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My Hearing Loss History – Part 1

January 11, 2016 by lisagish Leave a Comment

Sometime in the early 2000’s, I had some ringing in my left ear that lasted a few weeks after attending an outdoor concert.  I mentioned it to my primary care physician and she referred me to an ENT.  The ENT had the office audiologist conduct a hearing test, you know the kind where you sit in a soundproof booth with headphones on and click a button when you hear a beep.  The test showed moderate hearing loss in my left ear and mild hearing loss in my right ear.

Time for a brief tutorial on ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus.  It is actually a noise that a person hears that isn’t caused by an external sound around the person.  It is a sound that only the person who has it can hear and is sometimes described as a low roaring or high-pitched ringing.  Tinnitus is commonly associated with hearing loss.  As hearing declines, it’s often replaced by tinnitus. The American Tinnitus Association has great information about tinnitus.

In my case, I hear more high-pitched noises that often sound musical.  I can use this to my advantage and just have a song running through my head.  I won’t lie, though.  It can be very frustrating too.

Back to my history.  My ENT also had me undergo a test to make sure that I didn’t have an acoustic neuroma – a non cancerous tumor on the main nerve leading from the inner ear to the brain.  It was negative.  My hearing loss wasn’t bad enough to warrant hearing aids and I was told to follow-up with my ENT if I thought my hearing got worse.

As I look back to that time, I remember that I was working in an old  building, on the top floor and the roof had significant water leaks.  It seems like I had a sinus or ear infection every 3 months or so, likely related to the mold in the building.  I’ve always wondered what, if any, role that played to my hearing loss.

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Filed Under: Hearing Loss Tagged With: deaf, hard of hearing, Hearing loss, Tinnitus

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About This Blog

My personal history of progressive hearing loss started in the early 2000's and eventually involved both ears. I have bilateral cochlear implants and I'm here to share my journey and to help others along theirs. Write to me at lisa@deafdefiance.com with questions or to share your story.

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