Can my life be changed? (Being deaf)
- Thread starter fiveub
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That is quite a lot. - Is it something we could get through the NHS? Recently that woman got bigger boobs for free, surely people like us should be able to get in-ear hearing aids.
Tell me about it, it really gets on my wick; I've gone all through my life, never claimed on anything and I get naff all back about it - don't even get any DLA to 'assist with changes of lifestyle' No way am I having one of those huge NHS one....
My NHS one isn't bad, it is nice to have digital, but for people who are deaf all their lives should surely have a choice with the normal style or the in-ear style (maybe it is due to costs/technology, I don't know).
Ah well, I may call up and see if there is anything they can do, and I will keep you updated.
Apologies if I offended, but I still believe that visiting your doctor is the best option. But anyway - regarding the array of treatments currently available, the "tried and tested" treatments are generally restricted to hearing aids and cochlea implants.
I won't spend much time discussing cochlea implants as others already have... The long and short of it is that cochlea implants are generally better suited to infants who are completely deaf, and can adapt to the signals given by the implant, which are somewhat different to those formed naturally by the ear. By adulthood the brain has already formed neural pathways to interpret sound, and success rates are much lower. There may be situations where a cochlea implant is recommended to an adult, but this would be very much down to the specifics of your condition - something only your doctor will be in a position to interpret.
Another option is an "improved" hearing aid. Since you are not completely deaf, this could be something worth investigating. The miniaturisation of technology (and processing power) has improved a lot over the past decade, leading to some solid improvements in high-end hearing aids. In particular you could look into "bone anchored hearing aids" (BAHA). Here a pedestal is screwed into the bone behind the ear, which protrudes out of the ear allowing a hearing aid to be clipped on. They are generally comfortable, and the external piece can be replaced to keep up with advances in technology. They do, however, require a minor operation. I don't know whether this is something currently covered by the NHS (again a specialist can tell you).
In terms of the future, there has been significant progress in terms of gene therapy. For example, deafness was recently "cured" in mice: (link). The key to this technology is stimulating the body to re-grow the hair cells inside the inner ear - these are the cells which interpret sound and translate vibrations to electrical impulses on the cochlea nerve. Most forms of partial hearing loss are a result of damage (either physical or genetic) to these cells. The technology is relatively new, and human trials for gene therapies take a long time. The human genome is also more complex and somewhat less well understood than that of mice, but the real issue is the regulatory approval for any scientific trial involving humans. In short, there is no reason that this technology cannot be applied to humans, however realistically you should be looking at a decade or so in terms of timespan. If and when this gene therapy comes into fruition it should (hopefully) fit your definition of a "miracle cure". Of course, this all depends on your condition being of the correct type.
... I know a little of the treatments for hearing loss as I have a close friend who has hearing difficulties (caused by a car accident rather than deafness from birth), but I'm no medical expert. You shouldn't be concerned about "wasting your doctors time". Obviously if you were visiting every month asking for updates then you would be time-wasting, but it sounds like you haven't seen a specialist in years? As I said, technology has moved on significantly and it may be that you can get a dramatic improvement in hearing ability / comfort simply by replacing your hearing aid. And ENT specialist can make such a recommendation to you (and who knows - maybe there are some human gene therapy trials coming up that you could apply to).
You don't think telling someone to "get over themself" is insulting? You must be a charming conversationalist
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Man of Honour
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My hearing is starting to get worseDoes anyone know if hearing problems are hereditary? As my Dad has trouble hearing also.
My ENT Consultant says that mine is and nothing to do with playing in bands for 43 years.
Soldato
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To be honest, mates that I've known from uni have forgotten I'm deaf at times (back when i had longer hair). I'm not that bothered by the 'visual' aspect of hearing aids, I'm deaf, who cares? You can tell people do look you at you funny sometimes, and a cringe when people who don't know me start taking to me thinking they have to over-exaggerate their words and flap about their hands, but other than that, I'm happy enough.
There are plenty of options for "invisible" hearing aids. There are a class of hearing aids that are "invisible in canal" (IIC) aids. These sit much deeper inside the ear canal than other devices, and so are essentially invisible from the outside.
The downsides to this type of technology are fairly obvious though - given the depth at which they sit the units are required to be very small. This restricts the performance of the unit somewhat in comparison to external (or larger inner-ear) units. Also the depth at which they sit means they are significantly more difficult to remove.
Soldato
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I may not have direct experience, but my former brother in-law was completely deaf, and in his opinion, cochlea implants were a terrible idea for the profoundly deaf, that is, people that have never had hearing before, as it becomes a cacophony of noise that you cannot switch off. Those of us that can hear properly, learn at a young age to separate sounds and discard the unnecessary, but a deaf person cannot do that.
In 5UB's case, it should be different, as being only partially deaf, he should be able to filter the increased noise levels.
In 5UB's case, it should be different, as being only partially deaf, he should be able to filter the increased noise levels.
I know that, I have one; I was referring to the bone connector point. Whilst some people might find it suitable and be OK with it, i wouldn't as I'm very very very self concious; maybe I shouldn't be but I am what I am.
There may still be hope for a "best of both worlds" technology in the near future. The pedestal that is attached to the bone in BAHA devices is used to send signals to the ear (and is very efficient at doing so), but in theory the receiver does not need to be attached to the ear. Wireless communication can take place between the receiver and the pedestal. A very small and short-range wireless transmitter can be placed behind the ear (virtually invisible), which receives a signal from the receiver (which could, for example, be integrated into a watch or a necklace).
The technology isn't 'quite' there in terms of the wireless receiver being small enough to be considered 'invisible', but this is one area where technology is advancing rapidly.
Man of Honour
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I was talking to our fire safety officer last week who I noticed hadn't got his hearing aid in and asked where it had gone. He then turned round, pulled it out and it was really small. He'd also got one in his other ear and I nearly died at the cost - £1300 from Specsavers.
He did say it had dramatically changed his life though and worth every penny.
He did say it had dramatically changed his life though and worth every penny.
Soldato
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I think if the visual aspect of having a hearing aid was making you truely unhappy and making you suicidal then you might have a reasonable chance with the NHS. But if you are otherwise happy then I guess paying yourslf is the right thing to do.
Can you try before you buy I wonder? It's a large expense.
Can you try before you buy I wonder? It's a large expense.
Soldato
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Another +1 for deaf here, rated at moderate to severe. My problem is extended by the fact that I have 1 eye only and only 10% sight left in that, which means I can't lip-read or sign or read body language. Very different problem to most deaf people. When I started a thread on GD recently though, I got ridiculed with gay jokes. Like it's one rule for me and another rule for others.
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5UB's hearing is too good for cochlear as you need to be virtually deaf I am close but not quite.
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Man of Honour
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blimey, how does being hearing & visually impaired turn into gay jokes?
Soldato
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cos people can be nasty. like Monserat I'm also registered blind so it's hard to lip read and see body language. I'm totally deaf in one ear and 95% deaf in the other ear. I also know that over the age of 7 your ears stop getting used to knew things so cochlear s are harder to get used to after that age also it's irreversible so you would have to be certain.
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Soldato
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It was this thread, although the troll responses have been deleted by the Dons. They were suggesting holidays for gays.