PSA: If you have a sudden hearing loss, don't f*ck around with it!
If you suddenly lose your hearing, don't mess around with it. Six weeks ago, I woke up and my right ear was totally clogged up. At the same time I had a sinus problem that I was trying to self treat, because I had already been on 2 rounds of antibiotics last Fall and in January. So I dicked around with for 2 days, with Sudafed. When that didn't work I went into Urgent Care, they said yeah I had bronchitis and a sinus/ear infection. Antibiotics improved my sinuses and chest, but not my right ear. A couple of weeks later I went back in when my left ear clogged up, more antibiotics, and nothing.
After the end of that round of meds, I went to an ENT last Wednesday, and I had 80% hearing loss, and it looked like it may be permanent. He was ANGRY, PISSED...so much so he scared the bejeezus out of me. He is elderly, and strained his voice just trying to talk to me. He's a practitioner in the largest ENT practice in our state, and in with the group that has treated my husband's Meniers.
Since then he's had me on an aggressive treatment, with steroid and antibiotic shots, every day for 3 days, with audiologist testing, and oral antibiotics and prednisone, and its not fun! I have now improved up to 60% hearing loss, and he is optimistic, but I still have several weeks of daily shots and oral stuff. However, I may never recover to the hearing level I had, simply because I went for the cheap treatment, and THEY didn't advise me to go to a specialist. I'm not posting this for pity, just as a warning, don't fool around!
I know money and copays are a concern for many who are short on money, like me, but that day when my ENT said that 80% hearing loss may be permanent...I had a $50 copay. I really wish I had spent that $50 several weeks earlier, and would've had a better peace of mind than I have now.
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Late last year I developed an ear infection that would not respond to antibiotics. It was in both ears and was the result of unclean equipment used on me at an urgent care clinic.
No ENT would see me because of my ACA insurance, no matter how much I begged and waved cash and credit cards, they would not see me. The only ENT in my area who agreed to see me made me wait months for an appointment. The infection raged on for 5 months total. My eardrums ruptured, closed and re-ruptured I don't know how many times. It was so much pain I thought I would lose my mind and I could barely hear most of the time. When I finally saw the ENT he fixed me in ONE appointment.
But I had to suffer for 5 months and it's a minor miracle that I had no hearing loss from it. Especially considering I have a brother who has permanent, profound hearing loss that resulted from an ear infection (he now has limited hearing with hearing aids).
I'm so glad you are responding to treatment. The fact that it's improving at all is very encouraging. In my brother's case they tried everything you're describing and he never got the slightest improvement, and in his case the hearing loss really was permanent. But you are responding so I would be cautiously optimistic. Fingers crossed for some BIG improvements and wishing you the best! 
When I initially called my ACA insurer, which is Anthem, for the names of ENTs who would accept my policy they gave me a list of 6 in my area. I got on the phone. 3 turned out to be plastic surgeons who only hold the certification so they can do nose jobs, 2 insisted they were on the list by mistake and would absolutely under no circumstances see Covered California patients (even if I paid cash) and the one I finally saw made me wait months for an appointment, despite the urgency of my problem as explained in the referral from my PCP. I'm just so glad I didn't wind up in the hospital with some heinous complication, which was my big fear. That and losing my hearing, needless to say.
The thing that kills me too, is there was one person all along who knew exactly what I needed, and that was my pharmacist! My husband kept picking up one prescription after another for me for various antibiotics and steroids prescribed by my PCP. The pharmacist would always tell him, if these aren't working for her, they'll make her worse. And he was so right. Ironically, if I had never gone to the doctor at all, my body would have probably cleared the infection on it's own, but the drugs I was taking cleared the field of all competing microorganisms and caused my infection to really flourish. He was also completely correct about what meds would cure me, and had been saying so all along. Wish I could go to HIM for my medical treatment!
I'm sorry for what you've been through too. Shingles on top of everything else must have been awful. I hope all your ear troubles are behind you. I know mine are still very sensitive - like their defensive mechanisms are in hyperdrive. Seems like they are slow to calm down after the trauma. My ENT said that was to be expected.
Wishing us both trouble-free ears from here on out! 
AARP The Magazine, Aug/Sep 2015, p. 24
Just to let you know that AARP agrees completely.
Good luck with your hearing.
