Posted , 4 users are following.
I've had MD for about 10 years and had grommet and gentamicin put in which has killed my hearing. My hearing in "good ear" is now down to around 10% so my husband has bought me private hearing aids. I just cannot get on with them my brain gets even more scrambled and my stomach starts to get the wobble. Any advice ?
0 likes, 3 replies
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Brookiana kathie50
Posted
Hi Kathie!
Oh how I can relate to your post!!! I'm so sorry you're going through that. I too have suffered because of my hearing aids. I have been diagnosed with a U shaped hearing loss, not an MD one, and one that is probably genetic or hereditary although they can't check that (I do have a family history of hearing loss in the background though). On top of this, I have MD or as a result, you know how it works, ENT consultants still find it hard to diagnose it properly.
Anyway, as a result of finding this all out back in May, I was fitted with some hearing aids. My loss is only mild for now, borderline moderate as the peaks of the loss do reach just below the line. As I work in a primary school and can't hear the pupils properly (my loss is concentrated in the mid range i. e. the voices), they decided it was best for me to have hearing aids even though most people can cope with a mild hearing loss. They offered me some completely in canal aids as I have a very active life and am still quite young. I have had nothing but struggles with them to the point where I am now off work as it has caused a massive breakdown on my part and brought back my Meniere's symptoms with stress. The aids made me feel floaty, ill, like everything was too loud and unbearable, screeching and assaulting me. It caused so much stress, honestly!
I was told that it takes a while to get used to them. The NHS sent me out into the wild with them without explaining which types are available, which settings are available, what the limitations are and how it can affect you when you first get them. All this I have had to find out for myself, by trials and errors, crisis after crisis. The aids got blocked, one got faulty but all this I didn't realise as you are not sure what to expect! It has been very traumatic to have to get through all this whilst working part time, looking after my three kids and trying to maintain a busy life. Luckily, I ended up finding a group on Facebook specific to my hearing loss (which is a rare one) and they advised me on hearing aids and more or less said that I was wearing the wrong type altogether. I have gone back to the audiologist and have now finally been fitted entirely different ones which I absolutely love. It has made such a difference to my life ,it is unbelievable. In the meantime of course, I am off with stress and low mood but at least I am now confident that my new aids WILL make my life better and not a living hell.
I am sharing my story with you to let you know that there is hope. Have you tried different types? Are you in the UK or not? Because if you are, the NHS are actually pretty good despite all this, I have now met a lovely audiologist who listens to me and understands. Also, have you been told that it can take your brain up to 6 months to get used to wearing them? When I first got my first lot, it exhausted me because my brain was just confused and I spent long periods of time sleeping to recover. Maybe you should try increasing the time you wear them gradually to get your brain to adjust slowly. I went for the all-in approach which I'm not sure is better but I could not afford to waste time as I work and I wanted to get used to them quickly. I too get wobbly when I first put them in in the morning but that is fading now.Also, I realise that my state of mind was not helping as I considered the aids my enemies and I had a very unsavoury name for them which I will not share on here as it is a swear word ha ha . I was stressed before I even put them in and I don't think that helped. I now embrace my new ones and am trying to think of a nice afecctionate name for them instead!
I really , really hope that you can find a solution, either a different type or a gradual approach or a coping mechanism. It might be worth trying to find a local group of hearing impaired people who can support you in your journey and advise you so you don't feel so lost and alone in your journey (like I have until I discovered this group a few days ago thanks to my family doctor).
Best of luck and take care.
jane51474 kathie50
Posted
Tunsc1963 kathie50
Posted
I have hearing aids for both ears and like you I struggle with them and have stopped wearing them because I find them so uncomfortable. They mask the tinnitus but amplify everything around me to the point I cannot hear what people are saying to me. I have been chatting to libby51672 on here she told me that she wears a tinitus masker, which I have been enquiring about there is a specialist clinic called The Tinnitus Clinic in Cheltenham 0203 597 4988 London. Give them a call see what they say I am. Good luck