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All voices are distorted, including my own. Some worse than others e.g deeper male voices and higher pitched female voices. Distortion is exacerbated if there is background noise and also in echoey environments. In fact even in low levels of background noise, including other voices nearby, I find I can barely understand anything. I have worn hearing aids for 10 years but the distortion is more recent, probably 4-5 years or a little longer. It was not very noticeable at first but worsened over time. Volume is not an issue meaning, with my hearing aids, I can hear reasonably well but I struggle to understand because of the voice distortion.And it's not just voices - music is so distorted that everything sounds out of tune and often just a cacophony of noise. It is hard to describe the distortion, it's a fuzziness or like a radio slightly out of tune so that there is a static interference. I have seen various audiologists and ENT specialists and had an MRI which showed no nerve damage. Mostly, when I explain the symptoms t them they just look blank. My audiogram is classic for age related hearing loss albeit quite severe. As one audiologist said "your audiogram is normal for ARHL but you present quite differently". The only explanation I've had is damage to the hair cells. It seems to be the same level of distortion in both ears. It does make life difficult as social settings are awkward - I can't really participate, I can't keep up with group conversations as I am trying to interpolate what's being said and the conversation has moved on! The result is that I now tend to avoid social gatherings resulting in becoming somewhat isolated. Even one-on-one conversations can be difficult in the wrong environment and depending on the person's voice. Anyone else out there had this problem?
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@iann Hair cell damage takes place in the cochlea. Cochlear implants bypass the cochlea and stimulate the auditory nerve which sends sound waves to the brain for interpretation. Did any of your doctors mention cochlear implants? It used to be false theory that hearing loss was caused by damage to the auditory nerve. Then, after considerable research it was discovered that nerve damage is rare, but hair cell damage is the causative factor. This is why cochlear implants work in most instances.
Assistive technology that goes beyond hearing aids is another area of importance. Did any of those doctors explain and demonstrate some of the assistive technologies that can work with hearing aids? The hearing aids must have active components in them to use those technologies. Often they are either not there at all or not activated.
Telecoils in hearing aids connect them to sound systems and personal devices that can bring sound directly to your ears while eliminating background noise. Currently there is new technology being developed called Auracast. In time that will probably replace the need for telecoils as it does the same thing, but the time is a few years away.
An audiologist who is on top of things today should explain this and suggest any hearing aids you buy have both telecoils and Auracast connectivity, so you are prepared and able to get the best possible use from your personal devices.
Unfortunately, some providers do not share this information. It takes time. Time has a cost. Also, many people with hearing loss are so stigmatized that they don't want to listen and learn. Also, it may add a small cost to a product they are trying to sell. Regardless, they should explain AND demonstrate what it does so the buyer/patient knows what they are giving up or getting.
I can connect my personal devices (Hearing aid and cochlear processor) directly to the sound systems at my church, or local performing arts center, lecture halls at our Community College, etc. I can participate and keep doing the things I enjoyed prior to the realities of my profound hearing loss.
Are you willing to ask questions and insist on getting answers?
@iann Your problem sounds very similar to mine. Please see my post from last June. Like you, I can no longer enjoy music. In social gatherings, as well as one-on-one conversations, I use an app on my Google Pixel phone called Live Transcribe. I'm sure other phones have similar apps. Although not perfect, especially if there is any ambient noise, it helps a great deal. Hopefully research on hair cell regeneration using stem cells and gene technology will help.
I currently am using Jabra hearing aids which help slightly. I will be trying the latest Phonak hearing aids this week. Will let you know if they help. Let's try and keep this voice distortion discussion active.
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@iann I have tried to be optimistic about my hearing loss which is between severe and profound. My audiologist has told me that CI’s would not noticeably improve my hearing over the hearing aids I am currently using.
Like yourself I find that it is increasingly difficult to interact in noisy restaurants and even in family gatherings.
All my life I have enjoyed interacting with people and asking questions. My career was in commission sales and developing close relationships with my clients was extremely fulfilling.
I am retired now and find myself increasingly isolated. I was always hopeful that technology and AI would advance to the point where real progress would be made for those of us with severe to profound hearing loss.
I have been following the progress being made to restore hair cells in the human ear but feel that solution might not be possible in my lifetime.
I would love to hear from people in my situation. Maybe you can tell me how you are coping with what I am going through. Have you found a hearing aid that makes you feel comfortable in crowded places.
I look forward to hearing from people on this site. Maybe they know something I don’t about better ways to cope with hearing loss.