Dang Mike, glad to hear is is benign! i missed that in the first read through.
Tommy, I also was loosing a ton of hearing and went to the doctor. I thought my 5 years in audio (compounded by lots of concerts) was having its toll… the conclusion? I just had a ton of ear wax (gross). The nurse cleaned it out in 30 seconds. They told me it was pretty normal in 40-45 year olds. Stuff builds up. So get it checked out, could be a range of things.