Salutations Tinnitus Group,
I saw my audiologist, who recalibrated my hearing aid; I have the kind of hearing aid that has a counter-measure to my tinnitus. After my rapid hearing loss episode, not only did the hearing aid feel completely wrong in my ear, it was uncomfortable and completely useless until now.
I'm feeling a bit more comfortable as a result of its recalibration. There's just one more tweak I feel it needs, but it's minor. For now, wearing it feels way better than not.
What's amazing is the extent to which I've taken the importance of Vestibular health for granted. Without its normal functioning, doing ANYTHING and/or EVERYTHING is exhausting.
Next up for me is something I'm completely dreading, but I'm resigned to enduring. It's the VNG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videonystagmography
I was wondering if anyone's done this kind of testing?
So glad that your doctor was able to get your hearing aid working so much better for you! So I looked up the test and I am curious, how does this test help overall?
Hi CKBlossom. Thanks for responding.
My audiologist recalibrated my hearing aid, not the ENT doc.
I still need it tweaked a bit more...
I will state that if anyone is considering a hearing aid with tinnitus counter-measures, I would like to suggest that because of the extreme and IMHO, unnecessary high cost of these apparatus, it's critical to know if the overall price covers lifetime-unlimited service included in the thousands of $$ one is paying for that small piece of technology.
For example, I recently found out that the current ENT clinic I'm going to, has an audiology department. This audiology dept. doesn't charge for hearing aid adjustments after the initial purchase of a hearing aid whereas, the place where I bought my hearing aid from a few years ago, charges for EVERYTHING after a certain amount of time.
Of course, there are many other considerations and expenses regarding the purchase of hearing aids. Service is just one that can be annoying and aggravating if it's not included. I believe that over time, the odds that one’s hearing will change are very high. Hearing aid service can be pricey if it’s not included in the initial overall cost. I've found that out the hard way.
As for the VNG, it's just a diagnostic tool for the ENT doc.
Hopefully, the VNG will give the ENT doc I'm seeing more information regarding an ultimate diagnosis.
I have an appointment with the ENT doc to go over my VNG results this afternoon.
Hi,
Im new to the group, but not new to tinnitus. I had it almost 5 or 6 years ago, and my Dr prodvied me with what I believed to be a noise/filter gate, the dr was able to get the exact frequency of the pitch in my head, and calibrated it with my ringing, and it litertally blocked it out. After a week of wearing it, the ringing stopped, otherwise it would have cost me $5,000. Fast forward, last month, middle of November, it kicked in again, and the ringing has been so loud, Im unable to sleep. I went back to the same Dr, he tried the same thing, yet it didnt work at all. This was an
ENT place that also has an Audiologist on staff. Thing is, my hearing loss isnt bad, its the ringing.
Is you situation based on rigning? or does it have more hearing loss?
You mentioned that at first you found the hearing aide not too helpful, but in time, it's seems to have helped? Is it the ringing that was distrurbing you, or was it hearing loss, or was your primary issue, even though they come together.Any thoughts would be helpful on proceeding, if you have any.
Thanks
Rick
@68Rickenbacker
Hi Rick,
Tinnitus is absolutely horrible. I’m intimately aware of how disruptive it is.
I feel your pain!
My tinnitus/loss of hearing has worsened. My situation has been complicated by the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
I suffered a second sudden hearing loss episode a few days after getting the second Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
That’s too much of a coincidence to not suspect that the extreme immune response produced by the Moderna vaccine, directly caused my second sudden hearing loss episode.
My ENT doctor informed me that sudden hearing loss can be caused by a virus inside the ear.
My doc believes that the Moderna vaccine reactivated dormant viral cells that had originally caused my first bout of sudden hearing loss.
Whatever the reason for losing my hearing; what I’ve been experiencing emotionally as well as financially has been devastating.
My ENT doc did everything possible to try to save my hearing but alas, none of his efforts could save my hearing, and I now have lost virtually all my hearing in my left ear and a significant amount in my strong (right) ear.
Because my hearing loss has become much worse, I now must use two hearing aids instead of just the one on my left side.
The new hearing aid system is called bi-cross.
Because I’ve lost almost all the hearing in the ear where I first suffered tinnitus, I can’t really even hear the tinnitus masking noise that I originally had; I demoed a bi-cross hearing aid system with masking, which sucked. I didn’t like the lower quality of the bi-cross with tinnitus masking.
My loss of hearing is worse than my tinnitus now. I care more about being able to hear than I do masking the tinnitus. That’s why I’m going with the bi-cross system without tinnitus masking.
However, if there was a bi-cross hearing aid system which had great bi-cross and tinnitus masking, I’d absolutely get that, but it doesn’t exist.
I wish it did because my tinnitus is still horrible.
I realize this is quite a voluble reply to your question/comment. nevertheless, I’ve learned a lot from others with tinnitus, so I’m trying to be as comprehensive as I can, in an effort to help others.
Per your question and concerns: my tinnitus coincided with hearing loss, just in my left ear. I learned about the benefit of a hearing aid diminishing the tinnitus noise from an in-person tinnitus support group I once attended.
As I began my journey to find relief from tinnitus, I learned about hearing aids that have tinnitus masking; which is something that I’m guessing you’ve already experienced, since you alluded to a “Noise/filter gate.” Is this a hearing aid with tinnitus masking that you’re referring to?
It’s my understanding that one theory for tinnitus is that hearing loss can actually cause tinnitus; this particular theory states that hearing loss triggers the brain to respond to the loss of hearing stimulus by creating its own stimulus which ironically, is the tinnitus that we hear. Since ENT physicians and audiologists correlate tinnitus with accompanying hearing loss, I believe it’s a plausible theory, but who knows? None of any of this, to my knowledge, has been scientifically proven.
I do want to state that like you, I did indeed feel some relief when my hearing in my left ear was decent and I was using that left side hearing aid with tinnitus masking.
I was able to use the hearing aid with tinnitus masking to boost my hearing in that bad ear as well.
As for whether I believe my primary issue was the tinnitus or loss of hearing; that’s pretty much the chicken or the egg perspective…
As for which was worse: tinnitus or loss of hearing…
For me, the tinnitus was a lot worse because at that time, I could still hear almost normally in my left ear, even with the tinnitus.
If I didn’t have tinnitus in my left ear, all would’ve been hunky-dory. The tinnitus was extremely disruptive and annoying.
Tinnitus was miserable and omnipresent in my left ear. I absolutely felt I had to do something about it! I was just too miserable.
Presently, I wish I’d never gotten the Moderna vaccine!
I’d rather have my lousy hearing back; even with tinnitus, instead of the disaster I’ve been left with today.
As for the tinnitus in my veritably deaf left ear; I absolutely still have it and it’s louder than ever, but this time, there’s absolutely NOTHING that can be done to relieve this miserable noise or restore my hearing.
As far as I know, no curative technology or medical interventions exist to help those of us miserably suffering with this nasty and torturous malady.