Any one with severe hearing loss here?

[phillywood]

Well, around me I keep running into lots of wood turners who have hearing problems, then I keep reading or hearing from pros that "you can tell by the way the bowl blank or the cutting tool sounds.............". I wonder if these guys assume that every one is capable of hearing the darn tool cutting the wood instead of feeling it? Heck, i am deaf in one ear and have severe hearing loss in the other. I wear BAHA(bone anchored hearing aid) on the left and the behind the ear hearing aid on the right.
since, the left one is $3000.00+ and the right one is about $3000.00 I have to take the left one out and wear the old hearing aid in the right ear which I can not hear form it that good, so I rely on the feel of the wood coming in contact with the cutting tool to know what I am doing. I also, wear a surgeon's cap that they use in the operating room over my head and the hearing aid that covers it so dust won't ruin it.
Like to suggest that next time one of these smarties make a video they remember that good number of artists are hard of hearing and so they won't say that just "listen to the sound of cutting tool".
I guess they are just smart with making a bowl not other medical issues, huh? Oh, some of them can't even watch their own video befor eloading it to see is the sound is load enough then I guess they assume that we are all young and have excellent vision so we can see the videos and figure out what they are doing.
Ok, I rest my case now.

[dabbler]

Lack of awareness of disabilities in internet content and delivery has been around for years. It's increasingly common because everyone with a special interest or skill, a camcorder or half decent smartphone and an internet connection thinks they're the only required elements. Don't get me wrong. Some people do a great job all round. Some start badly and just never seem to improve.

Coincidentally, this link appeared in my inbox today.
Creating an ADA-compliant website | TechRepublic (http://m.techrepublic.com/blog/webmaster/creating-an-ada-compliant-website/1425?tag=nl.e124)
It's for the mobile version but should work on a desktop or laptop.

OZ has a published guidelines somewhere too (as do many countries). There are also websites that scan and evaluate your website and content's suitability for people with disabilities then report back any shortcomings and recommend fixes.

It's extra work to be compliant so many author's don't bother unless they see a good reason (in my experience usually a financial or legislative one).

[Acco]

Yep profound hearing loss for me, cochlear implant on left ear done six months ago after losing the last bit of hearing in it 2 yrs or so ago and right ear is still coping with a hearing aid but expect I may need an implant done on it in the next twenty yrs if the hearing starts going on it.

Lost hearing in both ears due to menegitus at 11mths old and have had major difficulties all my life but since I've had the implant done, things have gotten better and expect it to get better still. But in saying all that, yes I agree with what you're saying, I struggled to pick the sweet spot as well and I've yet to turn anything since the op but that will change soon as I expect to go to Cliff's turn on at 's at the end of April :2tsup:

[bsrlee]

Only a bit in one ear for me, but I have a friend (machinist) who is steadily loosing his hearing - you can see him lip-reading you - and he can tell how fast a machine is going and what you are doing wrong from another room - through a brick & concrete wall. I suspect that it is by picking up transmitted vibration together with his remaining hearing & 30+ years experience.

[BobL]

17% loss in one ear and 20% in the other. It doesn't sound like much but it's apparently enough for me to be classified as legally hearing impaired. Conversations in crowds irritate me intensely, and I can't often hear what my students are saying - probably a joke at my expense. Movies are difficult and I need the TV up a good 20% over what SWMBO likes to hear. Have been in for a try of hearing aids but after a try for a few minutes I felt like I would stay without for a bit longer.

[phillywood]

17% loss in one ear and 20% in the other. It doesn't sound like much but it's apparently enough for me to be classified as legally hearing impaired. Conversations in crowds irritate me intensely, and I can't often hear what my students are saying - probably a joke at my expense. Movies are difficult and I need the TV up a good 20% over what SWMBO likes to hear. Have been in for a try of hearing aids but after a try for a few minutes I felt like I would stay without for a bit longer.
Bob, those symptoms are I think common among people with hearing problems. I combat the TV problem and I have done it for many years now that I don't longer remember when I did it. Here is what I have done. I have purchased a Sony wireless head phone that Transmitter part attaches to your hearing device, in this case TV or all your Electronic component. then you have wireless head phone and I can go outside in the yard up to 200 Ft. i guess and I still can hear from the head phone. Now, recent development is the blue tooth Technology and Phonek (hearing aid manuf.) has it that it will program to whatever is Bluetooth compatible including your cell phone, new TV (assuming yours is the digital since they got rid of all tehe analogs in USA) so you can go around and w/o worrying about anything. Now, As for trying hearing aids and not liking it, you have to remember the concept about crawling before walking, your dispenser should have told you to try wearing it 2 hrs. a day and then increase the no. of hours every day little at a time until your brain can digest the sounds it's receiving. Just to tell you that if you continue not wearing the hearing aids your hearing will decline and you would have more difficulty and frustrations when it gets to the point that you have to wear it 16hr./7 a day. I hope this will shed some light on the problem and I am by no means a Dr., but been wearing the darn thingy for almost 30 years now.

[3 toed sloth]

Bob, I can certainly relate to your post. I wear hearing aids in both ears now.

I find conversations in a crowd extremely challenging to the point where I no longer enjoy social occasions much. I also teach and sometimes find it difficult to pick up student's comments. The problem is compounded because the youngsters often mumble and speak quietly.

My hearing is not perfect with the hearing aids but there is no way I could continue to teach without them.

I find an unfortunate side affect of poor hearing is that people are inclined to think you're a bit slow, or stupid because you don't always hear what has been said. (or maybe I am just a bit slow:D)

[phillywood]

Bob, I can certainly relate to your post. I wear hearing aids in both ears now.

I find conversations in a crowd extremely challenging to the point where I no longer enjoy social occasions much. I also teach and sometimes find it difficult to pick up student's comments. The problem is compounded because the youngsters often mumble and speak quietly.

My hearing is not perfect with the hearing aids but there is no way I could continue to teach without them.

I find an unfortunate side affect of poor hearing is that people are inclined to think you're a bit slow, or stupid because you don't always hear what has been said. (or maybe I am just a bit slow:D)
3 toed sloth, Sorry you don't ahve any names under your profile for me to address you.
First of all you are a teacher so lets define the word "Aid" as in hearing aid. It simply menas an aid to hearing not a replacement of it, contrary to the popular belief most pople think that once we have the hearing aids on then we are cured and can hear just like a normal hearing person. Unfortunately, the technology still have a long way to go to find the rel answer to our dilema. However, on a positive note you just mentioned that you teach and it would be harder for you to function W/O the hearing aids. The truth lies on general publics lack of knowlege about hearing impaired persons. You know for sure people knwo how to handle someone who is blind, and aslo how to talk to or react to them. Unfortunately, same is not true about hearing impaired people like us.
As for social events, it's a turture for me and I can not even grasp most of the conversations around me, so that is out the door for me. Going with the loved ones to a restaurant is hard , because I can not participate in conversation since I miss a lot of it, so my wife is my crouch and most of the time she repeats back the conversations.
I gues a world wide campaign about the hearing impaired and our struggle is long due and normal heairng poeple should understand us so we can live a bette rquality of lives.
Ok, I step off my soap box now.:rolleyes::wink:

[Allan at Wallan]

Having read this post I guess there are many in the same
situation, particularly as we get older.

Over the last year I have shown a little anger with my wife for
a) trying to talk with me whilst having her head in a cupboard
or walking away from me toward another room.
b) asking me a question whilst I am standing beside the
kettle boiling away madly.

The has frequently told me to get my hearing checked and
in turn I ask her to communicate more clearly and to stop
mumbling. Surely I am not the only one in this predicament.

However, I recently had my hearing checked and found some
problems. Tinnitus in both ears and the left ear with more
problems than the right at high pitch. I am currently awaiting
the results (appointment 18th April) of a recent M.R.I. test.

Even more disturbing is the fact that I cannot tolerate noise
at mass gatherings, e.g. my grand-daughters engagement
party. Not just the music but the babble of voices where I
simply cannot understand conversations. It is embarrassing.

Nerve deafness seems to be my problems and my
sympathy goes to others who are dealing with it.

Allan

[phillywood]

Having read this post I guess there are many in the same
situation, particularly as we get older.

Over the last year I have shown a little anger with my wife for
a) trying to talk with me whilst having her head in a cupboard
or walking away from me toward another room.
b) asking me a question whilst I am standing beside the
kettle boiling away madly.

The has frequently told me to get my hearing checked and
in turn I ask her to communicate more clearly and to stop
mumbling. Surely I am not the only one in this predicament.

However, I recently had my hearing checked and found some
problems. Tinnitus in both ears and the left ear with more
problems than the right at high pitch. I am currently awaiting
the results (appointment 18th April) of a recent M.R.I. test.

Even more disturbing is the fact that I cannot tolerate noise
at mass gatherings, e.g. my grand-daughters engagement
party. Not just the music but the babble of voices where I
simply cannot understand conversations. It is embarrassing.

Nerve deafness seems to be my problems and my
sympathy goes to others who are dealing with it.

Allan
Allan, firs of all don' t feel that you are alone. My wife knew about my hearing problem when she marreid me and then it got progressivley worse since mine was due to a childhood measles and by the first year of my marriage I had to get my first hearing aid. Now, almost 29 years late and almost 10 surgeries she still forgets that she shouldn't be telling me anything when she is the bedroom and I am in the kitchen clear across the longest lenght of the house. I suggest that you let your wife know that you recognize that you have the hearing problem and she should take that into consideration when she converses with you. The most iportant thing is that you shouldn't get upset when youdidn't hear soemthing and ask people to repet it again and more importantly if someone tells you "forget it", "never mind", "nothing" then you can tell who your true freinds are and keep distance form them. We simply didn't chose to become this way most of it contributed by the modern technology and other enviromental factors that msot people lose their hearings.
One thing which I like to emphesize is that once you get your hearing aid take your time and gradually increase the number of hours you wear it so, it becomes part of you, and since we are wood workers here, when around machinaries make sure you wear the hearing protection since those equip.s do cause more loss of hearing.

[Chesand]

My younger daughter is an audiologist with more than 20 years clinical experience and I have spoken to her about this thread. There is good advice in the above posts.
Her experience when working with hearing aids was that people got frustrated when first fitted and often did not continue with them. They were hearing sounds and noises that they had not heard for some time and became overwhelmed.
Hearing aids are adjustable by the supplier for noise levels. This and perserverence should overcome most problems.
There is a Tinnitus Association and a lot of useful information is available from them to help cope with this annoying complaint.

[phillywood]

My younger daughter is an audiologist with more than 20 years clinical experience and I have spoken to her about this thread. There is good advice in the above posts.
Her experience when working with hearing aids was that people got frustrated when first fitted and often did not continue with them. They were hearing sounds and noises that they had not heard for some time and became overwhelmed.
Hearing aids are adjustable by the supplier for noise levels. This and perserverence should overcome most problems.
There is a Tinnitus Association and a lot of useful information is available from them to help cope with this annoying complaint.
Herbie, she is right, however a looking at a brain anatomy and how different part of brain is dedicated to different senses, one can lern that a part in the brain is dedicated for hearing and when it does not receive the the electrical signals that are associated with hearing and they are then translated to what the brain persives it as sound, what happens is that when any members of the hearing are damaged or compromised brain has a tendency to dedicate its portion of the hearing part to other senses, then little by little that portion of the brain for hearing gets less involve in interpresting the signals that are coming to it or lack of them. So, when one gets the hearing aid now that part of the brain has to translate the incoming signal to what it used to receive and since it already retired those signals in the past it acts that those sounds are new and has to adjust itself to interpreting the new sounds. Of, course we used to know what they were , because of the past and the memory portion of the brain, but the signals have to be relearned. This contributes to frustrations and discomfort to he hearing imapired person, in turn it causes the person not wanting to wear the hearing aids and getting upset because brain reacts to that much sounds and can not filter the excess of it. Of course you can ask your daughter and she'll tell you that hearing aids are just that aids and not replacements. Plus when one has neurological damamge then brain is not capable to understanding or processing thsoe signals any more.
I hope those of us that are inflicted by this dilema will take tiem and educate the people we come in contact with so we can live more of a normal life, since it's not their fault for not knowing enough about this world wide issue. Again, I have heard they say, you'd never know what pian is untiul you hurt yourelf. So, as such we can not expect normal hearing people would understand what we go through.

[SAISAY]

I wish people would understand that hearing loss is not helped by shouting and raising the voice distorts the sound even more.
Just because you can't interpret the spoken work, especially if you can't see their faces, doesn't mean you aren't intelligent.

Wolffie (not cheerful about this)

[professori_au]

Bob, those symptoms are I think common among people with hearing problems. I combat the TV problem and I have done it for many years now that I don't longer remember when I did it. Here is what I have done. I have purchased a Sony wireless head phone that Transmitter part attaches to your hearing device, in this case TV or all your Electronic component. then you have wireless head phone and I can go outside in the yard up to 200 Ft. i guess and I still can hear from the head phone. Now, recent development is the blue tooth Technology and Phonek (hearing aid manuf.) has it that it will program to whatever is Bluetooth compatible including your cell phone, new TV (assuming yours is the digital since they got rid of all tehe analogs in USA) so you can go around and w/o worrying about anything. Now, As for trying hearing aids and not liking it, you have to remember the concept about crawling before walking, your dispenser should have told you to try wearing it 2 hrs. a day and then increase the no. of hours every day little at a time until your brain can digest the sounds it's receiving. Just to tell you that if you continue not wearing the hearing aids your hearing will decline and you would have more difficulty and frustrations when it gets to the point that you have to wear it 16hr./7 a day. I hope this will shed some light on the problem and I am by no means a Dr., but been wearing the darn thingy for almost 30 years now.

It is sad to consider how little patience so many of the modern generation frequently show with people with a disability. I too have a hearing loss that is gradually getting worse. I had both ears tested and was provided with a hearing aid (left and right), but I found them of little help. They were supposed to cut background noise but I found that all level of sounds increased equally as you increased the volume, so they finished in the drawer. I can hear to a certain extent one on one, especially if I can see their face and lips. I would not say I lip read, but watching their lips and facial expression seems to help. Hearing loss, How? Years of sitting on a tractor with the exhaust blaring near my head and also working with steel and machinery, before we became aware of such a thing as industrial deafness. I keep pushing the young ones to make sure they protect their ears by wearing good ear muffs. I have to go for another hearing test but I am doubtful about the outcome but will give it a go. Might have some new technology available that could help:~. I tell those who are intolerant don’t make hasty judgments before you understand. It is difficult for them to understand until they too have walked the mile you walk. The important thing is not to let them get you down and depressed.
Side effect of deafness is that you tend to side-line yourself in company. I still, despite my age (79) work as a community advocate, but then I usually work one on one with my clients. However, when I need to go to court to speak on behalf of a client I use the hearing aids as they help except when the magistrate talks to the tableJ. However, in fairness I find most courts do their utmost to provide whatever help I need to hear and be heard. Most of my time I spend doing research and briefing someone else to speak except where there may be some technology, science or other specialised issue I need to speak myself as the person who I have asked to speak for me may not fully understand.
One of my passions is trying to help those with disabilities, especially children and children with autistic spectrum conditions. Australia is approximately 30 or more years behind the rest of the world when it comes to providing support for them. When the government says it is going to spend so many millions on this are you will find much or most of it is spect expanding and shoring up the administration base and what little manages to get through is the support, so it never seems to amount to much.
Anyway I have got sidetracked as it was for a different reason I came on tonight but after reading I could not avoid responding to express my understanding. Regards to all
Cheers

[riverbuilder]

So, here I am 8 years after the last post in this thread, reading it and thinking” That’s what I have”, and “ that’s what I’ve experienced “.
I went and got tested about 3 years ago, and I knew I had significant loss and tinnitus, and sure enough,45% in the right and about 24% in the left. I was fitted with the new,small, behind the ear type of aids, and they are absolutely remarkable. They are “smart” aids, and are connected by Bluetooth to my phone,so I can control them easily. There’s an app on my phone which is simple to drive, with lots of help features and videos.The smart aids even have different settings for different social situations,as well as outdoors, and the people at the shop(Bay Audio) are very helpful and can customise everything to suit you and what you want the hearing aids to do. The aids were not cheap ($9k), but because I am young (50), I wasn’t eligible for any assistance, but, they are worth every cent.
So, my point is, if you’re one of those who commented on this thread years ago, and haven’t been back to get fitted with hearing aids, go, the technology has improved, and is getting better all the time. You might be surprised.

[apple8]

I was having my hearing loss monitored since retiring after working in a noisy environment for 50+ years and two years ago was fitted with hearing aids due to industrial deafness. The units supplied are the second top model with no option to top up for the top model. Batteries are free for life and the units are replaced every five years. Naturally enough a new model came out about six months later.


During the insurance claim I was sent to a ENT specialist to confirm the loss and cause. My losses were in the high frequencies and during our talk he pointed out that another effect is that I could mishear words, which explains why SWMBO was saying something different to what I was hearing, sometimes with undesirable results :U.


The other thing he picked was a hearing loss imbalance, which is unusual for industrial deafness. He wrote a letter to my GP to refer me to a local ENT to investigate. Apparently there is a condition where a very very slow growth (the name I can’t remember) can develop in the ear canal and eventually get to the brain, fortunately for me the scan came back ok.


My experience with them is mostly positive, they do take a bit of getting used to until the brain adjusts, at first crunching up paper or number ones in the toilet bowl and running water seemed unrealistically loud. A big plus though for me is that music is so much better with high frequencies returned and I am hearing it all anew, along with hearing and understanding conversations again, although in noisy environments like clubs and pubs I have to knock the volume down a notch as I get a bit overwhelmed from noise from multiple directions.


Overall I agree with riverbuilder and for me it’s changed my life for the better and for people around me.

[AlexS]

I haven't been tested, but appear to have slight hearing loss, when I compare the volume that I need the TV to that needed by SWMBO.

I used to laugh at those guys who used their 'selective' deafness as an excuse for not hearing what their wives said. Now I find it quite useful.

[wood spirit]

What was that again?

[BobL]

About 25 years ago SWMBO convinced me to have a hearing test and was found to have significant loss in one ear and some moderate loss in the other - it was all at higher frequencies which explained why I found it hard to follow female speech :D and movie and TV speech were hard to follow. I was finding I really disliked noisy environments even dinner parties, restaurants and pubs etc so had started avoided these like the plague also much to SWMBO's irritation.

The audiologist who did the test - a man of few words - looked at the results and said, "too much 70's rock music", and he was right. I'd go to lots of concerts and go early and get a place right up close to one of the speaker stacks, I wasn't happy unless I could feel my "inards" vibrating.

He also indicated that as hearing response naturally deteriorates with age and that by the time I'm 50 I will need a hearing aid.

This frightened me a bit so I made every effort to protect my hearing wherever possible. I bought noise cancelling head phones for plane travel, researched and bought the best ear muffs I could find and wore these in the shed, I even wore these muffs on planes when my son lost my noise cancelling muffs - got lots of funny looks. I remember my SIL 40th birthday party at a pub. I sat for 2 minutes inside with the gang where a DJ was blasting out disco music and then went outside and found the quietest corner of the beer garden. I do the same thing these days but don't get me wrong, I still like and occasionally still listen to loud music provided its what I like.

When I got into chainsaw milling about 15 years back and modified the chainsaw exhausts I use high quality muffs AND earplugs etc. I installed a "sound pressure level" app on my mobile so I could check sound levels where ever I was. At the mens shed I would take readings and wave them in front of members performing noisy operations with no muffs on. The one that really got me was a member who said "It's OK I've turned off my hearing aid"!

Recently I decided to have another test. Turns out I had protected my ears so well that the hearing loss since the previous test was minimal and now my hearing loss in the bad ear was mostly only a few % below average for my age and the other was average for my age. It's not like my hearing got better but everyone else's has deteriorated faster than mine. I still conveniently have that dent in the high frequencies around 4k that makes it hard to follow female speech. Of course the audiologist tried to sell mea hearing aids but I figure as long as my music sounds OK with my iPhone volume on just over half way I'm still OK.

Interestingly my 4 year grandson its autistic and finds loud (especially sudden) noises (also lights) really frighten and confuse him so much he freaks out. To help him his parents have decided to run a low sound household eg TV sound is always turned down very low - so much I find it hard to hear. To cope with at things like Wiggles concerts his parents have provided him with earmuffs and it makes a heap of difference. The grandson can decide when to take them off and on so being in control means he's less frightened. l wonder what his hearing will be like later in life?

[Gary H]

And here's another one who's hard of hearing. TV can now be heard by using a bluetooth transmitter attached to the TV with the hearing aid/s programmed for that device and a small receiver around my neck. I can hear it, even while the TV is turned to Mute, and the wife enjoys the TV not running at full volume. Only downside is that when I have it on I can't hear the phone ringing (but with all the nuisance calls, that is probably a blessing).

And while watching the YouTube videos I have to use the cc (typed text) but the text translation makes for some hilarious reading/watching. One guy "prefers turning girls" (I assume he said Burls) and in Riverbuilder's YouTube video on his Walkaround of My Bench the house is "a bird only access house"! :oo: The mind boggles!

The cause, in my case, was probably a very unusual Industrial Deafness. I am a retired Accountant and claim Industrial Deafness was caused by my clients yelling when I told them how much tax they had to pay! But, there are millions a lot worse off than us Deaf 'uns, so keep enjoying this great hobby, and never lose your sense of humour!

Cheers, Gary

[riverbuilder]

������ you know you can Bluetooth them to your ipad to watch YouTube? I’ll leave it to you to work out about the birds, and boats :U:2tsup:

[Gary H]

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, my equipment requires a separate bluetooth transmitter and receiver coupled to the hearing aid/s and all programmed by the audiologist. so not real simple. Anyway, I would miss the laughs I get from the cc translations, especially ones like "hold the chisel firmly against the tourist"! Not wanting to face armed robbery charges, I settled for "toolrest".

[Robson Valley]

I can appreciate that people speak loudly enough and clearly enough.
However, many of the sounds that people make do not match any words in my head.
The Dr. knew immediately what it was when I mentioned it.
"Aural Cognitive Dysfunction."
There's a little age-related frequency attenuation, some volume loss but all to be expected.

English is my first language, I was pretty good at it.
Now, I can't figure out what people are saying to me.
THEY get annoyed when I try to figure out what they said.

Even worse is the common response when I say:
"I have no idea what all you just said to me."

One of several reasons why I retired when I got the chance.
Could not cope with work conversations. Background noise was a wipe-out.

These COVID mask things are really the last straw.