Hi,
I'm 30 years old, mom to a 7 1/2 year-old, previously hearing,
disabled (due to unrelated condition.)
I've always had some mild hearing loss in my left ear, but not that
big a deal! I've also had an increasing (over the last 5+ years)
problem overcoming background noise to hear what someone is saying
right in front of me.
About 6 months to a year ago, I started occasionally having trouble
with understanding speech. For instance, I'd have the tv on, with
the volume up plenty high, and though I could HEAR it, the people
sounded like they were mumbling, or just a random string of syllables
with no resemblance to any language I've ever heard. But it was
intermittent, so I just kind of ignored these episodes.
Then, a month ago, my BF started telling me that I was losing more
hearing, bcs. apparently I was saying "huh?" or "what?" a lot more.
I kind of pooh-poohed him, and disregarded it. But then I woke up 3
weeks ago, and pretty much couldn't hear at all (maybe 10-20%
remaining) in my left ear. By the end of the day, I was down to
about 50-60% in my right ear. I was also having more problems
UNDERSTANDING what I COULD hear. My BF made me go to the doc the
next day, who cleaned out my ears and told me to go to an ENT &
audiologist.
I went to the audiologist, who pawned me off on an intern. She did
the pure-tone test, then the tests with the words. I had problems
with the pure-tone test, but really bad time with understanding the
words. She stuck stuff in my ears, and told me that the objective
tests were "inconsistent" with the results of the subjective tests.
Then, told me that she was going to redo the pure-tone tests, and
spent a couple of minutes pressuring me to "just guess". Umm...
doesn't that negate the purpose of the test? Eventually, I
capitulated, mostly because I just wanted to get out of that hot,
claustrophobic booth, and the uncomfortable chair I'd been in for now
over an hour, and to get her to stop pressuring me. Afterwards, she
and the audiologist came to talk to me and tell me that now the tests
were even more inconsistent, so I didn't have a problem.
Essentially, she said that I was faking it, because there isn't
anything wrong with my middle ear or cochlea. Yeah, because this is
all so much fun. Then they scheduled me for more and different tests.
Can't hearing loss be related to the auditory nerves or how the brain
processes the information that the ears send?
I am feeling really discouraged and frustrated with the whole
process. I don't even feel like going in for the rest of the tests,
because I can't stand the idea of being told that I really can hear
and understand the things that I can't hear and understand.
I'm also having all the probably standard frustrations with all of
this -- feeling isolated, not belonging in either the hearing or deaf
worlds, confusion, anger, etc. The only bright light in all of this
is my BF, who has been so supportive and proactive. So far, he's
bought 2 copies (one for each of us) of 4 or 5 different ASL books,
and a couple for my daughter, and he's taking me to the deaf branch
of our Church. I think without him, I'd be pulling my hair out!
So, that's my story.
I'm 30 years old, mom to a 7 1/2 year-old, previously hearing,
disabled (due to unrelated condition.)
I've always had some mild hearing loss in my left ear, but not that
big a deal! I've also had an increasing (over the last 5+ years)
problem overcoming background noise to hear what someone is saying
right in front of me.
About 6 months to a year ago, I started occasionally having trouble
with understanding speech. For instance, I'd have the tv on, with
the volume up plenty high, and though I could HEAR it, the people
sounded like they were mumbling, or just a random string of syllables
with no resemblance to any language I've ever heard. But it was
intermittent, so I just kind of ignored these episodes.
Then, a month ago, my BF started telling me that I was losing more
hearing, bcs. apparently I was saying "huh?" or "what?" a lot more.
I kind of pooh-poohed him, and disregarded it. But then I woke up 3
weeks ago, and pretty much couldn't hear at all (maybe 10-20%
remaining) in my left ear. By the end of the day, I was down to
about 50-60% in my right ear. I was also having more problems
UNDERSTANDING what I COULD hear. My BF made me go to the doc the
next day, who cleaned out my ears and told me to go to an ENT &
audiologist.
I went to the audiologist, who pawned me off on an intern. She did
the pure-tone test, then the tests with the words. I had problems
with the pure-tone test, but really bad time with understanding the
words. She stuck stuff in my ears, and told me that the objective
tests were "inconsistent" with the results of the subjective tests.
Then, told me that she was going to redo the pure-tone tests, and
spent a couple of minutes pressuring me to "just guess". Umm...
doesn't that negate the purpose of the test? Eventually, I
capitulated, mostly because I just wanted to get out of that hot,
claustrophobic booth, and the uncomfortable chair I'd been in for now
over an hour, and to get her to stop pressuring me. Afterwards, she
and the audiologist came to talk to me and tell me that now the tests
were even more inconsistent, so I didn't have a problem.
Essentially, she said that I was faking it, because there isn't
anything wrong with my middle ear or cochlea. Yeah, because this is
all so much fun. Then they scheduled me for more and different tests.
Can't hearing loss be related to the auditory nerves or how the brain
processes the information that the ears send?
I am feeling really discouraged and frustrated with the whole
process. I don't even feel like going in for the rest of the tests,
because I can't stand the idea of being told that I really can hear
and understand the things that I can't hear and understand.
I'm also having all the probably standard frustrations with all of
this -- feeling isolated, not belonging in either the hearing or deaf
worlds, confusion, anger, etc. The only bright light in all of this
is my BF, who has been so supportive and proactive. So far, he's
bought 2 copies (one for each of us) of 4 or 5 different ASL books,
and a couple for my daughter, and he's taking me to the deaf branch
of our Church. I think without him, I'd be pulling my hair out!
So, that's my story.
Hello and welcome Corasmama to Alldeaf. I hope you will enjoy your stay here, and fun posting.
Take care!!
