Hearing test scores

[Patti UT]

Hi All,
  I have no idea really how to read these hearing test reports, but does anyone know what the cut off is with say speach descrimination etc for considering your hearing far enough gone to not try and save it???

thx

patti

[Keeping Up]

Won't be able to help you too much ... but might as well add to the conversation.

From my research alone (which has been time consuming, but far from any professional guidance), if additional risks exist to the surgical approach (mid fossa, RS versus trans), hearing wouldn't be worth saving if beyond Class B hearing. 

[Class A (<30db PTA, 70% word recognition) or Class B (<50db PTA, 50% word recognition) hearing.] 

However, as I learn, it is such a personal decision and each patient needs to evaluate their own threshold for risk, as having some hearing is much better than SSD.

Good luck - what are your hearing levels?

Ann

[sgerrard]

That would make me A/C - an A on word recognition, and a C on PTA. I am about 65 db PTA, but still 85% word recognition. With a hearing aid, it definitely beats SSD.

Steve

[Syl]

Patti:

My word recognition was at 60% and, at that point, considered pretty far gone by my Drs. I opted to try and save my hearing anyway. After surgery I lost more of my hearing. I'm now at 20% word recognition. My AN ear is pretty useless with conversations but there are other sounds I can hear and I have regained some directionality with a hearing aid.

Syl

[Patti UT]

It appears that my  speech recognition was, get this,  72% @ 55db before middle fossa in 04, went to 86% @65db  just 2 months after surgery.  Then to 82%@75db in 05, then 80%@ 75db in 07  when my MRI showed a hint of regrowth,  now at 68%  @ 80 db ( but the srt dbhl is 55db whatever that is). with diagnosis of tumor #2.  I can't carry a conversation unless I am looking at the person, as I know I do allot of lip reading,  especially if there is lots of background noise.  I feel like I am ssd in the AN ear because I have no directional hearing and I really can't hear in daily situations, but if I put a phone to my ear or an ipod, I can vaugly make out words & music.  Sometimes I think it is because I have such loud tinitus 24/7 that I just can't hear over it.  But I do feel like the hearing in the AN ear IS assisting the good ear, so not sure I want to give that up with a translab approach, but it is suppose to help with my severe balance issues.

thx for any additional input

patti ut

[Syl]

Patti ut:

How does the translab approach help with balance probs?

Remember that the BAHA is a option if you should become SSD.

Although my heaing aid is pretty useless with conversations, it does help with directionality when I'm outdoors and it calms my tinnitus.

Syl

[Patti UT]

Syl,
   The first surgery was middle fossa leaving my hearing nerve for hearing preservation.  Apparently a small peice of the vestibular nerve is left attached to the hearing nerve. The majority of the vestibular was removed to get the tumor out, but it is thought that the small peice left behind is playing havik with my brain making it think I still have a functioning vestibular nerve, thus not compensating by sending balance signals over to the remaining nerve on my good side.  Translab would remove the hearing nerve and the remaining peice of vestibular, thus allowing (in theory) my brian to finally compensate for the loss of that nerve.

makes sense , but then will it really work.  Some definitive answers would sure be nice in the crazy world of AN's 

patti ut

[Syl]

Patti ut:

I had retrosig to preserve my hearing, and the vestibular nerve was completely removed so it would stop sending those confusing signals to my brain. In that process my hearing nerve was stretched, and I lost more of my hearing, but not all of it. It looks to me that you don't need to have translab to remove the vestibular nerve. I think my balance turned out ok--not perfect, but I'm happy with the results.

Syl