Seriously. Do I Need a Hearing Aid?

So, I have no measurable hearing loss in right ear. In left ear I have 20db or greater until 4khz. At 4khz, I hear at 30db, 6khz I hear at 30db, and 8khz I hear at 40-45db.

I hate that I have this uneven hearing, but hope there will be a cure in future.

However, I'm super concerned about this effecting my ability to think and concentrate. I hear that hearing loss can effect this and memory.

Does my level of hearing loss effect this? Or is that at the greater levels?

I honestly don't know what to believe anymore. I'm ok with saying what every now and then and having to concentrate a bit to hear people in noisy environments. But, I'm concerned about thinking.

I don't want hearing aid because it's one more medical thing in my life that I don't want to have to pay for. They are expensive in USA. Already have large expense with other medical issue.

With all that in mind, is there any true effect of learning at my level of hearing loss or is it all in my head at this level?

 

How can someone else tell you if you if you can think and concentrate or not? Don't you have this info first hand?

 

Yes, but much of my problems are honestly probably from stress more than anything.

However, I'm sure someone out there with experience can tell me there thoughts on this.

 

Is there any chance you can test them out at the audiologist? If there is a way to test them out and it improves your hearing, then go for it! You have been on here for a while, and I'm sure you have practically seen every thread on this site as I have. The thing is, you know exactly what you're supposed to do, but you don't do it. You try to find reasons not to have to do it, rather than why you should do it. Get out of your negative cycle.

Also as a piece of advice. Give your mind a rest by searching for a cure for hearing loss. Once there is a cure we will know about it and it will be on the front page of websites like this and we will have people recommending it all the time. But for now you are driving yourself mad and it honestly is not doing you any good. You need to limit yourself.

I do wish the best for you and hopefully hearing aids can help you achieve that.

 

All that I can say is my son is fine and does not wear hearing aids with 40db loss and awaiting 4 th ear operation.
He could hide a hearing aid easy under his hair but says he's fine with our one .
Every one is different and I wear two with hearing loss and sever tinnitus.

If you get a hearing aid you can see how you get on with it and decide when to wear it.
As you can see my youngest son who's 21 could hide a hearing aid well if decided to wear one.....lots of love glynis

 

My severe to profound loss has not affected my thinking or memory. Your slight hearing loss isn't going to either.

 

If these are your only issues - and HL is not progressive with inaction then it can only be your call.
I couldn't wear an amplifying device if I wanted to and my hearing is pretty screwed. Still more concerned about the T at this stage..

 

@Michael2013 , thanks for the reply. May I ask if the tinnitus has effected thinking as well for you? I'd not, do you feel ibwill be able to think again in spite of the tinnitus, like before?

I ask you because you seemed to get through life with worse hearing than me and also have the tinnitus as well. Also, you work in tech it sounds like. That is my biggest concern, is being able to think through code again, algorithms, data structures , etc..

 

There are a number of studies of the relationship between hearing loss and cognition by a researcher at Hopkins. If you look at the studies, you will notice that they define hearing loss as follows: Take the average of the pure tone thresholds from 500 Hz to 4,000 Hz in the better ear. If that average is > 25 dB, then the person is said to have hearing loss. So these studies are irrelevant to you because by this definition you do not have hearing loss.

Beyond that, you seem fixated on substituting someone else's experience for your own. You've already gathered some information. You borrowed a hearing aid and said

As people have said over and over and over again: 1) You don't have enough hearing loss to require a hearing aid, 2) even if you don't have to have one, you may decide that you would be happier with one if it helps you hear better, 3) You can "test drive" one and see if you like it, and then 4) You - and you only - have a decision to make about whether any benefit you experience with a HA is worth the cost to you.

No one else can decide this for you.

 

The only time tinnitus affected me was early on when I was still in a state of anxiety over it. But now I can hear it and not be bothered and it does not effect my thinking.

I don't write code for a living anymore, but there is no reason why I couldn't.

 

@Michael2013 , can I ask if you basically hear t all the time and just don't mind it anymore? Or is it more you only hear it at night when laying down or such?

Jus curious is all.

 

@jdjd09, the hearing loss won't affect your ability to think or write algorithm/code.

I work in a team of lawyers and a couple of team members have quite severe hearing loss (one guy basically can't hear out of one ear - has been the case since he was 13 years old). He is brilliant and carries out tasks requiring high level, analytical thinking without any issues. Definitely one of the most talented people in our team.

Anxiety and stress are more likely to impact upon your ability to carry out tasks requiring "high level" thinking than hearing loss. I remember last year (when I had terrible, relentless anxiety) I was really, really struggling at work and kept making mistakes - definitely not something you want to do when you are drafting complex documents for large corporate clients and detail is key!!

The trick in these situations is to just slow down and check, check and re-check your work - if possible, come back to it later and look at it with fresh eyes.

Once your stress and anxiety levels come down, you will find it a lot easier to focus and carry out analytical tasks.

 

In the earlier days with the high anxiety, I could hear it almost all the time. But over time it became less noticeable to the point now where I can go almost all day without hearing it. It's still there, of course, I just don't pay any attention to it.

 

@Michael2013 , so would you say that it is not that loud? Or would you say its loud, but you just don't really notice it anymore (as in it just dropped out of your consciousness)?

 

@Purple Parrot , those guys that have hearing loss, do they also have T as well? If so, did they say how loud or how they got over it?

 

I would say it's not as loud as it used to be when it bothered me.

 

I suffer from high frequency hearing loss and have had full-on T for a few years now. The hearing loss is mainly in one ear but the ringing is high pitched and two toned and feels like it's in both ears. My initial panic and anxiety reaction settled down after a couple of months and I began to habituate. Now I often don't hear it unless I pay attention to it or it is quiet like in my bed at night. Either way it no longer bothers me. I wish I didn't have it but I function fine with it. I am also a skilled professional and my work is intense and requires good focus, thinking and concentration. I never missed a day of work and I am back on top of my game. You will be too.

 

Hearing loss can affect the brain and slow things down. If your hearing is that bad, then give it a try....

 

@Gr8fulDude , thanks for the response. Can I ask what your audiogram looks like? It sounds like for you, that your brain just "doesnt hear" it anymore, somehow filtering it out?

 

My audio gram is similar to yours. I have not yet tried a hearing aid as it seems unlikely to stop my T and I still can hear without a problem. As others have said, most audiologists allow for a trial period so you can have a worry free trial if you want. Just give yourself some time to habituate to the T. It will get better for sure.

 

@Gr8fulDude , I guess I'm confused what better is though? Like is it that I don't hear it unless I pay attention to it? Or is it something else? How is it better for you? I guess I'm confused what to really expect as better.

 

Habituation has brought me to a point where I usually don't notice it anymore and even when I do it doesn't bother me. I often don't even hear it unless I pay attention to it. For most, this just starts to happen in time once you get beyond the initial anxiety. Meditation and deep breathing exercises in bed can really help at night.

 

@Gr8fulDude , I guess I'm slightly confused then. Are you saying you don't notice it anymore because it's quieter? Was your quiet enough to not hear over everything previously at the beginning (or very loud)? I had T before this, without the hearing loss, and I could really only hear it if I listened for it or if I put my ear on a pillow or sat in a quiet room. I got over it in about a month or less (to the point I forgot it was a thing until this happened). I can hear this stuff over a AC and fan running. Over many things. I can't really think of a thing that blocks it out (outside turning music up to super high volume, which I don't want to do in case it damages my hearing further).

I guess, and sorry if I'm bothering you with all these questions, am still confused. I mean, is it literally like your mind "doesn't hear it" anymore? Or, you don't hear it because it's quiet and not that bad anyways?

I guess I get confused about habituation. I would love to better understand your habituation, because if you have a similar audiogram then maybe I can relate better and get some more hope.

Again, I'm sorry if I sound like I'm repeating myself. I just really want to understand your habituation.

 

Hey listen,

If you want to try a hearing aid go to banggood.com and order one or two with adjustable tone from china. They're total shit but only cost 20 dollars and the level of use they provide is at least a third that of the most expensive hearing aids.
I order from banggood.com all the time, entire photo studios, stupid gadgets, silicon nipple patches for my mother, anything. Where do you think European stores get their goods, they just add a zero behind the original price.
Use the fast shipping option for a dollar extra and it will reach you in two weeks.

There should be no learning impairment with a hearing disability. Think of Bach and all the deaf people.

 

@jdjd09 I never understood how people found their tinnitus got louder or quieter. For me it is more a question of whether it is noticeable at a given point in time. Mine doesn't get louder or softer. It fades into the background to the extent that I often don't notice it. If I think about it, look for it or find myself in a quiet room, I notice it. The volume and pitches don't seem to change. Sure it can be annoying at times, no doubt about it. But it certainly does not make me anxious anymore because I know what it is and I have come to terms with it. It is squealing like a loud tea kettle as I write this now. Sometimes a drink will heighten my awareness of it but I still prefer to enjoy my beer or vodka tonic. I know the T will not harm me and that I will often not notice it, so I don't panic over it. for me, that is what habituation is all about. You have to allow yourself the time to adjust and you will get there naturally. It starts with small periods where you don't notice it or it seems quieter but then the length of those quiet periods will extend.

 

Yes - hearing loss and tinnitus. Quite loud and constant in one ear. He says he only notices it when someone talks about tinnitus and the rest of the time doesn't think about it at all.

I never realised he had hearing loss/tinnitus until I started complaining about my ears ringing all the time and he explained the situation to me!...

 

@Purple Parrot , the guy with hearing loss in one ear and loud tinnitus. I'm guessing he doesn't wear a hearing aid either? Or do both wear hearing aids?

I'm going to try to keep living somehow. It's just overall frustrating is all ;/. I just want my hearing back . The ringing wouldn't bother me if I could hear normally.

 

go test them. they let you test them at miracle ear and other audiologists will let you test them for like 30 days.

 

No hearing aid but he says if his hearing loss was as profound in his right ear as it is in his left ear, then he could hardly hear a thing.