Susan
I wish I'd seen your letter sooner. I was diagnosed with shingles right after July 4th. I was conducting a workshop and a trainer from an adjoining room came in to whisper something in my ear. I couldn't hear him and this let me know that something was wrong. I saw my internist, who treated me for a cold and referred me to an ear, nose and throat specialist. I have since been on prednisone and some anti-viral medication (I can't recall the name of it right now). It was just a minor ear loss to begin with, but I developed tinnatus. Nearly 4 months later and I'm still dealing with the tinnatus, hearing loss and a generally uncomfortable feeling in my ear. Wish I could be more discriptive about how it feels, but it's not pain...it's more like a stuffy feeling at times. My MRI showed nothing and my doctor says that I should think in terms of a long healing period. Most comforting, but I suppose it could be worse and the minor hearing loss, while it's annoying, hasn't interfered with my job. Has anyone else had similar symptoms?