{"id":1500,"date":"2018-12-03T01:03:35","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T03:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atomic-temporary-154474987.wpcomstaging.com\/?p=544"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:20:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T18:20:12","slug":"sudden-deafness-personal-account","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geovanesou.com\/en\/surdez-subita-relato-pessoal\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you remember when it was just a joke?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you were a child, did you ever cover your ears to experience what sudden deafness or the sensation of hearing loss would feel like?
Have you ever used this to, in a boring conversation, sulk by saying "I can't hear anything"?
I am now fully qualified \u2014 Or disabled?<\/em> \u2014 considering that having your hand over your ear doesn't even come close to the utterly claustrophobic sensation of no longer hearing your own breathing, pulse\u2026 not even your own voice!!
And wouldn't you know it, on November 4th, which will be a month later tomorrow, I ended up being rewarded with a deeper exploration of this experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beginning: From Air Traffic Controller to Silence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2014a deaf person who spoke Portuguese, English, and Spanish\u2014was an air traffic controller and, so to speak, able to hear even a fly buzzing on the other side of the thick windows of the tower: like the pilots, I went to CEMAL annually hoping to see that almost straight line at the top of the audiometry exam!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came the anxiety and depression disorder with panic syndrome, which were amplified by the events of the so-called "controller crisis," and despite my very serious psychiatric breakdown and its devastating consequences\u2014I reached 210 kg, experienced episodes of stuttering, night terrors, body aches, and, among other things, the "record": one day, upon arriving at the tower, I learned that the major who was pursuing me was in the unit, and I reached my peak blood pressure of 23x16!\u2014I was treated merely as obese.
They even tried to diagnose me with a heart problem, but after Holter monitors and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), that option was ruled out, and on recommendation, I joined the group (I miss it so much\u2026) and underwent bariatric surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another day I'll tell these stories in more detail, but even after losing weight I continued to exhibit all the other psychiatric symptoms and, unfortunately, the pressure unintentionally exerted by the military system only prevented a cure: after 20 long years of service I was discharged due to incapacity for military service, without promotion and earning only 2\/3 of the salary of a 1st sergeant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Fall and the Diagnosis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The fact is, I can neither hide nor deny it, I believe in God, and it was He who placed people and activities in my life that allowed me to preserve my marriage and my sanity. It took me about two years to discover my secret to overcoming depression, and from then on, with my health restored, it was just a matter of striving to supplement my income\u2026
It was supposed to be, but it wasn't: one day, living a healthy life, I was running happily on the treadmill at the gym when \u2014 BLOCK! \u2014 my ear got clogged like that pressure you get when you're flying on a plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I performed the recommended maneuvers, waited for a few hours, and nothing: it was as if I had an invisible pillow covering my ears.
It must be wax!
The next day I woke up feeling "stuck" and went straight to the ENT doctor's office, who quickly ruled out that possibility and, after a few questions, ordered a series of tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questions asked were quite important, because at that time a strange phenomenon was occurring: I would get dizzy when I drank coffee!
This and other findings led to the diagnosis of sudden deafness: a moderate to severe irreversible bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, likely caused by Meni\u00e8re's syndrome and with either general anesthesia or Vioxx, a medication prescribed for recovery after bariatric surgery, as an ototoxic factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, that tubercular hearing (which I was unknowingly proud of) never returned, and at least the Air Force itself contributed to the acquisition of my first hearing aids, which, incidentally, deserve a separate article because of all the errors that occurred, from their acquisition to the complete lack of adjustments, rendering them practically useless accessories: I was deaf and without hearing aids until April 2016, when I was invited to be the manager of a pavilion at the Olympic Games.<\/a> And the brilliant Fleming brothers gave me (what I call) a return to the world of the living\u2026 I could even listen to music!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 4, 2018: The Invisible Pillow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The episode that occurred in Sunday<\/a>, November 4, 2018, was quite different from the first, as something similar to a frequency modulation occurred in my hearing: I was washing dishes and, suddenly, I started to feel pressure only in my ears and the sounds began to disappear!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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