Holiday Auditory Exhaustion Syndrome is Here!

I'm reading with interest the comments on the CIs. I, too, am teetering on the edge of going down the CI route. But I have a lot to lose if I do. My hearing is mild to moderate at low frequencies (500 up to 1,000 hz) and profound above that. What that means is that I can hear noise pretty well but can't understand speech.

I'm told that I'm a candidate for a hybrid CI which uses a hearing aid in conjunction with an implant in the same ear. The hearing aid covers the low frequencies and the implant covers the high frequencies. However there is no guarantee that my low frequency hearing will be preserved in the low frequencies with implantation. In other words I could go backwards.

With regard to the large noisy gatherings during the holidays I have the usual problems. I don't get to add much to any conversation because by the time my brain figures out what someone said and I want to add a comment someone else has already done that and the conversation moves on without me. Frustrating!!!!

On Thanksgiving evening we had a visit with my granddaughter and her boyfriend in our living room. The boyfriend has a noticeable hearing loss and I think my granddaughter has some hearing loss as well. The conversations that night were in a quiet environment and at a slow pace. We could all participate. That just doesn't happen when hearing people are present.

But at our upcoming Christmas dinner there will be about 20 people at a long table. That means at least 4 or 5 conversations going on at the same time along with dishes and glasses clanking while people talking with mouths full of food. That's pretty much an impossible listening environment for me. Usually the best I can do is read the lips of the person across from me if it isn't covered with a glass or hand covering the mouth while catching some of the words (and a few correctly). I'll be in a crossfire of speech from both sides and way behind in auditory processing. It will be so relaxing to get in the car to drive home and just listen to the road noise (which I can hear very well).

Holiday family/friend gatherings are tough. I know I miss a lot, but still work to hear what I can. I ‘try’ not let let it make me introverted, ie just sit there and look interested in what’s being said and really not caring, because I can’t hear much. I keep trying & my DH is so good at filling me in on what’s being said. At the gathering, I was trying to hear a young friend tell me about his college goals & how he was doing. My ears / hearing aids were I think on overload from the mouse & my brain was buzzing trying to hear and understand what he was saying with all the background noise going on. I finally suggested we go into the living room but by that time my listening fatigue had set it, so I still struggled in the Semi-quiet area. Listening fatigue is exhausting and hearing ppl try & be supportive 😇 but really do not understand the extent of it. When we hear speech we have to process what we think heard, put it in context of the conversation, process again to confirm that is correct and then answer or speak. It is longer than a hearing person and seems like a long time to us. I sometimes think the other person thinks I’m stupid. I’m so very thankful for my hearing aids but frustrating at time. Thank you for posting.

@julieo4

I had forgotten that my ENT practice has a Cochlear Clinic about 50 minutes from me. The doctor that does the implants for the practice and for patients from different audiologist practices has done over 200 implants since he started in 2014. He graduated first in class from Texas Health….and has an amazing reputation. Works with an Audi who is a CI specialist. Other than that, there is a Communications dept at the very huge University of Florida that is very big ….almost an hour from me. I like the idea of a smaller operation as
USF can be daunting. Went there about 20 years ago to see an ENT and saw his associate PA instead. At the time I was not impressed. They have 3 or 4 doctors and do a lot of implants on children.

My practice sounds more comfortable and personal and the hospitals are known to me.

Do you think having done over 200 so far sounds good?

You got me going ya know….in the new year.

FL Mary

Years ago, I bought a T shirt at Kohls that was embossed with "I Smile Because I Have No Idea What's Going On!" I wore it at a national HLAA convention. Had I had multiple copies to sell I could have made a fortune!

Those of us who manage our hearing loss fairly well do tend to smile rather than frown. Do you agree?

@sequoia You nailed it! This is exactly how most people who have severe hearing loss feel in large gatherings. Attitude makes a difference though. Sounds like you have an A+ there!

People often get the impression that we are either not paying attention or that we are a bit daft or stupid. We sense that and the stress keeps adding up. It takes us time to digest what we are hearing, then to ponder whether or not we heard it correctly, and then to decide whether or not to respond. Sometimes we get it wrong, and our response makes us look really, really bad. We have used examples of those kinds of misunderstandings in 'role play exercises' at HLAA chapter meetings. Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves too.

Did you know that a person with hearing loss often takes up to 5 seconds to respond to a simple yes or no question?

@julieo4 I did not know about taking up to 5 seconds to respond - Wow. I've been thinking about HLAA. I think I would like to learn more about the organization. I will research and see what is around my neck of the woods. OBTW, I think "daft" is a better description than stupid but they both work hahaha and also, I've had plenty of misunderstandings that are quite funny. You have to have a sense of humor in all of this. Good day!

Holiday family/friend gatherings are tough. I know I miss a lot, but still work to hear what I can. I ‘try’ not let let it make me introverted, ie just sit there and look interested in what’s being said and really not caring, because I can’t hear much. I keep trying & my DH is so good at filling me in on what’s being said. At the gathering, I was trying to hear a young friend tell me about his college goals & how he was doing. My ears / hearing aids were I think on overload from the mouse & my brain was buzzing trying to hear and understand what he was saying with all the background noise going on. I finally suggested we go into the living room but by that time my listening fatigue had set it, so I still struggled in the Semi-quiet area. Listening fatigue is exhausting and hearing ppl try & be supportive 😇 but really do not understand the extent of it. When we hear speech we have to process what we think heard, put it in context of the conversation, process again to confirm that is correct and then answer or speak. It is longer than a hearing person and seems like a long time to us. I sometimes think the other person thinks I’m stupid. I’m so very thankful for my hearing aids but frustrating at time. Thank you for posting.

@julieo4 I’m in Idaho. No chapters or in Eastern WA. That’s ok as I would/will join for the info. I’ll checkout their information on the webpage. I research HL a bit and try and keep informed. I like to talk w/ folks & help them see the importance of hearing aids. I get aggravated & frustrated that HA are so expensive for seniors. We have welfare for ppl that done just don’t want to work but our seniors worked all their lives and some can’t get help w/ HAs. Shame on Medicare. Sorry, I stepped up on the soapbox. 🤷‍♀️🥰

@sequoia You nailed it! This is exactly how most people who have severe hearing loss feel in large gatherings. Attitude makes a difference though. Sounds like you have an A+ there!

People often get the impression that we are either not paying attention or that we are a bit daft or stupid. We sense that and the stress keeps adding up. It takes us time to digest what we are hearing, then to ponder whether or not we heard it correctly, and then to decide whether or not to respond. Sometimes we get it wrong, and our response makes us look really, really bad. We have used examples of those kinds of misunderstandings in 'role play exercises' at HLAA chapter meetings. Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves too.

Did you know that a person with hearing loss often takes up to 5 seconds to respond to a simple yes or no question?