Hearing Loss and Possible Infection

[zombiechick]

Went to the ENT and she said tubes were swollen. She sent me to a audiologist to have my hearing tested. During the pressure test, she said my right eardrum is "stiff" and abnormal. She wants me to make sure there is nothing behind the ear drum causing this and I'll be going back to the ENT. She said right ear is around 30 to 40% hearing loss. My left ear is at 70% which makes sense. The ringing in the left is worse and I have to prop my head up to hear my speaker at night. My co workers and customers have complained about me not being able to hear them. Any thoughts are advice? She recommended I try a hearing aid in the left to see if that helps.

*also found out my mom has horrible hearing loss and my dad has tinnitus. Crazy what you find out.

 

[glynis]

Hearing aids will help you a great deal and should help with tinnitus by amplifying outer sounds around you.

Mine also have a masker setting if I am in a quiet place with no sound to amplify I have the choice to put white noise on....lots of love glynis

 

[zombiechick]

@glynis I hope so. The ENT kind of upset me, drove down to her office so she could read off my results, which I already knew. She said the stiff right ear drum was probably just scar tissue. Not sure if I should go to an ENT that would check for fluid build up? Going to go for my hearing aid on Friday. Wish me luck!

Side note: was hoping for more responses and experiences.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Any thoughts are advice?

Well, I don't know how recent that development is (i.e. if it coincides with your ear possible infection). But, of course, if this has been going on for some period of time, then you have hearing loss. That hearing loss may either be conductive or sensorineurally related. This is easy to rule out via an audiogram (as a discrepancy between the air- and the bone-conduction test).

*also found out my mom has horrible hearing loss and my dad has tinnitus. Crazy what you find out.

So... a further clue to possible genetic hearing loss - is - the above. Unless you, and your parents, have been abusing your hearing (either via work, or otherwise), then it is not normal to have hearing loss to the extent that you cannot hear a conversation clearly.

Normally, an ENT would be quick to point out any hearing loss (as would an audiologist). The basic procedure from there on is a hearing aid (if it - the hearing loss - doesn't resolve post infection).

Side note: was hoping for more responses and experiences.

Hope that helps.

Addendum: speaking in terms of "percentage hearing loss" - that has no real meaning for hearing related matters. It is all about where on the audiogram, the hearing loss is located.

 

[zombiechick]

@attheedgeofscience I didn't even think to add that it's a high frequency hearing loss. I've had trouble with this since I was a kid. I think they said I have trouble hearing vowels?

My parents have different issues. Dad thinks his tinnitus is caused from his addictions to pain killers and ativan. My mom thinks her hearing loss is genetic.

I have scarring on both ear drums from severe ear infections as a child. They were awful. I can remember screaming in pain. I wasn't a baby but probably around 7 to 8 years old.

The audiologist thought I could benefit from a hearing aid on the left and it would pick up sounds that I'm otherwise not hearing.

 

[zombiechick]

Wanted to add that the ent thinks I have a fluctuating hearing loss. Maybe due to the scarring on my ear drums.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

I think they said I have trouble hearing vowels?

So, the speech banana is the standard way to examine possible correlation between hearing impairment and speech recognition. If your hearing loss - that is the hearing curve - starts to enter the grey area on the audiogram, that's when problems begin...

I have scarring on both ear drums from severe ear infections as a child.

There are cases for when reconstructive surgery of the eardrum comes into the equation. An ENT would - hopefully - know more about that, than I...

They were awful.

Agree.

I wasn't a baby but probably around 7 to 8 years old.

Sounds like you might have benefited from eartubes (all things considered). Someone must have made the opposite call for a reason.

My parents have different issues. Dad thinks his tinnitus is caused from his addictions to pain killers and ativan. My mom thinks her hearing loss is genetic.

So... as long as there are two possible factors (acquired + genetic hearing loss), it is best to monitor hearing at regular intervals. If there is continuing worsening, then it would perhaps seem that there is a genetic component to your situation. There are different types of genetic hearing loss. I am not a super expert on any of that - but the following article goes into detail about it (main conclusion: you can get hearing loss passed on from just one of your parents).

http://www.medhelp.org/lib/heredeaf.htm

 

[Steve Hubert]

May consider a teaching hospital or a special center.