I'm 17 and afraid I'm losing my hearing?
Hearing -aids are expensive, maybe $1000 or more. Spend much less and have your hearing measured by a hearing professional called an Audiologist. First, call Sams Club and Costco for prices to have your hearing measured. Some hearing-aid dealers will not charge for a hearing test if they think you might become a customer for a hearing aid. The reason you need to get your hearing measured is the audiologist will know how bad your hearing is and may recommend your visiting an Ear, Nose, Throat(ENT)specialist to determine whether there is damage with the Cochlea, the mechanism that regulates hearing and balance. I carried a tumor in my right, inner ear for 25 years without knowing it. There were no MRI scanners 20 years ago. Hearing in my right ear was 85% defective, and the audiologist deduced I had a problem. The tumor was on the acoustic nerve, and the only way to remove the tumor was to sever the nerve. I lost hearing in my right ear. Explain to your parents that you need to have your hearing measured. Good Luck. Harrald
Is my hearing loss reversible?
There are 2 types of hearing loss 1. sensorineural which is a loss of nerve tissue from the cochlea,this type is permanent. The other is 2. Conductive hearing loss. This occurs when something is going on in your middle ear system such as an ear infection, fluid in your middle ear from allergies, pressure buildup in your middle ear from your eustachian tube not opening and closing correctly, ossicular chain damage or your eardrum not function properly. It sounds like you have a lot of allergy and sinus problems which can easily lead to a conductive loss. Basically this just means that something is preventing the sound from being conducted to your cochlea. The good news is that these types of losses are easily fixed with medicine aren't usually permanent. Tubes are used when the pressure in your middle ear is severe and won't equalize on it's on. It it literally a slit in your eardrum, which can heal back with scarring and cause permanent conductive loss so you don't want to have to go that route if you don't have to. Because your ears are clogged your own voice is going to sound louder to you. This happens more in the low frequency ranges a than the high frequency ranges so as a singer things are definitely going to sound not only muted, hut distorted. Typically these types of hearing loss only produces a max 6 dB g loss (which isn't much) but our perception is that it is much worse than that, especially since the highs and low frequencies of speech are distorted. In localization of sound we depend on timing differences, if sound hits the right ear first, we know that the sound came from the right. Conductive losses, especially if it is worse in one ear more than the other, it can throw the cues off. The best thing you can do is control what is causing the problems in your middle ear. Stay away from things you are allergic to, take your allergy medication, an antihistamine may help and get plenty of fluid because antihistamines dehydrate you and can cause ringing and dizzy feelings. Best of luck
Hearing Loss, Sinus Infection, and Amoxicillin?
It is probably an ear infection. When antibiotics cause deafness, there is not any pain associated with this. If your glands behind your ears is hurtfull to the touch, or the glands under your jaw are too, that is a sign of infection, and that your body is fighting it off. Lymph nodes literally eat the germs, and become swollen with them themselves. Keep taking the antibiotics, take the full course exactly like doctor said to take it. Treat the ear infection with warm heat, like in warm packs, or the shower, or aim an hair dryer near your ear. You can take OTC pain meds according to what the doctor tells you you can take. Aspirin or Ibuprofen help with inflammation as well as the pain, which is helpful in healing aninfectionn. If you have a elevated temp, you still have infection somewhere. Your doctor will want to know if you are not any better. Since antibiotic courses are ordered according to the medication, and you did not say if you were taking the meds for 10 days or 14. If the antibiotic is gone, notify the doctor that you are not well. If it is almost gone, talk to the office nurse about when to complain. And for the future, all readers here keep your hands away from your nose, and keep anything that is not sterile out of your ears. This means no bobby pins, no nozzles for ear drops or suction rubber thingys. This will greatly reduce the number of ear and sinus infection that people have.
Otitis media causing permanent hearing loss ?
I am 16 and I believe I have hearing loss. I was diagnosed with otitis media when I was one. My parents decided to keep me off antibiotics and to have the doctors perform surgery instead. I have been getting this same operation until I turned 14. Since my ear drum was growing, I had to get a new grommet placed in my ear. How can I have hearing loss when the doctors caught the problem early? Also, I have tinnitus. I had bad ear aches as a child. Even after the surgery. The doctors prescribed ear drops for the pain, and they helped.
Is there a hearing surgery equivalent to LASIK?
I am 16, so I can't go see a doctor. I am not really concerned for the near future. I am concerned for maybe ten years down the road. My ears are equal to a 45 year olds right now. My parents yell a lot. It isn't a medical condition, just lots of pounding on my ears over the years. I do have constant ringing when there is no noise, I'm pretty sure that is a condition developed by ear abuse ;). Do you guys know if there is an equivalent of LASIK in the ears? Thanks for your help!