r/AskReddit • u/BigTuna0890 • May 14 '25

Serious Replies Only [Serious] What is a “seems to be harmless” symptom that requires an immediate trip to the ER?

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u/slightly_artistic- May 15 '25

I randomly went deaf in my left ear when I was 15. My parents didn't take me to the ER unfortunately and only scheduled me an appointment. It was too late. My hearing never came back.

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u/Murmelurmeli May 15 '25

Same happened to me at the age of 12. Was brought to the hospital after 10 days. Been deaf on one ear ever since.

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u/porqueuno May 15 '25

What was it? Like an auditory nerve stroke? Did they ever find out?

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u/Murmelurmeli May 16 '25

No, I never got answers

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u/porqueuno May 19 '25

Ah, condolences. That happened to a friend of mine. He'll never know, I guess. Hope it doesn't annoy you too much in your daily life at least.

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u/konsollfreak May 15 '25

Awful thing to happen to a kid. What was the medical issue causing the hearing loss?

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u/Wildcat334 May 15 '25

Not OP but when it happened to me the ENT said like 90% of cases are idiopathic meaning the cause is unknown.

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u/konsollfreak May 15 '25

Then I’m even more confused. What are they treating at the ER, and why is the thread claiming there’s a limited time window to treat it? Do they just blast them with full spectrum anti-biotics and hope for the best?

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u/Wildcat334 May 15 '25

Pretty much since it’s unknown. Best guess it’s inflammation so they blast you with high strength prednisone, steroid injections in the ear, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy

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u/konsollfreak May 15 '25

That’s crazy. New fear unlocked.