Delay in return of hearing?

[Johns123]

Hi all. I'm a newbie here and almost 4 weeks out from retrosigmoid surgery at Duke. I had normal hearing before surgery and when they tested my hearing immediately after surgery, I could hear in my AN ear. (I'm not sure to what degree; they just did some bedside tests.) The next morning, I could not hear. I was fairly confident that once the inflammation began to subside, the hearing would come back. But it has not yet. Has anyone else had an experience like this? Did your hearing come back to any degree and how long did it take?

I got really upset today when I was Christmas shopping. Didn't know the cashier was talking to me (multiple times) and then I thought she had said something when she hadn't  I'm sure this is a familiar scenario to many...

Thanks for any input you might have!

[ANSydney]

Given the course of your symptoms, you may want to talk to your surgeon quickly. A course of steroids may be in order.

[Johns123]

Thanks for your response Sydney! I was on dexamethasone for about 10 days after surgery, and glad to be off it now. Are you saying I might need another course? Did you have a similar experience?

[ANSydney]

Johns123, I haven't had treatment yet. I'm waiting for my 6 month follow-up MRI to determine it's growth profile. I've read where others get sudden deafness and then go on steroid and all is well. If I was in your shoes, I would contact your surgeon without delay.

(Part of my plan following treatment is to have some steroids on hand with information about what the trigger would be to start taking them (eg sudden hearing loss).)

[Johns123]

Well, I had a hearing test and my 6-week post-op with the doc, and it looks like my hearing will not be coming back. My doc was disappointed but said that sometimes the nerve "decides to die" after surgery and we don't know why. "No usable hearing" in my AN ear per the audiologist 

[rykomm]

I had AN surgery on the right side a little under 2 months ago and before surgery my hearing was at 70%in that ear however after surgery, I can hear sounds but don't have clarity. Words sound like a radio playing though a blown speaker. I was on steroids right after surgery and it didn't help. I just finished a second round this week but the hearing still has not come back and the ringing is loud. When I spoke to the doctor he said everyone reacts differently to the surgery and the hearing may come back within 6 months or it may never do.

Is there any hope?

[GP9]

I did GK instead of surgery. My hearing diminished to nothing. That’s no the news you wanted, but it gets better.. You will get used to it.

At first big groups, and noisy settings were tough. After a while, everything is mor or less normal. You will need time to adapt. My doctor tried to get me to go with a BAHA, but I’m glad that I didn’t bite.

There are times when it is difficult for me. The other day I was in line at the bank. The tellers are behind a window, and I couldn’t tell which direction the teller was saying “next please” from. Most meetings are OK. my colleagues know that I need to be situated a certain way, and they accommodate me.

This isn’t the end of the world, and many are in much more troublesome situations. I’m about 7 years out, and feel that I have adapted well.

[ANSydney]

It appears that once you've been diagnosed with an AN, hearing suffers no matter what you do. You probably presented will single sided hearing loss that prompted your diagnosis MRI. With time your hearing will naturally decline. You can speed up hearing loss with radiosurgery or open surgery. The latter usually instantly.

GP9, I like your wording "My doctor tried to get me to go with a BAHA, but I’m glad that I didn’t bite". Was it the same doctor that would do the procedure?

On the subject of BAHA, I don't understand why it is still popular when there are so many non-invasive methods of achieving the same effect and without the cleaning maintenance. Also, no hearing assistance will give you back directional hearing or improve things in a crowd. For that you need two sound sensors separately feeding the brain. Hearing assistance just gets rid of the sound shadow on your AN side. With or without hearing assistance, you adapt.

[PaulW]

I have heard from a number of people getting some sense of direction back with BAHA and CROS.
My first thoughts were that that was impossible, as you need two ears for a sense of direction just like you need two eyes to see in 3D.
As it turns out you brain works out that your CROS or BAHA sounds slightly different to you natural hearing.
So if you hear something louder and un-natural you will turn to your CROS/BAHA side
While if the sound is louder and more natural you will turn to your non CROS/BAHA side.   

[ANSydney]

Interesting thought Paul, that you can get directionality with a CROS or BAHA. I'm not convinced, but there is a simple experiment that can be tried if you have access to someone with a CROS or BAHA that has had it for a few years.

Get them to stand with their eye closed and with your arms outstretched. Click a finger and get them to point to the source of the sound. Try it with them facing you and away from you (and many other rotations). Alternatively you can move around the person or you can put them on a rotating chair. If they can reliably point to where you are clicking from then directionality has been established.

There are also places that can test directionality, just like they can test hearing.

[alabamajane]

You are right Paul, the more you wear a BAHA processor,, the more your brain  learns  to hear with it.

That is precisely why the doctor will tell the patient to wear it all day every day right from the beginning to retrain the brain in hearing from that side. That is the reason most of us will get the BAHA,, to get some hearing back on SSD side. No, it’s not the same as your previous “normal” hearing,, you can’t get that back with anything once you lose it pretreatment or post treatment or no treatment. But that it no reason for some folks not to try to enhance hearing.

As a BAHA wearer, I feel qualified to express an opinion,,

Jane

[ANSydney]

Just read the Cochlear BAHA and Widex CROS websites and there is no mention of achieving directional hearing. You would think that if directional hearing was even mildly achievable, that Cochlear and Widex would be mentioning it.

[PaulW]

I don't think the directionality is that good that they would want to be advertising it.
Its more that you brain does learn whether noises are coming from your BAHA/CROS or are natural.
Some people definitely have some sense of direction. They will be the first to admit that it is poor and nothing like real hearing.