Hearing Issues

Among the lasting side-effects of GPA, I suffer from tinnitus and a dysfunctional eustachian tube (patulous ear). Sometimes the tube remains mostly closed and I can't hear well until I pinch my nose and blow out. Other times, the tube remains open and I hear my breathing and voice much too loud - so I either lie down or try to close my nose and suck inwards. Needless to say, this is inconvenient.

On top of that, I have moderate hearing loss and looking to get hearing aids. Will this alleviate or aggravate the issues with the eustachian tube dysfunction? I'd be grateful if anyone in a similar situation would share their experience with hearing aids, and their advice. Thanks!

Hi @MaxD,

I had tinnitus for years before wegs hit. Wegs did contribute to additional hearing loss. My ENT says there’s little that can be done to relieve tinnitus.

Hearing aids have been a mixed blessing. In environments where there’s little background noise, they help me hear a fuller range of sounds —especially the high notes in music and my grandkids high voices. In noisy environments, it’s difficult to carry on a conversation because I can’t discriminate between the sounds I want to hear and the ones I don’t. I hear everything and understand very little — frustrating…

@Pete thanks. Yes, hearing aids do have their down sides, but I wonder if they amplify the problem with patulous ears. When my eustachian tubes remain open, my breathing is about all I can hear - will hearing aids help or hinder? I know the aids will help me better hear students when I lecture and my tubes are closed ... But what when they remain open? Guess I'll just have to try it out and see what happens!

@MaxD

I forgot to mention that my hearing aids have no impact on patulous ear. I have the issue only in my right ear (where wegs made its first attack).