WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?
March 8, 2015 7:25 PM Subscribe
I'm experiencing sudden hearing loss in one ear. I'm being treated, and there is a 50 - 70% chance that it will improve. But what if it doesn't? Or what it I don't fully recover?
Can the Hive Mind show me some hope? How can I manage asymmetrical hearing loss?
A viral infection in the nerves of my right ear is causing those nerves to swell, which in turn is causing nerve damage resulting in hearing loss. I've lost about 30% of my hearing in my right ear, mostly in the upper frequencies. It feels like my ear is stuffed with cotton wool, and I have intermittent tinnitus.
My ENT says that in some cases, high doses of steroids can help reduce the swelling and limit long term hearing loss. But I've been on them for a few days now, and I'm not seeing much improvement. I'm scared that my hearing is not going to come back.
Music, performance, conversation - these things are a big part of my life. Will I still be able to listen to and enjoy music and podcasts in the same way? Will I still be able to perform or listen to live music? What kind of adjustments to my life may I be able to make to compensate for the hearing loss? Would a hearing aid help? How do those even work? Will this feeling that my ear is blocked ever go away?
Personal experience, links to resources...etc., would be most welcome. I just need some hope and reassurance, because I am frankly freaking out.
A viral infection in the nerves of my right ear is causing those nerves to swell, which in turn is causing nerve damage resulting in hearing loss. I've lost about 30% of my hearing in my right ear, mostly in the upper frequencies. It feels like my ear is stuffed with cotton wool, and I have intermittent tinnitus.
My ENT says that in some cases, high doses of steroids can help reduce the swelling and limit long term hearing loss. But I've been on them for a few days now, and I'm not seeing much improvement. I'm scared that my hearing is not going to come back.
Music, performance, conversation - these things are a big part of my life. Will I still be able to listen to and enjoy music and podcasts in the same way? Will I still be able to perform or listen to live music? What kind of adjustments to my life may I be able to make to compensate for the hearing loss? Would a hearing aid help? How do those even work? Will this feeling that my ear is blocked ever go away?
Personal experience, links to resources...etc., would be most welcome. I just need some hope and reassurance, because I am frankly freaking out.
I am very sorry for the situation you are going through, but I think I can offer some positive words. My oldest brother was born without hearing in his right ear. Naturally, it's different to be born with that condition than to suffer it later in life, but I would say my brother's quality of life as regards his hearing is excellent, and he'd say the same. The only time it's really noticeable to others is when he's driving; since it's his right ear, it can be hard for him to hear.
I actually discussed this very topic with him not long ago because I was curious to know how it had affected him, and he said it's really not a problem for him. In fact, he said, he sleeps very well, because he sleeps on his left side and hears very little!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:34 PM on March 8, 2015
I actually discussed this very topic with him not long ago because I was curious to know how it had affected him, and he said it's really not a problem for him. In fact, he said, he sleeps very well, because he sleeps on his left side and hears very little!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:34 PM on March 8, 2015
Response by poster: A note; I have another ENT appointment in a couple of days, and I will be putting specific questions to him.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:36 PM on March 8, 2015
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:36 PM on March 8, 2015
Phil Collins has also had that exact thing happen to him (hearing loss in just one ear), and in his case doctors don't even know why. It just sort of came out of nowhere one day a few years ago.
He did retire from performing, but - it wasn't because of the ear. It's because he physically can't hold a drumstick any more. And he actually initially said he was retiring from music altogether, but lately he's been making noises like, "Hmm, maybe I can still write...or produce records...or sing..."
And then there's Pete Townsend, whose hearing is shot in BOTH ears. And is still touring.
The point being, those are two musicians who have been coping with hearing loss just fine. So even if you DO lose yours - and it sounds like there's still hope yours may come back, if they can get the swelling down - it's not The End.
Good luck.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:44 PM on March 8, 2015
He did retire from performing, but - it wasn't because of the ear. It's because he physically can't hold a drumstick any more. And he actually initially said he was retiring from music altogether, but lately he's been making noises like, "Hmm, maybe I can still write...or produce records...or sing..."
And then there's Pete Townsend, whose hearing is shot in BOTH ears. And is still touring.
The point being, those are two musicians who have been coping with hearing loss just fine. So even if you DO lose yours - and it sounds like there's still hope yours may come back, if they can get the swelling down - it's not The End.
Good luck.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:44 PM on March 8, 2015
A close colleague of mine is completely deaf in one ear and it happened in her 40s or so. She still enjoys listening to music, although she was never a performer, so I can't speak to that. She says it doesn't impact her life much any more now she is used to it, except that she has to make sure she is sitting with her good ear facing everyone for conversations in loud places. She also recently got some sort of implanty thing that uses bone conduction to deliver sound to her deaf ear, so there are probably tech solutions that can help you out if necessary.
posted by lollusc at 7:48 PM on March 8, 2015
posted by lollusc at 7:48 PM on March 8, 2015
A 50 year old family member of mine lost his hearing entirely in one ear with no apparent cause. It was there one second, gone the next. As I'm sure you've seen in your research, it happens to about 4000 people a year in the US. His hearing did not return despite some really grueling treatment.
According to him, it was scary and depressing, but like most major changes in life, you adapt and life goes on. How he lives his life hasn't changed much as a result. He's careful about the seat he chooses in meetings and when going out to dinner. He prefers less noisy restaurants, but who doesn't really? He still loves music. He was fitted with a hearing aid to counteract the tinnitus he experiences that makes hearing out of his fully functioning ear more difficult, but I often see him without it and it doesn't seem to impair him.
I wish you luck with your treatment!
posted by cecic at 7:50 PM on March 8, 2015
According to him, it was scary and depressing, but like most major changes in life, you adapt and life goes on. How he lives his life hasn't changed much as a result. He's careful about the seat he chooses in meetings and when going out to dinner. He prefers less noisy restaurants, but who doesn't really? He still loves music. He was fitted with a hearing aid to counteract the tinnitus he experiences that makes hearing out of his fully functioning ear more difficult, but I often see him without it and it doesn't seem to impair him.
I wish you luck with your treatment!
posted by cecic at 7:50 PM on March 8, 2015
Another musician anecdote: Brian Wilson, among others, is deaf in one ear and he managed to create a few catchy tunes. It's an adjustment, certainly, but not hopeless. Hang in there. Your ENT may have a more potent approach.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:51 PM on March 8, 2015
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:51 PM on March 8, 2015
First of all, you need to calm down. I have had hearing loss in my right ear and I survived. You don't know what damage is there until you see the doctor. It could be temporary. So stop freaking out.
Get a diagnosis and then get another one. These things can come and go, depending on where you live and your lifestyle. A winter ear may not equal a summer ear. A high altitude ear may not equal a low altitude ear. A sinus infection may complicate all of that.
But first: you have to calm down and evaluate your own personal situation. You won't die from hearing loss (I didn't) but you will cause hazard if you don't get a hold of yourself and evaluate it calmly. My friend.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:05 PM on March 8, 2015
Get a diagnosis and then get another one. These things can come and go, depending on where you live and your lifestyle. A winter ear may not equal a summer ear. A high altitude ear may not equal a low altitude ear. A sinus infection may complicate all of that.
But first: you have to calm down and evaluate your own personal situation. You won't die from hearing loss (I didn't) but you will cause hazard if you don't get a hold of yourself and evaluate it calmly. My friend.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:05 PM on March 8, 2015
Best answer: I'm losing hearing in both ears and it has gotten worse in the last couple of years. Technology helps a lot - hearing aids and other things that work with them. I haven't lost the ability to enjoy music yet although I suppose that could happen. I have certainly lost certain frequencies so things sound different. I'm working very actively to learn more about the technological options that help. I text more than I talk on the phone by choice, I try to sit with my back to a wall in noisy settings, I use my hearing aid's t-coil setting when attending lectures or performances in spaces that are looped (which sends signals directly to my hearing aid - a big help). In other words one adapts because what else is there to do? Feel free to memail me - there are a lot of mefites with hearing loss, many of whom are far more severely effected than I am and yet we all function - it's not the end of the world. Some links: Hearing mojo -website that looks at the technology in hearing aids and other options. Katherine Boulton's blog - she's a former NYT editor who lost most of her hearing and ended up having to leave her editing gig but has continued to work and write. Hearing aid forums - just what it sounds like. Can be overwhelming - there's a LOT of information there.
Take it slowly, talk to your ENT and see what happens. People do lose hearing mysteriously or no but there's more ways to cope than ever before and you are lucky in that this is one sided. If you do end up needing a hearing aid educate yourself so you are a better consumer because it's a complex, expensive world and the more you know the better off you will be.
posted by leslies at 8:22 PM on March 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Take it slowly, talk to your ENT and see what happens. People do lose hearing mysteriously or no but there's more ways to cope than ever before and you are lucky in that this is one sided. If you do end up needing a hearing aid educate yourself so you are a better consumer because it's a complex, expensive world and the more you know the better off you will be.
posted by leslies at 8:22 PM on March 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: From an anonymous commenter:
OP, I'm so sorry this is happening. I had basically the same thing happen to me, though my hearing loss was worse than yours (I'm basically deaf in one ear), and it didn't come back despite treatment. Hopefully your hearing will return, but if it doesn't, please know that with time, you will adjust, and eventually will be able to go days and then weeks without really giving it much thought.posted by restless_nomad at 8:54 PM on March 8, 2015
I hope that doesn't sound glib or dismissive - it took a while for me to get to my new normal, and it wasn't easy (I have bad days still). But eventually I got used to it, and most days I don't give it too much thought. For me, the "blocked ear" feeling went away; the tinnitus never did.
I'm not sure what kind of instrument you play, and in what capacity, but my hearing loss happened in the middle of preparations for a performance, and I was able to continue practicing (and eventually perform) more or less as usual. (I'm not a professional musician though, and don't perform regularly.)
Here's what I do differently these days:
-ask people to repeat themselves, sometimes a lot
-turn my head towards whoever is talking to me so I can hear better
-in an audience, position myself so that I'm sitting on the far side of the room to maximize the amount of sound that goes into the good ear (hope that makes sense)
I can't think of too much else that really affects my day-to-day. The most annoying thing is that I can't hold the phone to my right ear. It's not a big thing, just the most irritating.
I'm looking into getting a hearing aid or cochlear implant, and my understanding is that the only thing that will restore actual hearing in the affected ear (like, getting back the "stereo" effect of sound) is a cochlear implant. I think the deal is that hearing aids can improve the amount of sound you pick up from the affected side, but it'll all get relayed to the unaffected ear (so you hear more, but the extra sounds you're picking up will still be coming in through one ear). But that may be because I have profound hearing loss - might not be as noticeable in your case.
One thing that I wish I had tried is acupuncture. It didn't occur to me to even try it, and now I wish I had, if only to know that I'd tried everything I could. There's not too much research on it, if that sort of thing matters to you, but I seem to remember reading that chances of improvement increase the sooner you have it done after the hearing loss.
Best of luck to you, OP. Hope everything works out. Feel free to contact mods to Memail me, if you want.
Best answer: I'm in audiology (but I'm not your audiologist, and this isn't audiological advice). I can tell you that I see people every day who live happy, full lives with all kinds of hearing loss. It is a very manageable thing; that said, your life will change in some ways.
What I tell my patients is that we can do a lot - we can treat with technologies and strategies, but we cannot restore normal hearing. You will grieve your hearing loss. There will be sad days. But you will get used to it, your brain will adjust, and you will learn to use what aural information is available to you to get the most out of your hearing. You will be able to lead a happy and normal life.
I'll say a few things about what to expect, but honestly, everyone is really different, and no two hearing losses are the same. The first thing you should do when you are over the virus is to see an audiologist.
It's good that it's unilateral; that means you'll still be getting a lot of high frequency information in your left ear. Your brain is very good at integrating information between both ears, so the affect of the loss will be limited in some ways.
Because it's your right ear, your speech processing will be affected more than say your melodic recognition, since the nerves going from your ears course to contralateral hemispheres of your brain. You may notice this or you may not. Some people do and some people don't.
Things you will likely notice: on the right side, speech will sound more or less as loud as it ever has, but you won't be able to understand the speech quite so well. With a high frequency loss, people tend to report that people sound like they are mumbling when they're talking. This is because all the power of speech is in the vowels, which are low frequency. With a high frequency loss, you lose a lot of those fricative sounds - f, s, sh. With a loss in one ear, you may notice some difficulty spatially placing sounds, like it may be hard sometimes to tell where a sound is coming from. You may even have some difficulty with timing issues.
Depending on what high frequencies you've lost, you may or may not notice a huge change in your music perception. You may very well still be able to hear most pitches in music in that ear, but that ear may not have quite as good timbral resolution. The fact that you still have normal hearing in the other ear will make a big difference however.
You will likely notice it's a bit more difficult to understand speech in noisy situations. Restaurants, parties might be a little tough.
The fact that it's neural, which is different than say a hearing loss induced by noise, may have some sightly different effects. Honestly, it's hard to predict, and not well understood.
Could a hearing aid help you? It's possible that it could. An audiologist would have to give you a comprehensive test and see if you're a candidate and what kind of hearing aid might be of the most benefit to you. I would certainly pursue it, however. Hearing aids, while imperfect, can have a tremendous impact. There's much less of a hearing aid stigma than there used to be, and they are pretty nifty little pieces of technology.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to MeMail me.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:19 PM on March 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
What I tell my patients is that we can do a lot - we can treat with technologies and strategies, but we cannot restore normal hearing. You will grieve your hearing loss. There will be sad days. But you will get used to it, your brain will adjust, and you will learn to use what aural information is available to you to get the most out of your hearing. You will be able to lead a happy and normal life.
I'll say a few things about what to expect, but honestly, everyone is really different, and no two hearing losses are the same. The first thing you should do when you are over the virus is to see an audiologist.
It's good that it's unilateral; that means you'll still be getting a lot of high frequency information in your left ear. Your brain is very good at integrating information between both ears, so the affect of the loss will be limited in some ways.
Because it's your right ear, your speech processing will be affected more than say your melodic recognition, since the nerves going from your ears course to contralateral hemispheres of your brain. You may notice this or you may not. Some people do and some people don't.
Things you will likely notice: on the right side, speech will sound more or less as loud as it ever has, but you won't be able to understand the speech quite so well. With a high frequency loss, people tend to report that people sound like they are mumbling when they're talking. This is because all the power of speech is in the vowels, which are low frequency. With a high frequency loss, you lose a lot of those fricative sounds - f, s, sh. With a loss in one ear, you may notice some difficulty spatially placing sounds, like it may be hard sometimes to tell where a sound is coming from. You may even have some difficulty with timing issues.
Depending on what high frequencies you've lost, you may or may not notice a huge change in your music perception. You may very well still be able to hear most pitches in music in that ear, but that ear may not have quite as good timbral resolution. The fact that you still have normal hearing in the other ear will make a big difference however.
You will likely notice it's a bit more difficult to understand speech in noisy situations. Restaurants, parties might be a little tough.
The fact that it's neural, which is different than say a hearing loss induced by noise, may have some sightly different effects. Honestly, it's hard to predict, and not well understood.
Could a hearing aid help you? It's possible that it could. An audiologist would have to give you a comprehensive test and see if you're a candidate and what kind of hearing aid might be of the most benefit to you. I would certainly pursue it, however. Hearing aids, while imperfect, can have a tremendous impact. There's much less of a hearing aid stigma than there used to be, and they are pretty nifty little pieces of technology.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to MeMail me.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:19 PM on March 8, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'm about half deaf in my left ear, and to be honest, it's never disrupted my life at more than an annoyance level. Granted, I experienced most of my hearing loss at a young age (under 10) so I'm used to it. But throughout my childhood and adolescence I was a pretty avid musician (studied a bunch of instruments, was pretty serious about choir) and the hearing loss was never an issue. In fact, I was born with close to perfect pitch and did not lose that. I also have not had trouble listening to/appreciating music.
The one thing that I would change, which is the nuisance I mentioned, is that it can be annoying in social situations, especially in loud restaurants or bars. I try to sit so that I'm to the left of the person I'm with (or on the left end of the table if I'm with a group), but I still end up saying "what?" a lot. So, annoying, yes, but not the end of the world.
posted by lunasol at 9:20 PM on March 8, 2015
The one thing that I would change, which is the nuisance I mentioned, is that it can be annoying in social situations, especially in loud restaurants or bars. I try to sit so that I'm to the left of the person I'm with (or on the left end of the table if I'm with a group), but I still end up saying "what?" a lot. So, annoying, yes, but not the end of the world.
posted by lunasol at 9:20 PM on March 8, 2015
IANAD, but it would seem to me that the swelled feeling and the tinnitus probably won't last, even if your actual hearing doesn't improve. Those are probably the worst part of this, the things that constantly remind you that there's a problem. If those go away, as long as you've got full hearing in one ear having iffy hearing in your other ear probably won't affect your life in a huge way. It's far from ideal, of course, but plenty of people are deaf in one ear and they get along fine. Stephen Colbert, for instance, is deaf in one ear. He does interviews and he's sung on Broadway, so that one bad ear obviously hasn't held him back. Paul Stanley from Kiss is also deaf in one ear. Beethoven went deaf in both ears!
When I was in my twenties I suddenly got a gazillion "floaters" in each eye. It was horrible, and I felt like I was constantly being swarmed by flying bugs. The doctors said I'd get used to it, but that was hard to believe. Flash forward to today, and the floaters are only a problem when I notice them. They're a real bother, when I do notice them, but I've learned to ignore them. A lot of health problems that seem intolerable when they're new eventually just become that weird thing your body does.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:56 PM on March 8, 2015
When I was in my twenties I suddenly got a gazillion "floaters" in each eye. It was horrible, and I felt like I was constantly being swarmed by flying bugs. The doctors said I'd get used to it, but that was hard to believe. Flash forward to today, and the floaters are only a problem when I notice them. They're a real bother, when I do notice them, but I've learned to ignore them. A lot of health problems that seem intolerable when they're new eventually just become that weird thing your body does.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:56 PM on March 8, 2015
Sorry you're going through this. I have hearing loss too, and my most recent Ask was about getting hearing aids. Mine is mild to moderate and bilateral, but it bothers me a lot because like yourself, music is a huge part of my life. Also, I'm self-conscious about not being able to hear and asking people to repeat themselves. I have received a lot of reassurance since reaching out to people, since I am pretty freaked out too. Tomorrow I will be talking to the people at my state disability rehab agency about recommendations for a kindhearted and patient audiologist. You need someone like that too, who will answer all your questions and be reassuring. As far as I know, hearing aid technology today is excellent and people can be greatly helped by amplification. Feel free to MefiMail me if you want to talk more.
posted by Beethoven's Sith at 9:57 PM on March 8, 2015
posted by Beethoven's Sith at 9:57 PM on March 8, 2015
Something similar happened to me when I was around 15, and been almost completely deaf on one ear since then (I can hear some low frequencies only with my right ear), and I don't feel it made a big difference in my life. There were a lot of smaller things however, such as:
Be careful when crossing streets, especially in the beginning since the direction of e.g. the sounds of cars will be difficult to determine (or hear at all).
Some sounds are very difficult to determine the location of, such as certain phone ring tones. It has happened that I'v "lost" my phone in my apartment, and although I could hear it ringing I had trouble finding it...
I always try to sit in one of the two "correct" corner seats of tables so my good ear is turned towards the people I sit next to. Similarly, when out walking I always try to walk on the right side of the persons I'm with. Most people I'm in daily contact with knows about my hearing problems and have no problem switching seats if I ask. It's mostly a problem in places with background noise such as restaurants and bars.
Strangers in bars and other loud places are annoying - they will often lean in and try to talk into my right ear directly instead of the left which I can hear. I try to explain the problem as soon as possible and its usually ok, although there been some embarrasing misunderstandings sometimes (after I asked someone to repeat themselves about three times, I start trying to guess what they said, and my guesses are often wrong :)).
I listen to a lot of music, and go to a lot of live music shows without any trouble. It might be a good idea to wear earplugs if you aren't already - you wouldn't want to loose the hearing you have left. I still use both earpieces of my headphones, as I still hear some sounds with by bad ear and it feels wrong not to do it. Some songs with very different sounds in the right and left channel sounds a bit wierd, but not enough for me to investigate some solution to mix the channels together. I don't care much for surround sound either...
I need a loud alarm clock now, since I always sleep with my good ear on the pillow. Makes it easier to sleep with background noice, but it's harder to wake up...
Most things I mentioned became something I do automatically without thinking about it - basically a lot of small annoyances I got used to.
posted by rpn at 1:47 AM on March 9, 2015
Be careful when crossing streets, especially in the beginning since the direction of e.g. the sounds of cars will be difficult to determine (or hear at all).
Some sounds are very difficult to determine the location of, such as certain phone ring tones. It has happened that I'v "lost" my phone in my apartment, and although I could hear it ringing I had trouble finding it...
I always try to sit in one of the two "correct" corner seats of tables so my good ear is turned towards the people I sit next to. Similarly, when out walking I always try to walk on the right side of the persons I'm with. Most people I'm in daily contact with knows about my hearing problems and have no problem switching seats if I ask. It's mostly a problem in places with background noise such as restaurants and bars.
Strangers in bars and other loud places are annoying - they will often lean in and try to talk into my right ear directly instead of the left which I can hear. I try to explain the problem as soon as possible and its usually ok, although there been some embarrasing misunderstandings sometimes (after I asked someone to repeat themselves about three times, I start trying to guess what they said, and my guesses are often wrong :)).
I listen to a lot of music, and go to a lot of live music shows without any trouble. It might be a good idea to wear earplugs if you aren't already - you wouldn't want to loose the hearing you have left. I still use both earpieces of my headphones, as I still hear some sounds with by bad ear and it feels wrong not to do it. Some songs with very different sounds in the right and left channel sounds a bit wierd, but not enough for me to investigate some solution to mix the channels together. I don't care much for surround sound either...
I need a loud alarm clock now, since I always sleep with my good ear on the pillow. Makes it easier to sleep with background noice, but it's harder to wake up...
Most things I mentioned became something I do automatically without thinking about it - basically a lot of small annoyances I got used to.
posted by rpn at 1:47 AM on March 9, 2015
I'm so sorry- this must be such a distressing experience! I'm mostly deaf in my right ear but have been all my life. I can't imagine what it would be like for it to happen once you'd gotten used to having both ears.
It's not that bad, really. It's actually convenient in some ways. For one thing if I don't want to hear something I can point my 'bad' ear at it. I sleep on my good ear so I can't hear incidental noise.
You'll want to make sure you move so that things you want to hear are on your good side. That can be annoying, since people don't normally stay in the same relative positions if you're walking somewhere.
I love music and it's not impaired my appreciation.
posted by winna at 4:50 AM on March 9, 2015
It's not that bad, really. It's actually convenient in some ways. For one thing if I don't want to hear something I can point my 'bad' ear at it. I sleep on my good ear so I can't hear incidental noise.
You'll want to make sure you move so that things you want to hear are on your good side. That can be annoying, since people don't normally stay in the same relative positions if you're walking somewhere.
I love music and it's not impaired my appreciation.
posted by winna at 4:50 AM on March 9, 2015
Best answer: A similar thing happened to me a few months ago. I very suddenly lost hearing in my right ear and also experienced tinnitus. My GP messed up appointments and it took a few days until I could see an ENT specialist, which made me rather antsy since the hearing loss got progressively worse until I couldn't hear anything at all.
It's distressing and I get that you're worried. But here's some good news: after about a week the issue resolved itself (even without medication) and my hearing is now back to normal (tested). The ENT doctor said it was probably a viral infection, but "who knows" and that if I had come in earlier he would have put me on steroids.
In short: try to stay calm for now. I hope you'll feel better soon!
posted by wavelette at 8:02 AM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's distressing and I get that you're worried. But here's some good news: after about a week the issue resolved itself (even without medication) and my hearing is now back to normal (tested). The ENT doctor said it was probably a viral infection, but "who knows" and that if I had come in earlier he would have put me on steroids.
In short: try to stay calm for now. I hope you'll feel better soon!
posted by wavelette at 8:02 AM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have a similar level of one-sided upper-frequency hearing loss. Day-to-day, this means I tend to sit towards the front of a room, have set up my listening devices for mono instead of stereo, lean awkwardly if someone tries to whisper into my bad ear, and prefer my husband walk on the side of my good ear. The loss is below the level where hearing aids are recommended. Anyone I've ever mentioned it to has been surprised to find out; it is not at all noticeable. If it's not temporary, it will start feeling normal soon, I bet. (Mine probably happened when I was about 5, and nobody, including me, noticed until I was a teenager.)
Bonus about one-sided upper-frequency loss: if you're trying to fall asleep in the summer with the windows open and the crickets are annoying, just roll onto the good ear. Magic!
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:44 AM on March 9, 2015
Bonus about one-sided upper-frequency loss: if you're trying to fall asleep in the summer with the windows open and the crickets are annoying, just roll onto the good ear. Magic!
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:44 AM on March 9, 2015
I've been 100% deaf in my right ear since I was either born or extremely young (it was discovered at 3). You've gotten good advice above, and I suspect that your brain will adapt fairly quickly. Day to day, my hearing loss is no more than a small nuisance. I love music, and attend shows regularly, but because I have never experienced full hearing, I can't say for certain whether I'm missing out on something.
I have several adaptive coping strategies: as I'm deaf in my right ear, when choosing seats or where to stand at a concert, I typically choose a spot towards the right of the stage, so that I'll maximize the sound from both speakers. In large groups, I always try to sit at the right end of the table or theater row. I am not afraid to ask people to switch seats when we're about to sit. When walking on a sidewalk with someone, I always walk on the right.
The great part? At this point all of these things are completely instinctual, and my good friends are trained: they automatically walk on my good side, or leave me a seat on the right.
With one ear, it's impossible to triangulate sounds to tell where a sound is coming from, so I have to recruit people in the where's my phone hunt (I try to keep it in the same place every time to avoid this.) If someone calls my name across a room, I usually need to turn in a full circle to pinpoint where the person is.
It's also really hard to filter white noise + dialogue: watching a movie or carry on on a conversation with a loud fan in the room is very difficult. I also find the crinkling of plastic bags to be very irritating. There may be times that you have to ask people to repeat themselves, or advocate for yourself. Growing up my sisters would get super pissed off at me for saying "what?" so often, and I couldn't understand why I had a harder time understanding speech than they did. It's a little tiresome to ask people to repeat themselves, but your friends will get used to it, and you will adapt.
The bonus of being able to sleep on your good ear to filter out say, snoring is so, so good. Just make sure that you don't sleep through your alarm!
posted by nerdcore at 11:50 AM on March 9, 2015
I have several adaptive coping strategies: as I'm deaf in my right ear, when choosing seats or where to stand at a concert, I typically choose a spot towards the right of the stage, so that I'll maximize the sound from both speakers. In large groups, I always try to sit at the right end of the table or theater row. I am not afraid to ask people to switch seats when we're about to sit. When walking on a sidewalk with someone, I always walk on the right.
The great part? At this point all of these things are completely instinctual, and my good friends are trained: they automatically walk on my good side, or leave me a seat on the right.
With one ear, it's impossible to triangulate sounds to tell where a sound is coming from, so I have to recruit people in the where's my phone hunt (I try to keep it in the same place every time to avoid this.) If someone calls my name across a room, I usually need to turn in a full circle to pinpoint where the person is.
It's also really hard to filter white noise + dialogue: watching a movie or carry on on a conversation with a loud fan in the room is very difficult. I also find the crinkling of plastic bags to be very irritating. There may be times that you have to ask people to repeat themselves, or advocate for yourself. Growing up my sisters would get super pissed off at me for saying "what?" so often, and I couldn't understand why I had a harder time understanding speech than they did. It's a little tiresome to ask people to repeat themselves, but your friends will get used to it, and you will adapt.
The bonus of being able to sleep on your good ear to filter out say, snoring is so, so good. Just make sure that you don't sleep through your alarm!
posted by nerdcore at 11:50 AM on March 9, 2015
Response by poster: I can't honestly say that this has made me feel better. I think, being in the middle of this, with all the uncertainty, that was possibly unrealistic.
Nevertheless, thank you all for your compassion, your experiences and your advice. I'll post a follow up in a few weeks.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:02 PM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nevertheless, thank you all for your compassion, your experiences and your advice. I'll post a follow up in a few weeks.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:02 PM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Came back to add this video is enormously useful in both explaining more about hearing loss and going into great detail about assistive technologies. It's a little over an hour and well worth your time to watch - especially the first half.
posted by leslies at 10:49 AM on March 10, 2015
posted by leslies at 10:49 AM on March 10, 2015
Response by poster: An update, gentle mefites.
So, I had a minor improvement on the oral steroids, but it wasn't particularly significant. My ENT recommended that I undergo a minor surgical procedure - basically, they put me under a general anaesthetic, and then injected the steroids into my middle ear to try and more effectively reduce the swelling in the nerves. This was basically a hail mary pass - my ENT was very clear that it had maybe a 15% chance of success.
Immediately following the procedure I experienced constant, loud tinnitus for several weeks. That was pretty horrible.
When I went in for my follow-up appointment, my hearing test revealed that my lower frequency hearing had more or less normalised, but my high range frequency hadn't come back. I managed to make my peace with that (I mean, what else could I do?), but the tinnitus (a direct result of a hearing loss, according the ENT, a kind of phantom limb syndrome) was pretty hard to bear. I could only get to sleep by drowning it out with white noise, and it was just a constant strain throughout the day. I couldn't concentrate in meetings, or in conversations. I couldn't relax at all.
Happily, in the last week or so, it seems to have subsided. I've been able to sleep without the white noise. The hearing loss isn't too bad, in the end. I can still function more or less normally, although I am way more sensitive to loud noises (like, roaring motors and such), and I am still having a bit of trouble with pitch (for example, it's harder to pick our notes in chords).
Anyway, thank you for holding my hand and soothing the panic. You guys are the best.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:44 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
So, I had a minor improvement on the oral steroids, but it wasn't particularly significant. My ENT recommended that I undergo a minor surgical procedure - basically, they put me under a general anaesthetic, and then injected the steroids into my middle ear to try and more effectively reduce the swelling in the nerves. This was basically a hail mary pass - my ENT was very clear that it had maybe a 15% chance of success.
Immediately following the procedure I experienced constant, loud tinnitus for several weeks. That was pretty horrible.
When I went in for my follow-up appointment, my hearing test revealed that my lower frequency hearing had more or less normalised, but my high range frequency hadn't come back. I managed to make my peace with that (I mean, what else could I do?), but the tinnitus (a direct result of a hearing loss, according the ENT, a kind of phantom limb syndrome) was pretty hard to bear. I could only get to sleep by drowning it out with white noise, and it was just a constant strain throughout the day. I couldn't concentrate in meetings, or in conversations. I couldn't relax at all.
Happily, in the last week or so, it seems to have subsided. I've been able to sleep without the white noise. The hearing loss isn't too bad, in the end. I can still function more or less normally, although I am way more sensitive to loud noises (like, roaring motors and such), and I am still having a bit of trouble with pitch (for example, it's harder to pick our notes in chords).
Anyway, thank you for holding my hand and soothing the panic. You guys are the best.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:44 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
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Anecdote: my dad had (then-)mysterious hearing loss when he was a young man, and never got it back. I grew up with him that way, and he enjoyed movies, music, conversations, etc. The only time I noticed it was that sometimes speaking to him on that side too quietly didn't work, and we'd move or he'd turn his head. After he was 65 or so, he got a hearing aid in that ear, which seems to work pretty well.
If you haven't already, you should ask your ENT your specific questions! Sometimes we (patients) don't ask and kind of assume we'll either be told that information, or that the doctor will dismiss our worries. It's definitely better to express your concerns and ask.
Hang in there!
posted by wintersweet at 7:32 PM on March 8, 2015