ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: sher on October 05, 2009, 04:58:22 pm
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Hi,
am 1 year post ck and have not really had my hearing tested since pre ck. I have had difference in hearing throughout the year and lately VERY LOUD tinnitus. The MRI showed a slight decrease in the size of the AN and some necrosis. Is it possible for the hearing nerve to die as the AN is or would most of the damage show up within the first few months post ck. I now do not have very good voice recognition (words) and lots of chirping as people talk. Also do you know anything about hearing aids that can help with this type of deafness? I do know about the BAHA but isn't that for those who have had surgery and lost the hearing totally? Would love to have your insight...
Thanks
Sherry
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Hi Sherry,
i just got a BAHA and I had GK, not surgery. I also have some hearing left in my AN ear, but it is not really considered "usable" hearing.
Sorry I don't know the answer to your questions about the nerves, but I also have occasional tinnitus, sometimes hearing different tones that I have before, and it's been 2 1/2 years for me.
If you have any more questions about the BAHA, check out the "Hearing Issues" section of this forum.
Lisa
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Is it possible for the hearing nerve to die as the AN is or would most of the damage show up within the first few months post ck.
I was told by several doctors that, in some cases, a side-effect of the radiation is a reduction or loss of blood flow to the inner ear, which in turn causes a slow deterioration of hearing. I don't recall an exact time frame being provided, but I would guess it would vary based on treatment type, tumor location, etc.
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Sherry -
Lisa is correct. The BAHA is for those who are SSD - or very close to it.
Steve (sgerrard) wears a hearing aid, perhaps he can give you some input.
Jan
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I am by no means an expert on hearing loss and hearing aids, but I do have some and I do wear one. You can lose hearing both by nerve damage and by interference with blood flow to the cochlea, which causes the little hair fibers in it to die off. It can happen quickly or very gradually over years. Hearing aids mainly amplify the signal so it is louder, but can't really eliminate distortion that interferes with speech recognition. Sometimes a boost in mid and high frequencies will help with word recognition, but it is mostly just raising the sound level. You can always try one and see if it helps. I like having mine; it isn't the same as real hearing, but it helps me.
Steve
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Thanks everyone for you insight... Steve, what type of hearing aid do you have???
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It says Unitron Hearing, Element 16, Moxi. A small piece behind the ear, and a fitted plug in the ear, connected by a wire. Digital with extra features - I would call them bells and whistles, but they don't use that phrase with hearing aids. :)
Steve
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Just a note about my experience with a regular hearing aid, not BAHA. When first using it, I was so frustrated with the sudden changes in volume levels and not sounding like my "normal" hearing, I only used it when I left the house or wanted to hear conversation when someone was here. Upon the advice of my audiologist (and after many trials with different ear pieces and adjustments), I began wearing it whenever I was awake. It took a while but my brain apparently has adjusted to the new "normal" and now I can hear much better and more evenly. It will never be like I was before, but as a musician it was terribly frustrating to me. Now I am finally able to quit thinking about it constantly.
For what it's worth, I have a digital Micro-Tech Curve (with BluWave SP) that is very inobtrusive. Most people do not know I even wear one until I tell them.
Clarice
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i had ck in jan 2009. before ck, my hearing on the an side was ok at best, but i had 80% word recgnition. i wore an oticon pro aid to amplify the sound.
at approx 3 months after ck, i was having headaches, stiff neck, and a lot of balance issues. i got pain pills.
at 5 to 6 months post ck, i thoight tha my aid was broken as i could not hear / understand. after a hearing test, i found it to be the ear, not the aid. i was now at 20% recognition. the drs put me on steroids.... the headache and stiff neck issues went away quickly. the balance got better. the hearing did not. the neuro said thatt i was part of the unfortuante few that losses hearing - then added that it sucks to be part of that % that does loose it. this is dr han of tulsa
i ended up going to an ENT for a second opinion. he examined me and said taht the hearing was lost. but he also drug out his board certification book and used the percentages for GK to show that i am not the only one to loose usable hearing he said that the results were the same for ck and gk??????? this is dr t nunn of tulsa.
my hearing on the non an side has been affected by noise over the years .... the audiologist told me to stop using the aid on the an side as it only amplified teh unusable sounds.... she reprogrammed it for the right ear and i now wear it on that side to give me the best hearing that i can have to comp for the lack of hearing in one ear.
i am now to teh point on an side that i can take two ear buds from the ipod to teh an ear and can bearly hear the sounds.
so yes ck can take your hearing .... but talk to drs about steroids to see if they may help.
they said if hearign loss was sudden, steroids are more likely to help -- if a slow loss - they are less likel;y to help.
and all are different - so go get opinions ...