For you latenened-deafened/hoh people...

[cayisgreat]

what were the first signs? I'm pretty sure I have problems with my hearing, but I don't have any proof, nor do I know that, if I do, that it's getting worse. But pretty much over the last 7 years I've noticed my hearing isn't what it should be. Sometimes it's difficult to hold a conversation with my family, especially (I say they all mumble, they say I mumble lol) I miss too many things, and no one wants to repeat it, because the joke/subject has worn off. If a phone rings somewhere in the house, or if I'm being called, I don't really hear it unless I'm in the right place at the right time (rare).

We'll be in the kitchen, I'll be helping my mom, and half the time, I can't make out what she's saying. Same with my sister. She talks to me, I don't catch what she says, and she gets irritated at my "lack of attention" and just stops talking. It's pretty frustrating since she's such a jerk about it.

I hate to say it, because if I don't have a problem I really feel like an attention-seeker, but I actually went out and bought one of those cell-phone-sound-amplifiers to use at home. It works OK, but I don't wear it because it doesn't fit my ear right. I have small ears.

Also, I've begun to notice that at random times, the hearing in one ear will just completely drop out and all I hear is like...an ehhhhhhh, long beep sound. Is it from a sattelite or something? I'm just wondering, does this sound like anything anyone here experienced, or does it sound more like normal-hearie issues, with subconscious input from this website? As far as I know, no one in my family has hearing problems (besides my two grandpas, but one is in his 70s and the other was in his 90s)

for listening to the paranoid ramblings of a hypochondriac.

 

[sallylou]

Make an appointment with an audiologist and get your hearing checked. If the hearing test results are normal, you may have an auditory processing disorder. It's not attention-seeking behavior to take good care of yourself. That's a good thing.

P.S. Love the dog in the hat.

 

[Anij]

Agreed - I'm make an appointment for a full hearing assessment from an Audiologist who has as minimum and AuD (doctorate in Audiology). I'd also recommend avoiding "hearing aid dispensers" like Beltone, Miracle Ear etc that have those little mall stores (different than an audiologist office)

You may also want to make an appointment with an ENT (Ear Nose & Throat) doctor to make sure that you don't have sinus issues that may be causing hearing changes - sinus problems and ear infections (not all ear infections hurt) are common causes of fluctuating hearing.

One thing that's very important - when you go for your hearing test make sure that you do two very important things (ask that they'll do this when they're setting the appointment)

1) That they will give you a print copy of your Audiogram and other test results like tympanography, speech recognition/sound threshold etc. The paper you get should look like a graph (or 2) with how you hear plotted on it as well as some other graphs and numbers).

2) That the Audiologist will go over your results with you and explain the findings.


Once you have your results - make sure you take the audiogram home and scan it into your computer (that way if you have questions we can help you!) Make sure that before you post your audiogram anywhere that you blank out your name, address, phone number, etc for your safety!!

 

[cayisgreat]

Thanks for the quick replies, guys! I don't have a license yet, or a job, or money, so uh, this will have to wait a bit, but I'll definitely get it done! On my own, probably. (My family is really uh... well we don't go to the doctors/other unless we're 99.9% sure it's life-threatening/serious.)

It could be sinus, but it happens too often to be JUST sinus-related. Last year, I was so bad- my ears had closed up all together, and no amount of gum-chewing, hot vapor, pills, or "popping" them helped. I couldn't hear anything. It was scary, and for a while, I got used to it. Then, one day SEVERAL weeks later when one ear popped, I was like, "holy crap, everything is so LOUD! I though I was hearing at normal capacity-guess not."

I think the last hearing test I had was in like...first grade...yikes. Anyway, I'll make sure to write all this down, and when I get time/money/etc (unless something makes me think it needs attention asap), I'll get it all checked out. Thanks again!

 

[TWA]

Hmm, anyone else think this might be a case of Meniere's?

 

[cayisgreat]

Hmm, anyone else think this might be a case of Meniere's?

I don’t recall any episodes of vertigo, though the fluctuating hearing loss and “fullness” or “pressure” in both ears is usually always there. That being said, I can look up symptoms for lots of things and have one or two of them. So really there’s no telling until I can make an appointment with someone. But that’s something new to consider and maybe rule out, thanks =D

 

[TWA]

I don’t recall any episodes of vertigo, though the fluctuating hearing loss and “fullness” or “pressure” in both ears is usually always there. That being said, I can look up symptoms for lots of things and have one or two of them. So really there’s no telling until I can make an appointment with someone. But that’s something new to consider and maybe rule out, thanks =D

Vertigo isn't always present right away, if ever. There are several members here with Meniere's. Maybe they can chime in with their experiences. Also, that "beep" you hear in your ears is tinnitus, which is also another classic symptom of Meniere's.

Good luck and be strong!

 

[cayisgreat]

Vertigo isn't always present right away, if ever. There are several members here with Meniere's. Maybe they can chime in with their experiences. Also, that "beep" you hear in your ears is tinnitus, which is also another classic symptom of Meniere's.

Good luck and be strong!

Really? Huh. Well, I learned something new today lol. Yes, if anyone has Meniere's please speak up. I know really there's nothing more to say aside from "go see someone," but that's so far into the future...ahh but I take my drivers test really soon! So it's closer than it seems

 

[lovezebras]

hmm I didn't know that not everyone with menieres has has vertigo attacks..interesting

 

[dogmom]

<below kinda long>
well, for me, the first sign actually was that I didn't hear my husband calling for me while we were doing some dog training outside , and previously I could have heard him. We both noticed it and were surprised. We also both noticed I started turning up the tv louder to where hubby - who is deaf w/o HA's - could hear it <not necessarily make out the words but know it was actually on>.
I also started saying "what"; not hearing in noise, or if someone was turned away, had a couple instances prior to all of that of vertigo or "ear fullness/fuzziness feeling" which I didn't connect to anything or wonder about til examples above. So went to hubby's HA dispenser - who we both actually thought was an audi but we found out at that appt., he was not. This all happened in the last 5-6 years, am in my 30's. Have now realized I no longer need ear plugs at movie theaters because movies are no longer "too loud".
We use the captions a lot more for me at home; hubby often doesn't see or read them well enough to make the best use of them <he has Congenital Rubella Syndrome> so prior to this we really didn't use them.
Today I was trying to get soap from bathroom dispenser at husband's workplace where I'd dropped off some stuff for him. A woman had just used the soap and when I tried it, wouldn't work, so I thought - maybe it's too soon after her <was one of those auto-dispensers>. So I waited for a second and she was running water to wash her hands. She reached over to try the dispenser to help me and she said - "I'm Peggy" - I was like ? so I said, "what"? and looked at her and then I got "it's picky" <faucet> - NOT "I'm Peggy".

I was born several months premature and my mom insists that doc's told her when I was born that I had bones missing from my inner ears. Also had delayed speech.

Over the last several years hubby has lost <now re-gained one> his job and other things have happened so never have more thoroughly investigated this change in me.

I also have LD and may have CAPD, which was not considered when the LD was diagnosed in college<I didn't know about CAPD at the time> , though I've always had issues with auditory processing beyond what I described in the first paragraph.

 

[TWA]

hmm I didn't know that not everyone with menieres has has vertigo attacks..interesting

Not at first, anyway. I should remove the "if ever" part. Based on what I've read, vertigo does seem to be the most common denominator, but for some individuals, attacks are very rare and very light.

What's your experience with vertigo, Alicia?

 

[lovezebras]

not sure if it constitutes vertigo but quite frequently i have "low sugar" type episodes get the sweats and feel like im gonna pass out but then it will go away and diabetes does run in my family but ive been tested a dozen times and it always comes back negative

 

[rockin'robin]

not sure if it constitutes vertigo but quite frequently i have "low sugar" type episodes get the sweats and feel like im gonna pass out but then it will go away and diabetes does run in my family but ive been tested a dozen times and it always comes back negative

Oh boy!...I had the same thing, thinking it was a "low sugar" episode or something....it wasn't "frequent"...just came and went...never did find out what it actually was. A relative had the same thing, (here and there), but she is hearing and no ear problems....so I chalked it up to being very tired and stressed. Haven't had another episode for about 2 years now, but I do suffer with balance problems, so I'm careful.
It felt like all the blood had drained from my body, felt extremely weak and broke out in a sweat. Had to sit down.

 

[lovezebras]

i get it often enough that i've asked and the dr has said its from vitamin deficiency...but I just think it was the first thing she came up with so she just said it

 

[sallylou]

My experience has been similar, cayisgreat. In my case, it's a genetic connective tissue syndrome. The bones in my ears are eroding. I heard a loud crack in one ear, and that ear felt even more full. My balance is off. No vertigo, thank the ceiling cat!

In your case, it may be damaged bone or membrane. Are you having any joint pain? Have you been screened for ANCA? Your family doctor can do that.

 

[cayisgreat]

I just got home with dinner and in in a hurry to eat, so I'm going to knock these all out in one post, and come back in later and elaborate if there are any questions.

Dogmom- LD=Learning disorder(s?) If so, I do also. That sounds eerily similar to what's going on with me. I was just at a store with my mom. It wasn't that loud in there, and I could hear almost everything around me, but I couldn't hear my MOTHER at ALL. All I heard was mumbling, and she said she was speaking clearly. It didn't matter if she was next to me, behind me, or in front of me, I just COULDN'T hear her or make out what she was saying. I'd hear, "Oh look they have...,bmbmvgkdfadfa..." or "gkgfa..g.f..need to buy....fdigjira...computer." That's what's leading me to think it's my family just mumbling. It's impossible to carry on a conversation with her (or my sister, or my dad) because I can't hear what she's saying at all, and I even got the "nevermind" brush off today. (Never realized how annoying it was before, not that I've done it to anyone.)

And if we're in a car (similar to a running faucet, our one car. It drives steady, and the noise isn't TERRIBLE, but it's there), I can't hear a thing she's saying. If I'm in the front seat I hear OK or can piece things I miss together, but the back seat? Forget about it.

That's pretty crazy, though, and it seems like a lot to go through! Hugs!

AliciaM & Rockin'robin- I also have low blood sugar episodes! Diabetes doesn't run in my family, and I've been tested, and even have a glucometer at home because one of my animals is diabetic. I never seem to be high, but I experience lows once in a while (generally if I haven't eaten in a while, 4 hours seems to be my max most days, but other days if I'm busy, and don't eat for 8+, I get it, too).---It's terrible. I get sweaty and shaky, my heart beats fast, my vision starts to get blotchy, my tongue feels like sandpaper and I don't feel like I can physically talk anymore.


Sallylou-Hmm.. I do, but I'm 4'9'' and overweight, so I never really thought anything of it. I haven't been screened for ANCA. I'm trying to set up a physical soon, so maybe I can bring this all up when and if I get it set up.

Thanks SO much for all the input and everything, it really means a lot! I left for the store thinking maybe I was just overreacting, but not being able to hear my mom (the store wasn't even that busy or loud!) really reminded me of how much of a problem it's getting to be.

 

[saywhatkid]

I am one of the Meniere's afflicted members. It has never been about vertigo for me. It has always been episodes of intense ringing/roaring sounds, along with my ears feeling like they are under pressure such as underwater. It comes and goes, but usually I will go through a 2-3 week period of it, then it fades away. Each time I have less hearing remaining. I strongly agree with those that suggest a visit to your doctor within the next few days. If it is Meniere's, the damage can sometimes be slowed by medications. Also, check into how much sodium goes into your diet. High sodium diets are often part of having episodes, along with stress. Good luck.

 

[lovezebras]

that's very interesting that its not really vertigo for u..i thought this always was with menieres..this makes me think that maybe I have it...interesting ..i get the fullness and I get dizzy butnot quiet like the room is spinning its more nauseous dizzy and i have horrrrrible tinnitus and sometimes my hearing fluctuates and it's progressive

 

[saywhatkid]

that's very interesting that its not really vertigo for u..i thought this always was with menieres..this makes me think that maybe I have it...interesting ..i get the fullness and I get dizzy butnot quiet like the room is spinning its more nauseous dizzy and i have horrrrrible tinnitus and sometimes my hearing fluctuates and it's progressive

I have had minor dizziness, but not the kind where I have to stay in bed. It is the hearing issues that are most obvious for me. That is why my case was a bit more difficult for my doctor to figure out.

 

[dogmom]

cayisgreat - yeah - "LD" = "learning disability" <for me. some call "learning difference" or as you mentioned, also>
for hugs

interesting about the high-sodium diets. I don't eat heavily-processed fast food or add table salt to what I eat so for me I don't think it would be a factor.

rockin'robin, that blood draining-from-body episode seems like something that happened to me a few years back - before the descriptions I gave to cayisgreat in my initial post. It was morning, had just gotten up and I thought it was very low blood sugar.

appreciate the thread