ESPN's Sean McDonough has been "diagnosed with superior canal dehiscence syndrome and will have surgery Aug. 7 to fix a small hole in the bone separating his left inner ear from his brain," according to Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY. McDonough decided to wait until then for the surgery "so he could work" this week's U.S. Open and next month's British Open and U.S. Senior Open. The discovery of his condition all began after "accidentally bonking himself on the head with a putter while playing golf in Arizona in February." McDonough said, "I immediately heard loud squealing in my ears. My own footsteps sounded so loud -- like bang, bang, bang -- and my voice sounded louder in my head." Hiestand notes SCDS is caused when a "hole is created in the bone separating the inner ear from the brain." For McDonough, symptoms "include decreased hearing, especially in his left ear -- he now has increased volume for that ear in his TV headset -- and wildly increased hearing at other times." He said that he "has been told he could skip surgery, but that might lead to his symptoms getting worse and even vertigo, loss of balance and increased dizziness." McDonough: "I want surgery because this is impacting how I feel on-air. I love what I do, I'm blessed to be able to do it and want to do it the right way." McDonough hopes to "return on-air early in the college football season," and also "hopes to raise public awareness" about the condition (USA TODAY, 6/15).
