Hearing Loss

[Athena]

Even though I am under 50, I've been diagnosed with mild-moderate hearing loss in the higher pitch frequencies. I find that background noise interferes with my ability to hear speech clearly and people often come across to me like they're mumbling, so I often ask them to repeat what they've said.

I am pretty devastated by this. It's apparently noise-induced hearing damage or age related hearing loss - nobody really knows for sure. What bothers me is the prospect that it will only gradually get worse. Of other concern is that there is apparently a high incidence of hearing loss in people with kidney disease.

Like CKD, it's a morbidly incurable condition. Once lost, hearing cannot be restored.

I'm just wondering whether there are others who are battling with this condition. I'd love to hear from you.

I am also eagerly looking for solutions in terms of any natural supplements that can help. I've heard Alpha Lipoic Acid is one supplement that may have some benefit.

[SooMK]

I have noticed a gradual reduction in my hearing too. My transplant is a year old and I noticed my hearing loss maybe five years ago. I'm 66 and so far denial is working for me. I'm thinking about mentioning it to one of my docs next time. I hate to do that because I imagine a spinoff of doctors that I have no interest in. I've also heard (ha ha) that hearing aids are expensive and don't work that well. When my father-in-law was alive his hearing aids seemed to be more trouble than they were worth. I have been thinking of trying to learn lip reading since this would also be helpful when watching football (I might be kidding). My greatest fear is that people think I'm ignoring them or have some other personality issue because I don't hear them. I'm finding that I'm doing what I swore I wouldn't do which is pretending I heard what someone said when I didn't. I also worked in a high noise environment when I was young so that can't have helped. Like you I have read that there is a correlation between kidney disease and hearing loss. You are young for this issue so I hope if nothing else it doesn't get any worse. How did you come to have your hearing tested?

[Athena]

SooMK, I've had my hearing tested by an audiologist and also an ENT specialist. I've also had an MRI to rule out any brain region type of anomalies, which fortunately there weren't any. I am now going to see an excellent audiologist next week for another hearing test & to have him advise me about the best hearing aids. Apparently it's difficult to really be fitted with excellent hearing aids that really do help.

I did speak to a researcher academic today who had a lot of time to give me. He's advised that there is evidence that wearing hearing aids might help preserve what remains of hearing & that is what they're researching now. Unfortunately, this is another type of progressive disease. Once there is hearing loss, it will only get worse over time. So it's all about preserving hearing through protection from excessive noise, first and foremost. That is quite hard, as we live in very loud times.

As for supplements, the researcher only mentioned Fish oil Omega 3s as having some evidence of possibly helping.

Many drugs & medications can be ototoxic. The main drug groups are certain antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs and aspirin. There may be others that have yet been established.

However the biggest cause of hearing loss is noise pollution, whose damaging effects have accumulated over time.

Based on what I've been told, I would urge you to get a hearing test with an audiologist to finally find out the full extent of your hearing damage. Enlightenment really does help in knowing what we are exactly dealing with. But beware, not all audiologists & ENTs are the same (I've been given conflicting advice by a few guys already) . It's a bit like finding a good Nephrologist!

[SooMK]

Thanks for the info Athena. I'm glad I now live in a quiet area but most of my life I was in big cities. Finding the right resources seems to be key. I think I'm just about ready to see someone. You seem like you have good doctors helping you. I hope your hearing loss remains stable.

[kitkatz]

I had an infection over eighteen months ago and it knocked out nerves in my left ear behind the eardrum. They might regenerate, probably not.
I lose almost all of my hearing in loud places.  Loud restaurants are very difficult to have a conversation. Riding in a car makes it hard for me to hear other people.
My hearing test is okay for a small part then drops off in speech areas in the left ear.
Great for when I want to sleep, but not so great when I want to enter into the conversations around me.

[Charlie B53]

I never learned, yet, that kidney disease can affect hearing.

I have some losses, specific tone loss in the normal human speaking range, and some high freq loss.  I always thought most all of this was caused by working in and around heavy equip and motorcycles.

Listening to conversation has always been tough,  I pert-near have to SEE your lips move to be sure that I can understand the sounds I hear.  If I am not looking, or someone faces away from me while talking, it's a garbled mess, I maybe get one out of four words.  Most everyone thinks I'm an A-hole that doesn't listen to anyone.

I may be that A-hole, but I was trying to understand.

Most of what I have read about dietary supplement to improve hearing is a lot of snake oil.   And if you do want to try some anyway, Please let your Dr AND Pharmacist know what you may be taking.  Some supplement do not play well with medications.  You do not need a bad reaction to a supplement/med on top of CKD.

Be Careful,

Charlie B

[amanda100wilson]

If you worked in a noisy environment or went to a lot of very noisy rock concerts (usual cause at or above 85-90 dBA for long periods) in the past, the little 'hairs'  get flattened a but like grass getting flattened by high winds.  They do not recover, and gradually hearing loss occurs  in different frequencies than for age-related hearing loss.  It is very easy to see in the early stages because there is a notched appearance on an audio gram that is very specific to noise induced hearing loss.  As we age, the notch broadens, and we lose hearing from an increasing range of frequencies, outwards from the notch.  Combined with this, are the normal age-related changes with hearing.  On an audio gram this presents differently but the two combine so it is harder to differentiate the cause.  Added to this, medications can causing hearing loss (I believe lasix is one such medication).  From an anecdotal viewpoint, I had my hearing tested several years ago, and I know that my hearing loss was more pronounced do than usual for someone my age, nearly 52, and it was not caused by noise.  I struggle to hear conversations in crowded environments.  I should probably get it checked again.  It does conversation problems and I think that I lip read to some extent because it is often harder if I cannot see someone's face and I then misunderstand what has been said.

[Athena]

Thanks for the info Athena. I'm glad I now live in a quiet area but most of my life I was in big cities. Finding the right resources seems to be key. I think I'm just about ready to see someone. You seem like you have good doctors helping you. I hope your hearing loss remains stable.

Thanks SooMK

I've just had another hearing test & it has remained the same as last year when I diagnosed. My hearing aid has been ordered and I will come in & get them 'fitted' next week. My new audiologist is someone who also have noise-induced hearing damage but he's has progressed to more moderate levels. He told me I have mild hearing loss in the higher frequency range but normal hearing in the lower frequencies with normal speech. I liked hearing the word 'Mild', I have to say!

My problem right now is severe hyperacusis/phonophobia issues and ongoing severe tinnitus. The tinnitus I seem to be able to cope with but my sensitivity to noise has reached some crisis point. I was visiting a family today and the normal household sounds including children shouting was intolerable! This is yet one more condition I now have to look into now. I have a sneaking suspicion that one or more of my regular meds may be causing this horrible symptom which has intensified in recent times. I suspect it may be my Ambien sleeping pills. My ACE inhibitor, Ramipril has also been known to cause HL/tinnitus/hyperacusis from some of my reading.

Here is an article that discusses in great technical detail some medications that can lead to hearing loss. There's a lot out there in the world of drugs that can damage our hearing. Some antibiotics are notorious for it!

https://ispub.com/IJORL/6/2/13471

[Athena]

I had an infection over eighteen months ago and it knocked out nerves in my left ear behind the eardrum. They might regenerate, probably not.
I lose almost all of my hearing in loud places.  Loud restaurants are very difficult to have a conversation. Riding in a car makes it hard for me to hear other people.
My hearing test is okay for a small part then drops off in speech areas in the left ear.
Great for when I want to sleep, but not so great when I want to enter into the conversations around me.

So even with normal hearing on one ear, you still have these difficulties? Infections and antibiotic use can damage our hearing. There might be some good chance your hearing nerves/hair cells might regenerate. I've posted an article that discusses this.

Isn't it funny how riding in cars can just drown out conversation? Eating out at restaurants has become torturous! I feel your pain.

[Athena]

I never learned, yet, that kidney disease can affect hearing.

I have some losses, specific tone loss in the normal human speaking range, and some high freq loss.  I always thought most all of this was caused by working in and around heavy equip and motorcycles.

Listening to conversation has always been tough,  I pert-near have to SEE your lips move to be sure that I can understand the sounds I hear.  If I am not looking, or someone faces away from me while talking, it's a garbled mess, I maybe get one out of four words.  Most everyone thinks I'm an A-hole that doesn't listen to anyone.

I may be that A-hole, but I was trying to understand.

Most of what I have read about dietary supplement to improve hearing is a lot of snake oil.   And if you do want to try some anyway, Please let your Dr AND Pharmacist know what you may be taking.  Some supplement do not play well with medications.  You do not need a bad reaction to a supplement/med on top of CKD.

Be Careful,

Charlie B

I hear you Charlie loud and clear. I was recently told by a friend that I just don't listen and that he thinks I may have Aspergers. I only hear what I want to hear, he told me. Boy that now cracks me up! When we have some level of hearing loss, carrying on conversations and listening to others takes more energy and effort on our part. We need to lip read in a lot of cases. We need to have them speak directly to us in a clear voice. There are many difficulties that we encounter. Sometimes we seem to hear better than at other times. Overall, the risk of isolating ourselves from others increases. It's a terrible disability.

Best to not dwell on it too much. The only thing we can do is to protect what hearing we have by avoiding loud noises.

[Athena]

If you worked in a noisy environment or went to a lot of very noisy rock concerts (usual cause at or above 85-90 dBA for long periods) in the past, the little 'hairs'  get flattened a but like grass getting flattened by high winds.  They do not recover, and gradually hearing loss occurs  in different frequencies than for age-related hearing loss.  It is very easy to see in the early stages because there is a notched appearance on an audio gram that is very specific to noise induced hearing loss.  As we age, the notch broadens, and we lose hearing from an increasing range of frequencies, outwards from the notch.  Combined with this, are the normal age-related changes with hearing.  On an audio gram this presents differently but the two combine so it is harder to differentiate the cause.  Added to this, medications can causing hearing loss (I believe lasix is one such medication).  From an anecdotal viewpoint, I had my hearing tested several years ago, and I know that my hearing loss was more pronounced do than usual for someone my age, nearly 52, and it was not caused by noise.  I struggle to hear conversations in crowded environments.  I should probably get it checked again.  It does conversation problems and I think that I lip read to some extent because it is often harder if I cannot see someone's face and I then misunderstand what has been said.

You've certainly been dealing ESRD for a long time Amanda, so well done. Loud noise and medications are the main culprits for younger people like us (I'm late forties). I believe in my case that heavy antibiotic use in a childhood illness may have left my hearing damaged. This was often the case with the older antibiotics that were around when I was a kid, I believe. My audiologist said that my pattern of hearing loss looks like classic noise-induced kind. Either way, it's a horrible thing to have to bear. Misunderstanding what has been said really can be a nightmare during important meetings. I hope my hearing aid will help to overcome this.

[Athena]

I've received my new hearing aids and they work beautifully! I can hear higher frequency and soft sounds much better with them. It's quite an amazing piece of technology. I can turn up the volume or down and they're not noticeable at all. My car indicator sounds is louder, my glucose meter beep is louder and I can hear the violins more clearly in classical music. Speech is more clearly understood now, the most important function they serve!

I have had no trouble wearing them so far. I would highly recommend these aids for anyone with any degree of hearing loss. They're great. A very good audiologist who will fit the right ones perfectly for your needs is what is needed. My audiologist has done a great job with me.

[SooMK]

Thanks for this follow up Athena. I now have some hope that there's something that can be done.

[PrimeTimer]

I don't have kidney disease but for comparison, I do have severe allergies to various pollens and when my nose is stuffed up, it affects my hearing. I also have loud ringing in my ears but figure it's either caused by allergy pills or damage, maybe both. Years ago, I use to work for an airlines and around the jet engines of large planes, often without proper ear protection. A captain once read me the riot act for that because he said certain decibels/pitch (not just loud noise) can damage your hearing. I hate having to ask people to repeat themselves, I watch their lips and it's embarrassing. I admit, sometimes I just act like I understood what they said which of course, has gotten me some strange looks. Then I silently hope I didn't offend them.

Use to have an old friend. No really, he was old and he was loud. Always shouted. Then one day, he called me over to his house and when I got there, he was speaking very softly, real quiet like. We had a nice conversation and I left. Asked my mother if she knew whether or not he was ill or something. She asked why, I said because when he talked, his voice was quieter. She shook her head, explaining that no, he wasn't ill...his wife had finally talked him into getting hearing aids. Boy, what a difference in his speech! He actually had a very pleasant voice. Now I wonder if I am shouting when I talk...

[Athena]

Thanks for this follow up Athena. I now have some hope that there's something that can be done.

SooMK, I've realised that it's just like needing to wear glasses if one's vision become blurry. No one would think twice about going to an optometrist to get their vision tested. The same principle applies with hearing. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I'm one of the few among my peers who has a hearing aid, but there is no doubt that it gives me extra peace and security for all those difficult times when good hearing is important.

The other thing I've observed is that I seem to have less hyperacusis when I have them on. It's like noise & sounds become more welcome to hear.

[Athena]

I don't have kidney disease but for comparison, I do have severe allergies to various pollens and when my nose is stuffed up, it affects my hearing. I also have loud ringing in my ears but figure it's either caused by allergy pills or damage, maybe both. Years ago, I use to work for an airlines and around the jet engines of large planes, often without proper ear protection. A captain once read me the riot act for that because he said certain decibels/pitch (not just loud noise) can damage your hearing. I hate having to ask people to repeat themselves, I watch their lips and it's embarrassing. I admit, sometimes I just act like I understood what they said which of course, has gotten me some strange looks. Then I silently hope I didn't offend them.

Use to have an old friend. No really, he was old and he was loud. Always shouted. Then one day, he called me over to his house and when I got there, he was speaking very softly, real quiet like. We had a nice conversation and I left. Asked my mother if she knew whether or not he was ill or something. She asked why, I said because when he talked, his voice was quieter. She shook her head, explaining that no, he wasn't ill...his wife had finally talked him into getting hearing aids. Boy, what a difference in his speech! He actually had a very pleasant voice. Now I wonder if I am shouting when I talk...

Primetimer, all of this is quite familiar to me. I think your former captain had a point about certain decibels/pitch being culprits! I am going to be seeing an ENT specialist soon, I may ask about that. It's terrible having to ask people to constantly repeat themselves and those occasional strange looks are unforgettable. I find that people can actually feel insulted when they realise that they may be difficult to understand - they don't realise that it's my ears, not them, that is the problem. Foreign accents are just a killer and it is people with foreign accents who can suddenly feel most uncomfortable. Other times, people just feel irritated and annoyed. The other problem is that I can become annoyed if someone close to me fails to recognise what part of a sentence I didn't catch & they start repeating the whole sentence unnecessarily! It can be a bit of a ping-pong game sometimes.

As for the shouting, my sister has occasionally accused me of shouting, which was startling. I asked my best friend whether I shout & that was denied. So it really becomes a perception thing. Overall I do feel as if I have a mildly raised voice from time to time and consciously try to lower my voice whenever it feels that way. It is true however that generally when people shout as a normal way of speaking, they are likely to be suffering from hearing loss.

Hearing can feel like a mysterious strange territory. I swear I sometimes hear much better than at other times.