I believe patients can greatly benefit with instructions from the doctors on what they may experience with one-sided hearing offering tips on getting along in this noisy world. We are told after surgery what to expect with our balance. That it will be a challenge and given info on balance rehab. I know I wasn't given instructions on what to expect with one-sided hearing. I know I could've used this as it would have taken away some of the many questions and certainly would lower the stress levels. Let's face it, the post surgical patients' learning curve is great and can use all the information they can get regarding what to experience and how to best accomodate. The care giver can use this info also as it certainly would help with their frustration created by repeating, talking to the "deaf" side, and wondering about "selective" hearing would be laid to rest. I did not understand why I turn the opposite direction when talked to, why I cannot hear my husband talking directly at me in restaurants, sometimes hearing and then other times not (which causes those around me to question my difficulty hearing).
My husband and I literally and figuratively stumbled through this healing process the first year on our own. Employing different techniques to ease the akwardness, using what I learned from my many years of yoga practice, tons of patience and ability to laugh at oneself helps a great deal. Now if it's important for me to know what my husband is saying to me he will ask if I've heard him (cuts down on him repeating). He also had difficulty remembering what side I can hear him on and would talk into the deaf ear. This was more frustrating for him than me and realising this I would tell him "Your left, your left, I should be on your left." With calm repetition this eventually sunk in for him. Of course this "on your left" changes depending on whether he is approaching me from the front or back. Sometimes I hold up my hand to guide him to the good ear.
I teach my yoga students some days are good and some days are bad. They are not all the same. Your performance abilites change each time you practice. Let go of your frustrations, honor where your abilities are that day and breathe deep.
