Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

@jfobes That's an interesting thought, chewing gum. I hope I would never be told to do that, I can't stand gum. Eustachian tube sounds like a possibility. I hope you can finally find a cause for this.
JK

Hi all, thank you for being out here. I am Lizzy and have tinnitus and profound hearing loss "corrected" by 2- Resound 3-D BTE HAs. I read lips proficiently. My hearing loss started in 1991 when I as given a drug designed to prevent my 1.5 year old kidney transplant from being rejected (it worked!). By 1996, I was constantly exhausted trying to hear my patients (psychotherapist). I got my hearing tested and they dx progressing nerve damage and I got my first HA. Several years later I went bilateral (which I should have done in the first place). Now my loss is quite profound - without HAs and a constantly hyper-alert state I have no idea whether anyone is behind me or talking to me. The sense of isolation, of being different/deficient/ab-normal are keen, I constantly remind myself that I am worthy, strong and capable to combat depression. Anxiety is another issue that comes from hyper-awareness and not knowing for sure what is going on around me at times. Phew, that's a mouthful. Glad to be here and offer my support and knowledge to the group and happy to be in a safe place where what I say will be understood by others.

Find another ENT who has Audiologists on staff. You describe what happens to the Audiologist and s/he can help talk to the ENT.

@lizzy102 Hi Lizzy, and welcome to Connect.
I have had a hearing loss and been wearing hearing aids since 2004. In the last couple of years my hearing of sounds has not diminished much at all, but my clarity has. I had a liver transplant in September, 2016, and I have been wondering if the immunosuppressants exacerbated the problem. From your post it sounds like you identified them as having affected yours.

It sounds as if your loss may be worse than mine, although mine is considered to be pretty profound. I drive my husband crazy because I don't hear him come into the room and am always startled. He says, "I do live here too, you know". I know he finds it annoying.

I find it terribly isolating when we have company, family here, or when we go out to dinner with others. It's very difficult to hear anyone with the background noise. My hearing aids are Oticon OPN1 and I do have the "Connect Clip" to go with them. It a little microphone that the person who is speaking to me can put around their neck or clip on their clothes and the sound goes directly into my hearing aids. It does help with some situations, but in a noisy room it also picks up the background noise. When I got the OPN1s a couple of years ago, they were supposed to be the best for clarity but now they have just come out with a new model with 15% better clarity. Unfortunately, due to the price of hearing aids, I don't think I will be getting them for a while, but if I needed aids now I would definitely check them out.
JK

Hi my name is Marty, I Have been dealing with hearing loss and tinnitus for quite some time, I wear hearing aids in both ears. I retired from the USCG after a 26 year career, my rating was Machinery Technician(mechanic) and I was around heavy machinery for most of my life and career my hearing loss is occupational hazard related. The VA furnishes me with hearing aids and treatment. I get a yearly hearing test and my most recent shows that my left ear is getting worse so I will soon get an appointment with a ENT. I am a bit nervous and worried about the outcome, but we will wait and see what the diagnosis is.

Hello, I am JoAngela. I have a profound hearing loss, and I wear hearing aids. I am 58 years old and I have had some hearing loss most of my life. It has just gotten worse over the years. My goal here is to meet and talk with people that are also living with hearing loss.

Hello @joangela Welcome to Mayo Connect! Great to have you here! I am Scott and I am deaf on my right side (along with no sight on that side as well) due to a stroke and an earlier bout of meningitis.

What do you encounter with your hearing loss that is your biggest frustration? Mine is noisy rooms and/or noisy restaurants,

Again, glad you found Mayo Connect!

Hello, I am JoAngela and I have a Profound Hearing loss. I have had hearing loss most of my life, but it has gotten worse over time. I am now 58 years old. My primary goal in joining is to meet and converse with people with a similar impairment.

Hello Scott, Being left out of the conversation. Not intentionally, but on the other hand, it is totally because of my hearing loss. Perhaps they just don’t want to repeat themselves or since I don’t hear well, there are times when I just can’t keep up with the conversation, so I live in silence sometimes.
The other thing is being in public places and if I didn’t hear what person said, a lot of times they look at you like you’re crazy. You know, hearing world stuff. Lol

@IndianaScott , @joangela - Good morning, and welcome Joangela . Yes! Noisy rooms, restaurants, and people with a certain way of speaking. It's as though they inhale their words! My husband is a home brewer and believe me, tap rooms and brew pubs are the worst!