Hearing Aids

motorcycleguy
motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

So, I did everything possible to try to eradicate my hearing. I grew up on a farm, around noisy equipment, shot guns, listened to intensely loud music, and spent time in a US Navy ship's engine room!

Then, I got Cisplatin Chemo...

Ironically, my hearing is actually good ... in the lower frequencies.

But, it drops off at higher frequencies.

I heard that a person who has trouble hearing will start to drop out of conversations, especially with background noise. I also heard that if a person can't accurately hear their own voice, speech can slowly get more indistict.

So, I recently started trying out a pair of hearing aids. My girlfriend says she noticed an immediate difference! I can hear my own voice clearly! I hear 10 times the number of birds and music sounds incredibly good again!

The most amazing thing to me, is that I've had Tinnitus for years - and it definitely relieves me of much of that!

So - if Cisplatin Chemo did a number on your hearing, you migh consider trying hearing aids!

MG

Comments

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,464 Member
    #2
    Hey MG Thanks

    For sharing your situation with hearing impairment. I have tinnitus also from the cisplatin treatment but I have more or less gotten used to it. Also worked around noise and had loud music also. I'm sure my wife would tell you I say "HuH" way too much. I at times have thought about hearing aids so this may urge me on. Glad it relieved your tinnitus that is the first time I heard hearing aids relieving tinnitus but each person is different so I am glad it helped you and it gives others hope. It sounds good (not a pun but I guess it is.)? Always good to hear the birds and God's creation again and be able to hear and talk to people better again. Thanks for sharing MG Take care-God Bless-Russ

  • tommyodavey
    tommyodavey Member Posts: 728 Member
    edited May 2021 #3
    Good Ones

    You must have received some very good hearing aids.  I got mine about 5 years ago because of the same hearing loss, high frequency and mostly womens voices.  All mine did was to increase the volume so what I heard was just louder talk that I couldn't understand so I stopped using them.  A waste of $3700.  They do make one now that changes the decibel sound that is lost to a lower frequency so it can be heard.  Those are almost triple the cost of my last ones.

    maybe I'll go check again and see if things got better.  Thanks for posting this good news.

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    edited May 2021 #4
    Well,

    these are new - and I'm just doing a 45 day trial. My insurance cut the cost from $7000 to $ 1,200 - so I got a good deal.

    So far, I think I like them, but it's hard to say if it will become a habit or not. I can see where they would keep a person from feeling isolated!

    mg

  • debbiel0
    debbiel0 Member Posts: 134 Member
    #5
    Hearing aids have really

    Hearing aids have really worked well for me! I hadn't realized how much I wasnt hearing. I still have trouble hearing the radio and conversations when driving on the highway. And now with covid, masks and plexiglass between my and the clerks at the store, make it difficult. I think I got very used to lip reading without realizing it. My audiologist tweaked them every couple of weeks until we got a good base line. Now I go every 6 months to get checked. I was fortunate. My husbands medical plan covers new hearing aids every 5 years for him.  Our audiologist had no problem reprogramming his old ones for me. We certainly couldnt afford the $7000 + for new ones. 

    I would highly recommend them.  Cisplatin didnt trigger tinnitus for me, but did effect my hearing.

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    #6
    debbiel0 said:

    Hearing aids have really

    Hearing aids have really worked well for me! I hadn't realized how much I wasnt hearing. I still have trouble hearing the radio and conversations when driving on the highway. And now with covid, masks and plexiglass between my and the clerks at the store, make it difficult. I think I got very used to lip reading without realizing it. My audiologist tweaked them every couple of weeks until we got a good base line. Now I go every 6 months to get checked. I was fortunate. My husbands medical plan covers new hearing aids every 5 years for him.  Our audiologist had no problem reprogramming his old ones for me. We certainly couldnt afford the $7000 + for new ones. 

    I would highly recommend them.  Cisplatin didnt trigger tinnitus for me, but did effect my hearing.

    debbie,

    I actually had Tinnirus before the Cisplatin. But, it certainly didn't help my hearing situation.

    I'm glad you're having good luck with your hearing aids.

    Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it!

    mg

  • SuzJ
    SuzJ Member Posts: 446 Member
    #7
    Hearing

    You do not realize how much you'll miss it, till it's gone.

    I know I need hearing aids, but I have really tiny ears, and nothing fits - any suggestions? (oh Tinitus too)

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    edited May 2021 #8
    SuzJ said:

    Hearing

    You do not realize how much you'll miss it, till it's gone.

    I know I need hearing aids, but I have really tiny ears, and nothing fits - any suggestions? (oh Tinitus too)

    SuzJ,

    Well, I chose a place just because it was "in network" with my company's insurance. So, that may or may not be a starting point, depending on your situation.

    I did talk to a lady who reported she loved her hearing aids, and mentioned that a woman's ear canal is usually smaller than a man's.

    I think you should talk to a hearing specialist. Have them make a recommendation - but WAIT, until you get an opportunity to research the exact model they are offering, before you commit to purchase. You may also be able to find one that offers a 45 day trial ... like I did.

    I hope you're able to find something that fits - and works well for you!

    mg

  • damacau
    damacau Member Posts: 4 Member
    #9

    I hope too

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    #10

    Update: After a half year or more, I'm still wearing my hearing aids. They are both good and bad. I can definitely hear conversations better - especially when there's background noise. I also noticed that music sounds SO much better, with them in!!

    But these Phonaks seem a little sketchy, in that they don't always stay put in my ear canal very well. I would definitely recommend you find someone with several options, and make sure you can "test drive" them, before buying them!

    Overall, I think a person should consider getting them. Just take a little time, and maybe talk to a few people who have them, and what they like or dislike about the particular ones they got!

    MG

  • damacau
    damacau Member Posts: 4 Member
    edited January 2022 #11

    I'm glad you're feeling better. A friend of mine started losing her hearing as a teenager because of an injury. She couldn't hear the music because all she could hear was noise. Now she is 18 years old and had two ear operations, but it didn't help. So she decided to try different hearing aids and find one that fit her. She found a hearing care professional - an audiologist, who helped her test different hearing aids. She chose the right one based on those characteristics. Now she can hear in the low and medium frequencies and even in the high frequencies.

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    #12

    damacau,

    I guess my bottom line is that I wished I had (or had taken) the time to do what your friend did. I found the provider in our insurance network (there was only one) - and picked that one. It works good, but I'm wondering if I couldn't have done better on my own ... even cost-wise.

    But, I travel with my job, and it seems like I'm always rushing to get things done ... when I'm home!

    Thanks for your input though. I've very happy for your friend!

    MG

  • ERomanO
    ERomanO Member Posts: 323 Member
    #13

    MG,

    I'd be interested in comparing hearing test results. It sounds like we may have similar hearing. I received a test prior to beginning chemo in May of 2018, but when I looked under Test Results in MyChart I saw nothing about audiology, so I sent a message to my chemo doc. I do recall that I was above the baseline until it got well into the high frequencies. But even the highs just dipped a little below the baseline, except for the frequency of my tinnitus which dipped to the bottom of the page. I don't think my hearing warrants hearing aids, but maybe I'm just fooling myself. I know that extraneous noice makes it difficult to single out voices in a conversation, and I try to take notice of how loud I have to set the TV sound system and how often I have to ask people to repeat something if there isn't a lot of extra noise. It doesn't seem excessive, but maybe it's more than I realize.

    ERO

  • Bay Area Guy
    Bay Area Guy Member Posts: 619 Member
    #14

    I had sudden hearing loss that affected both ears, but three years apart. Not cancer related (as my cancer was a kidney lesion…..I came to the board from my brother-in-law).

    The key to hearing aids is to get a really good audiologist and have what are called best practices hearing tests performed so the aids can be programmed correctly for your particular hearing loss. You can get the most expensive aids in the world, but if they aren’t set for your particular hearing loss, they can be worse than useless. I was lucky that my audiologist was fantastic. If you’re in the SF Bay Area, I can can give you her name.

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    #15

    B.A.G.,

    I appreciate the offer - but I'm not down that far south.

    I'm about 50% happy with my hearing aids. To me, it seemed a little less "professional" than I would have liked. But, again, they were the only place in my "network".

    Next time I get hearing aids, though - I will listen to someone like yourself, who had a really good experience like this!

    Thanks,

    MG

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