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Diplacusis: Anyone else have this?
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Jan 17, 2023 | Replies (21)Comment receiving replies
So, here'a what I am going through. After going shooting with friends and wearing what I thought was adequate hearing protection, i now have a hum in my head when i talk and a hum or echo after listening to people talk (especially female voices) . I've been to two ENTs who have both told me there was no hearing loss based on a the results from the recent test compared to an older test. They both suggested it would improve. However, its week seven. There ia some improvement but i want to make sure I'm doing everything I can. Also, rooms with background noise make it hard to hear anything but the background noise. Any thoughts on what to do? Any recommendation on a specialist in San Antonio or Austin area?
Replies to "So, here'a what I am going through. After going shooting with friends and wearing what I..."
@milo41, I moved your question to this existing discussion:
- Diplacusis: Anyone else have this? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diplacusis/
I did this so you can connect with other members like @cus and @mark888, who can share their experiences and recommendations.
Bitter experience has taught me to not accept the brushoff from a hearing practitioner. Even a repeated brushoff. Do not be a passive consumer of hearing healthcare, and most importantly, do not sit tight and wait for something to go away! Hearing loss has never gone away for me. You are right to want to be sure you are doing everything you can.
Go to another practitioner and politely but assertively advocate for yourself, because hearing health falls into the cracks between different kinds medical practices and the practitioner you land with may actually be somewhat clueless, but won't tell you so. Do not assume anyone will truly have your particular interest at heart unless they have previously proven it. They have to earn your trust. You've got something unusual, so do not settle for anything less than a rigorous multifaceted exam, not just a hearing test! Follow up, follow up, follow up.
I can't vouch personally for the Austin Ear Clinic, but I corresponded privately with someone from this list who went there, and he sent me the tests they did when he went in for sudden hearing loss. The tests he got seemed more comprehensive than the tests I got here in Washington DC when I had a sudden hearing loss. So if I were in that region I would try them.
I wouldn't rule out checking with a neurologist at a university (UT?) or other advanced medical facility where research is being done, maybe in Houston. Hearing has a lot to do with brain function. I know when I'm tired I don't hear well.
Consider connecting with your local Hearing Loss Association of America chapter, and tuning in to their educational programs. Hearing healthcare is highly variable in different parts of the U.S., which unfortunately has a pretty primitive and fragmented healthcare system. So it helps to educate oneself objectively about what services and practices exist elsewhere so you can ask for them wherever you are.
Good luck to you. Keep trying! You are worth it!
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I found the link below of interest. I'm unfamiliar with this unusual condition referred to as 'double hearing'. The article of reference does say this condition can be temporary or permanent. It also indicates that hearing aids that are fit for this condition may help.
I look forward to further information coming from others on this forum who may have experienced diplacusis.
https://www.amplifon.com/uk/audiology-magazine/diplacusis-syndrome-of-double-hearing