I'm new here. Lost hearing when pregnant.

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emiliarae

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Im 39 year old mother of 2 young kids, happily married to the love of my life and have a great job as a paralegal at the prosecutor's office. I started losing my hearing about 6 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I lost about 30% in one ear. THEN when I got pregnant with my second 2 years ago I lost almost all of it in both ears. They diagnosed me with Meniere's disease and my ear specialist thinks that somehow my pregnancies escalated the meniere's. I had the Gentamicin injections 3 times over 3 months and that helped the vertigo but didn't help my hearing loss. I got hearing aids last year and it helped at first when i was hearing at 40 to 45 decibels but in the last 2 months it has doubled in hearing loss....the audioligist said Im now at 85 to 90 dec (which is severe). I'm very upset about it. Sad. Frustrated. Scared. Afraid of losing my job, afraid of it effecting my ability to be a good mom. I'm avoiding social events and my friends because I can't carry on a conversation anymore. I have an appointment w/ear doctor on wednesday to see if i am a candidate for CI now, but not sure if my insurance covers it. The lady on the phone said yes they did but when I looked in the insurance coverage manual they say they don't so I emailed customer service and they said sorry they told me wrong information on the phone but my insurance DOES NOT cover CI because they are hearing aid devices, but somewhere I read that it depends on how your dr submits it to the insurance company and if it's billed under durable medical equipment that they will. Does anyone out there have any knowledge to CI insurance coverage or have the same problem???
 
Hi and welcome. Sorry your going through all this and yes I can relate. Last May I got really sick, in the hospital for over a month. Almost didn't make it, but I did. I lost ALL of my perfect hearing overnight. Fortunately for me my insurance did cover my CI. I know a lot of people on this site who can not get their hearing aids covered. It does require a ton of paperwork by your doctors office. I know for me, the fact that hearing aids would not help me was a plus for getting a CI. I wish you all the best!!!
 
Thanks for responding. Why did you get sick? with vertigo? do they know why you lost your hearing overnight? how was the CI procedure? are you glad you did it? can you hear again? can you have a conversation with someone in a restaurant? can you hear what your family is saying from another room? can you hear on a phone what the other person is saying? can you watch tv without the captions? Sorry for so many questions......most of the post and stories I have read are about people that lost their hearing so long ago or were born with partial or all hearing loss. Looking to someone to relate to that could always hear and suddenly lost their hearing like you did. Thanks :wave:
 
I'm surprised your Audi thinks you're a candadite for a CI. I would think s/he would have you try more powerful HAs first. The hearing in my worst ear is severe to profound & my better ear is not much better. My hearing aids work great for me.
I know everyone is different, so perhaps there are other factors which rule out more powerful HAs for you. Do you know what your speech discrimination scores are?
 
Maybe you can try for a HA first while you can search and switch to a different insurance to see if insurance can cover for CI as much as they can .
 
And welcome to my world. Since you started losing your hearing, as an adult, you now have an understanding of what it's like to be cut off from the world... It's like the Land of the Lost TV show for kids in 1974/75. There was an episode when the travelers attempted to get back to their time, and they were in the sleestak time machine or something. They approached the right time, but something went wrong and couldn't exit back into their world. I think the boy happened to catch a frisby just as the machine opened in the path of a frisby, and that was all he could get. Just a taste of home. They never made it back home, as the finale had them entering the window into the future, only to have the time loop of them going back to the distant past start again. You can't have what everyone has (they're in the right place at the right time, but you're not).

Anywhere there is a group of people socializing, I hear Russian, and I'm the only one speaking English. I can't understand a thing around me. I might as well go home, as it's too tiring to understand one person with other voices covering up that person's voice.

I feel for you. You lost what I've never had. I cannot imagine what full hearing sounds like or what you can do with it. And then lose it... I can't seem to decide which is worse, to be hearing and go deaf, or to be deaf my whole life and be frustrated with communications...

Since you are somewhat younger, maybe someday, a stem cell treatment will be available. I don't know that I will get to see it in my lifetime. Even though I have a small amount of residual hearing, I fear losing the rest of it. What is even more probable for me is the last analog hearing aids not working anymore and no more to be found in the years ahead. THEN, I will have lost it all, because the digitals do not do what I need them to do. I will end up losing my job entirely and won't know what to do for a living next.

We're the sleestaks in this Land of the Deaf. We'll help you survive...
 
deafdrummer,

I really like how you put things into perspective. Although my situation is not the same, there are similarities that I can relate to. Thanks for sharing. :)
 
i lost my hearing after accident then went on to get bad infection,i was pregnant at the time,i remember very little about the birth and my daughter was born severly braindamaged,i lost my hearing and great deal of other brain functions and a great will to die, pity party that went on for long time,;;;and everyday for last 27yrs i asked myself if i not done this that or the other i still have hearing decent job and most importantly i have a daughter who have same life as other young women married children etc.
you lost your hearing it sucks, i could have had c.i.i did not have heart or will to improve
girl you just got put pity party hat away,it WILL not effect your parenting ability as for job, things happen in life and sometimes you have to divert and maybe a different avenue with job...to my knoweledge of american disability laws you will get help and surpport but be step ahead study them.talk to people who have disabilites get tips...
for what it worth i know of dr.s and nurses and two aircraft designers top of their game are deaf also with famiies,you cope just like any parent deaf or not.you look at rock robins Bots post and many others.deafness dont define them it just apart of who they are...have quick pity party we all entitled to those from time to time, then girl get on that horse be good parent thats all any of can do,plus your kids have may have to do bit more thinking but that good positive.
good luck
 
I did ask them about getting newer more expensive hearing aids, if there was anything else and he said no. My word scores were 36 on the left and 40 on the right, which is about 1 out of every 4 words. Dr said insurance companies almost always cover the surgery now which is good but said they require both ears to be under the 40 mark so I'm right now, pretty much borderline. He put me on a strong steriod dose for 15 days to see if that boosts any of my hearing back and then wants me to come back in nov 9th for more hearing tests and said depending on the scores, we will go from there. I don't want to have surgery but if it's the only thing that will help me hear better. I just want a better quality of life. :(
 
I have had HAs for almost 2 years now. They did work fine when I was at a moderate loss but in the last 60 days it doubled and now I'm have about 5% of natural hearing in both ears. They turned my hearing aids up as loud as they will go but it still not helping, my word scores were in the 30s so only about 1 out of every words I was getting right. :( Don't want surgery but if it's the only way, I'm going to push for it.
 
So why wouldn't you be able to get the cochlear implants? You wouldn't be able to benefit from them?
 
Thanks for your insight. Everyone's story helps. Just nice to know there are other people out there struggling like me. I don't know anyone with a hearing problem and feel like no one understands. I know your right about being a good parent. :) thanks
 
CI's are NOT hearing aid devices, they are completely different from hearing aids. If you continue to have trouble with your insurance company, the CI center you go to can be of help with the appeal process, and also you can contact the CI manufacturer of your choice for help with insurance problems as well. And contact OMS Insurance Support as well. They should be of some assistance with insurance problems. Once you have been evaluated and deemed a candidate for a CI, the CI center can help you out with the paper works and insurance and such. Insurance can be quite frustrating to deal with.
 
MM last I read it was 60 percent word score on the HINT test in the better ear and 40 in the ear to be implanted not 40 for both
 
You work as a paralegal and let the insurance company blow you off???? My god woman don't let your boss find out this. LOL.
Everyone I've know got. Covered by insurace. Do like meggers suggested and enlist the CI people and your doc.
Hope you mnage with your job. Your office should offer you assistance in doing your job legally. ADA is there for you.
How is the love of your life handling it? Your kids? Any of you taking up ASL ? I went thru a late in life hearing loss and lost the family too,, so to speak.
 
cdmeggers said:
CI's are NOT hearing aid devices, they are completely different from hearing aids. If you continue to have trouble with your insurance company, the CI center you go to can be of help with the appeal process, and also you can contact the CI manufacturer of your choice for help with insurance problems as well. And contact OMS Insurance Support as well. They should be of some assistance with insurance problems. Once you have been evaluated and deemed a candidate for a CI, the CI center can help you out with the paper works and insurance and such. Insurance can be quite frustrating to deal with.
Click to expand...

My doctor had good news and said that yes he can almost always get insurance to cover the CI surgery now days. as long as I'm below 40% he said it shouldn't be a problem. I go back on November 9th for the first preliminary CI evaluation testing and explanation of different devices with the audiologist that is suppose to last 2 hours. Can't wait. Excited if there is something out there that might improve my enjoyment of life. I feel like I'm missing out on so much right now since my hearing loss has doubled. So frustrating!
 
deafbirk said:
You work as a paralegal and let the insurance company blow you off???? My god woman don't let your boss find out this. LOL.
Everyone I've know got. Covered by insurace. Do like meggers suggested and enlist the CI people and your doc.
Hope you mnage with your job. Your office should offer you assistance in doing your job legally. ADA is there for you.
How is the love of your life handling it? Your kids? Any of you taking up ASL ? I went thru a late in life hearing loss and lost the family too,, so to speak.
Click to expand...

No, actually my job has been quite helpful, they are an amazing group of lawyers and have always had my back. I didn't tell them I'm having problems with the insurance company yet. My dr last week told me it should NOT be a problem and he almost ALWAYS get the ci surgery approved now and does not see a problem so I'm excited, looking forward to something that can help me improve my enjoyment of life. I feel bad cause it's hard talking with some people in this forum, i have noticed that alot of people are very sensitive to the ci surgery and born deaf people are not excepting and I understand that because they have never been able to hear before but as you know since you said you last your late in life too, to be able to hear for 36 years and then go almost deaf in a year, is horrible, it's changes everything about your life and it's frustrating as hell! to say the least. I just feel isolated and lonely. Makes me avoid social events and lunch with my friends cause i can't hear anything where there is background noise. embarressment for having to keep asking someone what they said ya know? I see how frustrated my own family and kids get with me so I know it's even worse for someone that I'm not really close to. It just seems like it shouldn't be that bad, with all the people in the world and the techonolgy these days, I can't believe there isn't better devices and phones and ways for people to communicate, I really can't. Sorry I'm venting. Don't have many people that I feel really know what I'm going through. My husband is amazing and I love him dearly but I know he is frustrated. Our kids are only 1 1/2 and 5 and we have 2 dogs and also a step daughter that is teenager so our house is VERY loud every day and it's almost impossible to hear there, the tv is on, the kids are crying and whining and yelling and laughing and playing and banging on stuff and the doors open and close and the teenager is listening to music and talking on her phone and the dogs are barking and running around and then the laundry is going and I'm making dinner and the sink is running so basically when I get home from work I just can't hear anyone. We basically don't have conversation until dinner, I mean we all sit down and put phones away and pause the tv and i'm able to pretty much hear what's going on but it's still frustrating, a big struggle to hear every word. I just hope the CI surgery can bring back some of my hearing so I can hear my kids again :( that's the saddest part. My 5 year old and I read a sign language book every night, we just started reading last week and she is doing awesome and loves it, I thought she would get bored but we are picking it up fast and then every night move on to a new chapter but also review the one we did the night before and it's been good so far. If you don't mind me asking.........what do you mean you lost your family too? You ended up getting a divorce because of your hearing? why? he just wasn't supportive? did you have CI surgery? can you hear better now?
 
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