I'm glad you're writing about this! There is a lot of stigma and misunderstanding around hearing loss. My mom has severe hearing loss and I often worry about my hearing worsening, too. Your post makes me want to schedule a hearing test!
I’ve been using the captions on movies for a long time. I read an article recently (possibly also in the NYT) about how modern ‘improvements’ in sound recording (smaller mics, especially) actually make it harder to hear/understand dialog. So actors don’t have to wear bulky microphones, but the audience can’t understand what they’re saying..... Seems like a dumb tradeoff, but what do I know?
I lost hearing due to chemo. I didn’t think it was too bad as it was during Covid and I blamed it on peoples’ masks. Fortunately my husband saw n audiologist and I realized that maybe I had a problem too. I love my hearing aids. It’s just getting used to the idea of needing them that was hard
I'll never forget a quote from Helen Keller, when asked which sense she would like to have, hearing or sight. She said hearing and explained why: Blindness separates you from things. Deafness separates you from people.
I’ve had some very mild hearing problems for years. Mostly, I have a hard time understanding specific words when there’s too much background noise. You’re inspiring me to get checked.
One positive about this issue is that sometimes, what I THINK I hear is pretty hilarious! Gotta find the good in the bad.🤷🏻♀️
Yeah I know I do my thing and try not to let it affect Me too much but it’s always there😳🤯. I’ve tried 3 different kinds of hearing aids all the way up to the super delux model but they don’t work for me. I don’t need amplification there isn’t anything going through. The audiologists tell me it’s more because of the way I lost the hearing suddenly verses over time. I might look into a cochlear implant at some point but right now I’m taking a break. Thanks for the chat I haven’t really had anyone else to talk to about this. I appreciate your kind ear 😝. Happy miles brother
Dude[s], I totally get the Closed Captioning thing. My Dad, after college and after his time in the NFL, was a producer at NFL Films. He says one reason it’s so hard to hear shows is because a lot of time is spent formatting the show in 5:1 surround sound. Then a lot less attention is paid to the regular sound mix. So that’s why the mix is so bad. We always use Closed Captioning too.
I got HAids at age 45 and now am 75. It does isolate you at times from others, if you have never had a hearing loss, people just can’t relate. I often just stay in background to avoid having to ask others to repeat something, after 18 years of marriage, my wife still doesn’t understand to look at me when talking, I just don’t say anything, Ihave been running alone mostly the last several years, but that’s not bad, I don’t have to try hearing others and can enjoy my run!
All joking aside this has been happening to me and it is worrisome. I need to give in and get checked and Apple needs to make some hearing aids that look like air pods.
I have tinnitus, it's sometimes better and sometimes worse, but it's always there. Sometimes it sounds like birds in a concrete warehouse or crickets on a summer night, others just the simple ringing. It got worse after a neck injury I received in a car accident in 2020 and that worsening finally got better after a year of epidurals and a chiropractor.
May 12, 2023·edited May 12, 2023Liked by Terrell Johnson
Very sorry to read about your hearing loss Terrell! I had mild tinnitus last year, it was extremely annoying & my ear would crackle in loud environments, almost as if to warn me to get the hell out of there. I immediately scheduled an appointment with a specialist. She took an unholy amount of wax out of my ear & gave me a couple of vitamin jabs.
She also told me to avoid loud areas and to turn the music down on my headphones. You don’t appreciate what you have until you think you’re going to lose it, so since then I’ve tried to treat my hearing like something that I could lose at any time. Ear plugs at concerts, low volume at home and in the car.
I was fortunate there was no long term damage and after I did the exact tests you mention, I got a clean bill of health. I hope with the hearing aid you’re fine for many more years.
Wow—thank you for writing this! I just got back from the audiologist and an ENT specialist yesterday, and at 36, I couldn’t imagine anyone in my peer group having similar issues...until reading your post and comments.
I recently started experiencing pulsatile tinnitus (so I hear my heartbeat in one ear, rather than buzzing or ringing). They couldn’t diagnose the issue, so the next step is a CT scan.
Part of me wanted to bury my head in the sand until I read everyone else’s stories! It’s fresh motivation to figure out what’s going on. 🤞
I am confident you will come out the other end of this OK. No hearing problems for me, thankfully, but I will tell you the field has improved over the years. Our older daughter is a pediatric audiologist and works with kids who are either candidates for Cochlear Ear implants or have had them implanted need to have them tuned. I’m amazed at the work being done in this field
Hey Terrell I’m so sorry that you have tinnitus. It reallllllly sucks. My story is a little different. On September 26 2017 I woke up deaf in my right ear. No pain no drainage or anything just deaf. So because I work in an ER and I’m a bit of a knot head I blew it off. I figured I punctured my ear drum or something and it would just come back. I don’t remember noticing the tinnitus initially but after a week it was maddening. I finally went to an ENT who started steroids and ordered MRI. Steroids didn’t work. MRI was ok. Consensus was that I had fried the nerve in my ear after having meningitis maybe 8-10 years prior and it finally just snapped. Since then I have tried too many Therapies to count. Everything from acupuncture to craniosacral therapy, hearing aids, and I tried to get into an experimental trial which involved hearing tests from hell that lasted what felt like hours. I even went to the local tinnitus guru who told me I had to learn to ignore it. Not sure how she got the guru title 😳. In the long run I didn’t get into the trial. I’m not sure why. I’m still deaf on the right and I have not had a single moment of peace and quiet in that right ear since that 2017 morning. Right now I’m in the frustrated screw it pattern but eventually I’ll try something else. Anyway running helps. And again I’m so sorry that we are in the tinnitus hell together. I don’t know about you but at this point I’m open to a hot poker in my ear for a minute of true quiet. I appreciate you. Happy running
I find the use of an ear bud really helps. Of course not with the the overall condition but it is the only time that the ringing is over powering. Mine goes back to the Sixties and firearms before ear protection and of course inadequate or defective protection though the years, but I think what really got it going was being on airport tarmac’s. I carried my boarding bag in my right hand so that side didn’t even get the finger plug that ear and it is far worse. The progression of the hearing loss is somewhat difficult at times, but can be useful if you don’t want to participate in the chatter. Besides it won’t be long before before everyone will type their inactions with others. No wait AH!
Four years ago, I could not hear the person across a conference table. I knew my hearing was getting bad, but it had begun effecting my job. Within a month, I had hearing aids, and it changed my life. I could hear all the buzzes from the lights, the meows of the cats, my wife!
I'm glad you're writing about this! There is a lot of stigma and misunderstanding around hearing loss. My mom has severe hearing loss and I often worry about my hearing worsening, too. Your post makes me want to schedule a hearing test!
I’ve been using the captions on movies for a long time. I read an article recently (possibly also in the NYT) about how modern ‘improvements’ in sound recording (smaller mics, especially) actually make it harder to hear/understand dialog. So actors don’t have to wear bulky microphones, but the audience can’t understand what they’re saying..... Seems like a dumb tradeoff, but what do I know?
I lost hearing due to chemo. I didn’t think it was too bad as it was during Covid and I blamed it on peoples’ masks. Fortunately my husband saw n audiologist and I realized that maybe I had a problem too. I love my hearing aids. It’s just getting used to the idea of needing them that was hard
I'll never forget a quote from Helen Keller, when asked which sense she would like to have, hearing or sight. She said hearing and explained why: Blindness separates you from things. Deafness separates you from people.
I’ve had some very mild hearing problems for years. Mostly, I have a hard time understanding specific words when there’s too much background noise. You’re inspiring me to get checked.
One positive about this issue is that sometimes, what I THINK I hear is pretty hilarious! Gotta find the good in the bad.🤷🏻♀️
Yeah I know I do my thing and try not to let it affect Me too much but it’s always there😳🤯. I’ve tried 3 different kinds of hearing aids all the way up to the super delux model but they don’t work for me. I don’t need amplification there isn’t anything going through. The audiologists tell me it’s more because of the way I lost the hearing suddenly verses over time. I might look into a cochlear implant at some point but right now I’m taking a break. Thanks for the chat I haven’t really had anyone else to talk to about this. I appreciate your kind ear 😝. Happy miles brother
Dude[s], I totally get the Closed Captioning thing. My Dad, after college and after his time in the NFL, was a producer at NFL Films. He says one reason it’s so hard to hear shows is because a lot of time is spent formatting the show in 5:1 surround sound. Then a lot less attention is paid to the regular sound mix. So that’s why the mix is so bad. We always use Closed Captioning too.
I got HAids at age 45 and now am 75. It does isolate you at times from others, if you have never had a hearing loss, people just can’t relate. I often just stay in background to avoid having to ask others to repeat something, after 18 years of marriage, my wife still doesn’t understand to look at me when talking, I just don’t say anything, Ihave been running alone mostly the last several years, but that’s not bad, I don’t have to try hearing others and can enjoy my run!
Sorry, could you repeat that a little bit louder?
All joking aside this has been happening to me and it is worrisome. I need to give in and get checked and Apple needs to make some hearing aids that look like air pods.
I have tinnitus, it's sometimes better and sometimes worse, but it's always there. Sometimes it sounds like birds in a concrete warehouse or crickets on a summer night, others just the simple ringing. It got worse after a neck injury I received in a car accident in 2020 and that worsening finally got better after a year of epidurals and a chiropractor.
Very sorry to read about your hearing loss Terrell! I had mild tinnitus last year, it was extremely annoying & my ear would crackle in loud environments, almost as if to warn me to get the hell out of there. I immediately scheduled an appointment with a specialist. She took an unholy amount of wax out of my ear & gave me a couple of vitamin jabs.
She also told me to avoid loud areas and to turn the music down on my headphones. You don’t appreciate what you have until you think you’re going to lose it, so since then I’ve tried to treat my hearing like something that I could lose at any time. Ear plugs at concerts, low volume at home and in the car.
I was fortunate there was no long term damage and after I did the exact tests you mention, I got a clean bill of health. I hope with the hearing aid you’re fine for many more years.
Wow—thank you for writing this! I just got back from the audiologist and an ENT specialist yesterday, and at 36, I couldn’t imagine anyone in my peer group having similar issues...until reading your post and comments.
I recently started experiencing pulsatile tinnitus (so I hear my heartbeat in one ear, rather than buzzing or ringing). They couldn’t diagnose the issue, so the next step is a CT scan.
Part of me wanted to bury my head in the sand until I read everyone else’s stories! It’s fresh motivation to figure out what’s going on. 🤞
I am confident you will come out the other end of this OK. No hearing problems for me, thankfully, but I will tell you the field has improved over the years. Our older daughter is a pediatric audiologist and works with kids who are either candidates for Cochlear Ear implants or have had them implanted need to have them tuned. I’m amazed at the work being done in this field
Hey Terrell I’m so sorry that you have tinnitus. It reallllllly sucks. My story is a little different. On September 26 2017 I woke up deaf in my right ear. No pain no drainage or anything just deaf. So because I work in an ER and I’m a bit of a knot head I blew it off. I figured I punctured my ear drum or something and it would just come back. I don’t remember noticing the tinnitus initially but after a week it was maddening. I finally went to an ENT who started steroids and ordered MRI. Steroids didn’t work. MRI was ok. Consensus was that I had fried the nerve in my ear after having meningitis maybe 8-10 years prior and it finally just snapped. Since then I have tried too many Therapies to count. Everything from acupuncture to craniosacral therapy, hearing aids, and I tried to get into an experimental trial which involved hearing tests from hell that lasted what felt like hours. I even went to the local tinnitus guru who told me I had to learn to ignore it. Not sure how she got the guru title 😳. In the long run I didn’t get into the trial. I’m not sure why. I’m still deaf on the right and I have not had a single moment of peace and quiet in that right ear since that 2017 morning. Right now I’m in the frustrated screw it pattern but eventually I’ll try something else. Anyway running helps. And again I’m so sorry that we are in the tinnitus hell together. I don’t know about you but at this point I’m open to a hot poker in my ear for a minute of true quiet. I appreciate you. Happy running
I find the use of an ear bud really helps. Of course not with the the overall condition but it is the only time that the ringing is over powering. Mine goes back to the Sixties and firearms before ear protection and of course inadequate or defective protection though the years, but I think what really got it going was being on airport tarmac’s. I carried my boarding bag in my right hand so that side didn’t even get the finger plug that ear and it is far worse. The progression of the hearing loss is somewhat difficult at times, but can be useful if you don’t want to participate in the chatter. Besides it won’t be long before before everyone will type their inactions with others. No wait AH!
Four years ago, I could not hear the person across a conference table. I knew my hearing was getting bad, but it had begun effecting my job. Within a month, I had hearing aids, and it changed my life. I could hear all the buzzes from the lights, the meows of the cats, my wife!