I got hearing problems...

[gotSPL]

Yes me. I have hearing problems. Sometimes I talk to people and I cannot follow what they say; be it the mumbling I hear or I just happen to not hear it at all. Its very embarrassing when girls talk to me and I dont know what to say. I sure as hell try not to say "gah?" because I dont want them to get annoyed and think me as a loser with hearing problems.

 

What are some solutions. No I dont want to wear hearing aids. I want to go with the flow and onto their conversations. Thanks.

[Newo Ikkin]

Pardon me for asking, but is it a hearing problem, or an attention one? Just for clarification.

[BellaDonna]

If it is indeed a hearing problem, you should get your ears tested. They make the most tiny hearing aids ever now that you can't even see unless you really look right IN someone's ear. link removed

 

 

I think it's far more embarrassing not to know what is going on around you and to always have to ask "what", "huh", or to answer in ways that are not appropriate for the conversation because you have to guess- than it is to wear a small, virtually undetectable hearing aid.

 

 

BellaDonna

[robowarrior]

Basically you have to aknowledge your handicap. That isn't a nice thing, i know i know. But not being able to hear is a daily irritance. Besides many people with eye sight problems wear glasses which is quite a lot more of a sightseeing spectacle then a hearing aid.

[Bethany]

Ask your doctor about having your ears syringed, as it could be just a build up of wax and other debrie over the years.

 

Or try the holistic way by Hopi candles, alot of aromatheraphy people do this so it shouldnt be too difficult to find.

 

If they don't work, the product on the link by bellaDonna looks pretty good. Good Luck.

[equinox]

My hearing is a bit messed up aswell from playing in metal bands without proper hearing protection (not a good idea at all!!). Sometimes I find it hard to zone in on a particular person talking to me if there is lots of noise around us.

[BellaDonna]

Ask your doctor about having your ears syringed, as it could be just a build up of wax and other debrie over the years.

 

 

That's also a possibility and does happen to some people. Bottom line: You will not know what's going on wiht your hearing until you gets your ears examined and hearing tested.

[Ash]

gotSPL, do you listen to load music at all? Curious about your screen name, does it relate to Sound Pressure Level at all? Any potential link you might have to hearing loss?

[Siriana]

What are some solutions. No I dont want to wear hearing aids. Thanks.

 

Well you need to see a doctor.

Than if there is a problem he will inform you about possible solutions.

 

If it is necessary wearing hearing aids and you don't want to - you can always learn how to read from lips LOL.

Now seriously I think that statement was a little bit immature - like me saying I can't see a thing but I don't want to wear eye glasses (and I can't wear contacts) so the best thing to do is just hoping I woan't run over someone while driving.

[Dako]

A guy with hearing aids is way cooler than a life of asking everyone to repeat themselves.

 

I have a hearing loss (from shooting handguns) that sometimes causes problems in crowds, so I avoid crowds. When I get to the point that I need electronic help, I'll do it for sure. I've seen friends descend into frustrated isolation by refusing help.

Being isolated by a hearing loss has an emotional cost on you and those around you.

 

I've discovered not all hearing loss is a function of the ear, but can also be a neurological fault or a matter or the brain's interpretation of the neural signals.

 

In other words, a session in an audiologist's booth pushing a button is your first step towards solving the problem.

 

You may even stop further damage by avoiding the causes of deafness.

[renaissancewoman101]

I agree, seeing a doctor is the first step in finding out what is wrong. I have a severe hearing loss in my left ear that is congenital. Contemporary hearing aids wont work for me (because all they do is amplify the sound). My problem is the hearing bones in my ear (3 small bones attached to each other and to the eardrum. They vibrate to trasmit signals to the brain so we can hear and understand voices) are fused and won't vibrate. I have gone the surgical route but when the doctors discovered that the bones were fused, they couldn't do anything about it.

 

I deal with it as best I can. My friends all know NOT to talk to me in my left ear since I wont be able to understand them. If someone is talking to me on my left side, I will come out and tell them that I can't hear from that ear and then they oblige.

 

People are understanding when it comes to hearing problems, that I've seen.

[Aurian]

I am legally deaf myself, and wear one hearing aid in my "good" ear. Basically I just hear sounds, but I cannot make out words - just tone. I can tell someone is excited by the tone, but I can't make out the words. I do lip-read, and one-on-one, nobody can tell I am deaf. Put me in a crowd though, and I am lost. The most people are talking, the faster I have to figure out who is jabbering, and then focus on their lips, and the more I miss. Noisy places aren't good either because I lose the bit of hearing I use to help me with my lipreading. People also know not to say stuff to me when I am not looking, because it won't register.

 

So... I tend to avoid noisy places, talk a LOT online (email and message boards are the best invention eVar!), and focus on one person at a time one-on-one.

 

However, hearing loss can be caused by a lot of things, and some of it is fixable. Get it checked out. Even if its not, you probably just have a minor hearing loss that can be remedied with a hearing aid. They do have ones the size of ear-plugs and can be quite subtle.

[gotSPL]

I got your guy's message and I aprecciate that. Is this something I can talk to with the doctor I regularly go to? I only come there once a year for flu shot and maybe check up but not always.

 

What are the costs of some of the tests they are going to do to me? I use swabs everytime I bath but are there wax beyond the usual use of swabs?

 

Yeah Im heavily involved in SPL. Ive been competing for the last 3 years.

 

I mean I have great hearing and all. I hear stuff people sometimes cant. Sometimes my hearing is not fast enough I think. I have to know my surroundings fast enough to get make what the other person is saying. I mean I can hear them talking but I dont think for a few seconds after I get the message and then I say "oh".

 

So is it because Im slow?

[Dako]

Remember that all hearing loss is different.

For instance, I have a high frequency loss that makes consonants fade out and sound s li ke this some time s.

 

Having your ears checked my tell you you just aren't attentive.

It'll probably cost less than a box of subwoofers.

[Aurian]

Yeah, if you have hearing similar to Dako's you can still hear some things really well, but maybe you're unconsciously taking a bit longer to put words together in your brain. I'm the same way - I'm definitely a little slower on the uptake since I only hear low-frequency sounds, and it takes me an extra split second to put that together with the lip-reading and some guessing.

 

I imagine initially your doctor would check to see if there is any obvious physical damage - look inside and see if there is any inflammation, infection or a popped eardrum or something. You may then get recommended to a specialist. I can't say how much one would cost since hearing tests are covered by Canadian healthcare.