August was recovered through rapid treatment, and during the hospitalization process at that time, it was also confirmed that his blood sugar was high, so he underwent diabetes treatment concurrently. However, four months later, the third sudden sensorineural hearing loss arrived. This time, tinnitus and dizziness appeared along with the hearing loss, and her hearing did not return to the normal range. The course of events was different from when he quickly visited the hospital due to previous experiences and when he experienced hearing loss again later. The program deals with Jo Young-taek's repeated hearing loss along with whether hearing is recovered, accompanying symptoms, and the course of treatment.

Unfamiliar Sound Training Starting After Cochlear Implant Surgery

Cochlear implant surgery is not a process where one hears familiar sounds immediately after the surgery is completed. Kim Min-hee (29) decided on cochlear implant surgery after suffering extreme fatigue from tinnitus that continued for 24 hours. When she first operated the device after surgery, what she heard was an unfamiliar sound different from the human voices she expected. All sounds were heard as a buzzing mechanical sound like the cartoon character "Minions." This is a case that shows the adaptation process of hearing and distinguishing new sounds continues even after the device is implanted. The program introduces the sounds Kim Min-hee experienced when she first turned on the device and the auditory rehabilitation process after surgery.

The broadcast also includes the process of repeatedly training the brain to receive electrical signals delivered through the cochlear implant as sound and to distinguish them. Kim Yu-seong (54) experienced disappointment because he could not listen to the music he liked as before after the cochlear implant surgery. Afterwards, he continued practicing listening to sentences every day, and as time passed, the mechanical sounds began to change into natural sounds little by little. It is a process where the way of hearing sounds changed after surgery, and repetitive training of listening to sentences continued. What Kim Yu-seong hopes for is to go to a BTS concert with full hearing. The program follows Kim Yu-seong's adaptation and training after surgery, and his wish to go to a concert.

From Golden Time to Auditory Rehabilitation, Content to be Covered in the Broadcast

This broadcast conveys the process in which hearing recovery varies through the cases of people who have experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Jin Jae-hee experiences symptoms of difficulty walking along with hearing loss and is exercising to recover her sense of balance. Jo Eun-a is experiencing continuous tinnitus and difficulties in using hearing aids in a state where hearing has not recovered. Jo Young-taek received rapid treatment for previous hearing loss, but after the third hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness were accompanied, and hearing did not return to the normal range. Through different cases, the program examines the impact of hearing loss on balance, conversation, and daily life in addition to hearing.

In the cases of Kim Min-hee and Kim Yu-seong, the adaptation and training leading up to receiving and distinguishing sounds after cochlear implant surgery are dealt with. Kim Min-hee heard unfamiliar mechanical sounds when she first operated the device, and Kim Yu-seong repeatedly practiced listening to sentences every day. The broadcast presents the choices after timely treatment and drug therapy, cochlear implant surgery, and auditory rehabilitation as major themes. The reality of sudden sensorineural hearing loss and the cases of regaining sound will be broadcast on KBS 1TV "Mysteries of the Human Body" on October 7 at 10 PM.

Read the original (Korean)