Forgot to ask re hearing loss/ringing...

[TOBEY32]

Do any of you wear hearing aids? I've heard hearing quality is not as good as you expect sometimes. I would think this might stop some of the ringing.

David

[gurinbasra]

I do. I lost my left side completely to the WG, but I wear a hearing aid on right side. It does help with the tinnitus, but you have to realize that tinnitus affects everyone differently. For some people it doesn't bother them, for others, they may only have some ringing, but it drives them crazy. The only thing I can suggest is that you should only be wearing a hearing aid if you have become hard of hearing - not to make the tinnitus go away. Get yourself a really good audiologist to do a test and if needed they will recommend what type of hearing aid you need. Unfortunately, tinnitus is noise the brain is making because of many issues, but with me it was due to the hearing loss damage caused by WG. I still have my dead left side hissing and pinging and dinging and all other sorts of noises, but the hope is that with the hearing aid, because you're hearing again, the ringing lessens.

Also, please note that a hearing aid does not work to resolve your hearing loss, it only helps amplify sound and brings it closer to the ear so that you can hear better, but I can tell you it's nothing like hearing normally. I would be extremely deaf without it, so I love my hearing aid, when I think something sounds funny, I make note of it, go back to my audiologist and they make adjustments so that I'm happy with the way I hear - don't forget to make the biggest fuss when it comes to this! Even with my hearing aid, since I only have half of the right side and with all the high frequencies gone, I just don't hear some words, but I could go on and on about how a person changes with their other senses just so's they can function. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[jeriorleans]

my son also has contant ringing in his ears, but I think its the vertigo that really bothers him.

[vdub]

I have hearing aids, but not due to wg/gpa. I also have tinnitus pretty bad. The hearing aids don't do anything for the tinnitus. I do like the hearing aids and they make a lot of difference. I don't wear them often at home because I use headsets for TV. My hearing aids are pretty much the gee whiz kind -- they have bluetooth, so I can even answer my phone thru them..... But they won't help tinnitus....

[pberggren1]

I have hearing aids, but not due to wg/gpa. I also have tinnitus pretty bad. The hearing aids don't do anything for the tinnitus. I do like the hearing aids and they make a lot of difference. I don't wear them often at home because I use headsets for TV. My hearing aids are pretty much the gee whiz kind -- they have bluetooth, so I can even answer my phone thru them..... But they won't help tinnitus....

Bluetooth would be nice. I was told that the cochlear implants I might get have Bluetooth capability. I would prefer Indigotooth myself.

[vdub]

I would prefer Indigotooth myself.

You have to use a blacklight to get the indigo....

The problem I've had with the bluetooth is power. The bluetooth works from a small looney-size medallion you wear around your neck. The neck strap is the antenna. Unfortunately, the medallion has enough power for about 3 hours of tv watching and then it needs about 2 hrs to charge back up. Of course, you always lose power just when the professor is explaining to gilligan how to get off the island....

[malin]

I have hearing aids in both ears due to wgs, my ear canals/eardrum got scared and the scar tissue has made my ear canals too thick for sound to penetrate properly. (or at least something like that )
With my hearing aids I have almost normal hearing again but it depends on the situation, in crowded and noisy places, the hearing aids just can't cope with the amount of noise coming in from all directions, they don't work like your ears would naturally, "normal" ears can pin-point and focus on certain sounds, like your friend in front of you talking to you, and then your ears sort of "filter" out background noise so you can hear your friend clearly.
Hearing aids don't do that, they just amplify ALL sounds so you can end up very tired at the end of the day

Saying that I wouldn't trade my hearing aids for the anything! I love them and wouldn't know what do to without them