ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: Boppie on March 29, 2007, 11:04:02 pm
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I thought threading on this topic might help newbies...
To begin...Being deaf in one ear is a unique experience. Once surgery issues cease and the odd head rumblings are over, one becomes aware that sound coming from the deaf side seems to be coming from the good side. This is what we call "having difficulty locating direction". This difficulty becomes more apparent when we walk next to a someone speaking on our deaf side. The sound volume from the deaf is diminshed due to its distance from the good ear. Your head shadows (blocks) the sound traveling across to the good ear. We learn to walk with the speaker on the good side. We notice that cars driving next to the deaf ear are bearly audible, and we don't hear the road noise over there. If a sound comes from behind, you don't know where it is. All sounds are processed through the good ear.
There is an archive thread about humorous "benefits" of being deaf.
I have a hearing aid for my SSD.
Others, please add on...
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Yes I would add that the poor sense of sound direction
makes crossing the road a whole new adventure
(you wont hear a car coming - you might get to feel it - but just the once....)
Best regards
Tony
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My hearing ear is more sensitive to loud noises. Music is "different".
BrendaO
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i would laso add that lots of noise can mount up to a lot of stress and fatigue. This said, one finds ways around the directional problem, the noise overload, and the tinnitus. Music does sound different to me too, and right now, I can't listen to any as I find myself strangely stressed and tense!
Weird.
Lorenzo
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What about ear plugs? Would they work somewhat? Even now I have problems with hearing.... my cubicle is located very close to a main hallway so I get all kinds of conversations plus my co-workers talking. Makes it difficult to concentrate and for some reason all the racket stresses me out and makes me irritiable. Would this get better after surgery? Or would earplugs help?
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Ear plugs will help. One of the things that happen with tinnitus and eharing problems is an inability to discrimante sound. For example, with good eharing, we can hear somebody talking to us in a crowded room, but the rest of of the conversations are filtered out to some extent by the brain. Wih our problem, every sound is treated at the same level, making it very difficult to discrimnate irrelevant sounds, and causing noise overload, and stress! This was something that was explained to me by a doc here at some stage, and I hope I got it right. It sure describes what I experience in office and other noise situations!
Ciao, Lorenzo
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Boppie,
Accepting what you have or do not have is truly the best approach, for everyone involved as I elaborate more. Ways to cope shared by this "thread" are very beneficial and I wish this info came from my doctor before I was released from the hospital. There is a huge learning curve for the ANer who is a surgical patient and info to the "caretaker" on being patient is very important as learning ways of coping for the patient is difficult enough and they do not need to "deal" with how to make it better for the caretaker. :-\
The wearing of ear plugs definately helps me when in a noisy place such as restaurants, grocery stores, hardware stores, windy days, health club with TV's, whirring machines, weights clanging, etc. It keeps me calm and stress free. I like the ones swimmers wear, "screw" type design.
Too much noise is one of many distractions that cause me to not think clearly. I have had one too many "close calls" when walking outside where there is traffic. I wear my ear plug to keep the noise down and this enables me to remember, "stop, look twice then walk" when crossing traffic.
Yes, trying to locate where the voice is coming from can be frustrating, but now I have given up trying to locate it as I'm always wrong. There is a "pin" available to wear on your "non-hearing side" that I have ordered through this site and am now thinking of turning it into an earring to wear.
This years Symposium includes forums on different hearing devices and am curious about this, but at this time my life is just fine without one.
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direction of sound is the most difficult for me,
especially during hunting or /gasp, Search and Rescue. :-\
Did get insurance though to say they would cover a transear so am hoping to try that out in a few weeks.
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Problems, like everyone else, WHERE IS THAT 'HI NANCY' coming from ? I always turn to the left, even though the person is on the right.
I had been avoiding large gatherings - when alot of people are talking around me, it just sounds like different voice pitches & I can't make out the words.
Recently I had to attend a retirement party for a co-worker, I used my musician's plug & was able to hear the people at my table, but it decreased
the sound of all the other 'voices' in the near area. I was amazed at how well it worked. (Couldn't hear the 'soft speakers' though).
The one good thing is that when I go to sleep, & if there are loud sounds outside, I just put my good ear to the pillow & I don't hear a thing !!!
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Nancy,
I naturally sleep that way and I was wondering what do you do to get alerted when God forbide a fire might occur? Do you have a special alarm?
Sharon
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Boppie and all, great idea for a thread topic and I'm sure many will benefit from this. Thank you all. Phyl
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Hi Sharon: Well, I never thought about that !!
But I usually wake up a few times during the night, & I also seem to move around quite a bit in my sleep,
I lay that way when I'm first trying to get to sleep to block out noise, so it works for me.
Best wishes to you & sleepful nights !!! Nancy
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About the "What if an emergency happens while sleeping and you can't hear" is a very good topic and I really would feel safer knowing that I can be rousted from sound sleep as I have thought on this topic too often. I do have my husband next to me, but as his ears age, so does his hearing. Our dog (bullmastiff) Blu sleeps with us and I wonder if he would wake up to the fire alarm or any other unusual night noise? Should those of us that don't have partners or animals look into ways to awaken for emergency reasons?
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There are alarms that shake you awake and alarm lights that tell you when events are occuring if you want them but a smoke alarm that is reasonalbly close to your bedroom could be heard through a pillow. I can even hear my husband snoring through the pillow. I use a dense foam pillow and still can hear my clock radio music alarm turned up and not so loud at that. You might try a radio next to your head on the nightstand and see if you can hear that with your good ear in the pillow.
But I hesitate to use an ear plug in my good ear for nighttime for the reasons of safety.
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Boopie, I thought I left a post on this but must have forgot to send it
I'm new but can shed a little light on SSD. Mine happened pretty quick after GK and my tinnitus increased greatly with no hearing coming in. I have had tinnitus in both ears for years I guess due to exposer to noise in the work place.
I have some hearing loss in my hearing ear too, so I chose the bi-cross wireless hearing aid and it has made a lot of difference. I also tried the transear but it was very uncomfortable for me and I did not get much transfer of sound. Of course the hearing aids do not help with directional issues but I hear things that I had forgotten about when I have them on which is pretty much all the time that I'm not sleeping. There is of course the drawback of having the ear pieces and they itch sometimes. Also there is AM radio interference in certain location. The aids are programmable, digital, has a 32 bit chip which my son says is more that we had in some of our computers. My insurance would not pay any of the aids but they will pay for the baha. I thought I would try the no obligation offer from the audio guy before getting drilled.
I'm glad your transear works good for you.
Rich
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Well, thanks Richey for posting this. I might need to go to the Cros some day. My good ear has lost upper range hearing and I'll probably loose more as time goes by. I am glad to hear the Cros works for you. Some details, please? How long does a pair of batteries work for you? What amount of volume do you get? How long have you been using the Cros units that you have now? What is the life expectancy of those units?
My audiologist said most units of all types she sells last 5 to 6 years. She says the technology turnover is about that long. I'd love to hear your experience. I'll bet others would benefit from you knowledge, too!
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Questions:
Battery life: I have to change the batteries about every five days, The first years supply comes with the purchase
Volume: since it is programmable they can do a lot, I have three different programs, and they can set each one different. They hook a computer up somehow through the battery contact and then there is just a very wide range of how they can change the programs. I have had it adjusted several times and it's very touchy and hard to get it exactly like you want it. But volume is no problem there is plenty of it but if you give it too much you get too much background. The audio guy has been very nice, never seems to mind me asking him to tweak things a little.
I have been using the aid since Sept. of 06 and they have a two year warranty and will replace them once should you lose or damage them in that two years period.
Life expectancy, I don't remember exactly what he told me but I think he said they could last as long as ten years with good care but that the technology is moving faster than that.
You did not ask but don't mind telling what I paid. It was $2400 and the company in Interton and I think he said that they are in Germany
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Thanks for the details, Richey. It sounds like you are happy with the Cros. You are generous to tell others about your hearing aid. I find that social life is so much better with a hearing aid.
One other question, have you heard anything about the Radio Shack battery for hearing aid. Another user here says hers lasted 9 days!
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A benefit to SSD is that when I lie in bed on my good hearing ear, I don't hear my hubby snoring and can fall asleep.
mema
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For myself,
If there are to many people speaking to me at one time the room feels like it is spinning and I start losing my balance, and I get confused. I am not able to filter the noise and it is like a pollution of mumbles. So my escape is to live the room or try to ask them very nicely in which it is hard for me because by this time I’ve already lost it, to please one at a time or I am not able to hear anyone.
And like everyone else I don't know where the noise is coming from, this is very frustrating.
eve
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I wanted to rejuvenate this topic: SSD has two prominant characteristics.
1. You have only mono hearing, that is, you do not hear on two sides of the head. All sound comes into the one functioning ear. You can't determine which way the sound is located.
2. In a room full of people speaking in groups, all sounds that enter your ear are equal in value. That means you can't pick out the words of the person you are conversing with. Comprehension is limited to context and visual clues. Lip reading and/or a hearing aid helps this situation.
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Having SSD can be frustrating in some situations...like people calling and you don't know where to turn tio..a somewhat stranger tries to whisper in your deaf ear..or when your cell phone rings and you don't in which pocket it is ringing from (I find this very hilarious). I do best to deal with these situations...I use my visual cues as much as possible..wherever I go, I try to "see" the objects that can produce noise...I remember whether I put my cell phone in the right or left pocket or otherwise I check first from touching the pockets from outside..I avoid as much as possible getting whispers on the left side..I try not to start conversation when the other person is at some distance or on my deaf side..I sleep with my good side up so that I can hear alarm (from my cell phone, which is usually not very loud)..asking people to raise hand before asking questiions during presentation..By being careful I try not to miss "necessary" sounds as much as possible..and also not making my disability recognizable to the people who do not need to know. I think we can do our best and live "normal" life with SSD..at least we are not humans of 10.000 years ago..otherwise it would be hard to locate prey or save ourselves from predators.
Robin
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I think the one issue that bothers me mostly is the locating sound one. I love to walk and find it a bit unnerving that I don't "hear" someone come up behind me. I can't tell you how many times I have actually jumped when a bicyclists or a skateboarder passes me up. I usually walked in the early morning in a local park/greenbelt/creek path alone and now I can see that will not be a good idea unless I have a companion. I will definitely have to make some minor adjustments.
Sharon
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Coming up on a year with my new friend, SSD.
Things of note -
You'll find yourself pulling a few 360's sometimes trying to locate the direction of a sound.
Conversations in loud environments just plain suck. You may find yourself cupping your good ear to get a better grip on what's being said.
You will hear a lot of words wrong, which has the potential to change the whole dynamic of a sentence for better or worse. That lessens after awhile.
I've got an alarm that gets progressively louder, and usually sleep on the "good" side. 75% of the time I smack the snooze button when the alarm is screeching at the highest volume and most annoying pitch. Love that thing though, wouldn't trade it for anything.
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I think the most annoying thing for me is my family forgetting I cannot hear out my left side.
They will talk to me in these long paragraphs while the t.v. is going, the neighbor is mowing the lawn and someone else is talking...they might as well be in another room...and sometimes they are. Do they not believe me?? At this point I just yell Marco as kin of a joke...I told them I could never play again...
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I think the most annoying thing for me is my family forgetting I cannot hear out my left side.
They will talk to me in these long paragraphs while the t.v. is going, the neighbor is mowing the lawn and someone else is talking...they might as well be in another room...and sometimes they are. Do they not believe me?? At this point I just yell Marco as kin of a joke...I told them I could never play again...
This is my most annoying issue with SSD also. I also find that I get quite tired if I'm in a situation where there is a lot of background noise and I'm trying to participate in a conversation.
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Sucks IMO, but what can you do!!!. The part that get me the most is not being ablle to tell what direction sound or noise is coming from. I've had several near hits in the parking lot cause I can't hear or tell which way cars are coming from. I am to the point now where I look both ways before I cross a one way parking. Course there are always the clowns that speed down the lanes trying to bet the lights and traffic.
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Has anyone requested a handicap parking tag for SSD? I've considered one but wonder if I'd make a target of myself with the label.
Sorry to say, but, I take full advantage of my grey hair. I notice people (most) slow down for me.
I don't grocery shop alone after dark any more. I am too worried about traffic in the parking lot.
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Boppie,
I acquired the "handicap" tag awhile ago and have used it in a few instances during the evening hours as walking in a parking lot in the dark proves too much for my balance. I told my PCP I need this for times I'll working at night and he saw the benefits. Not only do I have and use this tag, but I'll also grab my cane from the backseat to give me a "third leg" to help out.
First time I used it I was thinking how many students would question my abilities as a Yoga Instructor when they saw I use the handicap spot AND walk in with a cane only to mysteriously snap to upon walking inside under the lights! I still am amazed by the "feeling" that courses through my body when I change from low light to high light--like stepping over to the other side! A Twilight Zone experience for sure!
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Hi Boppie: There were times when I wished I HAD gotten a Handicap Sticker, but I geuss I didn't want the 'label', even if it would've been only temporary. I figured the extra walking in a parking lot would do me good. I think this is an individual decision - I sure could have used it the first few months, but decided against it.
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I have a temporary handicap tag and will get a permenant tag later this month. I don't worry about being a target, that's a worry for the guy that trys to mug me.
I had hoped to return to work at the end of this month but my single sided deafness and balance issues are going to force me to retire. I still suffer from fatigue as well. It would not be safe working in a correctional setting with SSD and poor balance. Fortunatly the government has a decent disabilty retirement package for LEO's whose physical fitness for duty changes due to illness or accident.
I find myself looking the wrong way when someone calls my name as well...when I'm not wearing my TransEar. With it the sound directionality improves.
Dan
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Has anyone requested a handicap parking tag for SSD? I've considered one but wonder if I'd make a target of myself with the label.
Sorry to say, but, I take full advantage of my grey hair. I notice people (most) slow down for me.
I don't grocery shop alone after dark any more. I am too worried about traffic in the parking lot.
You betcher old grey butt I gotta handicap tag for SSD! And being really Short! I don't wanta get run over by a speeding teenager at the flippin' WalMart! And getting wonkyhead inside the store and not being able to even FIND my car, much less walk straight to it.
Be Well and Sail On!
Capt Deb 8)
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Thanks for the great replies, youngins. As my grandson says to his Dad in praise of the swimming pool, "I love this place!" :)
Update..."I love this place", turns out to be a reference to a sponge Bob episode! ;D
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I'm not fully SSD, I'm newly diagnosed, but also newly treated (GK two weeks ago). My reaction to my partial SSD -- "I'm so confused!" There's some character is some movie (TV?) that just breaks down crying saying "I'm so confused." I can't remember who/where it was, but the scene comes to mind often these days.
The other frustrating part is that I'm not THAT confused! It's the subtly of it all.
Separate subject: I was office manager of Disabled Student Services at San Diego State for a short period of time in the '80s. I learned so much in those few months. One thing is that there are many people who need disabled placards for things that are NOT obvious. We got at least one phone call a day from someone complaining that someone who "wasn't disabled" was using a disabled parking space. We would patiently explain that people can have many reasons for needing one, not all visually obvious.
I've actually had my balance (....weaving, etc...) problems for many years although no tests were done until I started losing hearing. I spent a couple years just hating it, feeling like everyone thought I was drunk or something. Then I pretty much switched to "screw it, let 'em think what they want." Now I pretty much don't care. I know I can't help it and that's all that counts.
One other thought -- about working in a cubicle (or anywhere) that's near a noisy traffic zone ... talk to your boss or personnel dept about getting moved. I believe it's your right as a disabled person. I guess some of us might not want to advertise our disability at work, but maybe in that case figure out how to ask to be moved for some other reason.
My very first thought when I realized I was starting to lose my hearing --- "Well, isn't this appropriate, I'm so sick of listening to the state of the world, tonight's news consisting of one murder or car crash or ??, man's inhumanity to man, ONE MORE commercial, no wonder I'm losing my hearing!"
Thanks for starting and bumping this thread; SSD is what I now have to start figuring out my "solution" to, now that I've had GK.
Dana
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I wake at the slightest sound...always have ... with only one hearing ear this has gotten
worse... I don't know if my brain is over compensating by making night hearing more alert
or what... I have an orphan kitten ( 2 weeks old ) that I have fed for the past week... he
is in a box in a closed bathroom to keep him safe from my other cat who would love to eat
him... he cries at night and down the hall , about 20 feet away and door closed I hear him...
but during the day I watch the clock as sometimes I don't always hear him ...the girls have had
to come to me saying the kitten is hungry and crying ... it may just be that there is more noise
during the day ... I don't think not hearing the smoke alarm would be an issue for me
In a crowd I get confused to the point of wanting to leave ... all the different voices make me
dizzy ... I am PTO secretary and even before surgery was strting to have some problems taking notes
at meetings due to AN ear losing hearing and distorting sounds ... now if I am gonna
keep the job I am going to have to get a small recorder so I can rewrite the notes later...
Knowing the direction of where a sound is coming from is annoying ... I get startled as someone
comes up on deaf side and I never heard them coming... I have a 15 year old dog who since my
surgery has suddenly gone deaf... he came up and leaned against my leg the other day when I
was in the yard and like have scared me half to death... he has been my ears for so long... now
even the UPS man can get to the house without him alerting me ... the cat went to the door and
thinking he wanted out I go open it and there is the guy with a package... I screamed ,he jumped
and then we both laughed ...and there was CD laying asleep and never woke for any of it
The not hearing people coming while at home is a bother ... we live out in the sticks ... the drive is
about 600 feet long... I am not so much scared as annoyed by people getting to the house before
I know it ... we have never had a problem but I feel vulnerable ... I have thought of an alarm to go
across the end of the driveway to alert me ... I was napping Friday and my husband came home from
work at lunch time to bale hay he had cut and raked ... he came in and touched me on the shoulder
and scared me ... he of course has a key... but if he can get in without me knowing someone else could..
I used to keep the door open and just storm door between me and the world ... now when I am
alone I close and lock the doors
Thing that bothers me is when people start talking slower and exaggerated to me ... talking to me like I am
a baby sets me off... I told a friend the other day I had lost hearing in my ear but didn't turn stupid
If I have to do any shopping I try to go early in the day ... I have more balance issues as the day wears on and
also concentration problems ... I have thought about a handicapped tag for when I am not doing as well...I
had problems finding my truck in WalMart parking lot the other day... for some reason I was thinking I drove the
Blazer (S 10 ) and was looking for it ... kinda bad when you forget what you drove and one is a small white
vehicle and the other a big , red , two seated pickup truck ...
Still new to this ... 5 weeks post op... so I guess I will learn new things as we go along
My insurance will not pay for hearing aids but will pay for the molding , adjustments and testing and
surgery to implant any of the components that have to be implanted ... this makes no sense to me
at all and the doctors have told me that when I am past my initial healing that a hearing aid may be
of good use to me
My plan is to trip along a day at a time and make adjustments as things come up
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Yes, my reamining hearing ear seems hypersensitive.
SSD is unique and difficult to describe completely until one gets there. All voices seem equal in volume in a crowd. Six people can be talking in the background and I can't distinguish the words in the conversation I am having with the one friend right next to me. The background voices compete for my one ear.
Late at night small house sounds wake me up but they seem like loud sounds. Microphone speakers in the grocery were awful pre op to the point that I'd hold my ears, but now the speakers make my stomach hurt and I feel jittery.
It definitely helps to wear a hearing aid in my deaf side when I am out in the world.
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You have those problems too Boppie? I thought it was just me. I find here at work that the loudspeaker is almost unbearable. I have been wearing an ear plug in my good ear and that seems to calm down some of the problems. but yeah I can't distinguish whose voice is talking or where it is coming from.
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My husband Lynn has lost the ability to know what direction sound is coming from. His hearing was checked this past Friday and was down from 44% hearing in his left ear to 18% hearing in his left ear. We are waiting for an appointment for surgery. Even though his tumor is small it has grown since the last MRI in April and his symptoms are getting more severe. The ENT did talk some about some sort of hearing aid after surgery but I'm not sure what kind.
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The doctor is speaking about a BAHA, a Transear, or a CROS.
BAHA Bone implanted hearing aid (post is implanted in the skull, aid snaps onto the post and sends sound through the skull bones to the good cochlea)
TransEar Bone conduction hearing aid (worn in the deaf ear canal, sends sound to the good cochlea)
CROS Contralateral Routing of Sound (from a pickup mic on the deaf side, sending wirelessly to the good ear) Phonak makes one
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I have noticed for last week or so that by mid day or sometimes a bit later my good ear starts
getting a stopped up feeling and I don't hear as well from it... talked to my surgeons nurse and when
she called me back she said it sounded like my good ear was just getting tired or over stimulated...
anyone with SSD have this going on???
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surgeons nurse was right! Cat naps for a few minutes in the afternoon are helpful and good for the vestibular system. Rest the eyes and ears in a quiet space.
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Well napping is something I have become very good at... between the predicted
fatigue brought on by surgery and the fatigue associated to my Lupus I am napping
a big part of the day away...
Kinda scary with one deaf ear and then not being able to hear well from other...
Thanks for reassurance
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Well I'm only a month and a half post-op but the right sided deafness has already been a problem. When I came into work last Thursday one of my servers was sounding an alarm and I couldn't find the device that was causing it. I have so much equipment in the room. I kept going from device to device and putting my good ear close to them and I still had to have some one else come it and confirm that I had the correct device that was making the beeping sound.
Then on the other hand I think my good ear has gotten a lot more sensitive because I can now hear things even when they are on my deaf side or when I put my good ear on a pillow.
Driving or riding in the car with my husband is fun because he is also deaf in the right ear so we don't talk much because we get tired of asking for things to be repeated or talking really lound so that it can be heard.
I also find that I miss thinks that are said to me when in a group because I can't hear the people on my right side because the left ear is busy processing what the people on that side are saying.
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I find SSD to be weird - having no tinnitus I have no sound at all in my left (AN) ear - kind of freaky when listening to my Ipod.
I also find SSD very frustrating. Like others, I have no idea where sounds are coming from; plus I'm constantly turning my head so conversations are directed to my "good" ear. I also say "what????" alot.
Before my surgery, I had diminished hearing on the left, but now I have total silence.
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I find the constant EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe in my deaf ear irritating... I used
to could block it by a fan or radio and now nothing can block it out....
unless someone is to my left every sound seems to come from behind me ... which is odd if
someone is in front of me but not real close and I can see their mouth move and they sound
like they are behind me... just another little pain to deal with
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We have a family joke about my "whats". In the recent biographical movie about George Washington, his madness was portrayed by bouts of memory loss and a happy but obsessive "What,What,What,What?"
Once in a while I will just repeat What,What? to let them know I couldn't decipher. Then we laugh about poor George.
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My kids are getting very tired of the "WHAT?" question. Their typical response is "Are you deaf?" to which I reply "As a matter of fact, I am". That usually gets them to stop and think. ;D
I have to admit though, that at times not hearing comes in handy - like when they ask me for money ;D
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I'm 8mons post-op. Trying to look and feel "back to normal"...succeeding with the look but not so much with the feel. I healed remarkably well. However, the hearing loss, headaches and neck soreness seem to get the best of me. I don't want to act like something is different about me and sure don't want to appear as though I'm not the same...but I'm just NOT. My husband even gets impatient with my inability to hear his every word. My son, on the other hand, likes to kiss my deaf ear to make it feel better. He's the best.
Anyway, I guess I'll have to start accepting this whole thing and making some changes in my behavior to help myself. You would think that I've had 8mons to prepare but I'm just not sure where to start. Unfortunately, a hearing aid is not an option, as per my physician. No audio nerve for it to work with. Oh, well.
I'm open to suggestions...
Thanks.
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Have you grieved enough for your loss? I know this sounds like feeling sorry for yourself, but it is not. I found that when I was able to tell my family I missed my hearing and even though I had no choice about the loss of it, I was sad about it. We are supposed to feel happy to come through the dangerous parts of treatment grateful that we have a life. And yes, we are luckier than some, but we can still be sad. From the moment I was able to say I was sad about being different from my former self I was able to move through the process of loss. Writing on this forum helps to gather thought into print and that helps too.
As long as there is some hearing on your non AN side you will become extremly good at lip reading. You are going to learn that there are lots of people around you who have hearing deficits and missunderstandings about your level of hearing. Take control of your journey. Teach others how to accept your new you. Many people will admire you for it.
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Hello everyone. I am almost 1 yr post op and am going through a difficult time. I thank you for your input on these SSD issues. I know I'm not alone. Although here at home it's still very hard to get the point across to my family. How many times they start a conversation or ask me a question from another room. Along with a washer running, TV on and windows open.
I feel the need to escape and go back to work after 10 years at home taking care of grandkids. I recently got a great job offer and was in a paid training class on my way to being out of the house and more independant. Problem is I couldn't hear the other students contributing to the conversation. I couldn't hear the instructor at times. I did let him know on the second morning of class that I had SSD. And my AN caused a blood clot which caused vision problems. A year later I am still on medication and seeing a specialiist at USC for that. Anyway I couldn't read the blackboard. I felt so defeated..I quit.
I am glad to get back on this site to be with those who know exactly what SSD is like. I thank you all
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You will need to make demands on people close to you; tell them emphatically, to remember your hearing is changed forever. Stand up for yourself, and sweetly say, "You must accept me for who I am right now, because this is me forever." Once you and they assimilate this idea, you will be able to move on with plans. When people ask me a question in my house with the TV on, I just respond "Beats me!" They get it every time. They will learn to speak up or not compete with the TV.
In the classroom you can get better sound feedback if you sit in the front of the room, a little above the other students on a pillow or better on a stool. Speak to the teacher about your needs. A hearing aid does help. Don't give up. You can be an example to people who are silently struggling with all sorts of personal issues. This is the new you! We are cheering for you!
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Hello everyone. I am almost 1 yr post op and am going through a difficult time. I thank you for your input on these SSD issues. I know I'm not alone. Although here at home it's still very hard to get the point across to my family. How many times they start a conversation or ask me a question from another room. .............. I am glad to get back on this site to be with those who know exactly what SSD is like. I thank you all
Hang in there Dz, I even have had the urge to cut off my deaf ear to educate family and friends that yes, IT WAS LIKE AN AMPUTATION OF A LEG WITH GANGRENE, that had to go or I was going to die. (The AN impinging on my Cerebellum).
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Ill agree with a lot of you that knowing the direction of where sound is comingis a problem. I live in NY and everytime I cross the street I have to check b/c I cant rely on my hearing for safety. It is also really hard when you are talking to someone and they are standing on the deaf side to hear all of their conversation, people have to be a little bit more accomadating and either switch sides or talk really loud. I also noticed that it is hard to hear the person sitting right next to you when you are in a loud and busy situation. That to me can be the most frustrating thing with single sided deafness, even just being on a busy street can make hearing difficult. It is also frustrating for the other people who are talking to you. They get tired of repeating themselves or talking loudly. It is something you have to work with and you learn to always walk, stand, place yourself in a dinning situation, and etc in the best postion for optimal hearing. I also ended up buying a vibrating alarm clock because I tended to sleep on my good ear a lot so I would miss the alarm sound and not wake up when I needed too. You just put it under your pillow and the vibrations are strong that it wakes you right up. Being SSD does come in nice sometimes when you dont want to hear something or do something to just play the deaf card though, so it has its advantages too.
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I traveled to Ohio this week to see a hospital bound mother-in-law. I declined taking along my TtransEar because we were on the road ten hours a day with medical affairs and I couldn't have maintained it properly. I really didn't need a hearing aid at the hospital since mil is almost deaf now; she an I got on well with lip reading, but boy, did I miss the aid on the plane ride home. I sat next to an older gentleman who told me all about his stained glass work. I held my hand up to my good ear to funnel his voice for an hour! The TransEar sure would have helped inside the plane.
Funny thing ...he said, "You know, I can't hear that stewardess on her phone; she talks too fast for me." It is a small world. :)
We SSD have a lot in common with average hearing folks.
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Hello,
My ringing in my ear that sometimes drives me crazy. 24-7 . Is there anything for it? I friend uses music to be able to sleep with hers.
eve
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tator, I don't know of anything better than resting the eyes and the good ear for several minutes to lessen the ringing. It is a sign your nerves are tired. Yes, I find music helps. I have two girl friends who converse in a small whisper and this is always so soothing to me. Paying attention to the ringing makes it worse.
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I'm being vain, and Boppie, you sure are helpful.
But I am 29, still have that man to find and babies to hopefully have, let alone grangbabies (although my parents are waiting, waiting... HUH? ;) ) But is the transear large? Getting nailed with the deafness and having to wear glasses, I tell myself I'm not looking into hearing aides til my hair gets longer and I'm in contacts again. It's a little hard working on that dating thing when you are 29 and in the aide/glasses although it makes for good jokes!! Just curious what I have to expect. Great to hear (no pun intended) that insurance covers it for some! Fingers crossed!!
How many of you can't locate your car sometimes?? I live in the city and often forget where I park. When I hit my remote locator I have no flippin' clue where the sound comes from. My poor neighbors!! Once I had to go up to a nice lady and say "Hi, I'm half deaf, can you please tell me where you hear that sound coming from? I also can't differentiate sound." She looked puzzled, but was helpful! :)
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Lori, I am sending a pm with a photo of my ear with the TransEar in it.