Hearing loss!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Nov 29, 2008

Have you seen a really good specialist?

I have a sensorineural loss bilat, worse in my right ear. The aid helps a lot with conversation. I turn it off in crowds.

Aneroo, LPN · Dec 1, 2008

I think she's pretty good. We're in a small town, so we're limited (one big ENT office and one small one), but insurance doesn't cover any of it. Go figure. You lose your vision- insurance covers it. Lose your hearing, you're screwed!

athena55, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2008

Aneroo:

SO what was the final diagnosis? Autoimmune? Meniere's Disease?

Many people who are diagnosed with an Acoustic neuroma often describe being able to "hear their heartbeat (pulse) in their affected ear" (I used to work at a School for the Deaf, in the ENT clinic) but you mentioned that they ruled that out....

Do you have hearing loss in your "good ear"? If you don't then it is just a matter of training yourself to lead in with your "good ear or side"

Do you have recruitment? You have already tried the hearing aid, may I ask for how long? As many of us with hearing loss and users of hearing aids can attest to, it can take a while to get used to using one....

What I do is when I leave a patient's room I back out, in case the patient continues to talk to me as I leave.

And you are still having problems with your vertigo. OUCH, sorry to hear that.

athena

theresa1 · Dec 5, 2008

Hi there, new to this, so hope I don't make any mistakes!

I have been wearing hearing aids for eight years now, and still have trouble in noisy environments, not good when you work in an operating theatre with all the equipment beeping and theatre staff chatting etc!!!

I have recently started to experience pulsitile tinnitus and have an appointment to see an ENT specialist next week. I am terrified that I have an acoustic tumour. ENT is not one of my strong points as I have never worked in that area. Does anyone know much about acoustic neuromas and the out come? I know that they are benign, but that the treatment involves a lengthy operation that results in complete deafness on the affected side. Am I right?

Keep fingers crossed for me :icon_roll.

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 6, 2008

I experienced "Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome" 15 years ago, when I was 38 years old and in graduate school. In the span of about 10 seconds, my right inner ear died -- probably the result of an otherwise asymptomatic virus. I lost 100% of my hearing and balance on my right side and developed severe tinnitus and a very faint mild decrease in my facial sensations on that side as well.

Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome is a known phenomenon that effects thousands of people each ear. Some people just lose a portion of their inner ear function. Others, like me, have a total wipe out.

It took me a few years for life to seem "normal" again to me -- but eventually, I did "get used to" my new way of being in the world. Over the years, I have met a few other people with similar histories -- and most of us are doing just fine. You can too -- but it does take time, patience, and the ability to adapt.

You might want to check out another website -- an online organization of people with hearing impairments, most of whom developed those hearing problems as adults rather than being born with hearing/balance losses. The group is called The SayWhatClub. Many of those folks have mild/moderate losses like yours and are not part of the Deaf Culture. They are people like us who developed hearing/balance problems as adults and continue to function well in the hearing culture.

Good luck to you.

athena55, BSN, RN · Dec 6, 2008

theresa1:

Check out these web sites:

www.mayoclinic.org/acoustic-neuroma

www.med.umn.edu/otol/library/aneuroma/treatmen.htm

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000778.htm#tre...

www.healthline.com

Fingers are crossed!

athena

Aneroo, LPN · Dec 8, 2008

I experienced "Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome" 15 years ago, when I was 38 years old and in graduate school. In the span of about 10 seconds, my right inner ear died -- probably the result of an otherwise asymptomatic virus. I lost 100% of my hearing and balance on my right side and developed severe tinnitus and a very faint mild decrease in my facial sensations on that side as well.
Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome is a known phenomenon that effects thousands of people each ear. Some people just lose a portion of their inner ear function. Others, like me, have a total wipe out.
It took me a few years for life to seem "normal" again to me -- but eventually, I did "get used to" my new way of being in the world. Over the years, I have met a few other people with similar histories -- and most of us are doing just fine. You can too -- but it does take time, patience, and the ability to adapt.
You might want to check out another website -- an online organization of people with hearing impairments, most of whom developed those hearing problems as adults rather than being born with hearing/balance losses. The group is called The SayWhatClub. Many of those folks have mild/moderate losses like yours and are not part of the Deaf Culture. They are people like us who developed hearing/balance problems as adults and continue to function well in the hearing culture.
Good luck to you.

LMAO- I like the name of the club. I'm always saying "HUH? Do what?" since my husband STILL hasn't learned to not talk and walk away from me at the same time. LOL

Your experience sounds a lot like mine, with the exception of yours being more severe.

You know what really made me mad- we had bought our new cell phones with the blue tooth headset that day. So of course, I couldn't use the ear piece! I can't occlude the good ear. LOL I managed to sell it to a friend who needed one, so we both won there.

Hearing loss runs in my family anyways- my mother wears bilateral BTE's and still have a very difficult time hearing. She was terrified this was something she passed onto me. That's one of the reasons I am so scared about future losses.

Other thing that makes me mad- when the pitch of the ringing in my ear changes. CANNOT stand that! Or when my almost three year old yells *really* loud, it does something to the ringing in my ears and it's so darn annoying. LOL

ETA- I did try the aids for a little over a week, but by the end of the week found myself just turning it off and taking it out. At the time, not worth the money. It probably will be later though. I wish they had some different colors for the aids. I found one that matched my hair, but half-jokingly said if they made a bright pink one, I'd get it. I don't mind that people see it or they know I have hearing loss. I think it might help, since people always want to come up and whisper stuff into the bad ear. LOL

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 8, 2008

Dear Aneroo,

From your most recent post ... it sounds as if you will do just fine. You have a sense of humor about it and don't seem to be the kind of person to "roll up in a ball and die" about developing a handicap.

But ... it CAN be frustrating. It took me quite a while to fully feel normal. And it does come up again now and then. For example: I stumbled and fell last week. Was it because of my balance deficit? Would I have fallen if my inner ear had been normal? Will I start falling down more often as I get older? Will I have repeated falls and broken bones? Another person would just say "oops" and move on -- but such an incident reminds me that I have a balance handicap and I need to be more careful than most folks just walking around on an average day.

If I can be of any help, don't hesitate to PM me.

llg

Aneroo, LPN · Dec 10, 2008

Dear Aneroo,
From your most recent post ... it sounds as if you will do just fine. You have a sense of humor about it and don't seem to be the kind of person to "roll up in a ball and die" about developing a handicap.
But ... it CAN be frustrating. It took me quite a while to fully feel normal. And it does come up again now and then. For example: I stumbled and fell last week. Was it because of my balance deficit? Would I have fallen if my inner ear had been normal? Will I start falling down more often as I get older? Will I have repeated falls and broken bones? Another person would just say "oops" and move on -- but such an incident reminds me that I have a balance handicap and I need to be more careful than most folks just walking around on an average day.
If I can be of any help, don't hesitate to PM me.
llg

Are you done reading my mind? LOL

I was pitiful right after I lost my hearing. I cried and cried, and was so frustrated at my husband because he didn't get it. He joked about it then, but I certainly didn't feel like joking. The song "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns really helped me through that rough time, and I realized I still had a ton to be thankful for, even for the fact I still have some hearing, even if it isn't perfect anymore. I still get down about it, mostly when I go out with a group of friends and feel totally out of it, and don't hear any of the conversations.

I did fall down yesterday. I was moving too quick, wearing Dansko's on a hill, and twisted my ankle. I hurt so bad, but luckily have a great doctor who wrote for some pain meds. I always am concerned about that too when I fall- was it the vertigo or just me wearing tall shoes. LOL