Would You Pursue Further Testing? (Hearing Related)

[Hunter's Moon]

Ever since I was little, I've had what was referred to as selective hearing.

 

I've had numerous hearing tests, all coming back perfect. At the age of 19, I was tested for Auditory Processing Disorder, but the Audiologist said I didn't seem to have it.

 

However, I still struggle to hear.

 

Friends and family have to repeat themselves multiple times, and it's difficult for me to focus on a sound when too much is going on around me. Sometimes, it takes me a minute or two to add the correct words to the context of a sentence, because I either didn't catch the words or I heard them but they didn't make sense at the time. For example, if someone says "I have to make a dentist appointment," I may have heard everything but dentist, and then slowly have to piece that into the sentence for it to make sense to the rest of the conversation.

 

I do have sinus issues (chronic sinusitis and seasonal allergies). The meds do what they can, but I obviously still have symptoms on occasion (sinus headaches, stuffy nose). The ENT doctor, however, said my ears looked clear and didn't think there were any sinus-related issues for my hearing. He told me I just have to be extra vigilant during conversation (read lips and focus intently) to catch everything. Which, I do, but I still miss quite a bit if the talker is facing to the side (walking beside me) or not looking in my direction at all.

 

The latest thing that made me worry was an old watch going off in my drawer. I was sitting diagonal from the drawer, and I happened to turn my head so that my ear lined up with the drawer. I heard faint beeps. Turning my head away from the drawer (towards the wall or towards the rest of the room), however, and the sound completely disappeared. I'm maybe a foot away from the drawer, and I tried it several times to see if it was just a quirk. But each time, I could only hear the beeps when my ear was directly pointed towards the drawer.

 

Is there anything further I can do? According to the Audiologists and ENT, my ears are structurally normal. According to the Audiologist who performed the Auditory Processing Disorder exam, I don't seem to exhibit symptoms of APD during testing, though she agreed that my symptoms in the real world sounded like it (piecing together sentences, having trouble with differences between similar words, etc.).

[Crimson Wife]

That does sound strange and I would recommend calling up the closest university that has an audiology program and pursuing further testing through their clinic. Even if you have to travel, I think it would be worth it. A university clinic will have specialized testing equipment that many audiologists wouldn't because most people just need a regular "raise your hand when you hear the beep" test.

 

You can find the closest university by using ASHA's EdFind website. You would click the buttons for AudD. degree and Audiology and then select the state from the drop down menu: http://www.asha.org/edfind/search.aspx

[Hunter's Moon]

That does sound strange and I would recommend calling up the closest university that has an audiology program and pursuing further testing through their clinic. Even if you have to travel, I think it would be worth it. A university clinic will have specialized testing equipment that many audiologists wouldn't because most people just need a regular "raise your hand when you hear the beep" test.

 

You can find the closest university by using ASHA's EdFind website. You would click the buttons for AudD. degree and Audiology and then select the state from the drop down menu: http://www.asha.org/edfind/search.aspx

Thanks for the link - there's one within an hour of me and another within 2 hours, so I'll definitely check those out! Do all programs listed have clinics attached?