Hearing Aid for Partial Hearing Loss

[Jimbo]

I had Gamma Knife Radiosurgery approx. 10 years ago. AN side has over 40% hearing Loss.
Can I use a conventional hearing aid, since I don't have total hearing loss in AN ear, or do I need to use CROS, etc devices?

[notaclone13]

Hi Jimbo, congratulations on being 10 years post Gammaknife and still retaining substantial hearing. I can't comment on the hearing aid, but I know others on the forum will have some insight.  I was wondering, do you recall how many Gys of radiation you received?  I have heard that 12-13 Gys is the range they use to treat small ANs in people who still have hearing in the AN ear. Also, how many MRIs have you had in the past 10 years?  Were they all done with contrast? Hope you don't mind answering questions, but it is always interesting to hear from someone 10 year down the road from successful Gammaknife treatment.

[ANSydney]

I would say that if you have some hearing left, then a hearing aid would be beneficial. 40% hearing loss sounds like something to work with.

[Jimbo]

Hi,
Thanks for the responses.
I don't recall how many greys were used for GK; have had 4 MRI's; last one 3 years ago; likely due for one soon.

Just had a new hearing test today at the VA. Dr. said the 40% hearing loss was not understandable, since I have very poor resolution in my AN ear. He said he could try a CROS, but doesn't believe it would be helpful, since I have one good ear, where hearing would transfer to anyway.

[notaclone13]

Thanks for your reply Jimbo.  I think the fact that you have had no new symptoms that would justify needing an MRI is a  good sign. Have you considered trying the Bose Hearphones?  They are in fact called "Hearphones", that is not a typo.  There was a recent AN meeting in Nashville and one of the ladies there purchased them and was very happy with the result.  The price tag is $500, but that is less than a hearing aid. I also read a review of them on the Bose website written by a lady who said she had SSD from an acoustic neuroma.  She wrote a glowing review about how the Herphones helped her situation. They might be worth a try.  If you have an actual Bose store in your city, you can give them a try before purchasing.

[Echo]

Hello Jimbo,

I had GK 5 years ago and still have some usable hearing in my AN (right side) ear but it is minimal. Basically I can hear loud sounds which can help orient me to a degree, but my ability to hear words clearly is severely compromised due to the damage the AN has done. I've lost some hearing in my left ear due to aging.  My word discrimination (the ability to clearly hear words when I am tested) has been all over the place with each test ranging from 40% to 20% to 30% to 10% back up to 20%, then last year dropping down to 0% and this year back up to 20%.  I believe this is a bit unusual for someone post GK, however I was also told to expect complete hearing loss by roughly 5 years post treatment and that hasn't happened either.   When I do hear words in my AN ear they sound very far away and like someone is speaking to me underwater - it's very distorted.  Due to this type of hearing loss a normal hearing aid would do nothing.  My audiologist suggested I try the Phonak Bi Cros and I did roughly 6 months post GK.  Best thing, I could have ever done!  They are fabulous. I adjusted very quickly to them and wear them every day.

I'm not sure which side your AN is on, but in my case here's the big plus I noticed immediately with the Cross Aids. Driving!
With an AN in my right ear, every time I had someone in the car when I was driving it was very difficult to hear them.  You have the sound of traffic going past you on your left side and then the person sitting on your AN side may or may not be looking in your direction when speaking, so what you hear is limited. With the Cros in my AN ear it picks up the person speaking beside me whether they are looking at me or not.  I can easily hear their voice and I no longer struggle to have a conversation when driving. 

There are many people who adjust perfectly fine to single sided hearing loss, but personally, I find the Bi Cros a huge aid in my quality of life - not just for driving, but at work, social settings, meetings etc. 

Might be worth looking into a bit further.

Cathie


 

[DodgeAU]

I have severe hearing loss on left AN ear and not ready or keen for a traditional hearing aid.
At the moment I am using standard iPhone EarPods with the app called Petralex, and helps to hear again!! The app is free to download on iPhone.

I'm also checking IQbuds boost: https://www.nuheara.com/

If any one has experience with this or other similar alternative let us know

[notaclone13]

You may want to consider Bose Hearphones. One of the people at the Vanderbilt AN seminar had them and was very pleased. I also read a review on the Bose website by a person with SSD due to AN surgery and she stated that she could now engage in conversations normally. They cost about $500 and consist of earbuds and a receiver around the neck. But these days seeing people wearing this  sort of thing is relatively normal.

[PaulW]

I had Single Session CK 8 1/2 Years ago. 13Gy
My hearing remains normal at lower frequencies but I have lost some hearing in the higher frequencies.
I wear a single standard hearing aid in my AN Ear and it helps a lot particularly in a crowd or noisy environments.