Guest guest Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Thanks for this, Dora. Very interesting that they use the word deaf as in " 4 levels of deafness. " But how many people are at one level? My hearing, almost exactly the same in both ears on the tones test, ranges from a moderate loss in the low tones down to profound in the high tones. So, even aided, I miss some very few high tones, but I get most (I think) all low tones in the environment. In other words, I have a loss ranging from moderate all the way down to profound and the line on the chart goes down, down down. Then it gets even more tricky when we do the speech discrimination. Neither ear gets more than about 28% on the separate words. However, when I talk to my husband, for example, I would say I get about 95%. The only things I miss with him, in a very quiet environment, very close together, are strange words or names. He has a very low, very clear sound, and of course I am totally used to the way he talks. But speech can also be near impossible while talking to a woman with a soft voice in a noisy environment. And I have to use captions for the television except for newscasts which don't have background music or noise. I have hardly watched television in about 5 years, and haven't been to any movies without captioning in 16 years. Also my hearing has stayed exactly the same for the last five years! At least the testing has, although I feel that it's a bit worse. Maybe when it gets down to profound the line is straight across the chart? But how many people, before they got or get to profound have that kind of hearing loss? Jan >Hi Jan >I have a very interesting paper called Understanding Deafness >Here are some interesting things taken from there > >There are 4 levels of deafness...mild,moderate.severe and profound > >1-mild..25-40 dBHL >people have difficulty following speech..especially in noise >many people wear hearing aids..alot of people won't > >2-moderate..41-70 dBHL >people have difficulty following speech without a hearing aid. >they may find a HA and lip reading helpful.An amplified phone may be needed > >3-Severe...71-95dBHL >people have difficulty following speech even with a hearing aid.Lip >reading and writing notes become very helpful. >Even an amplified telephone doesn't help and some resort to text based >telecommunication. > >4-Profound-96+dBHL >Hearing aids are of little help >most depend heavily on lipreading >Some use sign language >many rely on the written word to communicate >telephones are of no use even with amplification. > >Boy does this describe me over the years > >Dora Weber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Hi Jan if I can ask, what is your loss from? For some reason your name kind of sounds familiar andb I wanted to khnow if fm systems have helped you at all whether in noise or just sitting at home in a conversation. Re: What is Deaf > Thanks for this, Dora. Very interesting that they use the word deaf as in > " 4 levels of deafness. " > > But how many people are at one level? My hearing, almost exactly the same > in both ears on the tones test, ranges from a moderate loss in the low > tones down to profound in the high tones. So, even aided, I miss some very > few high tones, but I get most (I think) all low tones in the > environment. In other words, I have a loss ranging from moderate all the > way down to profound and the line on the chart goes down, down down. > > Then it gets even more tricky when we do the speech > discrimination. Neither ear gets more than about 28% on the separate > words. However, when I talk to my husband, for example, I would say I get > about 95%. The only things I miss with him, in a very quiet environment, > very close together, are strange words or names. He has a very low, very > clear sound, and of course I am totally used to the way he talks. But > speech can also be near impossible while talking to a woman with a soft > voice in a noisy environment. And I have to use captions for the > television except for newscasts which don't have background music or > noise. I have hardly watched television in about 5 years, and haven't been > to any movies without captioning in 16 years. Also my hearing has stayed > exactly the same for the last five years! At least the testing has, > although I feel that it's a bit worse. > > Maybe when it gets down to profound the line is straight across the > chart? But how many people, before they got or get to profound have that > kind of hearing loss? > > Jan > > >Hi Jan > >I have a very interesting paper called Understanding Deafness > >Here are some interesting things taken from there > > > >There are 4 levels of deafness...mild,moderate.severe and profound > > > >1-mild..25-40 dBHL > >people have difficulty following speech..especially in noise > >many people wear hearing aids..alot of people won't > > > >2-moderate..41-70 dBHL > >people have difficulty following speech without a hearing aid. > >they may find a HA and lip reading helpful.An amplified phone may be needed > > > >3-Severe...71-95dBHL > >people have difficulty following speech even with a hearing aid.Lip > >reading and writing notes become very helpful. > >Even an amplified telephone doesn't help and some resort to text based > >telecommunication. > > > >4-Profound-96+dBHL > >Hearing aids are of little help > >most depend heavily on lipreading > >Some use sign language > >many rely on the written word to communicate > >telephones are of no use even with amplification. > > > >Boy does this describe me over the years > > > >Dora Weber > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Hi, Tina. If you are a member or ever have been a member of the SayWhatClub, you may have heard of me there--I am very active in that club. I also belong to SHHH National and the Fort Worth Chapter. So, I know a LOT of people with hearing loss, and I have yet to meet one which has happened as mine has. I would say that 99% of those I know with a hearing loss acquired it before age 20 or after age 60. But mine started when I was 42. I was sitting in the break room at work, and the phone rang. It was my job to get up and answer it, and of course I'd been doing that since I started the job. That day I didn't hear it. Someone told me it rang. I shrugged that off--I'd been talking to someone and missed it. However, it happened a day or so later (it didn't ring very much at any time), and I knew right away that my hearing was starting to go. My father began to lose his in his early 40s. I was born when he was 40, so I only knew him as deaf through the ranges. He hated it. Denied it. Wouldn't get an aid until his boss told him he had to or lose his job. He hated the (body) aid. He also loved music and could no longer enjoy it. He withdrew socially. It was awful to watch. He in died in 1960 at 58 of a heart attack. I honestly believe that the stress of the hearing loss contributed to that. I vowed not to do what he did. I went immediately and had a hearing test. Yes, mild loss in both ears, right a bit worse than left. Also began my problem with tinnitus. ENT recommended aids, saying it would help me later as the loss progressed. And I knew he was right. I never had to ask what a sound was because my brain remembered it from just the few months previously when I could hear it (air conditioner kicking on, refrigerator, leaves rustling, etc.). I know I've been able to adjust to my hearing loss as it gets worse much easier than those who wait to get hearing aids. And I have not fought against it as my father did. I simply accept it. Oh, I take that back. I have been following the discussion about music with great interest. That is what I miss the most and the only thing that can make me close to crying--the inability to enjoy it anymore unless it's all in the low tones. I try not to dwell on it and just hope that someday I can enjoy the full range once again. Does anyone know anyone else who began to lose their hearing in their 40s? Of course, the doctors tell me it's genetic. My father's mother was HOH from the time I could remember her, but her loss was rather mild and she never wore an aid (back then it would have been a body aid--that's all they had). My mother had a moderate loss starting in her 70s, and it never changed until the day she died in her early 80s. And yes, Tina, FM system helped me immensely at Hearst Castle tour in CA a couple of years ago, for example. I could hear the tour lady sometimes when my husband, who has excellent hearing, could not. As long as that sound comes directly into my ears and there is no background noise, I can hear almost perfectly. But those speech discrimination scores tell me (and my doctor) that I am guessing about 70% of the time. With sentences, I can fill in the blanks easily. I am a writer and avid reader, so perhaps with my love of language it is easier for me to do that than others, and also perhaps it is easier because I had excellent hearing into my 40s. But I do know others with poor discrimination scores who can do the same. I notice that they too love to read. So, that's the story. I have a few essays on my website about hearing loss, lots of links and some other things, if anyone's interested. Jan www.janchristensen.com Tina wrote: >Hi Jan if I can ask, what is your loss from? For some reason your name kind >of sounds familiar andb I wanted to khnow if fm systems have helped you at >all whether in noise or just sitting at home in a conversation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Hi. Well i am not in anything you mentioned, but may some time join shhhh. Did they give your loss a name? I started losing my hearing at 26 so, i lost it early too and am doing well with aids but am seriously again considering surgery. I hve a feeling that if my dad is successful with th ci, that that wil encourage me to try for my own since i know my dad and a few other people online going for cis. I don't qualify, but would like better hearing anyway. Re: What is Deaf > Hi, Tina. If you are a member or ever have been a member of the > SayWhatClub, you may have heard of me there--I am very active in that > club. I also belong to SHHH National and the Fort Worth Chapter. > > So, I know a LOT of people with hearing loss, and I have yet to meet one > which has happened as mine has. I would say that 99% of those I know with > a hearing loss acquired it before age 20 or after age 60. But mine started > when I was 42. I was sitting in the break room at work, and the phone > rang. It was my job to get up and answer it, and of course I'd been doing > that since I started the job. That day I didn't hear it. Someone told me > it rang. I shrugged that off--I'd been talking to someone and missed > it. However, it happened a day or so later (it didn't ring very much at > any time), and I knew right away that my hearing was starting to go. My > father began to lose his in his early 40s. I was born when he was 40, so I > only knew him as deaf through the ranges. He hated it. Denied > it. Wouldn't get an aid until his boss told him he had to or lose his > job. He hated the (body) aid. He also loved music and could no longer > enjoy it. He withdrew socially. It was awful to watch. He in died in > 1960 at 58 of a heart attack. I honestly believe that the stress of the > hearing loss contributed to that. > > I vowed not to do what he did. I went immediately and had a hearing > test. Yes, mild loss in both ears, right a bit worse than left. Also > began my problem with tinnitus. ENT recommended aids, saying it would help > me later as the loss progressed. And I knew he was right. I never had to > ask what a sound was because my brain remembered it from just the few > months previously when I could hear it (air conditioner kicking on, > refrigerator, leaves rustling, etc.). I know I've been able to adjust to > my hearing loss as it gets worse much easier than those who wait to get > hearing aids. And I have not fought against it as my father did. I simply > accept it. Oh, I take that back. I have been following the discussion > about music with great interest. That is what I miss the most and the only > thing that can make me close to crying--the inability to enjoy it anymore > unless it's all in the low tones. I try not to dwell on it and just hope > that someday I can enjoy the full range once again. > > Does anyone know anyone else who began to lose their hearing in their > 40s? Of course, the doctors tell me it's genetic. My father's mother was > HOH from the time I could remember her, but her loss was rather mild and > she never wore an aid (back then it would have been a body aid--that's all > they had). My mother had a moderate loss starting in her 70s, and it never > changed until the day she died in her early 80s. > > And yes, Tina, FM system helped me immensely at Hearst Castle tour in CA a > couple of years ago, for example. I could hear the tour lady sometimes > when my husband, who has excellent hearing, could not. As long as that > sound comes directly into my ears and there is no background noise, I can > hear almost perfectly. But those speech discrimination scores tell me (and > my doctor) that I am guessing about 70% of the time. With sentences, I can > fill in the blanks easily. I am a writer and avid reader, so perhaps with > my love of language it is easier for me to do that than others, and also > perhaps it is easier because I had excellent hearing into my 40s. But I do > know others with poor discrimination scores who can do the same. I notice > that they too love to read. > > So, that's the story. I have a few essays on my website about hearing > loss, lots of links and some other things, if anyone's interested. > > Jan > www.janchristensen.com > > Tina wrote: > > >Hi Jan if I can ask, what is your loss from? For some reason your name kind > >of sounds familiar andb I wanted to khnow if fm systems have helped you at > >all whether in noise or just sitting at home in a conversation > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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