Can you help?

[Chris Owen]

Can anyone offer some ideas as to what could be my problem?

I am a 39 year old male in good health.

Twelve months ago I received several blows to the right side of my head,
one of these was an open-handed slap to the ear.  From the moment of that
slap,  the hearing in my right ear went dull.  I have seen two audiologists
and an ENT surgeon,  but none offer any real suggestion as to what has gone
wrong.

My hearing test shows a deep (-40db) notch at 4khz in my right ear,  and a
lesser notch at 2khz in my left ear.  Pressure tests show both ears to be
identical and normal.  My right ear is Rhine -ve,  BUT if I lower my head or
tighten my neck muscles it reverts to Rhine +ve and my hearing improves.  I
have constant tinitus at about 8khz,  and this gets worse if I'm exposed to
noise.

I finding it very difficult to cope in noisy environments.  What is worse is
that I can't tell how loudly I am speaking as my own voice is very loud and
distorted unless I lower my head (as above).  I am forever being asked to
"say again" or "speak - up" even in one to one situations.

I have a small mobile lump in the hollow just behind my right earlobe (on my
skull rather than on my jaw).  I get a sharp clicking sound from that ear
when I walk.

I had a CT scan six weeks ago but with no result.  I am now on the waiting
list for an MR scan (I'm told it will be in August!!)

I am now desperate as I will loose my job this summer unless I can at least
offer some hope that my hearing will improve (just the change from Rhine -ve
to +ve would help).  Any ideas would be most welcome.

Many thanks,

Christopher Owen.  Senior Sound Supervisor,  BBC Outside Broadcasts.