[stilquilty]

I'm an RN with more than 20 years of high risk L&D exp. After a serious long illness(I'm fully recovered now) I would very much like to go back to work. My problem is one of the meds I was given knocked out 80% of my hearing in one ear, and 20% in the other. I currently wear a hearing aid in the one ear with 80% of my hearing. I function fairly well most of the time, however in some situations I have trouble understanding people (people who mumble, speak especially softly, and some accents) It's hard when you have to ask people to repeat or speak more loudly. I'm still new at this, and I don't know how understanding to expect people to be. Do any of you have any personal experience, or with other nurses who are faced with this situation. At times it's just so akward, I feel like I'm the only one on the planet with this problem. I love nursing, and really miss it, but don't want to be a burden to my co-workers.Thanks for any and all advise.

[renerian]

Yeppers I am hearing imparied: 75% loss in one 50% in the other and I wear an aid. I just tell people if I cannot hear them, to please talk louder as I am hearing impaired. Then LOL people sometimes are screaming LOL.

renerian

[suebird3]

Hi! I, too, have problems with my left ear. Lost 25% hearing d/t a virus, and deal with Meniere's. I haven't gotten around to a hearing aid yet, though. If there is alot of background noise, or the door alarms are going off, I will have problems. If I am having problems understanding someone, I ask them to speak up.

My co-workers understand that I have Meniere's, and my boss teases me at times....she is very supportive of me since the dx. Good luck!

Suebird

[bookworm1]

I have just come across this thread. I am deaf in one ear and have been since birth. Just started going to dr's about it in the last few weeks . The ENT informed me that the only thing he would recommend is a special aid that would run more than I can afford. He also told me that I should look into another profession because he would never hire a nurse that had a hearing difficulty. After I got over the initial shock over his rudeness, I am now afraid of the response I may get from the school I am transferring to. It makes me feel better that there are other nurses that made it through the screening process. I am deaf in only one side and the other side is functioning at nearly 100%. Do any of you see this as a potential problem? Does the school need to be informed? and What about stethoscopes? Are there some that I should avoid? I have only started thinking about all of this. Since I was born this way and have always had one good ear, I never considered this being a problem before now. Any advice would be great.

[llg]

Originally Posted by bookworm1

I have just come across this thread. I am deaf in one ear and have been since birth.

When I was 38 years old (13 years ago) ... I suddenly lost 100% of the hearing in my right ear due to an otherwise minor virus. I have approximately normal hearing in my left ear. At that time, I was already a successful nurse in graduate school. Since then, I have met a couple of other nurses with only 1 functioning ear.

There are significant differences in the hearing capabilities of someone with 2 ears vs someone with only 1. As someone who lost my 1 ear suddenly as an adult, I know that for a fact. You may not fully appreciate the differences because you have never known anything else. For example, without what is essentially "auditory depth perception," those of us with a single ear has trouble understanding speach and distinguishing subtle sounds when there is background noise. We also have much less "directionality" : we have trouble determining the direction from which a sound emerges.

These differences in hearing do come into play in busy environments in which the ability to determine which monitor is beeping, which person called for your help, what did that person just whisper into your deaf ear makes a difference.

You can be a nurse with only 1 functional ear. But I am glad to hear you are exploring your special needs. You might find a bi-cross aid helpful in some environments and/or might need a special stethescope. By the time I lost my right ear, I had already "left the bedside" and was working primarily as a CNS and Staff Development educator. Therefore, I did not need the technological help to do my job. However, if I were young and just starting my career, I would be exploring all the possible aids that could assist me.

Good luck,
llg

[bookworm1]

I totally understand and agree with the directionality! I have some minor issues with background noises and 'white noise' but actually tested better than average under those conditions according to audiologist. How would I locate a special stethoscope? One web sight I located said I should refer to an ENT for a specialty stethoscope, but when I asked the doctor, he said he had no idea.

[ails]

I am not hearing impaired but I've hearing problems. My ENT told me that when I clean my ear with ear buds, it pushes the ear wax farther into the ear canal. And so, I used to feel how it is to be deaf, sort of... I'm all right now but sometimes, I misunderstand what others say to me and that makes me nervous. What if I misunderstood the doctor? What if I didn't hear my superior correctly and then I did something wrong? I need to go back to my ENT again... There are times that I get tinnitus or the high-pitched sound in the ear. It's not always but maybe five times a year I suppose.

[gonzo1]

I am about 50% deaf in one ear due to illness and 10% in other ear. Have been for many years. I use a phillips electronic stethoscope (200 dollars) purchased from Allheart.com. My hearing loss has not been a problem in any unit I have worked in. My coworkers are aware of my problem and let me know if I have a pump beeping that I haven't heard. I just ask patients to speak up as I am hearing impaired and everyone is happy to do so. Sometimes allows me to develop rapport with patients when they find out their nurse isn't perfect.