Hearing Difficulties: What Interventions Are There?

Factual Questions
1

If someone has hearing difficulty, what other ways of treating it besides a hearing aid exist? For example, could there be some problem that can be treated via surgical intervention? Perhaps roto-rootering the ear canal for impacted cerumen?

Mrs. Homie has reluctantly agreed to see Dr. Albracht about her hearing difficulty. She fears that she’s going to wind up with a hearing aid, which, at 35, she believes she’s too young for. I contend that a hearing aid is a last resort to be used only after other methods of intervention have failed.

2

impacted wax will attenuate your hearing a great amount. if that is the case the doctor’s office can clear it out.

if that is the case you can get inexpensive plastic otoscopes for home inspection. also you can get oil drops and ear syringes to do a clean out when the wax is soft on a regular basis.

3

NAC, N-acetyl cysteine, an antioxidant. Google it.

You’ll find (among other things) a reference to “the hearing pill” which nothing more than NAC. It seems to be non-snake oil (the Navy and Marines have done studies) but get the generic pill (NAC) if you decide it’s for you. The people at The Hearing Pill are rapacious, charging about 6 times as much for the same product.

4

Hearing aids nowadays can be very small and hardly noticable. For someone with slightly long hair, covering the top of the ears, they’d be almost entirely invisible. I know, I just got 'em this year. Generally, the doctor ordering the hearing aid gives you a month trial, when you can return them with no charge if you find they don’t suit you. So there should be no embarrassment or reluctance to pursue that route: age is irrelevant. It’s nice to hear better.

On t’other hand, of course, the size of hearing aid depends on the problem itself AND on how much you’re willilng to pay.

5

IANAE, but some other things that come to mind…

[ul]
[li]Wax (as you mentioned)[/li][li]Hair (covering, blocking ear or ear canal)[/li][li]Physical structure of ear & canal[/li][li]Mental problem - audio filtering/processing, not hearing[/li][li]Infection or persistent fluid behind the ear drum[/li][li]Sinus issues[/li][/ul]

Each of those would be treated differently. If it were progressive loss of hearing, I think the options boil down to amplification or cochlear implant. Again, I’m just a layman. Your audiologist (presumably one who has no self-interest in promoting hearing aids) should be able to assess, diagnose, treat or refer to the right specialist.

6

?Why?

I am 51. I finally broke down and looked into my long term hearing loss. My kids and my gf have been suggesting (nagging) for years. Saw my doctor, had an ENT referral, had a head CT scan. Final result was an in-the-canal hearing aid.

It cost 3 grand and change, and insurance didn’t pay a cent for the device itself. But, I’d happily pay twice that amount for the improvement it provides. It is invisible to a casual observer. The battery lasts 3 to 4 days, but they are pretty cheap and easy to replace.

7

Because they’re expensive, invasive, and carry a stigma, not to mention unnecessary if the problem can be corrected by something far less so.

8

For wax, there is an OTC drop called cerumol (at least in Canada) that is not harsh and softens the wax.

My daughter recently lost hearing in one ear due to an inflammation of the nerve. She thought it was stopped up from a cold and waited a week or so to see a doctor. He tried a couple things and finally gave up. She already had some loss of hearing in that ear and the other one is perfect, so for the time being they don’t recommend a hearing aid.

If I needed a hearing aid, I would get one immediately and if was large and visible, so much the better. The batteries would last much longer, presumably, and it would be an advertisement that I was hard of hearing.

I have a colleague who won’t wear a hearing aid much of the time (and she really needs it) because she spends so much for tiny batteries. I see she has now cut her hair above her ears, which is her way of saying she will not wear it. I don’t understand that at all.

9

I am no audiologist, but my wife is, and I have learned much from her. So have some Dopers; she once joined the board and launched an “Ask the Audiologist” thread. You may find some answers to your questions there.

I will say that as I understand things, hearing aids no longer carry a stigma. They have come a long way from the days when they were big boxes worn around the neck–many are so tiny now, that they are practically invisible. The technology has advanced to the point where specific frequencies can be targeted for improvement, and directionality has been much improved too. I’ll add that age is not a factor–my wife has had many children among her patients, and she continues to include children and teens in her professional scope.

10

If her hearing problems are due to otosclerosisshe could have surgery to replace her stapes. But delicate surgery right next to the brain usually isn’t anyone’s first choice.

11

Age doesn’t really have anything to do with wearing a hearing aid. I am 23 and wear two (I have since I was 4). I have experienced zero stigma regarding aids. If something simple like earwax is ruled out, hearing aids could really help. My particular kind are Oticon Epoqs which have Bluetooth functionality - I can answer the phone and listen to music through them, which is awesome. I wouldn’t discount aids right away.

12

[QUOTE=HeyHomie;11708527
Mrs. Homie has reluctantly agreed to see Dr. Albracht about her hearing difficulty. She fears that she’s going to wind up with a hearing aid, which, at 35, she believes she’s too young for. I contend that a hearing aid is a last resort to be used only after other methods of intervention have failed.[/QUOTE]

Pfft, I got mine at age 5. You’re never too young for 'em. :smiley:
Actually, they’ve got some really nice stuff out there but it depends on the level of hearing loss, everything from BTE (behind the ear) aids, In the canal ones, CIC (Completely in the Canal- which is what I have); and spiffy things like Digital hearing aids, that can have filters, phone settings, loud concert/ bass settings, protective settings to prevent hearing damage from loud sounds, and all sorts of other gadgets out there. Really the whole field has seemed to taken off in the last 10 years or so, and it’s def. getting better all the time. I didn’t like my hearing aids growing up as a kid, but after middle school it’s always been fine with me, and I’ve never really questioned them, they’re just a part of life and rarely stigmatized. But of course Everyone’s Mileage Varies, but a lot of it is self perception and how you feel about them. I know people who’ve gotten crazy colored Aids because they wanted to match them to earrings or clothes, and I’ve known others (like myself) who prefer them to be more discrete and very not noticeable- even with my hair short, it’s pretty hard to see 'em- though again it depends on the level of loss, the price, and the user themselves what features and such they want.

I’d say find a good audiologist and build a good relationship with them, and after a while, you’ll start to see the pros and cons of each Aid and you can make an informed decision.

I remember I HATED getting glasses more than my hearing aids, and I got glasses at age 20 and felt like such a weirdo, and that people would mock me and all sorts of silly things- because people are more likely to see GLASSES than my hearing aids.
And in the end, it was worth it, most of it was just self perception and biases.

Best of luck though with finding a good audiologist and hopefully she’ll get a nice pair for herself.
(PS: In my mind, I’ve always considered Cochlear implants as more of the “last resort”- as it’s an option available but (when I last read, which has been a while) I believe the surgery required cutting the actual nerves- so if you aren’t completely deaf before you get the surgery, the operation will first do that before they add in the implants. That’s why in my case, a Hearing Aid will continue to do the trick because I’m able to use a smaller Aid, and I still have some natural hearing ability currently. But since I’ve developed my language skills and such, should I ever go nearly deaf or so- my Audi has pointed out it’s a possible route of last resorts).

So yeah- Hearing aids are not the end all, be all, last resort. They’re just another tool to help you live your life, and make it just a little bit easier for us. :slight_smile:
-R

13

Ha, I win the thread. I got my first set when I was three. I have NO clue why they push the myth that hearing aids are noticable or make you look old. If they did, I would never get carded. (I’m 30)
Hearing aids rock…you can turn off sound!!! I was…shall we say notorious for turning off my hearing aids as a kid/teen.
Plus if she doesn’t want to feel old she can get the colored aids…I have purple ones, with colored earmolds (tye dye and glitter) If she does need a hearing aid, go for BTEs. The dinky aids aren’t generally powerful enough for more then mild losses. Plus they are cheaper and can be adjusted easier…for example if she has a progressive loss, they can be programmed easier. They’re also more durable.
If she does need hearing aids…GO SEE an audi. Dont go to Miricle-Ear or Beltone.

14

See? :rolleyes: Weirdo.:p;)
Heh.

15

have an approximately 40% loss of hearing and a constant ringing in my left ear. The condition you discuss has
been my diagnosis. I was told that the surgical procedure would last approximately three hours and that I might notice an improvement, or the difficulty in hearing might remain the same or it might even become worse. I was also told that he ringing in my ear is most likely to remain. Given the odds for improvement, it doesn’t seem to be a prudent gamble, at least for me.

16

I used to have bright pink and purple swirled earmolds! Then they got old and started irritating my ear, so I had to switch to silicone, which are only available in clear. I miss my old bright molds!

17

I cannot speak to exactly what the surgery requires, but I think you’re right on the “last resort” remark. It is my understanding that a cochlear implant destroys any hope you have of hearing anything without the implant, so it is not something to be done without serious consideration based on the understanding that if it doesn’t work, you’ll never hear again. And, as one who has heard a simulation of what is heard through a cochlear implant, I can tell you that it’s not very clear. Yes, you can hear things. No, you will never hear as clearly as you can with a hearing aid–it’s muddy and fuzzy and not very clear at all.

Not disparaging cochlear implants–they’re great when it comes to helping those who, for some reason or another, have a perfectly good cochlea that just doesn’t connect to the middle ear. But if there is a connection, as with a hearing loss due to excessive noise or age, it’s my understanding that audiologists and ENTs would prefer to work with that rather than destroying what hearing remains in order to install a cochlear implant.

18

On the other hand, they ARE pushing CI rather strongly. Be VERY careful about that. CI used to be “absolute last resort” but now… Let’s just say I’m extremely cynical about their business practices.

19

Interesting. Just curious (I’m a layperson with normal hearing and have no dog in any fight), but who is pushing cochlear implants?

20

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If I bump it, will she respond?

Au contraire!