ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: Syl on June 21, 2010, 07:48:03 pm
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Went to a party for a toddler at a pizza joint on Saturday. The music was soo loud. It's like being at a concert. I had fun and my tinnitus is unaffected, but it wore me out. I know it was the noise. I didn't do much other than talk & eat. It's Monday & I'm still feeling exhausted.
Syl
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Syl,
I'd be totally exhausted too! Thank G*d my kids are older, and I don't have grandchildren! I too become fatigued with all the noise, my tinnitus gets worse, I can only handle so much.
I basically avoid noisy places like the plague. No, sorry can't do THAT. If needed, I wear a pretty orange foamy ear plug in my good ear, that seems to help with the loud background noise.
Feel for ya, hope you're back to yourself soon. Naps are in order!
Maureen, the napping queen
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I too experience this. When I go to the gym and take a class, they are always asking if the music is too loud. Everyone but me says no! They do have ear plugs available and I have taken to wearing them! Somehow, even when people or music are too loud in my good ear, it is painful!
~Dale
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Maureen:
I did contemplate not going to the party, but I figured if it got unbearable, I could leave. I stuck around a while because I was enjoying myself. So now I'm suffering. It's Tuesday & I do feel better today.
Dale:
Fortunately, I don't feel any pain, but the noise does leave me feeling drained. I would imagine that wearing ear plugs during your class, makes it difficult to hear the instructor? Or even with the loud music, how can you hear your instructor?
Syl ;)
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Syl, I totally relate to what you are saying! I have to think twice about doing certain things because I know that I am going to be sideways with fatigue for a day or two after any sort of noisy event.
My hubby and I went to a wedding a few weeks ago - it was outdoors, under a tent, pounding rain, about 100 people AND a DJ. It was like a little slice of Hell right here on earth! : :P It took me about a day and a half to feel "normal" again. I usually have those foam earplugs in my purse, but as luck would have it, I had switched purses and didn't have any with me.
My husband laughs because after any sort of loud event, I have to retreat to my "cone of silence" for awhile. He knows to just leave me alone and not make any noise... ;D
Debbi
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Syl ~
As the previous posts demonstrate, you have our empathy. Exposure to continuous loud noise is definitely fatigue-inducing. The strain of trying to hear people talking through loud music or just the cacophony of many voices talking, laughing and shouting is both difficult and tiring for me. I once thought it was just my age but I now realize this is common for those of us who are SSD. I've learned to avoid these situations or leave as early as possible. When neither option is available, I may still enjoy myself, but like you, I suffer from fatigue the next day. Fortunately, it passes.
I'm glad to learn that you've recovered.
Jim
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I feel fine now. You think I would have learned to keep my earplugs in my purse by now. Why don't I go do that right now?
Syl
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Good idea Syl!
I hope you get those earplugs strategically placed everywhere like I do. My bedside, TV/computer room, car, kitchen, I think that covers it.
Maureen :)
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Yes, I learned my lesson, too. Right after the wedding I distributed ear plugs to every place I could think of that I might ever be ... :)
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Syl,
Sorry for what you went through, but glad you're feeling better. I know what you mean about feeling exhausted for days after a loud party or other noisy event. Between the balance issues that arise for me in crowded situations and the noise, I usually feel like my poor brain is spinning for at least a day.
Wendy
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This must be more common than one would think for those of us having had ANs. Not sure how much of it is related to hearing loss vs. brain injury from treatment. I, as well, find noisy environments almost unbearable at times. Recently we decided to give ourselves a treat and went to The Cheesecake Factory. Well, the food was delicious and the service was great, but I about croaked in the echo-ey loud environment. I pulled out my hearing aid and put in my musicians' plug in my good ear and it was tolerable enough to finish our meal. I could hear my husband and the server well enough to communicate. However, I was exhausted the next day.
I have an old pair of my husband's ear protectors he used to use when mowing the lawn and keep them in the kitchen at home for softening the blender and disposal noise, as well as clanking of dishes when they are being put away. The musicians' plug is custom fit from my audiologist, which I just purchased recently. It can be adjusted for how much noise reduction is desired. It worked fairly well the other night, but I may have her adjust it to block out more. The advantage of the musicians' plug is that it is designed to allow for some frequencies to get through (musicians have to be able to hear the music .....). Do not have the bill yet, but she said it would be about $45 so well worth it to me.
Clarice
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Clarice,
Yep you gotta do what you gotta do. Those musician ear plugs sound intriguing. So when you said you took out your hearing aid, was that like the BAHA type or the regular type?
This is another one of those things that people don't get. My tinnitus gets worse too, and it's already bad!
Keep pluggn that good ear ::)
Maureen
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Saturday, I went to another b-day party. This one was in a home. Lots of people chatting, laughing, enjoying the party, & music playing in the background. Loud, but tolearable for my AN ear--not exactly the extreme noise from a pizza joint.
It was a home I hadn't been to before. Went looking for the bathroom through a dark family room. I didn't see the step. I fell & landed on my knees. I got an instant headache. I was in bad shape. The host & hostess felt bad because they thought I had hit my head. I explained that I don't have to hit my head for such an occurence to result in a headache. I told them that sneezing gives me headaches. This provided them with some relief...sort of. I took 2 Tylenols, went to lie down for some 20 mins. I recovered quickly, but it didn't change the fact that the pain made me cry.
My balance is pretty good, but when challenged by a step in a dark place, the step, so far, has won. A few weeks ago, in a different house, I missed the step down from the kitchen to the dining room. I landed sitting, but I got an instant headache. The lady of the house said that everybody falls there. Sure, but I bet I'm the only one who gets a headache as a result.
Next week I will be visiting another home for the first time for another birthday party. When I arrive I will have to ask the hostess if there are any steps I should know about so I don't take another fall.
Syl
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Maureen .....
Sorry ..... I wasn't very clear about that. Since I still have 20% hearing in my AN ear with perfect speech recognition, I have a Widex hearing aid that very nicely boosts the volume up in that ear. When I am in an extremely noisy environment, I turn off my hearing aid in the AN ear by removing it (essentially returning to 20% hearing in that ear) and put the musicians' plug in my good ear. It worked quite well the other night ..... just did not do it soon enough in the evening. I guess I could get another musicians' earplug and put it in the AN ear but this worked very well.
Syl, so sorry about your falls AND your resulting headaches. I learned the hard way to always keep something solid as my focus point and when in a dark or dim situation to have someone with me. Fortunately my husband has figured out I really do need assistance in the dark and makes himself readily available when I am with him. When I am by myself, I always hang on to a wall or furniture when navigating unfamiliar terrain in someone's house.
Best thoughts. Clarice
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Clarice:
My hearing in my AN ear is at 20%. But that's word recognition. I thought word recognition was always the first to go in hearing loss. I can hear many other sounds, such as the ice cream truck, barking dogs, car engines. My hearing aid does very little for word recognition, however it does helps with other sounds & some directionality.
How is it possible to have 20% hearing w/ perfect word recognition? Hearing is such a complex sense.
Syl
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Let me also join in. This weekend I went to a wedding which had very loud music. I forgot my cotton earplugs and tried to put cut paper napkin in my ears. Well anyhow it didn't work to well. My tinnitus has picked it up a notch and knowing from past experience its goiing take a week to get back to my normal level, I hope! I usually always carry cotton ear plugs for any noisey situation which I do find helps a great deal. Best wishes, Mickey
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Next week I will be visiting another home for the first time for another birthday party. When I arrive I will have to ask the hostess if there are any steps I should know about so I don't take another fall.
Our lives are so interesting aren't they? Who would think that you would have to do a STEP evaluation when entering someone's home?! :D Hey we gotta take care of ourselves. So sorry about the headaches when you stumble, Syl.
Being a female, I always carry ear plugs in my purse. I feel for you, Mickey-you don't have that readily available stash of ear plugs. Maybe put a pile in your glove compartment of your car? I bet you were real cute with paper napkin sticking out of your ear :D :D :D
And it didn't even work..
Keep pluggn along,
Maureen
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I had the surgery on the one side that was almost deaf but improved post op. I am deaf on that other side so factors in for me. I have 96% word recoginition and a heck of a time understanding people talking unless right at me in a more quiet area. Some peoples voices are harder than others. But I can hear the birds outside and the frogs this spring thru a closed window! Just frustrating how you never know how sound is going to be at any given time!
Cheryl R
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Yea, I`m usually on top of things but this time I tried to improvise. I`m shure they were quite noticable but my wife said "who cares" and the way we go dancin the night away. I`m hoping its just a few days of paying the piper. haha, Mickey
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Mickey:
I find that when I have to improvise, toilet paper works better than paper napkins. It's softer, so it scrunches up into a ball a bit better.
Syl
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This is interesting for me to read. I am pretreatment and technically have very good hearing. I do however have high sensitivity to noise (they call it hyperacousis). I believe it is from the AN, never been told or questioned otherwise. I have the pretty constant pressure/full feeling, but too much noise makes me very uncomfortable, it almost hurts. It also messes up my equilibrium. The first time I noticed this was when I tried to go to a H.S. basketball game. Oh my, the noise noise noise! It was unbearable and I had trouble navigating the bleacher seats cause I got off balance. It comes up more easily now, restaurants, dog barking (mine unfortunately), coffee grinder, etc. etc. I have to make a treatment decision; it is another "interesting" factor to note that even with hearing loss this can happen. I'm having trouble finding any silver linings.
Connie
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Syl .....
Not being an audiologist, it seems strange to me that I have perfect word recognition with an 80% hearing loss, but I do. The audiologist tried to explain that my particular hearing loss did not affect the normal voice frequencies as much as both the highs and lows ...... in other words my mid-range hearing is better than either extreme. I have come to the conclusion that hearing is a very complex issue. Not only does it involve the mechanism of the inner ear receptors, but also the auditory nerve's response to the stimuli, and then the brain's perception of those signals. Apparently I am one of the "lucky" ones, in that a traditional digital hearing aid can boost the power of what I have to a satisfactory level. Mind you, it will never be "normal" hearing but it is so much better than SSD.
My audiologist is finishing up work for her doctorate in audiology and is currently taking a course on tinnitus. She is very interested in my case so I am enjoying some more personal attention to the issues of hearing related to tinnitus. There is a Zen setting on my widex mind440. It consists of soft bells ringing both pitch and frequency randomly. The intended use is for tinnitus, but I have not been given a specific regimen for using it so cannot say if it is helping when I use it intermittently (when I am not needing to hear someone/something else).
Much research is being done on causes and treatment of tinnitus so there is hope!
Clarice
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This is interesting for me to read. I am pretreatment and technically have very good hearing...I'm having trouble finding any silver linings.
Connie
May I suggest a silver lining? With all the disruption that you face in your hearing, the fact that your hearing is very good is a good thing.
Syl
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May I suggest a silver lining? With all the disruption that you face in your hearing, the fact that your hearing is very good is a good thing.
Syl
Syl,
Oh Syl, I agree and I am grateful for it. But, now that I am facing treatment it seems that no matter what course I choose the probability is that my hearing will be impaired if not gone in that ear. While at the same time, the hearing may be the least of the evils that the treatment might cause. I have more fear of balance, headaches, tinnitus, etc. Choosing treatment just seems impossible.
I admire so many of you that persevere and despite side effects that have altered your quality of life, you stay positive. I am just feeling very frightened and frustrated by the options right now.
Connie
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Connie,
It's ok to feel frightened. Things will all come together when you have your treatment (what will it be?) Ear plugs are just the name of the game, and I plug my "good" ear whenever I put on the coffee grinder. Earplugs ALWAYS in place when vacuuming. It's just reflex now!
Maureen
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Connie:
The risks of additional damage with surgery are there, whether it's hearing loss or facial paralysis. You learn to deal with it & you try to find solutions to make the quality of life better. It's not easy, but may I point out that everyone still has a smile or half smile in their photos. :D Even after 2 years since my surgery, I continue to see improvements. I have less headaches & they are not as intense. I don't tire as quickly. The tinnitus is always there, but my hearing aid helps in that regard. My hearing on my right side sucks, but people just deal with my "What did you say?" "Can you repeat that?" "I didn't hear that." Life is certainly changed, but I emphasize that life is still good. I've learned to get more use of my sense of humor.
Your tumor is small. You have time to research & get plenty of drs. opinions. And remember we are here for you.
Syl
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Thanks Maureen and Syl,
I know so many of you are so positive as well as helpful. I will get there, it's just been an overwhelming 10 days or so. My tumor is small, which at least gives me treatment options. It is getting very close to the brain stem and my current doctor said we should be moving forward with an orderly plan (he wouldn't say I could wait, in otherwords). I'm not happy with his two options and I am starting the process of getting a couple of other opinions. SO...I'm moving along, whether or not it is exactly "orderly" might be questionable, but I'm plugging along (no pun intended of course, Maureen). I never realized how many analogies and sayings made reference to your "head," "nerves", etc. I do have to laugh when some of those just come out of my mouth and I say, "there's another one"!
Thanks for your support. This is a great forum and has been so helpful in trying to wade through all the questions and unknowns. I feel (in the last 36 hours -- subject to change of course) like I have a better idea of what I am most comfortable doing and where I want to get opinions from; so, that is progress.
Blessings to you all,
Connie
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I bought "sleep" ear plugs for when I went to a parade. They worked great (pink ones) and I enjoyed the parade. Only put them in my good ear. It is a total pain picking and choosing where you go due to noise level. Good luck -
Jane