options for the nurse with profound hearing loss

Z

zeezai

New Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2011
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
i've had profound hearing loss on my left ear for about 20 years now but it didn't bother me too much until recently. I feel that my hearing loss has worsened so I went to an audiologist to have some tests done and the results showed that I still have profound hearing loss.

i've tried using hearing aids 10 years ago but i didn't use it that much because i didn't find it very helpful. although i can hear vibrations and stuff but i couldn't distinguish speech so i eventually stopped using it.

but now, i'm working as an operating room nurse and i love my job however, i can't go on working with hearing problems like mine especially in a critical workplace like the O.R.

i have an appointment with an ENT specialist on monday and i'm quite anxious about it. i really want to know what options i have. could CI be helpful for me? or should i just get hearing aids?
 
CI is helpful for people like you who cannot recive benefit from hearing aids. and another thing, they have cool techie stuff like the remote 2 control the programs and all that
 
If it has been ten years since you used HAs maybe you could try them again, technology has moved on since then and there may be something more suitable for you. However, if you get no benefit from HAs maybe a CI might be more helpful. Are you profoundly deaf in your right ear as well as your left? If not, you might not be a candidate for a CI.

I am a qualified mental health nurse and find a Phonak Smartlink fm system useful in some work situations. I also have an amplified stethoscope, but it doesn't help much because I still can't hear it.

Hope that helps.
 
They will probably tell you to wear hearing aids before you get a CI...the iCom could help with a stethoscope that you can loop or plug right into...I use the e-scope II with my phonak iCom..I am hoping to get a CI tho because auscultating is VERY hard and frustrating even with the escope that I paid an arm and a leg for...
 
hi guys! i just came back from visiting an otolaryngologist. she made me get a ct scan of my temporal/mastoid area and she found that there's a certain part in my inner ear that's enlarged. this is causing abnormally high pressure in my inner ear which is probably causing my deafness. she suggested that i undergo intratympanic steroid injections to treat it. although, she said that there's only 75% chance of getting results since i've had the condition for a long time now. but my family and i are willing to gamble. what's 75% chances compared to doing nothing at all, right?

she also wants me to try HA if the ITS injections won't work as planned. i've been to a hearing aid specialist and he made me try on a couple of siemens hearing aids. they're really powerful. i stepped out of the doctors clinic and into the busy hallway and it was the first time i realized how noisy the world was! lol. i was really amazed with how much sound i heard on my left ear.

oh yeah. i also asked her about cochlear implants and she said that since i have unilateral hearing loss, it's not advisable for me. there are other implants available for my condition however, she wants the technology to mature first before she tries it on me. :)
 
Good luck with your treatment, I hope it succeeds for you.

I too have Siemens super power aids, bilaterally, and I think they are great. When I first got them I was also surprised by the amazing difference they made to my hearing. I had worn an analogue HA in my right ear since childhood, but had never had a left HA due to British NHS policy, even though I have severe HL in both ears. With my new aids I could suddenly hear sounds that I didn't even know existed.
 
zeezai said:
hi guys! i just came back from visiting an otolaryngologist. she made me get a ct scan of my temporal/mastoid area and she found that there's a certain part in my inner ear that's enlarged. this is causing abnormally high pressure in my inner ear which is probably causing my deafness. she suggested that i undergo intratympanic steroid injections to treat it. although, she said that there's only 75% chance of getting results since i've had the condition for a long time now. but my family and i are willing to gamble. what's 75% chances compared to doing nothing at all, right?

she also wants me to try HA if the ITS injections won't work as planned. i've been to a hearing aid specialist and he made me try on a couple of siemens hearing aids. they're really powerful. i stepped out of the doctors clinic and into the busy hallway and it was the first time i realized how noisy the world was! lol. i was really amazed with how much sound i heard on my left ear.

oh yeah. i also asked her about cochlear implants and she said that since i have unilateral hearing loss, it's not advisable for me. there are other implants available for my condition however, she wants the technology to mature first before she tries it on me. :)
Click to expand...

oh yeah I grew up with Siemens hearing aids as an infant up 2 4th grade
a BAHA or a CROS hearing aid is optional for you if you have a cunductive loss
 
zeezai said:
i've had profound hearing loss on my left ear for about 20 years now but it didn't bother me too much until recently. I feel that my hearing loss has worsened so I went to an audiologist to have some tests done and the results showed that I still have profound hearing loss.

i've tried using hearing aids 10 years ago but i didn't use it that much because i didn't find it very helpful. although i can hear vibrations and stuff but i couldn't distinguish speech so i eventually stopped using it.

but now, i'm working as an operating room nurse and i love my job however, i can't go on working with hearing problems like mine especially in a critical workplace like the O.R.

i have an appointment with an ENT specialist on monday and i'm quite anxious about it. i really want to know what options i have. could CI be helpful for me? or should i just get hearing aids?
Click to expand...

I work in a Blood Bank and Surgical Pathology and I frequently work with OR staff. I have always admired OR nurses (especially Oncology Surgical nurses), and was about to go into a nursing program so I can become an OR nurse but changed my mind.

My hearing is ok, but I felt the hearing loss (even with it not being THAT much hearing loss) would keep me from getting into the field.

It can't be easy working in the OR especially with profound hearing loss, but it's wonderful to know your doing it anyway! :D

So, thank you for making me aware that I CAN infact do it even with a hearing loss :ty:

Keep us updated with everything and I hope all goes well!
:D
 
RacherBunny said:
I work in a Blood Bank and Surgical Pathology and I frequently work with OR staff. I have always admired OR nurses (especially Oncology Surgical nurses), and was about to go into a nursing program so I can become an OR nurse but changed my mind.

My hearing is ok, but I felt the hearing loss (even with it not being THAT much hearing loss) would keep me from getting into the field.

It can't be easy working in the OR especially with profound hearing loss, but it's wonderful to know your doing it anyway! :D

So, thank you for making me aware that I CAN infact do it even with a hearing loss :ty:

Keep us updated with everything and I hope all goes well!
:D
Click to expand...


i'm happy to help! it's not easy to work in an OR especially with profound hearing loss but i think it is rather the ideal setting for someone who has it because inside the OR theater, it's really quiet and probably the only person who talks is the surgeon so you can really hear what's going on. but i also have to be alert especially when the surgeon or anesthesiologists wants something.

i'm going to my supervisor tomorrow and ask for that week-long sick leave for my ITS injections. i hope she approves it. keeping my fingers crossed!
 
i got the sick leave! :) i was sooo worried she won't let me go because of short staffing but she did. i'm so happy! can't wait for my ITS injections.

btw, it's funny how news travel fast in the OR. It was just yesterday afternoon when i asked for my sick leave and now almost everyone's asking me about it even though i have a feeling they already know the reason (like i said, news travel fast here) and also because a few have approached me to ask me straight out about my hearing problem. oh well.. people will always talk and i can't do anything about it.

and of course some well wishers bid me good luck on my ITS. so sweet of them.. oh yeah, an anesthesia resident approached me and handed me a bottle of Max GXL supplements and told me that I should try it coz they found that it can restore hearing or something like that. has anyone tried it?
 
zeezai said:
oh yeah, an anesthesia resident approached me and handed me a bottle of Max GXL supplements and told me that I should try it coz they found that it can restore hearing or something like that. has anyone tried it?
Click to expand...

Who do you trust more? Your ENT or the anesthesia resident ?
 
zeezai said:
i got the sick leave! :) i was sooo worried she won't let me go because of short staffing but she did. i'm so happy! can't wait for my ITS injections.
Click to expand...

yay! i'm so glad it wasn't a problem getting off!!! are you nervous about getting the injections?
 
i got my first injection today! it was very uncomfortable and i felt very dizzy as the steroids were injected so i just closed my eyes and tried to think about something else. the doctor also instructed me not to swallow for 30 minutes!! i couldn't help swallow 2x or 3x during the first 30 minutes. some of the medicine drained into my mouth and it was soooooooo bitter! after a while, the doctor said i was good to go but i felt so very dizzy and nauseated for the next 2 and a half hours that i didn't think i could leave the clinic alone without encountering an accident on my way out. it's been 6 hours since the injection and although the nausea has subsided, there's aching pain in my ear... i hope this is normal. :(
 
If you have any anxieties or worries, please call your dr or his nurse or receptionist.

Also, if you know the name of the steroid, look up its side effects on Google.
But call anyway. Better safe than sorry :)


Hope the injections help!

Fuzzy
 
zeezai said:
i'm happy to help! it's not easy to work in an OR especially with profound hearing loss but i think it is rather the ideal setting for someone who has it because inside the OR theater, it's really quiet and probably the only person who talks is the surgeon so you can really hear what's going on. but i also have to be alert especially when the surgeon or anesthesiologists wants something.

i'm going to my supervisor tomorrow and ask for that week-long sick leave for my ITS injections. i hope she approves it. keeping my fingers crossed!
Click to expand...

It is a shame that Doug hasn't been on the forum lately. He is an HOH RN. I'm sure he would have lots of practical advice for you. We also have a couple of HOH members who are currently in nursing school.
 
Back
Top