Thread for those of us that are deaf/hard of hearing?

[flamingo40]

I've looked through the health topics and can't find any particular areas for those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing to turn to if we are after advice or just fancy a chat with people who are in the same situation?
I guess I'm asking firstly if I'm missing something or secondly if there isn't an area we can go to would this be something Mumsnet would think about adding?

Having been hard of hearing for years and now a permanent hearing aid wearer I'd love you get help and advice and talk about experiences to other people

Agreed, flamingo.
For me, a sadness is not being able/willing to extend myself in water/spa activities due to not being able to wear my aids.

I'll swim lengths, because I can pick up visual cues, but fun swimming with splashing etc is a no-no, too stressed keeping water away from ears/aids, to enjoy it - likewise sauna/steam rooms, even vigorous hot tubs.

I'd love to do open water swimming, but I think it would be dangerous because I can't hear any warnings. Scuba diving - I tried it, loved the experience, but the change in ear pressure knocked out so much of my hearing for a couple of days afterwards, that I couldn't function. It's a real loss for me. 😭

Not sure if anyone's watching strictly but wow Roses dance on Saturday night! Made me cry it was so powerful and beautiful

Just had my hearing tested again. I'm a unicorn :-) really weird hearing loss. Exciting apparently to the guy that did the test.

Interestingly I was shown these charts which show which sounds I'm missing (most of them) and where my loss is in terms of severity.

Anyway. It's not getting any better haha.

I agree @flamingo40 I had tears too. I have relatively mild hearing loss but still struggle in noisy social situations and have lost my confidence even wearing two aids. It was beautiful dance.

@supadupapupascupa hope they can help you still.

@Walkacrossthesand I do open water swimming and don’t wear my aids. Can you swim with a buddy? I swim in the sea but don’t go out of my depth much, use s bright coloured tow float and hat plus swim some where there’s always someone else in at same time. Don’t stop doing something you enjoy.

Just reading back the thread as I’d dropped off . I went to a theatre matinee once with the kids and it’s was fab they had a caption text machine running at same time just above the stage. I’d not seen that before but it was great for once I got the onstage jokes which normally I would miss. I wish it would become more Standard at theatre shows.

@supadupapupascupa they are jazzy charts

So I enquired about sign language course after this thread encouraged me to. Got signposted to email this person who emailed back saying she's doing one on one at the minute. I enquired about price and she said level one was £470!
I can't afford this 😞

Will be cheaper in a group if that’s any consolation? Where are you?

I will enquire although I don't have a lot of money to put it mildly
But I will enquire

Wakefield

I haven't worn my aids in about 2 weeks as they are so sore and loud. But my children and husband were getting really frustrated with me today as I couldn't hear them.

Just put them in now and it makes me realize how much I need them and I hate it 😭

They are so.sore and loud. I need to do back to audiologist but can only go in school holidays.

I just it so overwhelming. I can hear people talking in another room it's so disorientating and my location of sounds is freaking me out I can tell which direction sounds are coming from.

I know I need to wear them all the time but it's so hard.

Does anyone else hear white noise from them when it's quiet like a buzz?

Also I definitely can't drive in them I got so used to driving and feeling the vibrations of when I need to change gear that if I can hear it instead I don't like it!

Literally sat upstairs at the moment and I can hear my husband setting the table, is this what it's like for people with normal hearing?! How do they cope with all the noise?!

Uuurgh

Wow I can't hear that well with my hearing aids
I certainly can't hear noises like setting table when I'm upstairs and well I guess noises from another room depends on the type of noises and how loud they are as to whether I can hear them
I don't think a white noise buzzing should be happening
What do you mean they're sore? Do you they hurt to put in and out?

Maybe it depends on the level of hearing loss @purpleme12 mine is mild to moderate but more on the moderate on the graph.

They are sore to be in my ears and to go in and out. I started off with the generic fitting I think they are called domes, then they were sore so I got smaller ones. My left side is ok with that but my right was still sore so I got an earmould for my right bit it's the same sort of material as the dome ones and it's sore especially when I laugh or smile etc. I'll try to put a pic up of my aids if I can never attached one before

Also if i wear a mask with my aids in my right ear canal bleeds and the mask straps are tugging on the aid

Pic of my hearing aids

They said mine was moderate at my last test

That sounds bad about your sore ears
Usually when mine but to get out it means I've got an outer ear infection. A few sprays of Otomize and it improves
But it sounds like yours might be different though if you've had to have extra measures and they're sore with masks too
I would definitely go back to audiology to get it sorted cos it shouldn't be like this

The left one is ok though which is good

I tried just wearing the left one but I felt unbalanced.

I do definitely need to go back. I tried my son's hearing aids in and they don't hurt he has hard plastic earmoulds but when I asked audiology they said my loss wasn't bad enough for those type. My son gets his privately.

They did say my right ear canal is very narrow though.

I was also wondering about those Baha type of aids but don't know if I have the right kind of hearing loss

It's worth an ask

@purpleme12

I will enquire although I don't have a lot of money to put it mildly But I will enquire

That’s the unfairness of this. It seems to be seen as a luxury rather than something which would benefit people.

Worth searching here www.signature.org.uk/

This is free www.doncasterdeafsign.org.uk/

Weedsorwishes A BAHA is mainly for conductive hearing losses ( e.g. deafness caused by problems in the ear canal/ middle ear.)

Talk to me about eczema in your ears... it's driving me mad!
What does everyone find is the best cream?

Both dh and I are very hard of hearing and need aids. His is age related, he won’t wear the aids because they ‘whistle’ so he can’t really manage a conversation at all. My hearing loss was caused by measles when I was 6. I am 77 now. I am totally deaf in one ear and partially in the other. The aid for the worst ear hurts a lot so I don’t wear it but I manage very well with an aid in the other ear. Our hearing aid clinic is closed since Covid and you are supposed to send aids in the post. I darent do that in case they are lost. Without them I can’t even hear the phone if I am sitting beside it. We can’t afford private aids. We manage.

I use Betnovate inside my ear as I also have scalp psoriasis and have it for that.
I found it the itch declined massively over the lockdown as I couldn't go to the hairdresser for my usual weekly blow dry. I think my ear was irrirated by overwetting and shampoo in the ear.
It rarely is itchy now despite me going back to the hairdressers.

@flamingo40 I use Ear Calm for the ear canal or Diprobase Itch Relief Cream for the outer part of the ear.