What is the name of my hearing condition?

Question

I am a 25 year old male. My hearing is fine- and everything sounds just as loud today as it has any other day of my life. My problem is that for the last decade or so I have been having difficulty distinguishing between sounds. I hear a word and it sounds like gibberish because it could be any number of other words- or I listen to any given song and cannot tell at all what is being sung about (this happens with most songs for me even if they are turned up). I don't think my problem is ear related as much as it is brain related due to my inability to make sense of the information coming in. I also have trouble hearing what specifically someone is saying if there is background noise due to the conflict of sounds. Is there a name for what I have- and if so, could someone post a link so I can read up on it? Thanks.

I also want to add that I have no difficulty distinguishing music notes (I have a good ear for music and tone itself) and have even been told I sing fairly well. I mention that because tone deafness has been offered but I don't fit the description outlined by medical papers I've found. Thanks again in advance!

Answer 1

Hello; I am an Audiologist.

There are two likely possibilities:

1) High-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Yes, you PERCEIVE that your hearing has not changed, yet hearing loss typically fades so gradually that it is imperceptible, and what your hear still seems 'normal' to you. You can still distinguish tonal changes with a mild-to-moderate degree of loss, but the unvoiced consonant (p, h, s, f, th, t,) sounds are not heard. In quiet, and especially with people you know well, your brain will be able to fill in the blanks of what your ear misses. But in noisy/group environments or with people who have a different accent, you will find it more difficult to guess at what has been said.

2) Auditory Processing Disorder- This is when the ears do have normal sensitivity, but the brain pathways are not able to effectively process what is heard. This most often is noticed in grade school, typically as difficulty following multi-step directions and distinguishing letter sounds in phonics/spelling, as well as others. Many of these children are misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD (so it is not surprising that someone else suggested it). It is also seen in people who have had a stroke or other forms of brain damage/injury.

The best thing to do is to start with a comprehensive Audiological examination to assess your hearing acuity. If that is determine to be within normal limits, you can ask about an Auditory Processing assessment. Not all hearing centers do this, and many insurance companies do not cover it. If you live near a university or hospital with an Audiology program, you might want to go there.

Feel free to contact me with any additional questions. Note that I can not respond to you via Y!A because you do not allow email. If you elect to change that option, make sure that you verify your address with Y!A, or else they still will not allow me to respond. OR you could simply include your email address in the body of your note to me and I will respond directly.

Answer 2

Make an appointment with an audiologist you may have a slight hearing loss .I know exactly what you mean about interpreting stuff , I have had the same sensation and the audiologist where I work said I my hearing was at the lower end of a normal range , even that is enough to make it tricky to 'get' everything.Mine was due to middle ear congestion -allergies-which I managed to clear with bisolvon , an OTC product from chemist.The ears not the allergies !!
Your comment about conflict of sounds due to background noise is a classic indication for mild hearing loss .. A doctor could also rule out neural problems.

Answer 3

have you considered that you might have attention deficit disorder? i have ADD and i experience the same symptoms you just described. in particular when you said "it sounds like gibberish because it could be any number of other words" - thats classic ADD. go here:

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/GED/special_accommodations/learning_disabilities_add.htm

and in the list of characteristics you will notice that the third one is:

"Misinterpreting language or having difficult understanding what is said; hearing sounds, words, or sentences imperfectly."

so when you are listening to music and you understand all the words but just can't seem to "get it", or you just can't make out the first couple words a person is saying until they've repeated the sentence at least three times, thats one of the more annoying parts of having ADD.

Answer 4

Your hearing defect is TONE DEAFNESS because you hear and cannot understand. I dont know how it is to be corrected but refraining from taking intoxicated liquor or caffeine. I have the same problem but it started when a young girl.