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lovezebras

lovezebras

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Hi, I am currently 17 and I have tinnitus and a mild hearing loss. My doctor referred me to an ent and audiologist which were both really rude and not helpful so then i was sent the childrens hospital to the ENT and audiologist there which were much nicer. My tinnitus first started when I was 16 a little after spring break. I did nothing to trigger it and my doctors after ct scans, and other tests, have ruled out any major problems but still have no clue what has caused my tinnitus or hearing loss. I had alot of ear infections (and still get them but not as often)when i was younger and that is one theory why i got the tinnitus and hearing loss. It's been a year and a bit since i've had the tinnitus and not much has helped me to sleep and cope etc. I have a white noise machine/soothing sound maker for when i go to bed.

I've also had 3 hearing tests where 2 of them were in the normal ranges with my right always being a little worse. My last hearing test (2 week ago) however was different. My doctor said my hearing went down and that i was boarder line normal with again my right a bit worse than my left. My doctors know i have a hard time doing the tests as well because It's hard to tell what's a beep and what is my tinnitus. My doctor feels that maybe it could be allergies that have made my hearing fluctuate and to go for another hearing test in 1-2 months.

I dont know how to get them to understand that what they tell me to do and what i have been doing for almost a year to help both problems hasn't done much to help. They think that just because my hearing tests show that my hearing is normal enough that it's fine but they are not putting the hearing problems and tinnitus together but addressing them seperately..if that makes sense?...Not sure what to do, i sit in the front, i work really hard, tests/exams are really hard because of the concentration probs due to the tinnitus, and hearing is a problem too? Any suggestions?

I also think my mom is having trouble accepting that i MAY have to eventually get hearing aids if my hearing keeps decreasing. My friends kind of laugh sometimes about it and my boyfriend thinks it's not that bad so he doesnt have to speak louder or annunciate his words better. I have tried to explain that i have trouble and by them not helping it makes me more frusterated... My next appt. for a hearing test etc. isnt until July 4th...not sure what i should really do til then since it's hard at school, and at work ( i work in a bank and interact with customers all the time). help please!
 
Contact http://www.nad.org to ask for more information on Deaf friendly audiologists who will understand you much better and have more experience with working with all kinds of Deaf people. Welcome to AD and God Bless !!!!! :angel:
 
Hi, I'm seventeen also. :) I don't have much experience with anything but occaisional tinnitus, but I do have a friend experiencing something similar to your problems. For your doctors, all I can suggest is keep trying to find a way to make them understand that treating them seperately isn't working. Unfortunately since tinnitus isn't understood very well they may not know how to incorporate it if they haven't seen very many cases of it, especially in younger patients. I don't know what they're trying to get you to do to help, but keep trying them and explore on the net for any options you can find. See if having a bit of noise around you during a test (like the A/C on) can help blend in with your internal sound (my friend said that's what she does when the tinnitus gets bad). Hearing tests fluctuate a lot as you probably have seen, so one test out of the jumble that's bad may not be anything. You likely won't get any help for a mild hearing loss from doctors I'm sorry to say. Just try and adjust your lifestyle a bit at a time to see what works, like if you have trouble hearing on the phone see if you can get something to adjust the volume, captions for TV. And definitely talk to your school, there's tons of options open to try and help you once a problem's been identified. Anything from the teacher trying to speak louder, to being able to up and move your seat in the middle of class if suddenly tinnitus gets worse.

With your friends, you just have to emphasize that your hearing is not as good as it was. Most kids don't imagine that anyone their age could have trouble hearing, I know I have to ask my friends to repeat a lot of the time if they forget. Keep up constant reminders, develop signals with your close friends like pointing at your ear if you can't hear them, cupping it if you're trying to listen to someone else. Once your friends adjust though they'll be willing to help. Same with other people, it's constant reminders. "I'm sorry, I have trouble hearing, could you repeat that?" At your work, at school, everywhere, it'll become part of you. With your boyfriend, it might work to let your frustration show. Show him that you're having trouble understanding him and he has to work. Or stick some cotton balls in his ear, put an small ringing sound next his head, and let him feel like you do for a while! :)
Luck, and let things come as they will, just try and do as best you can at the present.
 
well I dont know how i can help you to get solve the problem but welcome aboard here :wave:

I hope you will find it solve the problem very soon, Good Luck.
 
=(

1st WELCOME TO AD! glad u joined!

I would like to say to you that im 20 yrs old and im suffering tintitus too. I have a near audiologist which is li audiology. i used to have hearusa or hearx but my favorite ad retired anyway i just went to the audilogist last week it was 3 1/2 hrs. Can i tell you that i was so confused with the test that i didnt know weather it was the beap or tintitus. They put a device on my head and it still DIDNT have no idea. Trust me The pain is bad i had to stay home 2 days in a row from work. Its getting to the point where my eyes are rolling back into my head and naciousness and very bad head aches. Im not trying to make it worse but this is what i deal with everyday and i know what it is like. 2nd i would like to recommend u to tell your mom that you do need hearing aids and that she has to accept you for you. I know your 17 yrs old but this is rediclous! Im struggling in college actually without crprint or cart NO1 my conselour who is hoh n deaf conselour REFUSES TO GET ME THIS DEVICE. its not fair to us and i hate this im still fighting over this. I Recommed u getting hearing aids 1st and talk to your nice audiologist please if YOU DONT THINK HES NOT GOOD try something else were do you live ill look it up for you. If thats what it takes. Take care let me know how the test goes!!!!!


WELCOME AGAIN!!!! :)
 
I get bad headaches too..and pains in my ear that feel like an ear infection but i know isn't. I just deal with that...I cant take time off school cuz I am in all academic classes so i dont want to bring down my grades, but when i do miss class its cuz i cant take it that day. I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. I go to cheo (Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario) for my audiologist and ENT and i go to a tinnitus specialist as well at the The Ottawa Hospital general campus. My last appt was 2 hours as well..and the tinnitus specialist did a hearing test and a tinnitus severity test. Both were not the best..my tinnits is pretty bad and my hearing test was boarderline...but her response to the hearing test results is that it was probably allergies and that i should come back for another in 1-2 months. Which i thought was kind of bull considering i told her i have ALOT of trouble hearing especially with the tinnitus.

If I do end up getting aids, what would be best?? Bte? My friend who is my age has those and she uses an fm as well. I think that is very rude of your counselor too tell you, that you cannot have any ald's for school. Can u not go to the board or report to his superior? Im worried about the hearing thing a lot too since i will be attending university soon. I still have another year of high school...but they have to provide assistance if you have a medical note from your audiologist right? My mom had been better about it and i think if my doctor recommended hearing aids then my mom would obviously know that i would need them. She just is worried because teens these days are pretty judgemental and shes really protective of me to begin with.Thanks for all the posts so far everyone and thanks for the warm welcome as well!
 
lilitalia89 said:
I also think my mom is having trouble accepting that i MAY have to eventually get hearing aids if my hearing keeps decreasing. My friends kind of laugh sometimes about it and my boyfriend thinks it's not that bad so he doesnt have to speak louder or annunciate his words better. I have tried to explain that i have trouble and by them not helping it makes me more frusterated... My next appt. for a hearing test etc. isnt until July 4th...not sure what i should really do til then since it's hard at school, and at work ( i work in a bank and interact with customers all the time). help please!
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You should make your own decisions. If you want to use hearing aids, go ahead. No matter what your mom or your bf or your friends think, it's important that it helps you and you personally. Ask doctors if you could wear a hearing aid and make sure everything that it's okay with you and your ear problems. I hope everything's going to be okay for you.
 
:wave: :welcome: to Alldeaf liltalia89!!! I hope you are having fun meeting new members on AD. Have fun posting, and welcome aboard!! :)
 
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