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I have to admit (to the original poster)...I'm so glad you asked this question! I was one of those people who thought "profound" hearing loss meant that you didn't hear at all. I used to have a moderate-to-severe loss in my left ear and profound in my right. I couldn't hear anything at all in my right ear but heard really pretty well with my bi-CROS hearing aids (with the left ear being the one that actually heard anything). These were analog aids that I got in 1993...I never did get digital ones.
About 6-7 weeks ago I suddenly lost the rest of my hearing and now I hear nothing at all. If I look at my audiograms it looks like a profound loss in both ears...the marks are all at the 120 db line and there's no level higher than that on my chart. The word recognition section says "NR at 105" for both ears. For my CI assessment I had to wear the most powerful hearing aids they had, and all they did was vibrate my head...I never did hear anything with them.
So I thought, okay, if I describe myself as being "profoundly deaf in both ears" people will understand that I don't hear anything at all. I don't hear sirens, jet engines...no sounds ever. Then I started reading here and there...someone would say they were profoundly deaf and could hear things, or that they can understand speech with a hearing aid. It totally confused me!
I'm wondering, is there a term that specifies in no uncertain terms that someone doesn't hear at all? Is it just "completely deaf"?
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