hearing loss (50% both ears)?undiagnosed until age 60?

Question

need to learn how to fill in maturational gaps and ramifications resulting......
had the loss at 4 with measles apparantly....
i have paid a big price

hearing aides are heaven , i am "normal" now

except for the 60 years of coping mehanisims

that are strange and i am strange..no one understands what it is all about..no one believes me because i have survival skills....but that is to survive i need to thrive

Answer 1

Hi! I'm an Audiologist, and glad to hear (no pun intended) that you are doing well with your hearing aids.

You don't provide enough details about what the problem is-- you say it's the "coping mechanisms", does that mean that you feel awkward about the behaviors you developed in compensating for your hearing loss?

Right now, they are helping you train your auditory system. So if you've been lip-reading, your brain is now learning the sound differences (between "b" and "d", for example) by matching the auditory information to the visual cues.

Chances are that the hearing loss wasn't as severe when you were younger and that it has progressed to some extent over all these years. But still, the auditory nerve that carries the sound up to the brain may not be able to distinguish those subtle differences even after wearing the hearing aids for a while.

Those neurological skills develop in childhood, and can diminish with lack of stimulation associated with untreated hearing loss. Once the hearing is restored through hearing aids or surgery, the nerves can improve their ability to process sound, but never to the full extent of the normal hearing person. As such, you will find that those coping skills will benefit you, especially in group or noisy situations.

Many of my patients who have lost their hearing as adults and put off getting hearing aids don't have those skills, so they actually are a blessing for you. If you are wearing the hearing aids consistently during all waking hours, those habits that you no longer rely on as much will start to fade with time.

Answer 2

That's hard to beleive, I'll admit. That's an incredible period of time to live with that kind of hearing loss! Didn't a doctor ever check for it? I guess maybe you taught yourself to lip-read or something?

Here I am, the "answerer," asking all the questions...but you just piqued my curiosity! I hope your new hearing aids bring the change you're looking for in your life!

God bless!