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Single Sided Hearing Loss

Posted by nla4625 @nla4625, Feb 10, 2021

I'm amazed how many posts there have been lately about single sided hearing loss and think having our own thread might be beneficial. I'm missing something really important about this issue and hope someone will please help me understand it. I used to explain my hearing issue to people who asked as follows: when you have two good ears, sound comes in from both sides and your brain can select what it wants to "hear". When you have only one good ear, sound comes in on one side and your brain can't separate out what it wants to "hear." It's all noise. Is that right or am I totally wrong? If it is right and I get the cros hearing aid, how will moving sound from my deaf ear over to my good ear make any difference in my ability to hear? Sound is still going in one side and will still be noise. I understand that if I need the bicros hearing aid, it will pick up the sound from my deaf ear, move it to my good ear and enhance the ability to hear in my good ear. This is really complex. I'm rooting for the new technology in the article Ken sent out about growing new tiny hairs in the ears of hard of hearing people to help them hear more clearly. Thanks for helping me understand this. Nancy

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earscan | @earscan | Feb 14, 2021

NIA 4625: The aids have filters for the noise. You need 2 ears for balance and direction. With one ear, you usually can't tell where the sounds/speech are coming from. And remember, with a "dead ear" - the noise is also cut in half. If the level of noise coming into the hearing aids is steady-state or of a lower volume than the speech near you, you shouldn't have a problem as the aids will help with this. The hearing aids "attack" noises and dampen them down pretty well. The hard part is adjusting. If you have had a dead ear for a long time, it will take a lot of rehab to get use to having this new system but when it works, it is just great! Gina

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2 replies
Faithwalker007 (Renee) | @faithwalker007 | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @earscan "Does Medicare Cover Hearing Aids In 2020? | Updated for ... https://aginginplace.org/does-medicare-cover-hearing-aids-in-2020 "The Medicare Hearing Act..." + (show)
@earscan

Does Medicare Cover Hearing Aids In 2020? | Updated for ...
https://aginginplace.org/does-medicare-cover-hearing-aids-in-2020
"The Medicare Hearing Act has yet to be approved by the House and Senate. Under this Medicare Hearing Act, hearing aids for those with severe hearing loss would be covered. Unfortunately, this piece of legislation will not cover over-the-counter hearing aids and only includes one prescription hearing aid every five years". Not sure when this was written but Trump signed the bill (IN 2020) introduced by Dingle so it has been passed but not instituted yet. MEDICAID PAYS FOR HEARING AIDS SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH INCOME, YOU WOULD QUALIFY IF YOU HAVE MEDICAID. gINA

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He is NOT on Medicaid—YET. He is on Medicare. I can hopefully get him to get another Starkey if I stress that the audiologist was the problem, NOT THE AID. She was not available to adjust it when it needed reprogrammed especially with him. He’s a complicated case and she underestimated him.

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1 reply
Faithwalker007 (Renee) | @faithwalker007 | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @earscan "NIA 4625: The aids have filters for the noise. You need 2 ears for balance and..." + (show)
@earscan

NIA 4625: The aids have filters for the noise. You need 2 ears for balance and direction. With one ear, you usually can't tell where the sounds/speech are coming from. And remember, with a "dead ear" - the noise is also cut in half. If the level of noise coming into the hearing aids is steady-state or of a lower volume than the speech near you, you shouldn't have a problem as the aids will help with this. The hearing aids "attack" noises and dampen them down pretty well. The hard part is adjusting. If you have had a dead ear for a long time, it will take a lot of rehab to get use to having this new system but when it works, it is just great! Gina

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How do I research who deals with these hearing aids in my area? I’m in northeastern Wyoming on the South Dakota border.

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earscan | @earscan | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @faithwalker007 "We live in rural Wyoming. No way to get to a Costco. Sams, Walmart and the..." + (show)
@faithwalker007

We live in rural Wyoming. No way to get to a Costco. Sams, Walmart and the nearest audiologist is about an hour or so away. I have no clue where the nearest Costco is. I think Sioux Falls? My husband is completely deaf in one ear, no bones, nothing. I think when they cleaned the last cholesteatoma out and pierced the lining of his brain, they cauterized and built an eardrum, not sure though. The right ear is the one that’s got the prosthetic bones, and false ear drum that is beginning to lose hearing gradually so he needs TWO hearing aids now but not sure.if he will need the same kind, or specialty HAs? Who knows.
He’s used Starkey, (last one) and had a lot of programming issues. He used another manufacturer before that but he had a lot better hearing.

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Faithwalker -Personal amplifiers

"A personal sound amplifier is a device to help you hear when having a conversation with one other person. The device consists of a microphone attached to headphones. The microphone is held by whomever is speaking, and the headphones are worn by the listener.

The listener can adjust the volume of the amplifier to a comfortable level using a simple volume wheel. Personal amplifiers are suitable for those with moderate to severe hearing loss and can be used with or without a hearing aid."

These are very effective. I am thinking he needs to hear the TV and you or a small group of others. There is almost no background noise, they are very affordable, the person can do his own settings to his liking - many HA manufacturers have come out with similar devices for severely hearing impaired, but just getting an independent system is inexpensive and easy.

! Williams Sound PockeTalker Ultra DUO w/ Headphones & Earbud - PKTD1-EH
$139.00

Williams Sound has a great website. Hope this helps. Gina

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1 reply
Mentor
Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @judysmayo "The advantage to the Cros is that (in the past anyway!) it cost less than the..." + (show)
@judysmayo

The advantage to the Cros is that (in the past anyway!) it cost less than the actual hearing aid for my good ear. I was pushing to get a cochlear in my deaf ear but do not qualify under Medicare bc the word recognition in my hearing ear is too “good”! It’s a sticking point with me because the hearing test is not what I experience in daily life with my ability to understand what people are saying. I believe the lack of any background sound in the testing booth combined with knowing the words, after years of tests, skews the results.

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I fully agree with your statement on knowing the words and statements in the hearing tests can skew the test results. Were you tested with the series of nonsense sentences? It's not like "The dog chased the cat and the boy hit the ball". They don't make sense, so are pretty hard to memorize. The SPIN (SPeech in Noise) test is also a must. It starts out with sentences spoken in quiet, and gradually increases the noise. Needless to say it's a test that is a bit stressful. Were you tested at a cochlear implant center? New research literature on cochlear implants suggests that people who would benefit from them are not being referred as they should be.

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1 reply
nla4625 | @nla4625 | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @earscan "NIA 4625: The aids have filters for the noise. You need 2 ears for balance and..." + (show)
@earscan

NIA 4625: The aids have filters for the noise. You need 2 ears for balance and direction. With one ear, you usually can't tell where the sounds/speech are coming from. And remember, with a "dead ear" - the noise is also cut in half. If the level of noise coming into the hearing aids is steady-state or of a lower volume than the speech near you, you shouldn't have a problem as the aids will help with this. The hearing aids "attack" noises and dampen them down pretty well. The hard part is adjusting. If you have had a dead ear for a long time, it will take a lot of rehab to get use to having this new system but when it works, it is just great! Gina

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@earscan. I love having all the information I'm getting from you and others on this site to think about and process. I tend to give up on technology when it frustrates me or doesn't seem to be helping me right away, so I really appreciate having fair warning that I'll need to take time to adjust to a new hearing aid system before I can reap the rewards. I lost the hearing in my left ear in 1987, which seems like a lifetime ago. Actually, I've been deaf in one ear almost half my life. Thanks! Nancy

REPLY
earscan | @earscan | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @earscan "Faithwalker -Personal amplifiers "A personal sound amplifier is a device to help you hear when having..." + (show)
@earscan

Faithwalker -Personal amplifiers

"A personal sound amplifier is a device to help you hear when having a conversation with one other person. The device consists of a microphone attached to headphones. The microphone is held by whomever is speaking, and the headphones are worn by the listener.

The listener can adjust the volume of the amplifier to a comfortable level using a simple volume wheel. Personal amplifiers are suitable for those with moderate to severe hearing loss and can be used with or without a hearing aid."

These are very effective. I am thinking he needs to hear the TV and you or a small group of others. There is almost no background noise, they are very affordable, the person can do his own settings to his liking - many HA manufacturers have come out with similar devices for severely hearing impaired, but just getting an independent system is inexpensive and easy.

! Williams Sound PockeTalker Ultra DUO w/ Headphones & Earbud - PKTD1-EH
$139.00

Williams Sound has a great website. Hope this helps. Gina

Jump to this post

Opps - sent this to the wrong person. It was meant for the person needing a different kind of help. So to Faithwalker, the key is to choose the manufacturer of the product you want and then call them for a referral. If I were to call the manufacturer of the top aids, I would be pretty sure of a screened referral source that would be very good. If the aids are cheap, then the manufacturers' clientele may not necessarily follow all the guidelines. In your situation, with probably a mixed loss, it would be a little more complicated so I would be inclined to ask the mfgr about the training and expertise when they refer and most are good about getting you to the right place. I could do this for you, but send me a private message so I would know it is ok and I could give you a couple of resources. G.

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earscan | @earscan | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @faithwalker007 "He is NOT on Medicaid—YET. He is on Medicare. I can hopefully get him to get..." + (show)
@faithwalker007

He is NOT on Medicaid—YET. He is on Medicare. I can hopefully get him to get another Starkey if I stress that the audiologist was the problem, NOT THE AID. She was not available to adjust it when it needed reprogrammed especially with him. He’s a complicated case and she underestimated him.

Jump to this post

Faithwalker - where is that person coming from? We can all program remotely; I have programmed a patient's aids in Italy. Yes, I absolutely agree with you because when a complicated case comes in and there are problems, the first thing you notice is how hard it is to get back in to see that person. He is a complicated case. See below where I could call and get a good referral for you if you so desired.

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earscan | @earscan | Feb 14, 2021

Faith - just figured it out. His older aid was linear, sharp, clear, and the newer aids are softer and "mushy" - not a bad idea to keep what worked!

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Mentor
Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Feb 14, 2021
In reply to @colleenyoung "@faithwalker007, you may be interested in this informative discussion with tips from fellow members. - Help!..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@faithwalker007, you may be interested in this informative discussion with tips from fellow members.

- Help! I can't afford to buy hearing aids https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/help-11/

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https://betterhearing.org/HIA/assets/File/public/HIA_Financial-Assistance-Guide.pdf This guide may be helpful. There are several resources for financial assistance out there.

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