Cookie Bite Hearing loss

Posted by powersij @powersij, Dec 23, 2022

Hi, I have a cookie bite hearing loss and I find group gathering speech very challenging and frustrating because my current hearing aids don't really clarify the mid range and amplify the high and low which I don't need. I've seen various audiologists within the kaiser system Northern California without any success. I have Phonak Audéo M aids. Would appreciate any help in how to get help and which hearing aids would work for this uncommon hearing loss.

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What is “cookie bite” hearing loss?

Are there other types of loss with names?

I clicked to go to the Hearing Loss Group, then could mor find this question.

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@lindabro

What is “cookie bite” hearing loss?

Are there other types of loss with names?

I clicked to go to the Hearing Loss Group, then could mor find this question.

Jump to this post

It's a rare ( 0.7% - 1 % of people with hearing loss) usually genetic form of hearing loss affecting mid range sounds which is speech, while high and low sounds are normal.

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Cookie-bite hearing loss is indicated when an audiogram results are shaped like a bell or the letter “U” and indicates mid-range frequency hearing loss. It is a type of sensorineural hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or nerve that transmits auditory information to the brain.

The 'speech banana' diagram at the link below shows where typical sounds fall on an audiogram. An individual's tests will show the types of sounds that are missing with a particular audiogram. The most common audiograms are sloping from the left to the right. Most people lose the higher frequency sounds but are able to hear the lower sounds, thus men's voices are easier to understand than women's and children's. The sounds that exist within 'the speech banana' are the consonant sounds that clarify speech understanding.
https://ohns.ucsf.edu/audiology/education/peds

Do you have a copy of your audiogram?

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@julieo4

Cookie-bite hearing loss is indicated when an audiogram results are shaped like a bell or the letter “U” and indicates mid-range frequency hearing loss. It is a type of sensorineural hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or nerve that transmits auditory information to the brain.

The 'speech banana' diagram at the link below shows where typical sounds fall on an audiogram. An individual's tests will show the types of sounds that are missing with a particular audiogram. The most common audiograms are sloping from the left to the right. Most people lose the higher frequency sounds but are able to hear the lower sounds, thus men's voices are easier to understand than women's and children's. The sounds that exist within 'the speech banana' are the consonant sounds that clarify speech understanding.
https://ohns.ucsf.edu/audiology/education/peds

Do you have a copy of your audiogram?

Jump to this post

Yes I do...Attached. Your comments or suggestions for where I see someone who can fit me with hearing aids that specifically address my hearing loss would be greatly appreciated. I don't think mine help me much because they uncomfortably amplify the high and low unless I turn them down in which case I get less benefit I have the Phonak Audéo M. I am in the SF Bay Area and have Kaiser but willing to go outside of Kaiser to get better help.
Thank you!

Shared files

Hearing Test copy (Hearing-Test-copy.pdf)

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Your hearing loss is moderate, but it hits right in the 'speech banana' area. I encourage others who are reading this discussion to chime in if you experience 'cookie bite' hearing loss. Most people with sensorineural hearing loss have a sloping audiogram which starts high on the left of the chart and goes down like a staircase as it moves to the right. Regardless, hearing aids must be fit properly to work well. Fitting your type of hearing loss properly would require 'real ear measurement'. Do you know if that test was done by your provider?

Are you familiar with the Hearing Loss Association of America? (HLAA) There are several HLAA chapters in the San Francisco area. People who participate in HLAA experience hearing loss themselves. Chapters bring people together to discuss options, experiences, technology, etc. I encourage you to connect with them. I do not know the geographics of the S.F. area, so am not sure which chapter is nearest you. The information below is from the Penninsula Chapter, which is a very active group. It is likely they will share information that will lead you to help. The national HLAA website is at: http://www.hearingloss.org

Peninsula Chapter
Details: Meet 1st Monday, every month except Jul and Aug, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Veterans Memorial Senior Center (Goldstar Room)
1455 Madison Ave.
Redwood City, California 94061
Contact/s:
Sally Edwards info@hearinglosspen.org
650-365-4848
Robert Hall info@hearinglosspen.org
650-867-5256

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@julieo4

Your hearing loss is moderate, but it hits right in the 'speech banana' area. I encourage others who are reading this discussion to chime in if you experience 'cookie bite' hearing loss. Most people with sensorineural hearing loss have a sloping audiogram which starts high on the left of the chart and goes down like a staircase as it moves to the right. Regardless, hearing aids must be fit properly to work well. Fitting your type of hearing loss properly would require 'real ear measurement'. Do you know if that test was done by your provider?

Are you familiar with the Hearing Loss Association of America? (HLAA) There are several HLAA chapters in the San Francisco area. People who participate in HLAA experience hearing loss themselves. Chapters bring people together to discuss options, experiences, technology, etc. I encourage you to connect with them. I do not know the geographics of the S.F. area, so am not sure which chapter is nearest you. The information below is from the Penninsula Chapter, which is a very active group. It is likely they will share information that will lead you to help. The national HLAA website is at: http://www.hearingloss.org

Peninsula Chapter
Details: Meet 1st Monday, every month except Jul and Aug, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Veterans Memorial Senior Center (Goldstar Room)
1455 Madison Ave.
Redwood City, California 94061
Contact/s:
Sally Edwards info@hearinglosspen.org
650-365-4848
Robert Hall info@hearinglosspen.org
650-867-5256

Jump to this post

Thank you very much for all this very helpful information. I had no idea there was so much help available and I've been struggling for several years. It's very difficult to find information and my Kaiser providers have never given me this kind of information. I have not had a 'real ear measurement' done. I have reached out today to make an appointment with my Audiologist I saw last time. I doubt they can help me, but I need to do this in order to establish that I need to be referred outside of Kaiser to a provider that can help. I used to work for Kaiser and know there is a system for pushing for an outside referral if they can't provide the services I require. In the meantime I will definitely reach out to a local HLAA chapter. Again I had no idea this even existed. I am very grateful for your help. I feel like I can now pursue getting hearing aids that will help me more. I've felt helpless because no-one specifically addresses my loss. It's so disabling to be in a group and miss a lot of the back and forth conversation. The TV isn't so bad because of subtitles. Many thanks Julie.

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@powersij Your message gave me goosebumps because it reminded me of how I felt when my hearing loss was deteriorating to the point where it was affecting every piece of my life! HLAA, which was called Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH) then, gave me my life back! None of the healthcare professionals told me about SHHH. I saw a tiny article in a newspaper about this fledgling organization being formed in Bethesda MD and wrote to them for more information. Had no idea what I was getting into, but I jumped in full tilt and started a chapter in my area of Wisconsin. That was in 1983! The chapter continues to be fun and enlightening.

It continues to amaze me how many people who discover HLAA are dumbfounded that their healthcare pros didn't tell them about the organization. It's almost 'standard procedure' to discover HLAA by accident! Seriously. Isn't that a shame?! Self-help gained by meeting other people who understand what you're going through is huge. Of course, that is what makes Mayo Clinic Connect to helpful.

I hope you'll get some help through HLAA out there. If you're a traveler, you may want to consider attending the national HLAA convention this summer. There's information about that on the national website. http://www.hearingloss.org It's like going to summer camp as a kid. Fun! Everybody understands hearing loss, and the programs are geared towards learning more about coping, technology, etc. Worth every penny to go.

Keep us posted!

Julie Olson (julieo4)
Appleton Wisconsin

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