@macg19 - Wow, that was a pretty poor audiologist if she didn't even know about the apps features. I'm lucky as my Costco audiologist has 20-some odd years of experience and is even a musician, and we worked together on tuning up the apps to my liking. The big disadvantage of them for me is you have to make an appointment a couple weeks in advance; other audiologists see me much faster, but I pay a premium for that - it's a trade-off!
Sudden Hearing Loss and Impact on Music Enjoyment
This post is partly a cautionary tale and partly me looking for advice from fellow audiophiles who might have been through something similar.
At the end of January this year, I had a sinus infection that seemed to affect my left ear. One morning I woke up and noticed that my ear felt muffled and my hearing wasn’t quite right. At first, I assumed it was just my sinuses acting up. I tried wax-removal drops and even did some irrigation, but nothing improved. My doctor then prescribed a course of steroids, thinking it might be related to fluid buildup.
Unfortunately, things got worse. I gradually lost almost all hearing in that ear, and there was a lot of distortion as well.
I eventually saw an ENT specialist and an audiologist, and that’s when I learned that this was most likely Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL). Apparently, if the correct treatment is started within about 72 hours, there’s a chance the hearing can be saved. After that short window closes, the loss is often permanent. I really wish I had known that earlier when I first contacted my doctor.
So if anyone reading this ever experiences sudden changes in hearing, please don’t wait—get to an ENT immediately. The treatment window is extremely short.
Now that I’m starting to come to terms with this, I’ve begun researching options like hearing aids and cochlear implants. That leads me to my question for anyone here who has experience with either.
As audiophiles, we tend to listen to music a bit differently—we focus on details, tone, timbre, soundstage, and all those subtle nuances. For those of you using hearing aids or who have undergone cochlear implant surgery, how has it affected your ability to enjoy music? Does music sound very different? Were you able to reconnect with it in a meaningful way? As you can imagine, this is both stressful and sad that I won't be able to enjoy the one hobby that has become such an important part of my life.
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Feel free to share here, or send me a DM if you’d rather keep it private.
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@larsman Lucky indeed. I do think it is important to look at the design of the device ensuring it supports multiple dome styles and sizes. It appears some do not, at least not like Rexton/Insignia do. Fully open domes allow the maximum amount of unaltered sound through, which in my case is exactly what I was aiming for. May not be the best solution for everyone though. |
@macg19 - Hi again - I've never used domes, I've always gotten custom ear molds made. Not sure how much regular audiologists charge for that, but for Costco, it's about $60. I would like to hear how it would sound with some of the natural sound getting through, though. |
I honestly don’t understand audigon’s rules. I made a post last night and they removed it on grounds that it was offensive. I used the s. h. i. t. word but it was in a completely non-offensive context. I have seen worse posts that never get removed. Anyways, I’m reposting while removing the word that audiogon found soooooo offensive ... "As they say, ’the hits just keep on coming!’ Today I found out that my word recognition score is so low that I’m not even a candidate for hearing aids. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it sinks further down the swamp. Whatever this s...t was, it made sure that it wiped out everything. Apparently, the only viable options are something like CROS BAHA, or cochlear implant. So, looks like Widex and two-channel music is out the window :( I don’t really want to think about cochlear implants, so next step is to try out CROS. This means no more soundstage, depth, imaging, etc. I’m honestly thinking of selling my system and going with a single speaker system like Naim Muso or Devaliet speaker. Or maybe just bid aidos to this wonderful hobby. Please take care of your ears and run to your nearest ENT or ER if you notice anything different about your hearing, no matter the severity." |
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