Can SSD be simulated??????

[sues1953]

I am trying to mentally prepare for my upcoming surgery (May 20th) and in so doing I put a wax plug in my right ear to see what it would be like to have no hearing in that ear.  Well I don't know if all you veteran SSDers out there already know this but it was horrible.  I had to take the plug out after about 5 minutes.  The tinnitus was overwhelming and the sound of my own voice was amplified inside my head.  I am hoping that is not what SSD is like.

Can anyone give me some feedback on my little experiment?

Thanks,  Sue

[HeadCase2]

Hi Sue,
  Your experiment would be somewhat like SSD, but not totally like it.  Since the ear can actually still hear on that side through bone conduction of sound,  I think that is why your own voice seemed to echo.  I have not found that SSD results in echoness.  It's fairly common to have Tinitus with AN though.  I've had Tinitus long enough now that I only notice it if I see or hear about Tinitus and start to think about it.  Try not to worry about SSD too much, it is not preferred of course, but it's tolerable and you get used to it.
Regards,
  Rob

[moe]

Sue,
I agree with Bob,
You can't really simulate it, your voice won't sound "echoey" with SSD. Some people have had the BAHA inserted at time of surgery because it was known that hearing would be totally lost.
Or they wait and see if the SSD will be a real bother.
My tinnitus got worse with the SSD unfortunately, but some say their tinnitus goes away or lessens after surgery. There's no way to know until you wake up.
Hang in there May 20 will be here soon. May 1 counting down........Balance exercises are a good thing to do pre op.
Maureen-

don't know if this will go through, but here is link I think from Jan (leapyrtwins) on preop balance exercises.

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=13c903ddf5&view=gvatt&th=1260b7a209999748&attid=0.1&disp=attd&mime=application%2Fvnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document&zw

[Jim Scott]

Sue ~

I concur with the consensus that a person with bi-lateral hearing cannot realistically simulate being SSD - but I can understand why you wished to attempt doing so.

I've been SSD for over 5 years (since before my AN diagnosis) and I hear perfectly normally - in one ear.  The further away a sound is from my 'good' ear - especially someone speaking - the harder it is to hear them.  However, one adapts and I simply turn my 'good' ear toward the speaker.  I cannot distinguish directionality because sound is picked up by only one ear, making every sound seem to come from my right (hearing) side.  My mild tinnitus remains mild and mostly in my hearing ear, just as it did prior to my AN surgery.  My voice sounds quite normal to me and, as a former radio announcer, I believe I would notice any difference - even with only one 'good' ear.  I'm one of those obdurate types that doesn't see a need to have a BAHA, although that may change, and, of course, I think they're a wonderful help to those who require one.  If being SSD seems like it will be a terrible burden for you, I would suggest considering obtaining a BAHA soon after your AN surgery. 

Jim

[Soundy]

I agree with what has been said already and will add a few words of my own

While some people have an improvement in tinnitus , some like me it actually gets worse ... my surgeon said it wasn't that the tinnitus was louder , just that outside noise could no longer block it out to a degree ... this lack of outside noise may be why your tinnitus seemed worse

directional hearing like Jim said is shot for many ... unless someone is right at my hearing side or in front of me every sound seems to be coming from behind me ... I have adjusted but early on I spun like a top sometimes trying to find where a voice or sound was coming from ...

After you get past the first little bit it gets better as you adjust ...

[leapyrtwins]

SSD can't be simulated, in my opinion.

You have to actually be SSD to fully experience it.

Many just learn to live with it, but for those who don't want to (I was definitely one) there are options like the BAHA or the TransEar.

I highly recommend the BAHA.

Jan

[CNY]

I tried using an ear plug a few days before translab surgery -- it really doesn't feel the same as having single sided deafness.  I also tried out a single earbud since I was having significant hearing difficulty in my AN ear prior to surgery -- I had real problems with the word recognition portion of the hearing tests...

FWIW, I had lots of tinnitus pre-surgery but almost none post... Obviously this will be unpredictable.

I've been using the FM transmitter system since December -- it works well for me.

[saralynn143]

Once when I had a terrible ear infection - fluid behind the eardrum and impacted wax in front -- I could not hear anything in that ear and my balance was impaired. That is probably as close to a simulation as one can get. However it would be impossible to come up with that scenario purposefully, so I would have to agree that it is not possible to simulate. I remember being quite relieved when I finally recovered, but never until now gave it a second thought as to what it would be like to live with it permanently.

Sara