Hearing Loss

[DadSmith]

Hearing loss test.

Today I was sitting at the railroad crossing in Aurora with windows down. The lights started flashing. I had my hearing aid off as i dont like the noise of air hitting microphone. I looked, and here came the train. I'm about 25' from the tracks, and I couldn't hear the horn at all. I felt the rumble of the train, but couldn't hear it.

Anyone else that bad?

I ask the people with me if the train blew it's horn they said you didn't hear it?

 

[Flingarrows]

Hearing loss test.

Today I was sitting at the railroad crossing in Aurora with windows down. The lights started flashing. I had my hearing aid off as i dont like the noise of air hitting microphone. I looked, and here came the train. I'm about 25' from the tracks, and I couldn't hear the horn at all. I felt the rumble of the train, but couldn't hear it.

Anyone else that bad?

I ask the people with me if the train blew it's horn they said you didn't hear it?

You passed the test. Glad you are safe

 

[Bassat]

I generally can't hear anything my wife says, even if she is in the same room.

 

[Alamo]

The VA doc told me that Tinnitus and hearing loss are two different things.

Yup. VA gave me 10% disability rating for the tinnitus. For the hearing loss they give hearing aids.

 

[Alamo]

… and I couldn't hear the horn at all.

Damn, that’s some serious hearing loss. My condolences.

 

[DadSmith]

Damn, that’s some serious hearing loss. My condolences.

It's rough at times. Other times it's a blessing.

 

[Ryzari]

Have mild tinnitus, so I've not experienced actual "quiet" in a long time. Used to run a high wattage stereo system in my car when I was younger, and a lot of "forgot my muffs" shooting. Then throw in factory work, running outdoor equipment, my whole life's been noisy. At this point, I'm not sure if I don't hear a lot of stuff, or I just auto tune it out into background noise. They do yearly testing at work, and I always score pretty well, but for some reason when I get home, I don't hear a thing anyone says to me, and they keep trying.

 

[bkflyer]

Yup. VA gave me 10% disability rating for the tinnitus. For the hearing loss they give hearing aids.

Must be nice! I flew helicopters for 23 years and I've been waiting 2 years on determining if I get my 10%!!! I REALLY hate the VA.

 

[Bstarkey_46947]

If I am in the woods and it is dead quiet with no wind, I don't hear my tinnitus. At work or home, all I hear is the high pitched crickets.

 

[Alamo]

Must be nice! I flew helicopters for 23 years and I've been waiting 2 years on determining if I get my 10%!!! I REALLY hate the VA.

!?!

ETA: I had always heard how tough and slow it was to get anything out of the VA, doing and re-doing the applications and such.

I retired in 2005 at Randolph AFB. As part of the out processing I of course got a VA physical. I also later had a meeting in a room on base where I found other retirees out processing as well. There were several tables manned by older guys from various veterans organizations. Not gummint guys, volunteers from the VFW, AmLeg, etc.

Us soon-to-be-retirees would meet one-on-one with a vet rep who would go through our medical records (still had paper ones then) page by page and look for anything eligible for compensation, make a note, and move on. At the end he filled out my application for me and I signed it. I think he took care of mailing it also. This guy seem to be well trained on what to look for and what to say on the application.

A few weeks later I got a letter from th VA approving 10% for my elbow, 10% for my knee, and 10% for tinnitus. VA payment started shortly thereafter (and a corresponding debit of my retirement pay, but that’s the gummint).

I don’t know who organized these guys to do it, but it was a oiled machine, and it worked perfectly for me.

Documentation is key tho. I had my full record from my entry to AD (actually some from my AFROTC days too). I could hear a guy at the next table who had been in a helicopter accident and had back trouble, but his records had been lost at one point, and there was no documentation of the accident itself. Whenever I got a new troop in my unit, new airman or new second louie, I would sternly counsel him to make a copy of every stinkin’ piece of paper that Uncle Sam had on him, and check his record against the official one periodically.

When I processed for retirement, I got a copy of my medical record. I had to physically copy it myself, standing at the copy machine, and as I was going through it I found several records from other people stuffed into it, including a mammogram. Which, of course means several other people were missing records.

 

[jamil]

I generally can't hear anything my wife says, even if she is in the same room.

I pretty much wear aftershok headphones all the time. Helps me not hear people. It’s a feature.

 

[Bassat]

I pretty much wear aftershok headphones all the time. Helps me not hear people. It’s a feature.

I need those. I mean REALLY NEEEEEEEEDDD.

 

[Cynical]

I pretty much wear aftershok headphones all the time. Helps me not hear people. It’s a feature.

I’m on board with that plan. Next level genius!!

 

[russc2542]

I can't wait to see how I am in another decade or two! "only" late 30s (definitely NOT "almost 40" darnit) and I've noticed my wife can hear high frequencies I only remember and conversations in noisy environments are difficult (never went to bars or clubs so I guess no great loss there). Couple noisy cars too when I was young. Sometimes listened to loud music but nothing crazy.

In college (mid-00s) I worked a lot of concerts and shows, luckily never as the guy between the crowd and speaker stack. Usually running spot or backstage somewhere... still plenty loud. Plus many years in wood, metal, and auto shops. Only time shooting without earpro was a class, alternating talk and shooting and I didn't have fancy electronic muffs then so I took them off for the talk and didn't have them on for the first shot of the next string once or twice. Just 9 but oof.

Another cause I've heard is folks that always drive with the windows down can notice more loss from the left ear because that's where all the wind noise is.

 

[ditcherman]

You married? Does your wife typically sit to your right? A lot of guys develop a notch filter where the center frequency is about the same as their wife’s voice.

I love my wife but would love to find that mother in law notch.

 

[ditcherman]

I bought a set of Eargo’s about a year ago.
They’re fine and they do help, but not with the tinnitus.

Got them so I could keep up as church sound guy and hear the grandkids better.

I don’t wear them as much as I should, to really get comfortable with them.

 

[B52crew]

Working full time on a jet with eight engines is a sure fire way to get some degree of hearing loss. The ringing in my ears only shows up every once in a great while, so I’m hoping that the hearing protection continues to do its job! Although, I have already had to retake a few hearing tests.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I've noticed my wife can hear high frequencies I only remember

I remember being able to hear the nearly imperceptible high pitched noise of traffic light monitors (for lack of a better term). They would make a sound when the light was about to change.

 

[cobber]

Went to the audiologist for my moderate-severe hearing loss and got a dose of sticker shock.

Considering some of the nicer OTC hearing aids. Does anyone have experience with Jabra Select aids, and their customer service?

 

[BugI02]

My wife's voice is hard to make out most days. We have been together all our adult lives and she still talks in another room, or facing away. Get my attention and I will pay attention! Otherwise, I just ignore the noise.
And most noise is almost painful now. I get overwhelmed by too much and leave the area.
And then the tinnitus! It never stops! I started leaving the TV on low to try to cover it at bedtime.

I have tinnitus also and the white noise from a small electric fan set on low is a big help when trying to sleep. It just sits on the floor on my side of the bed