ANA Discussion Forum

General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: b91221b on November 03, 2009, 07:51:02 am

Title: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: b91221b on November 03, 2009, 07:51:02 am
Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing difficulty in determining where a particular sound is coming from?  I'm only 1 week post CK, but I can't pick up on where some sounds are coming from, especially if they are rather quiet.  Very frustrating.  I haven't even considered a hearing device...although the surgeon wants to discuss this with me in the next couple of months..I have approx. 30% hearing in the affected ear, and 75% in the unaffected ear.  But to locate the direction of a sound has become increasingly difficult.  Any thoughts?

Barbara

Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: CHD63 on November 03, 2009, 08:28:57 am
Barbara .....

You will probably be flooded with replies here shortly ...... telling about spinning around 360 degrees trying to determine the location of the sound, etc.  In fact, there is a thread somewhere on here dealing with funny stories about this ..... hopefully one of our watchdogs will put a link on a post here.

This is a phenomenon those of us with hearing loss share.  When there is unequal reception of sound in our ears (or in many cases of SSD, no sound reception on one side), our brain cannot determine where that sound is located.  In essence, we have a non-functioning or poorly functioning stereo system.

I have 100% hearing in my non-AN ear, 20% (without a hearing aid in) in my AN ear.  Over the months since surgery, my brain has slowly adapted to this and I do less spinning but it will never be like it was when I had 100% hearing in both ears.  I have found that using my hearing aid whenever I am awake has been much better with more consistency for my brain knowing how to adapt.

I did not get my hearing aid until six months after surgery.  The doctor said it could take that long for my hearing to settle.  However, it has not changed much from immediately post-surgery.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Clarice
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: Jim Scott on November 03, 2009, 08:31:45 am
Barbara ~

Loss of directionality is common with profound hearing loss.  A BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) can help.  For those of us, like me, that choose not to wear a BAHA, it's an adjustment we learn to cope with.  However, if you have 30% hearing a conventional hearing aid might help.  I would have that discussion with your doctor.

Jim
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: GRACE1 on November 03, 2009, 09:42:52 am
Barbara:

Loss of directional hearing is a real bummer!!!  I have not pursued any help with my hearing yet, so maybe it will be better for me some day.  You hear someone speaking to you, but you have to look all around to see where that person is.  Or, your cell phone is ringing and your hear it very plainly - you just don't know where it is. 

Grace
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: b91221b on November 04, 2009, 07:45:35 am
Thank you all so much for your insight and encouragement!  You know...sometimes you just get to thinking that it must be just "me"...You make my journey MUCH easier!!

Barbara
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: nteeman on November 04, 2009, 08:00:15 am
For me it is not only direction ( I am SSD) but distance as well. Before I became SSD I could hear sound while lying in bed at night and could tell if it came from my attic, basement, across the street, around the corner, etc. Now if I hear a sound I have no idea where it is coming from. It could be a faint sound and I think it came from under my radiator and my wife informs me, as I look under the radiator for the source of the sound, that it is not from our house but down the street!
I can go on giving more examples but the most common is waiting for the elevator at work. When an elevator is about to arrive first a bell rings then a few seconds later the light for the elevator lights up. 99% of the time when the bell rings I turn and go in the wrong direction. I've even got to the point of turning in the opposite direction than I think it is coming because I am so often wrong, and then it comes where I thought ans I am wrong again. All I can do is laugh at myself. :-)

Neal
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: lori67 on November 04, 2009, 09:21:59 am
It's definitely not just you!  You're in good company.  We all get a good workout spinning around to see where sound is coming from!

I love when the batteries in the smoke detector need to be replaced and it gives off that little chirp sound.  I have to walk around the house and stand under each one of them until I figure out which one is the offending detector!

Although my favorite is being in the produce aisle when the fake thunder sound comes on to alert you that they are about to spray the veggies with COLD water.  Well, if you can't hear the thunder and you don't know which display it's coming from, don't have your head and arm reaching in there - or you will be misted!  Very refreshing, but like I mentioned - COLD!   ;D

You just learn to live with it and laugh at how ridiculous it all is!

Lori
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: tenai98 on November 04, 2009, 11:43:44 am
I tend to do the 360 spin around...or when working ill pipe up and ask 'who said that'....it may have sounded like behind me when in fact in was on my deaf side....One learns to readjust to SSD..
JO
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: Sue on November 04, 2009, 12:06:56 pm
I remember my husband was in the store with me and he was hidden from my view and he was calling for me to see something.  It was like a voice from beyond because I had no idea where he was.  It's very disconcerting, to say the least.

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: wendysig on November 04, 2009, 03:06:32 pm
Barbara.

Localizing sound when you have a severe/profound hearing loss is a common problem.  Since I started using my BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) in April, I am able to  figure our where sound is coming from to some degree.  I can usually tell if it is coming from behind me or in front of me, but never if it's coming from either side -- everything sounds like it's coming from my left (hearing) side..  I also do the 360 spin sometimes trying to figure out where sound is coming from, usually this happens when whatever I'm hearing is not close to me.  It just seems to be part of the package and you sort of get used to it.  The only time it really bothers me is if I'm driving and I hear sirens or someone honking-- I have to look around to see where it's coming from.

Wendy
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: TP on November 04, 2009, 03:37:41 pm
I have SSD and my family likes to play jokes on me. We will be in a large room and they will call me and then hide and watch me as I turn around several times looking like an idiot usually yelling "WHERE ARE YOU". They think that is funny....I try to keep my sense of humor (as I have a wild sense of humor) but occasionally I get pissed off. However, at night I can be sleeping on my good ear and I can hear a noise outside and wake up immediately. Totally don't get it, I can hear some sounds really well with my good ear but that only occurs when there is no other sounds around me. The hardest thing for my family and friends is where to sit when we go out to eat. I usually have to sit at the end of the table and rarely hear the conversation at the other end. If I sat in the middle I would have to get folks to repeat everything so I've come to live with the fact that I am hearing only about 80% of what is going on. So far, this hasn't been an issue....
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: b91221b on November 05, 2009, 05:08:27 am
You are all so correct about keeping your "sense of humor" re: the SSD...there is one saving grace in all of this:  My hubby is a snorer...and if I lie on my GOOD side, I can hardly hear him!  Of course, he loves to tease me by moving his mouth as if he is speaking to me!

Yesterday, however....I heard some "pounding", and asked my hubby "what in the world are you building in the KITCHEN!?"....He informed me that I was hearing the roofers across the street!  Hmmm.........Must have been time for my nap!  ;)

Thanks, everyone...for your encouragement!!!
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2009, 08:09:23 am
I have said this before, but the worst for me was when my babies were little & just learning to crawl (I had 3 babies AFTER my AN)...they would crawl off to another room and then start crying - I would be running thru the house looking in every room because I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from!!  ;D  What memories...I'd do it again in a second, though!

K   ;D
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on November 05, 2009, 09:46:08 am
My latest pet peeve (no pun intended) with regard to the "where is that sound coming from?" dilemma happens when I'm on the phone with a friend whose dog Annie's bark sounds a lot like my dog's bark. I should add that I wear a BAHA, so that when I'm on the phone the fact that every sound "enters" my good ear adds a bit to the confusion. My friend and I will be chatting and all of a sudden a dog will start barking. I frantically look around to see if Bailey's the culprit, but if he's not in the same room I usually end up asking Pat, "Who's barking --- Annie or Bailey?" I realize I could resolve this problem by turning off my BAHA when I'm on the phone ....

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: Dr. Dean on November 18, 2009, 07:48:12 pm
Barbara:

Actually, anyone who is compromised in one ear has difficulty locating the sound, for example, if stuffed up from a cold.  This is due to the volume of the sound perceived by each ear.  Unfortunately, the acoustic neuroma group have to deal with it all of the time; it's part of the package.

A more disconcerting aspect of an acoustic neuroma is the "quality" of the sounds we hear.  A major hearing loss in one ear is due to cochlea nerve damage and produces few signals to the brain from that ear.  And the little information it does send contains a lot of "noise” because of the damaged 8th cranial nerve.  It’s getting signals, but they don’t make sense.  There is yet another problem.

Over the past eight years, it has become obvious to me that the difference between the sounds coming in the right and left ear is just as important as the volume of sound in each ear.  If I am out in my yard, not only is the direction of most sounds lost, so is the identification of the sound, for example, was it the neighbor’s lawnmower or a jet flying overhead?
A major consequence of this phenomenon is distinguishing what others are saying, especially if they are not talking directly at us or tend to mumble.  It is very difficult to understand what they are saying; it isn’t crisp and clear, it’s muddy.  Add tinnitus to the mix and it’s very difficult to hear anybody, especially in a room full of people, when near a fan, in traffic, etc.

You will get use to the limits of monaural hearing in time, we all do; just be aware that there might also be a problem identifying the sound, hopefully not, when listening to others.  My family and friends quickly tired of my ”what” or “huh” response every time they didn’t talk directly at me.
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 18, 2009, 09:35:18 pm
Dean -

have you considered a BAHA or a TransEar?  I have a BAHA and it has helped immensely with my SSD.  Really cuts down on my "huh" ?? and "what" ?? responses.

I've also gotten pretty good over the past 18 months localizing sound.  I have a Divino and the directional microphone works very well.

Jan
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: lholl36233 on December 05, 2009, 04:15:33 pm
You'll love this.

My mother knocks on the table to play with the dog.  (Why is that fun?)

I asked her not to do that anymore because while I hear the knock, I can't tell where it came from so for all I know, someone is knocking at the door...
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: arkansasfarmgirl on December 09, 2009, 04:26:49 pm
I'm trying to train my 4 year old son to say his exact location when I am looking for him, instead of saying "I'm in here".  So far, it's not working so good because he has figured out that I have a hard time finding him and takes advantage.  Little fart.  LOL  It's even worse with my 16 month old, since she can't talk much yet.  "Mama" and "waaaahhhh" are not very helpful when trying to localize the source of the sound.  ;-)

Vonda
Title: Re: Can't tell where "sound" is coming from..
Post by: Syl on December 14, 2009, 04:54:17 pm
Barbara:

Like Clarice I have very good hearing in my good ear and 20% in my AN ear. I, too, have lost the sense of directionality and do the 360s when my name is called, esp. at work. I'm even beginning to think my name is "Sylvia Over Here". I waited 6 months post-surgery to try out a hearing aid. It helps very little w/ conversations. However, I did keep it because it works wonders for my sense of directionality outdoors. I can tell where most sounds, such as that of a moving car or a dog, are coming from. The hearing aid also helps sooth my tinnitus.

Syl