lost hearing during a flight - need hearing aid

[magnumpi]

Over the past few years I increasingly became sensitive to ear pain during flights. Not normal pain, like knife in the head pain. Worst of it during decent. Then last summer during flight to British Columbia experienced the worst pain in right ear. Lost all hearing on that side. Severe tinnitus. Met my brother at the airport and felt very dizzy and disoriented for a few hours. Fortunately he drive his car back home to Toronto. Haven't been on a plane since.
Saw a few Dr.s who cleaned out the gunk and prescribed some sort of antibiotics for middle ear infections, did nothing. Sent to ENT specialist who sends me for an mri and then a hearing test to confirm barotrauma to right ear aural nerve. No hope for recovery. Says he's seen this 2 other times in his career. Lucky me!
Does anyone have experience with hearing aids? I haven't been to see the salespeople but I'm sure they are ready for the upsell to the deluxe model. What should I be looking for? I'm thinking smaller is better = expensive.

[wdfifteen]

I don't have hearing aids and haven't researched them - yet. I'm afraid it's coming. Please keep us posted on what you learn.

[imcarthur]

I can sympathize - somewhat. I too have gone through the audiologist test plus MRI but nothing was found. Just plain ole tinnitus with mine leaning on the right ear. Not a good thing since I inhabit the audio business. I know nothing about hearing aids other than they are crazy expensive. My 94 year old father in law has them. When he was staying with us in the fall, he put them in a glass of water beside his bed . . . They're just like dentures, right?

Ian

[MBAtarga]

Our COSTCO has it's own Hearing Aid department/clinic. I've been told they are very good value.

[Todge]

Feel your pain fella. I've been using aids on and off for awhile. You're not gonna get the upsell from the sales, at least I didn't. They're only interested in selling you what your ins co is gonna cover. That being said, I've used Oticon, which was at the higher end of the spectrum, and had no problems when i was using them. As I recall though, it was a personal preference, depending on size, and clarity. Good Luck!
Todge.

[cabmandone]

My dad just picked up a set with bluetooth. He can pair them to his smartphone and answer his freekin phone through his hearing aids. He also bought a thing that you connect to your tv and pair to it so he can listen to tv through his hearing aids. Trouble is, I think that set as well as the last cost him around 5K IIRC.

His old pair was giving him some trouble so I jokingly said "go buy one a set of those hunters ears" well he did and he loved them. He said they actually worked better for hearing than his expensive set but the noise filtering didn't work as well. I said what do you expect for under $100 versus about 5 grand??

And yes, as I understand it from my dad's search the smaller you go and the better the filtering the more you're going to pay.

[5String43]

Sorry to hear this. Hearing loss isn't much fun. As for hearing aids, I went through a search a couple of years ago. Here's what I learned:

They're pretty sophisticated. The manufacturers trade on that by demanding very high prices. One clinic, supposedly the top one here in SoCal, wanted $7,500 for a pair.

But many of the aids have similar functions. I bought a pair of ReSounds (made in Denmark) that work incredibly well. They came complete with remote and are almost identical to the expensive pair the clinic tried to flog off on me. I got them at Costco. They cost $2,000 and were branded as Kirkland hearing aids.

Some places will charge for the hearing test. Costco, which hires audiologists or will use the test done by someone else, does not charge. All you pay for is the equipment. I'm really happy with the improvement. So is my wife....

The Costco deal is a good one

[jhynesrockmtn]

My Mom has been through this. She had sudden hearing loss, 100% in her left ear after an infection. Her audiologist did not think a hearing aid would assist her in that ear. You can amplify sound but there has to be something to pick it up. She does have a hearing aid in her right ear. It doesn't seem to work well. That one is close to 10 years old. I keep suggesting she go back and get a new one but she's notoriously cheap.

[Cajundaddy]

No hearing aid advice but do work with your Doc and get to where you can clear your ears easily so you don't lose the other one in a future flight. We do a lot of scuba training and every diver must be able to clear easily or risk eardrum damage. The same is true with high altitude flying for some.

[T77911S]

i have tinnitus in my left ear.

tried the hearing aide thing. problem is when you cant hear, it does not matter how loud the audio is going in, it does not help.

i too was dizzy when my hearing problem came on. it too was sudden but not from flight.

[magnumpi]

Thanks for the perspectives all, and sorry to hear so many of you or your loved ones are also affected by this..quality of life definitely takes a hit.

The tinnitus is so bad that sleeping was at first the most difficult adjustment. Having one 'channel' open is like listening to the Beatles with your speakers out of balance. Earphones are unusable now. The trickle of sound coming in to the affected ear is all high treble, no mid or bass in music terms, but even the amount coming in is at about 10 percent. In the car, the louder the music gets (or my daughter's screams), the higher the tinnitus sound gets. Not fun!

I am not in the music business but in the 'listening' business as an IT business analyst, so I try to arrive early for meetings so I can choose the best spot and to ensure the bad side is away from the attendees.

Regarding future flights, the ENT DR said that it was very unlikely that the same thing would happen to my good ear. Didn't exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy.

So off to Costco I go to see what they have to offer! The prices are steep...seems like humans put more value on listening than seeing?!

[Cajundaddy]

This is a pretty good description of the problem and ways to avoid barotrauma when flying or diving. It's all about equalizing the pressure in your ears as outside pressure changes. The site also has good info and recommendations on hearing aids. I suffer mild hearing loss and tinnitus from 40 years of playing rock music and I am hanging on to what I've got left for as long as possible.

Good luck!

Barotrauma - A guide to Hearing Loss

[dennis in se pa]

General Hearing Instruments. Found them on Ebay for $400 a piece. Your used car salesman/audiologist will offer a slightly better option for $3000 a piece. These are very small behind the ear devices. They are programmed for high frequency loss. I wear one in my good ear. Do not listen to what they tell you about "filtering out unwanted sounds". The sounds you want to hear are voices. When you are in a crowded room it gets loud with voices. I second the idea of getting the medical issue resolved first. AN ear infection is how I lost my hearing. What was that you said?

[reachme]

I've worked with my Dad who has had about 20 sets over as many years and since I share his genes I figure this is early learning for me.
There are 3 technologies used for these. First is to amplify everything which is cheap but this does a better job of amplifying background noise which doesn't help if your hearing loss is only on certain frequencies. The second is to isolate and remove background noise frequencies while increasing voice and the third is to pattern what frequency ranges your ear has trouble with and increase only those to provide normal hearing.
For the past several years the real technology and advancement (and cost) has been combining these into one aid that combines all of these. It's pretty standard now for an audiologist to perform a listening test and map your frequency loss for each ear into the CPU of the hearing aid so it can only amplify those areas. Real "6 million dollar man" stuff and almost as expensive. Depending on your hearing loss condition and severity this is the only thing that works for him. For you maybe general amplification is good enough and thats pretty cheap.

Oh and the bluetooth stuff (TV, cell, phone) sounded great but never seemed to work for him reliably even with the expensive aids. Not sure why but test it out before you buy based on bluetooth. Good luck. . .or should I say GOOD LUCK. sorry bad joke

[Crowbob]

For those experiencing or expect to experience moderate to profound hearing loss prepare yourselves for a dramatic change in everything about your lives. Throw in tinnitus and you are facing a serious obstacle.

Socially, most people are unable to comprehend what kinds of changes you will have to go through. Hearing loss separates people from people. Vison loss separates people from things which is a much more tolerable proposition to most. If hearing instruments are not a miracle for you (and very frequently they aren't) you can become a frustrated old curmudgeon. You cannot let that happen.

When I first began experiencing tinnitus I was faced with a choice, and so will you. It was a conscious and very deliberate decision almost immediately to not let it ruin me. Tinnitus can be a debilitating thing, especially the fluctuating variety.

At first, in the 'silence' of the night there was literally a roar in my head. Anxiety and depression is very common. I decided, then and there, that it's up to me to deal with it. For me, technology and society can not offer a solution.

The first step is to RELAX. You will not likely be able to vanquish the noise. Second you will need to FOCUS. Focus on anything other than the sound in your head. Distraction from the sound will not reduce it but it will have a profound effect on how you deal with it. And third, recognize the problem as yours. It is not your family's problem, or your coworker's problem or your neighbors problem. It is your problem. Most people can not comprehend what you are experiencing. It is truly an invisible impairment and one in which people will become angry at you for. Telephones, TV, crowds and loud music, oddly enough, become your enemy.

The most effective way I've dealt with tinnitus and the associated hearing loss is to be completely up front about it with anyone you come into contact with and with whom you need to communicate. The first thing I do is inform whomever that I have a severe hearing impairment, that they need to be patient, speak slowly and reduce the small-talk. And REPEAT it to them because 28 milliseconds after they apologize, they will forget. Some think you are just stupid. Some laugh, and some just don't believe it. These responses are totally normal and it is not their fault because the problem is yours and yours alone.

My experience has taught me that almost everybody wants to be accommodating to your condition. LET THEM.

[pavulon]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write about your experiences Crowbob. I think that would help if I had the condition!

[Crowbob]

You are very welcome, pavulon. And thank you. The effects of hearing loss are not limited to the individual with the problem. My motivation for emeliorating the effects does not lie within myself. It is my opinion that it is my responsiblity to minimize the effects on the people around me. In that regard, my condition has made me a better person. At least that is my hope.

I can say without reservation that my hearing loss has had a more profound effect on me, my daily activities and the relationships I have with those I love than I could ever have imagined. I was naturally oblivious. Having enjoyed life-long superb hearing, a complete love for all things musical and hunger for communication of all kinds this was something I was not prepared for. Adjustments are to this day, of course, still being made. One of those adjustments was, and is, to embrace every day, to acknowledge that every day I wake up to is precious and to know that when my time comes, though I haven't heard the birds singing for many years, they still sing to those I've left behind.

[Rikao4]

thank you CB...
you know of what you speak // don't hear..

just a few weeks ago MIL came for a visit..
she's a nice lady..
few hrs into her visit I told my lady..
your Mom is deaf & miserable..
lot's of blank looks & what did you say..
not a good fit ..but I stuck one of my back-ups into her ear..
instant smile & participation in what's going on..
arranged for a hearing test ..
ordered same..
she called me the other night crying..
thank you ..thank you..
like you CB..
I understood her frustration..

Rika

[magnumpi]

Amazing guys. Thanks for sharing your perspectives. Crowbob you perfectly describe the challenges we experience to a tee.

[imcarthur]

I too must say thank you to Crowbob. I have been in semi-denial because my problem is manageable - at this point. I saw my father experience hearing loss - he was even getting a gov't pension for it because it was blamed on his time in the bombers over Europe & the Middle East during WW2. His hearing aid was gratis, therefore.

I can turn my cognizance of the ringing off so it hasn't affected me day to day except for noisy places - like restaurants. I can hear a cacophony of noise & voices around the room but not the guy across the table.

Ian