Having Problems Hearing

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ammorgan

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When I was younger, I had a lot of ear infections. I had to have speech therapy from about age 3 until kindergarten. I also had tubes put in my ears at the age of 6. The Dr's told my parents that when I was younger, their talking probably sounded like they were underwater to me. Also, that I had lost 75% of my hearing by the time the tubes were put in. I remember going home after the surgery and the radio being really loud in the car and my mom telling my dad to turn it down. So it definitely seems like the tubes helped. I know both were out of my ears by the time I was 10.

I've noticed recently that it seems like people are mumbling. I can sit next to my husband in the car and he'll talk to me and I can't understand him. If we're walking side by side in a store, can't understand quite a bit of what he says. Or if he's behind me or in front of me. If I am facing him face to face it seems that I can hear and understand him better. It also allows me to read his lips and fill in the blanks if I don't quite understand what he said the first time.

In restaurants I can be sitting across from my husband, my MIL, my SIL, and am not able to understand them. It's like their voice and all the noises in the background jumble together and I can't get my ears or mind to "tune out" the background noises so I can understand them.

I have found myself saying, "What?" and "Huh?" a lot lately because I am missing parts of a conversation. Or I just tune out on a conversation say at a table in a restaurant because I can't understand and hear whoever is talking.

I want to get this checked out. I remember seeing a sign in my Dr's office that said something about talk to them if you think you are having problems hearing. But I'm wondering if I should go to an ENT Dr or an audiologist instead
 
ammorgan said:
I want to get this checked out. I remember seeing a sign in my Dr's office that said something about talk to them if you think you are having problems hearing. But I'm wondering if I should go to an ENT Dr or an audiologist instead
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Either one would be fine, It's likely that one will refer you to the other. If you know a good ENT dr, but don't know an audiologist, see the ENT first, or vice versa.

I think you should see an audiologist first though, You'll find out how much hearing you've lost, and the audiologist can do a tympanic response test, and a bone induction test to get a pretty good idea of where the problem is. If the tympanic membrane (eardrum) isn't reverberating the way it should, that can be a sign of blockage like you had as a child.

I had an ear tube installed twice in my left ear between the age 5 and 10. The ear tube corrected the problem each time. However by the time i was 18, I was completely deaf in the left ear do to an unrelated sensoneural problem.

good luck.
 
I think I'm going to call my Dr's office tomorrow and see about getting an appt to talk to him about my hearing. I checked my insurance and the only audiologist I could pull up is at least an hours drive away. And it would be harder to get with an audiologist because its an hour away where my normal Dr is a walk down the street.

I've "known" for years that I hear better with my left ear. I put the phone to my left ear, if I put it to my right ear the person is really hard to hear. I don't know if that is normal for everybody, or if its a sign that my right ear does have problems.

As far as I know I passed the hearing screenings in high school, but thats just a matter of listening for a tone and trying to figure out which ear its being played in. It's not trying to understand what is being said.
 
welcome. First visit your ENT he will probably direct you to an audilogist and you may be told to wear a hearing aid in the end but it's just my guess :)
 
welcome to the boards. Either the ENT or Audiologist will work. ENT might be faster to see. Not sure what the wait times are where you are.
 
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