Get a hearing aid

[Andara Bledin]

Some people go a little overboard in pointing this out, but it could be that the woman just wasn't aware that she's missing a tone section in her ability to hear.

My dad was a machinist for a very long time (back before hearing protection was a big thing) and he's missing one of the upper ranges. I had a VW with a squealing transaxle that drove me to distraction that he couldn't hear at all.

The "stone deaf" comment is also a little overboard, especially in light of the fact that the woman could obviously participate in a full conversation with the clerk at the store.

I have a hearing problem that goes entirely the other direction; I hear sounds that aren't there. I have a fairly heavy case of tinnitus. It gets a little irritating when I notice it because it's fairly loud inside my head, but I'm fortunate in that it doesn't interfere with my ability to hear actual sounds and it doesn't distract me or keep me up at night.

^-.-^

[Peppergirl]

My father is a retired firefighter.

He was the driver for many years. BEFORE protection was mandatory.

See where this is going?

You have to SHOUT to get him to answer you, and he uses this as an excuse. Oh, and the marine corps from the EARLY 1960's another reason, according to him.

But here's an interesting thing: If me and my mom stand around whispering (usually about him or something we dont want him to know), he somehow manages to hear EVERY WORD.

Kinda negates his "I'm deaf because of the fire department/marine corps" theory, doesn't it?

[AnqeiicDemise]

My neighbor's hubby's creepy awesome. We used to joke that he had superhearing to the point that he could hear our thoughts (he's 45, btw). I mean, we'd be sitting there in silence, I'd think something, was about to ask it out loud and T would have already responded.

About three months ago, he got offered a job and in order to GET the job he had to pass a drug/hearing test. My hubs, neighbor and I tease T about how the tester's going to think she's nuts/he's cheating at his superhearing. He just rolls his eyes because he thinks we're exageratting. He thinks WE are the deaf ones and the rest of the world live in his super-hearing world.

He comes back later that day and tells us:

"I had to take the hearing test three times. Apperantly, I'm in the top 8% tier in the hearing aspect. I guess you guys are right in saying I was a dog in my past life."

His wife, on the other hand: deaf,deaf,deaf.

[BookstoreEscapee]

\
I have a hearing problem that goes entirely the other direction; I hear sounds that aren't there. I have a fairly heavy case of tinnitus. It gets a little irritating when I notice it because it's fairly loud inside my head, but I'm fortunate in that it doesn't interfere with my ability to hear actual sounds and it doesn't distract me or keep me up at night.

^-.-^

I have tinnitis, too. Plus I hear a different tone in each ear. It started when I was 14, and my mom took me to the doctor; they tested my hearing and discovered I had a 25% hearing loss in my right ear, and 20% in my left (explains why everyone complained about my TV/radio volume and I would turn it down and couldn't hear it!). I had ear tubes a couple months later and the very next day I could hear a BIG difference (the "door is open" beeper on my parents' van was so much louder!). Had them in for 18 months. I haven't had my hearing tested since then, though. The tubes didn't help the ringing but I used to get a lot of ear infections, and I have had only 2 since the tubes (and I'm 32 now). Mostly I can ignore the ringing, but every once in a while it gets really loud in one ear for a minute or so, then goes back to "normal."

I remember a while back there was a thread about the ring tones that only people under 30 can hear. Someone posted a link to different tones to see what you could hear, and the ones I could hear just drove me nuts to listen to.

Fun fact: In general, women begin to lose the ability to hear the lower registers first as they age, while men begin to lose the upper registers. Helps explain the cliche of the little old couple who can't hear each other!

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

warning, minor ick factor

There's another, kind of icky, reason for hearing loss.

Earwax. It is possible to get a plug in the ear canal. And gee, semi-solid object in the ear canal can replicate deafness. Who knew!

I know someone who has to regularly get someone to help clean ears, because the ears have to be flooded with warm water & peroxide. And flooding your own ears can be very hard (let's see, fill bowl with warm water & peroxide mix? check. Hold head at awkward angle? check. Fill device from bowl- without spilling bowl? check. Squirt ear, without spilling liquid elsewhere -without being able to see what you're doing? Yeah, good luck with that).

[RetailWorkhorse]

My neighbor's hubby's creepy awesome. We used to joke that he had superhearing to the point that he could hear our thoughts (he's 45, btw). I mean, we'd be sitting there in silence, I'd think something, was about to ask it out loud and T would have already responded.

Radar O'Reilly?!

I have tinnitis, too.

Ditto. Since I was a kid, both ears, different tones. CONSTANT. Doesn't stop, but sometimes switches.

And flooding your own ears can be very hard (let's see, fill bowl with warm water & peroxide mix? check. Hold head at awkward angle? check. Fill device from bowl- without spilling bowl? check. Squirt ear, without spilling liquid elsewhere -without being able to see what you're doing? Yeah, good luck with that).

That's what the squeeze-bulb thing is for. Mmmm, warm water inside my skull.....yush......

[LifeCarnie]

I'm with Ree on this. I'm not yet forty, but I've been and had my hearing tested.

I agree with Ree too. I'm not yet forty and I have some really serious low frequency hearing loss. From working around helicopters without proper hearing protection damaged my hearing.

I was at a concert last summer and my friends were picking on how deaf I am. I couldn't hear the girl at the beer booth AT ALL and they could all hear her clearly.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

That's what the squeeze-bulb thing is for. Mmmm, warm water inside my skull.....yush......

Right! That's what it's called. I had a mental hiccup & that word just wouldn't process. Thank you.

[Andara Bledin]

That's what the squeeze-bulb thing is for. Mmmm, warm water inside my skull.....yush......

When I was little, I used to have to get hot oil treatments. This is something my dad would do for me. (he wasn't a complete loser, just nearly) Those treatments felt soooo good.

As for earwax, one of my co-workers had this problem.

As background, she's a totally clueless technophile. She loves tech, but she's not very bright at all, and she honestly doesn't know what the hell she's doing with any of her gadgets.

Anyway, one in a long string of phones (that she kept paying cancellation fees on, idiot) was giving her problems. She was complaining about how she'd turned it all the way up, but she could hardly hear. She had another co-worker check it out, and the other person said it sounded fine. So the other person suggested she switch ears, and she did, and it worked fine.

So, she goes to her doctor, and it turns out that she had a major wax build up that had reduced her to about only 20% hearing on that side.

How does someone not notice that?!?

^-.-^

[InsanityInc]

I got "volunteered" to take my grandpa to the hearing doctor. Actually, I kinda insisted, because I'm the only one in the family locally who's not going deaf. (The rest of my family all worked factories prior to the whole ear protection thing).
My grandpa knew he was losing sounds, but didn't realize how bad. Until, I'm 20 feet out the door, and he's sitting right next to this machine emitting a high-pitched squeel, and he couldn't hear it. The the doctor had me read a list of words to him, maybe 10-15 words, and he got 2 right. He realized he was lip-reading, and picking up words from the context.

Long story short, he loves his hearing aids, and says he didn't realize how much he was missing.

[protege]

How does someone not notice that?!?

It could have started gradually...and the person simply got used to it.

I've had ear problems for years, starting when I was 2. Not sure what happened, but I had some massive pain in my right ear one night. Turned out I had a serious ear infection, that might have damaged my hearing. The next several years were spent messing about putting tubes in, draining fluid, etc. Trust me, it sucked. It annoyed the hell out of my mother (and teachers), mainly because I'd miss things in class, yet I could hear the Norfolk & Western's locomotives several miles away. People would look at me like "WTF?" Turns out I could pick up the vibrations of the locomotives pounding away...not the sounds of the engines themselves. Does that make any sense?

Even now, I still get ear infections...including a nasty one last year. That one caused my world to go silent for a few days

Getting back on topic, for some people, a hearing aid won't help matters. How do I know this? My dad's completely deaf on one side. He lost his hearing while playing soccer--he got tripped, and his head hit the ground. Because his hearing on that side is totally gone, it was pointless to get a hearing aid. He's overcome that...and surprises the hell out of people when they think he can't hear them

[Pagan]

So, she goes to her doctor, and it turns out that she had a major wax build up that had reduced her to about only 20% hearing on that side.

How does someone not notice that?!?

It could have started gradually...and the person simply got used to it.

That's exactly how it happens. My ears produce a lot of wax because of allergies and the itching that they cause. Every once in awhile, I'll get the wax cleaned out and oh, man does it mess with my equilibrium for a little while! (On a side note, never get your nose cauterized for nosebleeds and then get your ears cleaned out. I did that once and passed out!)

Funny thing, though, even though I get a lot of wax, it has never affected my hearing. My ears are actually very sensitive. I can hear the buzzing that a fluorescent light makes when it's getting ready to burn out when nobody else can hear it.

[Andara Bledin]

I know how you can not realize you're slowly losing sounds. I totally understand that.

What I can't understand is how you can have gone pretty much deaf in only one ear and not notice the difference from the other ear.

Then again, I do have to realize that she's not relaly the brightest bulb in the marquis...

^-.-^

[Broomjockey]

What I can't understand is how you can have gone pretty much deaf in only one ear and not notice the difference from the other ear.

Your brain just sort of adjusts over time, and if nothing like those special circumstances like you describe happen, you just sorta think it's an overall loss. I'm fairly lucky though. My exessive ear wax build-up occurs in BOTH ears

[Record Store Tough Guy]

All I could do was stand there and exchange WTF glances with my mom. And thus my faith in humanity took a small dive today.

Why? If she was that old, then it was nothing she could help. But I know what you mean about faith in humanity taking a dive.


/snark