Hi All. I discovered by coincidence that I had moderate high frequency hearing loss. I was referred to an audiologist when I said to my Doc that I noticed I struggled to hear on my left side when I picked up a desk phone. MRI was done and no tumor or damage. Cause completely unknown.
My question:
Anyone else has a similar experience of unexpectedly discovering their hearing loss? I am feeling like since I know, I am more aware of it. Beforehand I was just going about my life with no problem except for when I held a desk phone to my ear and difficulty hearing conversations in noisy places.
I am currently trialling phonak hearing aids…I am told they are the best. Aside from hearing a very loud and tinny version of my own voice when speaking, I am finding they have little benefit.
I do this thing where I pull the ear piece out and in when watching TV to see if any change. Hardly any.
Ultimately, Im racking my brains to work out when my hearing loss may have happened. Or maybe I just had it for years and not really noticed til I was back at work, using a desk phone again.
Anyone has a similar experience? What did you end up doing about it? Nothing? or just persevered with the hearing aids?
I am reading and hearing (pardon the pun) that hearing aids for Single Sided hearing loss may not be as effective?
Would be very grateful to hear your stories, learnings on your journey. I feel like I am suddenly part of a group I know nothing about.
I understand your current situation. It is hard to know where you are on the scale until you add your audiogram to your profile. Although I have loss in both ears, the transition to hearing aids can be somewhat challenging. You likely had loss for a while and then it progressed to the point where you noticed it. I also remember when I got my first HA’s, taking them in and out all day to “test” things. In hindsight, it is a waste of time and not particularly helpful. Our brains will adapt to the new way it hears sound over the next 6-9 months, so how your brain interprets the sounds now is not necessarily how it will down the line. So, you are the right track treating your hearing loss now and monitoring it regularly going forward. Loss is usually progressive. To your other point of trying to find the “why”, that is also very common and somewhat futile. The fact is, you have hearing loss and now the focus is on how to manage it best so that you function well and that those around you can know you are doing something proactive about it…it gives you the right to ask for their help sometimes if you don’t understand things the first time. My suggestion: keep on your current track - kudos to you for being proactive and moving forward with hearing loss. 2 are generally better than one (my first AuD said: women don’t wear a bra with just one side even if they are uneven - I thought that was a very straight up comparison!). Put them in when you wake up and take them out when you go to bed - every day. Even if home alone in the quiet - ambient sound input is real and valuable. Keep them in so that your brain has time to maximize the new new input. Try to stop wondering if they are helping. They are. It takes time to adapt, and there is truly a grieving process for your lost hearing. So glad you posted and joined so that you can get support and suggestions - I wish I had done that years ago!!
my experience is similar to yours, except I know exactly when my single sided loss happened. It was a result of a complication from a virus that also temporarily paralyzed half of my face. This happened about a year ago and I never had hearing problems until then. I can definitely relate to noticing the problem more after it was diagnosed (almost to the point of obsession) and being ambivalent about the benefit of hearing aids (is there much difference with and without). As far as HA, I’ve tried several (including latest Phonaks) and ultimately went full DIY route. My current sense is that there is some benefit of wearing a HA on the “bad” side, but it is not huge. Proper tuning does make a big difference. Speech in quiet is usually not an issue, but noise is the enemy. Do you also have tinnitus on the affected side? I would be curious to know where you end up as far as adapting to this new situation as I am on the same journey. Good luck!
I did not discover my hearing loss. I kept telling my wife to speak louder and she insisted I get my ears checked. I was truly surprised when I was tested and the lady told me I needed hearing aids, in both ears. I actually never realized my loss until that moment. I left the doctors office actually thinking it had to be a mistake until I got my aids and experienced the difference. LOL
I’ve known for a couple of years that my hearing isn’t “great”, but I didn’t go in for a hearing test until I was diagnosed with a meningioma and was told by my neurosurgeon that hearing loss could be one of the first signs the tumor is growing and I should have my hearing checked on a yearly basis.
The audiogram showed mild-moderate cookie bite hearing loss. Both sides, so it’s probably genetic but I’ll keep monitoring.
I was given Resound Nexia hearing aids. I do better in noisy situations, but find some sounds(probably in the ranges my hearing is normal) are almost painfully loud.