Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

Good for you! You are a life time learner and an inspiration to others in the way you face the next challenges.👏👏👏

For more discussion, tips and recommendations about hearing aids, please see these discussions:
- Hearing aids https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hearing-aids-1/
- High frequency hearing test: What hearing aids are best? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/high-frequency-hearing-test/

Here is another discussion that I think some of you may be interested in reading and contributing to:
- Tips for Speaking with Someone with Hearing Loss https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tips-for-speaking-with-someone-with-hearing-loss/

Hello, I'm happy to have found this group. My hearing loss started in my late 50's when I was diagnosed with Meniere's in my right ear. It has now progressed to both ears and I started wearing hearing aids 3 years ago which has helped tremendously. I've gone through periods of total loss and then hearing returns in the left ear. I have associated diminution of my hearing with what I eat. I've given up caffeine, ice cream (takes my hearing away the next day completely) and salt (of course). Usually after a spell of what I call 'bad hearing days' my left ear will start to function again within a week. I had a great 3 months when I wondered why I was even wearing hearing aids as my left ear seemed to return to normal. However last week I woke up deaf. I couldn't hear myself talk and I had an extreme dizzy spell. I started taking high dose prednisone, which usually will alleviate the problem in the left ear but it hasn't worked at all. I've been to allergists, immunologists, neurotologist and about 4 ENTs looking for answers since I was initially diagnosed. No one has any. It's maddening to not know if any hearing will come back. Would a cochlear implant help? Do cochlear implants help with the tinnitus, which has gotten worse since my hearing disappeared. I'd consider trying stem cells but it doesn't seem like the science is fully there yet, at least not for humans and their ears.

Hi dthree. I lost my hearing completely in July of 2017. I had been diagnosed 8 years before with Meniere's and had lost about 70% of the hearing in my right ear but my left ear was always fine. Well, in July of 2017 within a span of about 7 hours, they both went out. No hearing. Deaf. And what a blow to myself and my family. I had just turned 50 and didn't expect this at all. After verifying that my nerves were ok, I was approved for a cochlear implant (Med-el) and had the surgery in November of 2017. It was then activated in January 2018. For me, it has been a HUGE BLESSING. But i have to caution you that it is not perfect. When I talk to someone one-on-one, everything is great. My speech comprehension is over 90% and I do quite well. But throw any variables in there (background noise, road noise in the car, restaurant setting, wind noise when outside, etc.) and it becomes more difficult to understand people. Without my implant, i would be profoundly deaf and would have had to learn ASL. You asked about tinnitus. A cochlear implant does not take it away. I have terrible tinnitus in both ears. When I'm wearing the implant, it lessens the tinnitus significantly because my implant is picking up speech, noise, etc. But as soon as I take it off (to sleep at night, when I want a break, etc.), the tinnitus comes roaring back. At least that is what happens for me. I DON'T KNOW if that's typical. I know another woman who has two implants and NO tinnitus. So I'm not sure what the difference is. I really FEEL for your loss. It has taken me quite some time to come to grips with it. When it first happened I just soldiered on. But I've had more feelings of sadness a year later when I realize what a profound loss it is. I will pray for wisdom for you in the days ahead. A cochlear implant will definitely help. -- Stuart Sokolowski

Thank you so much Stuart! It is very difficult to face a future in a silent world. Although I keep reminding myself that this loss is not the worst thing that can happen and when I look around the world I know how fortunate I am. Your results with an implant give me hope that it might work for me. I will schedule an appointment with my ENT and see what they have to say. It is so wonderful to have a forum to share experiences with others that have similar issues.

Hi, my hearing loss was detected in 1991, about 8 months after my first child was born, during a routine hearing test at work (with the soundproof booth). I began wearing a HA in my left ear in 1998 and in my right ear in 2003. By 2016 my hearing with the HAs had gotten to the point of making phone calls very difficult. Fall 2016 I qualified for a CI in my left ear and had it done in Jan 2017. We thought my right ear would still be ok with a HA for a few years, but apparently it got jealous that the worse ear was now hearing better than it, so it had a rapid decline and I got a CI in it in June 2018. I'm doing very well with the CIs.

I experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) about 8 years ago and have nearly profound hearing loss in one ear but normal hearing in the other ear. I wear a bone anchored hearing aid, which helps but certainly doesn't give me "normal" hearing capacity. I really joined this group because I am incidentally working on a project about hearing health in older adults (hearing loss typically associated with aging) and wanted to learn more about what people experiencing that are feeling, do, etc. It is just a side perk that I may hear something that is personally applicable, but maybe I will also have something to offer to someone newly diagnosed with SSHL.

Hi Merry, Your situation is a little different than mine: I had sudden hearing loss in one ear (which makes it surprisingly difficult to understand people) but wanted to encourage you re: your relationship. This does put a strain on relationships, both with spouse and others. Sometimes it's exhausting and I just want to "tune out" so to speak, but I know that isn't the right thing, either. My husband happened to meet someone else who had the same situation as me, and (you know how it goes, sometimes you just hear it better from a neutral party) after a long conversation with that person, he has been more understanding towards me. Or maybe I didn't verbalize it well. But maybe your talking with others will help you - and maybe him, too - understand better and not let it negatively impact your relationship. It is hard for both of you. I thin you just have to re-learn how to talk to him (volume), but if any consolation I guess it is also not easy to re-learn to "hear" with hearing aids. However if he puts them in/out at unexpected times, then he will need to own letting you know that 🙂 And you can let him know that you are not "yelling," you are talking loudly... different connotation! Good luck!

@ciblue That is wonderful they both are good now My R. Ear is worse then my left I wear H A in both but have had ,still do have TINNITUS Do you have TINNITUS or did you ?

Hello! I am Mary Anne and I suffered Sudden Hearing Loss in my left ear about 20 years ago. The loss was moderate and the hearing I had in my right ear compensated. About 3 years ago, with decrease hearing in my right ear, I got hearing aids. This past February I suffered Sudden Hearing Loss in my right ear. I now have bilateral hearing loss that is moderate to severe. The tinnitus in my right ear is awful. I am trying to cope with this new reality.