How do you know when you're hearing is going?

[lholl36233]

My right ear is perfect.  The left ear is the problem.  While I feel there is still some hearing in the left ear, I can no longer hold the phone to my left ear.  The volume is too low so I can't hear anything.  Is this a sign the hearing is going?  My next scheduled ENT appt is in Aug.

Do you think I should go sooner or give it time to see if the hearing gets better or at least not worse?

Thank you.

[Mickey]

Usually when you can`t hear on one side on the phone it is a good indication that your loosing hearing. There also can be many reasons for that like a wax buildup. Best thing is to have it checked out thourougly as soon as you can and come up with the answer. Best wishes, Mickey

[Adrienne]

The phone is the only way I knew mine was going.  Thought I had a crappy phone, but realized it wasn't the phone when I switched ears mid conversation and could hear clearly.

[EJTampa]

My hearing was fading very slowly over time, so it was hard for me to notice.  I've always had trouble with wax building up in my ears, and have to clean them out every 6 months or so.  About a year ago, I had that blocked up feeling and used some ear drops and then the ear irrigation bulb thingy.  It seemed like I got all the wax out, but I still had a blocked up feeling where I wasn't hearing as well as normally after cleaning.  I just shrugged it off to some stubborn wax and went on with my life.  Next thing you know I have a loud ringing in my ears that wouldn't go away.  Yep, that's what sent me to the doc and the rest is history.
 
Ernie

[nteeman]

The phone is the only way I knew mine was going.  Thought I had a crappy phone, but realized it wasn't the phone when I switched ears mid conversation and could hear clearly.

Exactly the same for me.

Now, since my surgery and I am SSD, when I think I might be hearing something on my AN side I pick up the phone and listen to the dial tone on my good side then switch to my AN side to check if I can hear anything.

So far nothing.
 
Neal

[Sue]

I noticed the phone thing, too.  The voices got further and further away and then they became very "scratchy" and distorted.  This is called "word recognition", I believe.  Sound may get through but words are no long decipherable.  I tried out my son's new earbuds for his iPod and I can't hear a thing on those in my AN ear.  Stereophonic sound is gone, gone, gone.  Bummer. 

I was told I would be totally deaf in my AN ear eventually, and I think the doctor may be right. For all intents and purposes, it's gone.

Sue in Vancouver, USA

[Jim Scott]

lholl36233 ~

Loss of hearing , as others have stated, can be attributable to a wide variety of causes, including the dreaded wax buildup, which has affected my adult son a few times.  A visit to the doctor and a thorough cleaning restored his otherwise perfect hearing.  You could also be experiencing some inner ear problem you're unaware of.  An ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) physician should be able to discover this, if it exists.  Finally, if your ear is found to not be blocked by wax and the inner ear is working normally, an MRI should be considered to ascertain whether you have an acoustic neuroma or any other kind of growth that is hampering your ability to hear.  A competent ENT doctor should order the MRI.   

I suffered from a very gradual hearing loss for years - and basically ignored it.  Although this is absolutely not recommended, in a perverse way, it worked out for me because I've just about totally adjusted to being SSD (Single Side Deaf).  Of course, had I presented myself to an ENT, had a complete hearing evaluation and then, an MRI, my AN might have been discovered a lot sooner, while I still had some hearing left to save.  However, because my AN removal surgery and subsequent irradiation were successful, I can't complain. 

In your case, before making any assumptions, I would visit a doctor, preferably an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, and have your 'deaf' ear thoroughly checked - and go from there.  Of course, I hope you don't have an acoustic neuroma and that wax buildup is the culprit.  Please let us know what happens next.  We care.

Jim

[lholl36233]

Hi Jim,

I've had 3 MRIs and 2 CTs since last May. The last MRI was in January.  They ruled out an AN.  It is a chondroma narrowing the internal auditory canal.  My ENT said there was no change from the MRI from the previous June.  Around Dec, my hearing was getting worse so I got another round of prednisone which didn't change anything as it had in the past.  While the right ear is perfect, the ENT still considered the left hear good.

The hearing might be the same but I'm being paranoid.  I know I won't be able to have another MRI until July.

Thank you.

[mk]

I do my regular informal "hearing tests" using the phone. For example I access my voicemail and listen to the instructions first with one ear and right away with the other. I also use my hubby's voice over the phone to test for "low frequencies", since these are the ones that get lost first when I experience episodes of hearing loss. Doing something like this regularly helps you have a baseline, and you can know if there are any changes.

Marianna

[leapyrtwins]

My first indication - and one of the things that helped me seek a diagnosis - was that I couldn't hear others on the phone.

The sounds were very muffled.

Jan

[Jim Scott]

Hi Jim,

I've had 3 MRIs and 2 CTs since last May. The last MRI was in January.  They ruled out an AN.  It is a chondroma narrowing the internal auditory canal.  My ENT said there was no change from the MRI from the previous June.  Around Dec, my hearing was getting worse so I got another round of prednisone which didn't change anything as it had in the past.  While the right ear is perfect, the ENT still considered the left hear good.

The hearing might be the same but I'm being paranoid.  I know I won't be able to have another MRI until July.

Thank you.

Thanks for offering that additional - and important - information.  That changes things.  A hearing test would determine whether you've actually lost some of your ability to hear in your left ear or if the hearing loss is simply a mis-perception on your part.  If hearing has been lost, it may be time to have a serious discussion with your ENT regarding possible growth of the chondroma and to decide whether it needs to be excised sooner rather than later.

Jim

[lholl36233]

The last 2 hearing tests were Dec 12 and Jan 12.  I knew some hearing had gone.  That is why I went to the ENT Dec 12 instead of waiting for the next scheduled appointment on Feb 25.  I got another round of prednisone Dec 12.  It didn't help.  The hearing test Jan 12 was exactly the same.  Dr. Gacek said the Jan 25 MRI and CT showed no changed from the previous June.  He doesn't want to rush into surgery because I have no balance or facial nerve issues.

Now I'm not sure if the hearing is the same as it was Jan 12 or if it a mis intepretation on my part.  I may just be paying more attention to it now.  I've been putting the phone to my perfect right ear for a year now.  I feel I can still hear from the left ear but it isn't loud enough to be useful on the phone.

I'll be paying closer attention and might end up back at the ENT for a hearing test before the next scheduled appointment on 8/6.

Thanks for your input.