Don’t neglect hearing issues, even if they’re unrelated to MS
I'm finally addressing my hearing loss to improve my quality of life
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I underwent cognitive testing in May, and it was extremely thorough and more involved than I expected. I saw the notes on the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare website soon after, but the psychologist called me to discuss them in depth last month. I breathed a sigh of relief when she told me that I was completely cognitively intact and had established a baseline, which will allow us to measure any changes in my cognition going forward.
Then she switched gears and asked how long it had been since an audiologist had checked my hearing.
My immediate response was to chuckle and wonder aloud why everyone keeps asking me that, but the reality is that I know exactly why. It only takes a short conversation with me to realize that I have some hearing loss. Before my last deployment with the Army, I needed a hearing waiver, and the VA noted almost a decade ago that I had both hearing loss and tinnitus. Following an in-depth audiology exam last week, I finally decided to do something about it.
Addressing my hearing issues
I have several bad habits, but since my diagnosis with multiple sclerosis (MS), one of the worst has been dismissing other health issues. I either assume that if it’s not MS, then it’s not important, or that everything is caused or made worse by this disease, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Neither rationale is a good reason to ignore an aspect of my health, but I have the distressing tendency to do it anyway.
According to the National MS Society, only 6% of MS patients report auditory issues such as hearing loss or tinnitus. I have lesions on my brain stem, but I don’t know if they affect my hearing.
I received the hearing waiver in 2009, about the same time I experienced my first noticeable MS symptoms. Based on auditory tests, my hearing has not significantly worsened since I started taking Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in 2017. While the idea that these things might be related is compelling, they’re likely just coincidental.
The philosophy behind Occam’s razor tells us that the simplest answer is probably the correct one. The simplest answers to my hearing loss and tinnitus are genetics, years of exposure to loud noise, and some less-than-stellar hearing protection. My hearing issues may not be related to MS, but they affect my quality of life, and there is something I can do about them. I will follow my audiologist’s recommendation and get some hearing aids.
Although I probably needed them years ago, I never seriously considered getting a pair, and I haven’t kept up with the technology. Apparently, they’ve come a long way since I last paid them any attention. The ones I’m getting are rechargeable and use Bluetooth, so I can make and receive phone calls, listen to music, and improve my hearing all at the same time. They won’t do much for my tinnitus, but I’ve lived with that for so long that I’m used to a little background noise. I’d probably even miss it.
Until there’s a cure for MS and, perhaps just as important, a way to reverse the damage it has caused, I should be concerned with improving my day-to-day life. I’m getting better at addressing aspects of my health that aren’t related to MS. I will miss being able to use “Sorry, I didn’t hear you” as an excuse when I forget to do something, but I’m glad I’m finally addressing this.
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Sonya
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) was a symptom of a relapse I had last year. It was treated with an oral corticosteroid taper.
The doctor at the Eye and Ear Hospital in the emergency department there told me that about a third of patients recover mostly or completely; a third recover somewhat, but not back to their former baseline; and a third do not recover meaningfully, if at all.
Don't ignore sudden or gradual but overall quick unilateral or bilateral hearing loss – oral corticosteroids can be given within 30 days or so, but after that it's usually trying one's luck with intra-tympanic corticosteroid injections.
This relapse occurred in May 2025; how timely it was, then, that the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to publish this article in the July 2025 issue of the (peer-reviewed) Australian Journal of General Practice! I can state that my management was more or less in line with the guidelines in this article.
https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2025/july/onset-of-sudden-sensorineural-hearing-loss
Benjamin Hofmeister
That was some really good information Sonya!
I wonder how many people write off hearing loss to all The usual suspects like age, exposure to loud noises, family history, Etc and if that accounts for the low statistics connecting it with MS.
I certainly discounted many of my early symptoms because I was sure they were from other causes.
Ian R
Ben,
While I admire your perseverance and efforts to address other medical issues eg hearing, it’s a bit like the Titanic going down and someone is polishing the chrome door handles. I went to the dentist a few months ago and was advised that I would benefit from four new caps - $3,500. I decided against it. The idea of sitting in a chair for four hours and then being helped out to the car as my legs will be stiff doesn’t appeal to me. MS always wins in the end, but I’m not going to spend any more time at dentists, opticians, podiatrists… As an ex serviceman you know that sometimes we just have to accept that the battle is lost.
Megan Yost
Thank you for writing this article. I've had MS for almost 25 years but am taking my first hearing test in about a week.
I was a tomboy when I was a kid and had several ear infections. However, since I was diagnosed with MS I never did anything about my hearing until now. This outlook was very helpful and exactly what I'm dealing with right now!
Benjamin Hofmeister
You're welcome Megan, but of course I wish neither one of us needed to hear that. Sometimes it seems like such a little thing, but being able to hear properly is something I can do to improve the quality of my daily living and one of those little things that I shouldn't have ignored. I'm glad to hear that you're not ignoring it.