What's wrong with MY hearing?

[2boyzmama]

I know so much about infant/toddler hearing, I can talk intelligently about audiograms, DPOAEs, conductive losses, hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc etc.

But I have no idea what is wrong with MY hearing. Here's my "quirks" related to hearing, tell me if you guys think anything is "off" about it.

--I can not hear in a crowded room.
--I rely heavily on lip reading (I didn't realize just how heavily until I saw the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the one with the guy that has snakes around his mouth? I couldn't hear a word he said because I couldn't SEE a word he said, if that makes sense)
--I always turn the closed captions on, and I have discovered that I miss a lot when they aren't on (I'll watch a movie in the theater, then rent it, and I find that I missed a lot)
--I get very sound-sensitive when I'm emotionally overwhelmed or physically tired (is this a hearing issue, or my own little sensory quirk?)
--Here's what's kind of odd, though...I am very in tune to sounds around the house, I can hear a leaky faucet, I can hear a toddler touching something he shouldn't be, I hear the baby stirring, I hear the dogs walking on the hardwood floors when I'm asleep at night. My husband is unaware of all these things.

We went out last night to a karaoke bar, and my husband asked me as we were leaving about the couple next to us. I realized I missed an entire exchange between our two tables. Also, my friend was taking to me all night, and I have to call her this morning to tell her that I really have no clue what she was talking about. I was struggling so hard to read her lips, or piece together the few words that I did understand so I could get the gist of the conversation.

SO...is something "wrong" with my hearing or my auditory processing? Because it seems like I'm all over the spectrum...I seem to not hear some things, and then I seem to hear things that others might not. I can't hear, then suddenly I"m sound sensitive.

???

[wytchywoman]

I have Meniere's Disease which is a syndrome ( jury is out as to whether it is genetic or autoimmune or just bad luck) that causes the inner ear to pretty much destroy itself. The hairs inside the cochlea are being thrashed when I have "attacks" of the disease. ( Some people have severe dizzy spells with this. I don't just the hearing loss).What you said is pretty similar to me and it has to do with the range of the noise. Low range hearing is gone. This means that conversations, especially with men or people with lower tone voices, are incredibly difficult. I too read lips and use captions, because otherwise I don't understand what is being said. Men with beards are pretty much futile to converse with for me, as are people with strong accents. I can hear higher range noises though, which sometimes drives me crazy. I kind of think that maybe it's because I can't hear any low range tones to balance out the high ones, and so it seems too loud to me.Have you considered seeing an ENT to get your own hearing tested?

[sbgrace]

Do you plan to do a hearing test?

[PikkuMyy]

Wierd - I have the same experiences/issues! I always lip read while I listen to people talk and there are several of DH's male family members and friends that I have a really hard time having conversations with in person or on the phone because I can't hear them.

Anywhere with background noise like a restaurant or bar is awful for me. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves a lot and I have to struggle just to hear enough words to piece together the conversation, let alone participate fully.

But I also have a very heightened sensitivity to very small sounds, especially higher pitched ones. I can always tell if someone has the TV on in their house even when there is no picture. No one else can hear the sound. I hear wierd motor noises with the car, and lots of them really bother me.

When I'm tired or emotionally-drained, my sound sensitivity is really high and certain songs or sounds make me feel like I need to have them turn off IMMEDIATELY or I'll have a nervous breakdown. My husband doesn't get the immediacy of it.

I've had hearing tests when younger. I did fail some in the low range but then always passed them eventually. But it's pretty easy for me to hear tones when there are no other noises and I'm concentrating. That's the only tests I had. Perhaps I need to go back and have them done by an actual audiologist instead of the regular MD.

I'm very interested to see what others have to say. Unfortunately, I have a $750 deductible so I probably won't be getting proper testing done any time soon.

[KimPM]

I have difficulty hearing in some situations. My left ear is the problem. I can't use the phone on that side, it sounds really weird. I have lots of trouble figuring out where sounds are coming from. But the hearing in my right ear, I can hear up to pretty high frequencies. I lost my hearing for awhile around age 20 due to illness, and it never really came back correctly, particularly in my left ear. And it's funny, I never figured out what was wrong until I was at a conference more than 12 years later. There they had an interesting surround sound demo. Turns out, it was a great hearing test. I heard sounds like they were coming from most of the directions. But I thought it was odd that I couldn't hear anything behind me and to the left side. So I asked other people if they heard sounds from that area and yes they could. So that was it...I lost hearing only on the left rear side. And with that loss of directional hearing, the ability to locate where a sound is coming from is gone too. I also lost some of the upper frequency range in that ear (for the rest of the directions where I could hear sound coming from). A regular hearing test does not test directionality as far as I know, just frequency range. So I'm not sure my issue would have been fully discovered without that cool surround sound demo. But the imbalance between both ears sometimes drives me crazy. My right ear can hear really funky high-pitched stuff many others can't hear. But I often don't hear normal stuff if the left ear is facing just the wrong way. (I've had to remind my DH that I'm really not ignoring him, that I truly can't hear him when he speaks to me from my left rear side.) Not sure if that's your issue, but also just wanted you to be aware that hearing is directional and it can be lost directionally too.

[2boyzmama]

Meniere's Disease...I looked it up...you know, I've had "floaters" and short dizzy spells for years. I always thought it was related to blood pressure as mine tends towards the low side. But now you've got me wondering...

I don't know if our insurance covers hearing tests for adults, I'll have to look into it.

PikkuMyy, I get the same way when I'm tired/stressed. I walk around the house turning things off, the radio, the ceiling fan, even a certain light in the dining room makes a noise that I can't stand. I kennel the dogs or put them outside or put them in a bedroom because their toenails on the hardwood floors drives me in.sane.

KimPM, I hadn't considered that it was one-sided. Hmm...I absolutely can NOT talk on the phone on my left ear. At all. I can't even hold the phone on my left side. Also interestingly, I can't wear earrings and talk on the phone, I always thought it was just a comfort issue, but if I think about it, it's because the sound of the earring clanging on the phone ear piece is so incredibly distracting to me! Maddening, really.

SO...hmm...one of the therapy places my son used to go to (before we got him in to Children's) sometimes offers free hearing tests, so maybe I'll wait until I see them offering that again and I'll go.

[wytchywoman]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

Meniere's Disease...I looked it up...you know, I've had "floaters" and short dizzy spells for years. I always thought it was related to blood pressure as mine tends towards the low side. But now you've got me wondering...

.

If you can get a referral to an ENT they can test you and that would be covered by insurance. Another option would be to go to Beltone or one of the other hearing aid places and get your hearing tested that way.

[AndVeeGeeMakes3]

Okay, Sam. You're just a copycat. I just got Meniere's Disease dx last week.

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by AndVeeGeeMakes3

Okay, Sam. You're just a copycat. I just got Meniere's Disease dx last week.

Really? I remember you saying something about a major dizzy spell when VeeGee was in the hospital following her p-flap (that was you, right?)

I've never had any major dizzy spells (except after Gavin's birth when I got really anemic, my hemoglobin was only an 8.0) but I do often get short periods of floaters or "the room is spinning" feelings.

Do you have any loss of hearing?

I keep reading about a "fullness" in the ears...I do sometimes have what I describe as "pressurization" issues, where it suddenly feels (and sounds) like I'm on a plane, usually just one ear, and it passes pretty quickly. I try to yawn or move my jaw to "fix" it and it doesn't work, but then it just...goes away. Never lasts long (minutes at the most). Is that what is referred to as a "fullness" in the ear? I have no idea...

I'm going to watch for free hearing tests and try to get myself one. If I went through my PCP ($25 copay) and got a referral to an ENT ($50 copay) then got a hearing test (applies to deductible of $300 a person) I'd be paying quite a bit out of pocket! So I think I'll start with the cheap (free) route first! It's not enough of a bother that I am going to rush out NOW and get it looked at, it's just something I'm noticing more and more lately...

[Aridel]

If you're keeping an eye out for cheap hearing tests, I would also check any local audiology programs at universities. The students have to get used to giving hearing tests, so they often have lower-cost testing which is administered by a student and supervised by a certified audiologist.

[AndVeeGeeMakes3]

Yeah, that was me. I totally forgot about that relative to this, though who knows what evil was lurking about then.

Yes, I've got hearing loss in my right ear. It's strange, because, like you, it will go away and then come back. The ringing is getting a bit worse, as is the popping -- I'm frankly more stressed about that Tinnitis than the hearing loss because it's just really uncomfortable. I also am so extremely motion sick that I can't ride in the passenger seat at all ever (and sometimes have to sit down to teach). The low-grade nausea that goes with that is a major bummer.

Still, in the whole scheme of things, it's not the worst thing, and it's not like it's something I didn't already know what happening (not a "new" thing, just a dx for something I've been dealing with for a long time).

My only concern about the free "hearing tests" is that they're generally "screenings" not actual tests in the sound-proof booth. I don't know if they're going to get a very good reading, particularly if the loss is not huge. Of course, you know I feel ya on the insurance/out of pocket crap, so better that than nothing. It just seems like you're going to have to do all that regardless, why not go ahead and get the appointments set up.


Lots of hugs. I actually only logged in here to make sure you didn't get offended by me calling you a copycat!

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by AndVeeGeeMakes3

I actually only logged in here to make sure you didn't get offended by me calling you a copycat!

Hardly!