frugalmama Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I'm slowly coming to grips with the fact that I appear to be losing my hearing, or at least the comprehension of sounds / voices. I'm almost 28 :glare: and this has been going on for the last several years and worsening. I'm to the point now where if there is ANY background noise at all, I can't pick out the voice of the person talking to me & understand what they are saying. It's all just jumbled noise. If dd whispers I can't hear it, even if she does it in my ear. Part of my mom's side of the family has the trait of early hearing loss, and I'm beginning to think I've inherited it. I want to learn ASL & how to lip read now before I lose any more hearing. I know for kids with hearing issues, they get services through the public school system, etc. Where do adults go to get help learning how to cope with hearing loss? FWIW a hearing aid is out of the question - my insurance won't even cover hearing checks for adults {medicaid} much less hearing aids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 my insurance won't even cover hearing checks for adults {medicaid} much less hearing aids. My mother has moderately good insurance and they don't pay a dime for her hearing aids, either. Apparently Medicare pays 1/3 so it's not very generous either. Honestly I would try to find out about a way to get a hearing aid. My mom saw some that were bulky but worked that were not too expensive. Anyway I'd try to find a way to get it treated. I don't think lipreading will help in all the situations that hearing would. Like using the phone or for safety reasons of hearing sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 (edited) I found out in my early thirties that I had substantial hearing loss and was prescribed hearing aides. You will need to see an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Dr. who has an audiologist on staff. These types of doctors specialize in hearing loss. They have the "magic" sound booth thing and advance testing equipment in the office. Your family dr. should be able to recommend one. and don't worry - hearing aides have come a loooong way. Mine are invisible and completely inside my ear. You may be quite surprised at what you've been missing once you hear the difference with hearing aides! Edited to add: -- and No, insurance usually doesn't pay anything and they're not cheap. But most doctors will work out a very reasonable payment plan. Edited September 7, 2012 by Tee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 There are different kids of hearing loss caused by different medical issues. And, actually, what you are describing doesn't sound like typical hearing loss; it seems more like a speech-in-noise problem. With the family history, if I were you I would be very interested in finding out what exactly is going on because there may be things you can do to help it that might be covered by medical insurance. As a pp suggested, you need an ENT with an audiologist on staff to make sure you have all your bases covered. Don't waste your money on a hearing aid until you know what's going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 There are different kids of hearing loss caused by different medical issues. And, actually, what you are describing doesn't sound like typical hearing loss; it seems more like a speech-in-noise problem. With the family history, if I were you I would be very interested in finding out what exactly is going on because there may be things you can do to help it that might be covered by medical insurance. As a pp suggested, you need an ENT with an audiologist on staff to make sure you have all your bases covered. Don't waste your money on a hearing aid until you know what's going on. :iagree: You have to find out what the cause is before you can treat it. For a weird, rare example, my dh's hearing loss was caused by a benign tumor pressing on the acoustic nerve (it has been removed, though his hearing is still about the same). A hearing aid cannot help in that situation. When he went to get his hearing loss checked out, the test showed a particular pattern that pointed to this possibility (and then he went for an MRI, etc. etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 :iagree: You have to find out what the cause is before you can treat it. For a weird, rare example, my dh's hearing loss was caused by a benign tumor pressing on the acoustic nerve (it has been removed, though his hearing is still about the same). A hearing aid cannot help in that situation. When he went to get his hearing loss checked out, the test showed a particular pattern that pointed to this possibility (and then he went for an MRI, etc. etc.). Absolutely! I think in wapiti's dh's case there is a genetic predisposition for these kinds of tumors. In the past, people weren't knowledgeable about this and may not have had the imaging to diagnose it, and now it's detectable and treatable. More than that, too, you wouldn't not want to take care of it. The thing about this and and some other conditions is that there can be effects on other body systems, and it's better to know than not know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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