Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

I have never been a veteran but I find it very disappointing that for those who choose to serve our country the standards for being eligible for a CI can vary from state to state. I live in Colorado and the person I talked to was a Dentist who served in Vietnam in the Navy.
I have also heard horror stories about VA care in this country. I have also heard horror stories about healthcare in this country.
You are right that you have to be a strong advocate for yourself.
The only time I had a hearing test with noise was when I went out of network to an audiologist at a local hospital. In network audiologists are overworked and understaffed. My out of network audiologist gave me far more extensive testing than I had ever received before. She was also far more knowledgeable when it came to adjusting my hearing aids.
Good luck to you and others out there looking for high quality care.

Hi gang,

I'm a newly minted tinnitus sufferer and it's been affecting me greatly. I initially didn't know what was happening and woke up in the middle of the night in an anxiety attack. I saw an ENT and in my experience, they are useless. I have anxiety 24/7 and cannot sleep well at night. I do play cricket sounds that helps me get some rest but not my usual 8 hours of full rest that I had 5 weeks ago. I had very low tinnitus that came and went but nothing serious, then, 5 weeks ago, I took some business trips and got sick (bad cold - tested negative for Covid and influenza multiple times). Doctor put me on antibiotics and prednisone....then, slowly, I'm where I am today with tinnitus in both ears and slight to moderate hearing loss. The ENT didn't even read my audio analysis to me so I'm still in-the-dark to what it says.

Anyhow, I'm scheduled to meet with a Mayo representative Monday to see someone there in Rochester, Florida, or Arizona. I also have a call into Mass Eye and Ear but they are on holiday until next week. I also see the tinnitus center in UC Irvine in March.

So, I went from 60 miles-an-hour to 20 in about 5 weeks. I did see a huge improvement in the symptoms over Christmas (XMAS miracle?) and I felt great, like my old self, then the next morning at 2:00 a.m. it started again.

So, what should I expect with this new prognosis? The anxiety is keeping me up and masking only goes so far.
Thank you!

Hi I have had hearing loss due to an accident in 2014, during that time I had 60% in left ear and 40% in right ear! It has decreased significantly more time! Have went through the hearing aids, And what not, then 2 years ago I tried The cochlear implant, that did not work out for me due to underlining conditions! Had to get implant removed however note I have 2% in right ear and 10% in left ear! I’m learning sign language however that does not help me if the other person whom is talking does not know sign language! Looking to find resources and or groups to help! I not only have a hard time hearing an individual but having issues with word recognition! I’m irritating others by not being able to hear, and I’m frustrated in how the outside world is so cruel, how it’s so hard to function daily not being able to make Dr appointments, understanding people on phone etc: any ideas

My hearing loss is severe to profound and accommodated with hearing aids provided by the VA.

Hi, Krista.

Not sure where you're at on your assistive technology road, but one phone app that I have found particularly useful is speech-to-text "Live Transcribe". It's pretty fast and accurate but one needs to be physically close to the other person talking (in person only). I believe it's available for either Android or Apple (mine is Android). A web search for this will take you to your platform of choice.

While my hearing loss is not as severe as yours, I have contemplated a speech to text landline which is available through your audiologist/gov program, at no cost. There have been many commercials on television for services like this.

Another phone call app is "Innocaption" that can be used for cell calls. I had set this up but never used it.

I hope this is helpful for you; I know personally how frustrating it is to carry on a conversation in person, especially if the person is wearing a mask, since lip reading one of my acquired skills over many years.

JustTodd

@justtodd

Hi,

I also use Innocaption and Live transcribe. With Live transcribe you can get captions from anyone speaking into a microphone, from a stage and you are in the audience. I found that it is effective for up to 6 feet or so in person but a greater distance if there is a microphone involved. It may depend on how good the microphone on your phone is. It also does not work well in a noisy environment, like a restaurant, unless the speaker is up close. I have been using both for a long time and Live Transcribe is my lifeline to just about everything. I have a couple of other speech to text apps loaded just in case but Live Transcribe on my Android is preferred.

I have a profound hearing loss and use to rely on a captioned landline (provided free by Florida Deaf Services).
We got rid of landlines when Innocaption came out.

FL Mary

Thank you for your help, I have done the otter app! Yes the bass T thing is up have to be close to the person! Thank you for the insight on my audiologist phone help

I encourage you to request hearing access accommodation from VA. they are REQUIRED to provide it, but they commonly don’t. If your hearing aids aren’t enough for you to hear your medical providers you are entitled to receive some sort of help. BUT you must request it. This is true in private practice as well as VA. Sadly hard of hearing folks rarely make the request.

I’m also a veteran with severe to profound hearing loss. At my request my clinic has provided a tablet with a speech to text app which translates the provider’s voice to text almost instantly. I listen, lip read, and read the text. That makes for a very busy time for my old brain, so we sometimes have to slow down.

There are other forms of assistive technology too. Pocket talkers, hearing loops, neck loops, and FM systems all have their place.

I encourage you to become an informed patient and request what you need. It is critical that you understand you medical providers correctly.

I went to a senior expo and got my closed captioned telephone for my desk. It works through my cell phone as I told them I was not going to get a landline just to be able to have it. It is great especially when I have to make business calls. They came in installed it and got it connected through my cell phone. It 's been great for me.

My Rexton hearing aids help with volume but I sometimes have difficulty discerning speech. The audiologist at Cosco said this difficulty is a problem in the auditory system and not "fixable" with hearing aids. Is there any solution out there?