Abnormal audiology results after SAH

[rampmama]

Well it turns out I am an old lady at 38! I am a bit slow, the SAH at 34 was not a sign of me being an "old lady" just the universes sense of humour playing out...

But work sent me for a baseline audiology test because I work in an industry where there can be load noises. Turns out I failed! Who knew. Anyone else have hearing issues post SAH?

[KelBel]

Hiya!

I am also 38 and the auditory problems I have had post-SAH is that everything can suddenly seem so loud!

I can be sat in the office at work and my colleague next to me will start talking to me, and then it seems as if the whole office (all 100 of them!) all start talking at once and I can't hear my colleague next to me...it's as if every other noise far away is much closer than the closest noise... does that make sense?!

It is a pain, but I haven't had any tests. I would be interested in having tests though...

So what happens now for you?

Kel

[FionaH]

I'm the same as Kel, everything seems painfully loud. Thank god for tesco's 6 pack of earplugs for about £1.50, they make it a bit more bareable.

Will failing the audiology test have a big impact at work? (Sorry I don't know your name:oops:)

[jess]

Hi there yeah I hear like I'm under water sometimes but I just get on with it and don't worry anymore. Jess.xxx

[Tina]

Me too, in the early days could not bare loud noises had ear plugs lol !....but now its more so when i am very tired ....sometimes i have a really loud noise inside my head that seems to come from nowhere...really scares me. Have been checked out and all is ok

[JayKay]

I'm sorry to hear that! As for me, like many on here I suffered really badly from hyperacusis (sensitive to noise) at first. It's got better, but I still have trouble blocking out extraneous noise and can't concentrate if there are other things going on around me. It's ok at home, but when I tried to go back to work I found it very hard in the office

[Sandi K]

Hi Rampmama!

I was like many others here, I had very sensitive hearing at first but it's already much better. However, just this weekend with many family members here I noticed the same phenomena that Kelbel describes. It's hard to hear the person in front of me when there are multiple people speaking in the background. For me, I don't think it's hearing though, I think is a concentration problem in my brain.

Sandi K.

[Diduck]

Hi

I find i have great difficulty in filtering out background noise

i have just been out for a mothers day meal with family and the pub was noisy as could be expected. This made it very difficult for me to hear people on my table

I agree it is not my ears that are faulty as in contrast i find i have to turn the TV down from the volume my husband has if I watch it on my own

it is definately more a problem with "multitasking" or being able to think or concentrate whilst in a noisy environment. I have the same problem at work where I cannot think if the others in the office are talking loudly.

I had my non annie SAH last February and I am otherwise good

but I find any problem is worse when tired and the tiredness continues with me working full time managing a finance department for a council.

Di

[Vivien]

Hiya, I am nearly 4 years since my SAH and I still have trouble in places, I can't filter out the background noise, and sometimes I find that I am nearly shouting without realising ( most embarassing!) I also think it is brain rather than hearing related, my capacity for coping with loud noise is slowly improving though.

Vivien x

[rampmama]

Yes. Post SAH I have been very sensitive to loud noises. And have had a constant ringing in my ears. But the test showed that I am not hearing the high pitched sounds at all.

I will keep you posted once I find out more. This shouldn't affect my job but it does make me feel a bit older.

Rampmama

[donnamarie]

i could of written viven quote myself but adding to that i always have sore ear now like ive a cold or there water in them etc am slowly getting used to it as doc r only worried about headaches

I aslo struggle with family dinners cant do them anymore as all i can hear is the banging of knives and forks lots of different conversation and then my head starts to spin and i hear nothing

Edited April 5, 2011 by donnamarie

[RB-R]

I too can't fliter noise out anymore. I used to be able to make dinner have the kids running in and out have the T.V on and hold a conversation. Now if im doing anything things have to be quite or i just can't do them. My children now sound like they are constanly pluged into a microphone and amp times four!!! When people talk to me now , if im tired it sounds muffeled and i have to really listen to hear them, i too think its the brain not the a hearing problem.

Rhiann x

[Sandi K]

I've bumped this thread up because I went to an audiologist today and was diagnosed with hyperacusis. A website tells me that 1 in 50,000 people have it and head injury is the number one cause. It's sensitivity to noise.

I'm getting custom made earplugs. Was fitted this morning, the audiologist poured some kind of material into my ear canals to make molds. The ear plugs should arrive in three weeks or so.

He explained that this is more common with brain injuries and although it won't be the cause of my fatigue it's certainly a factor in the level of fatigue I'm experiencing. I'm very hopeful that this is going to help.

He explained that there are different types of earplugs. The ones we buy at the chemist which are one size fits all (my ears are too small and they pop out) block noise. The custom ones that are recommended for people who work in loud environments fit better and block all noise. And then the ones I'm getting which are 'vented'. Musicians use them because you can still hear the various tones but the extraneous noise is buffered.

Will let you know how it goes.

Sandi K.

[Sandi K]

I picked up my custom made earplugs on Friday morning. The adiologist will call me next Friday to see if any adjustments are needed to the fit. I'm not sure if I'm just getting used to them but the right one irritates my ear a little.

I wore them grocery shopping on Friday morning and was disappointed that I still felt yucky afterward. Reminding myself that these aren't going to cure me I wore them to the shopping mall on Saturday and out for lunch yesterday and while I was gardening amongst lawn mower noise yesterday afternoon.

I still get neurological symptoms but it seems its not as bad. I still feel like I'm floating down a river while in the mall and I feel more steady if I can hold someone's arm. However, we were home at 4:30 and although I was ready for a lie down and quiet time I wasn't headachy and completely deflated. After an hour I was ready to prepare salad for supper. Normally the mall would bring on a load of symptoms and hours of quiet time would only help them subside a little.

I will wear them grocery shopping again today and then volunteering for the rest of the week. I should have a better idea by Friday if these are really making a difference.

Sandi K.

[Tina]

Hi Sandi

Thank you for letting us know how you are getting on I really hope they make a big difference!

I cant stand the phone to my ear, i always put it on loud speaker. I was very noise sensitive after my bleed and i used to hear piercing loud pitched noises in my ears, used to make me jump ! These have improved but still have ringing in my ears.

I also get the floating feeling you mention, the lights in shops and supermarkets set me off as well, your post has made me think i should get my ears checked again, it has been sometime.

Good luck for the rest of the week keep us updated xx

[Sandi K]

It's been a week with the earplugs.

They are definitely helping. It's important to note that they are not a cure though.

I still have all the symptoms in the afternoon when I get home from volunteering but they are different with the earplugs. I wonder if its because the sensory input to my brain is different. My legs and arms aren't as sore (still heavy) but I feel the sensation of floating down a river more. So it's like some symptoms have eased somewhat but the floating is more acute. Maybe it's just that I notice it more now with other symptoms easing.

Wednesday night I just wanted the world to stop moving!

While volunteering (in an office environment) I put them in when it's noisy but take them out when it's quiet. When it's quiet I find myself straining to hear so that uses energy.

I am noticing though that by filtering the extraneous noise I've got some brain power left in the afternoon and can have a conversation without it being painful. Hopefully with more time and adjustment it will keep getting easier.

Sandi K.

[SarahLou]

Hi Sandi,

Thank you for the update on how things are going.

On the whole they sound like they're helping, I really hope that they will continue to do so. Keeping all aspects of your life that little bit easier to cope with.

I would love to try something like that, say, while shopping or even walking down a busy street.

I have such difficulty in situations with that.

I also struggle to understand conversations unless the person is in front of me, especially when there are other conversations going on around me at the same time.

Has anyone heard of these custom made ear plugs being fitted in the UK?

Keep us updated Sandi.

Take care,

SarahLou Xx

[goldfish.girl]

Thank you for the update Sandi

Sarah Lou, I had never heard of them over here either but as a second best to proper custom made ones, I recently bought silicone ones. Before that I had tried foam??? ones which didn't stay in well. I got the silicone ones from Boots for about £5 and they are fantastic for noise that drives me to tears. Road noise, clippy heels, screaming kids in shops, people with loud voices, etc just everything really However, when I wear them in the house, as I live alone (apart from Dylan) I do worry that if someone broke in I would't hear them & that makes me really anxious. Interestingly, my neuro psychologist took note when I said I used them to stop noise stress a year ago to pass on to other patients - this makes me think that we are not as up to date on ear plugs after SAH as Canada if the doctors are not suggesting them to us?

These are NOT in the same league as the ones Sandi has but they really do make a difference as an alternative without prescription. They stop the road noise from outside my house & allow me to sit outside for short periods of time. Unfortunately, my hair sticks to them & has to be ripped away painfully and they leave sticky smears on the phone if you answer it BUT they help until we can find a better alternative like Sandi has found - if it is indeed a possibility in the UK.

Also, I could hear & speak on the phone with them in, luckily it was Dylan's dad who rang so it when he asked why I was shouting at him it was too easy to say 'because you're annoying'!!! Maybe take them out if someone you actually like phones you

Michelle x