XIAMEN, CHINA — In what can only be described as a gift and a curse, a Chinese woman from Xiamen recently woke up one morning unable to hear men's voices.
According to Next Shark, the woman identified as Chen by Chinese website QQ went to bed the night before feeling nauseated with ringing in her ears.
When she woke up the next day, she was unable to hear her boyfriend speaking to her.
Chen then got herself to Qianpu hospital, where and ENT doctor diagnosed her with a condition known as reverse-slope hearing loss, or RSHL, where patients can only hear high-frequency sounds.
According to Audiology, Inc., RSHL reportedly affects about 1 in 12,000 people. Only about 3,000 people in the U.S. and Canada have the condition, also known as low-frequency hearing loss.
RSHL is usually passed down from your parents, but can be caused by certain illnesses, viral infections or sudden hearing loss.
Changes in pressure to inner ear fluid, stress, injury and circulation problems can also contribute to RSHL.
Patients who suffer from RSHL are unable to pick up low-frequency sounds like thunder, refrigerator humming and in this case—a boyfriend.
Doctors expect Chen to make a full recovery as long as she reduces her stress and gets enough shuteye.
