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Question: Are there any alternatives to hearing aids and can they be just temporary?

(Posted by: mejec01 on 2010-04-15 08:40:30)

When my sister was around 7 or 8 years old she had an ear operation I believe it was Myringotomy (not really sure though) to place a tube in her ear. After that I guess it did not work before four years later she required an ear operation again to fix the lingering issue with her ear. Even after that now(2 years later) she has been told that her hearing is kind of bad. They gave her the option of hearing aids or one more operation, my parents and sister decided they want to do an operation on one of the ears (the one that is a bit worse) and a use a hearing aid on the other one. Thing is when she had the operation two years ago she had the flu and was thinking that had something to do with it? The doctors say that something I forget what just keeps expanding which is what makes it so difficult to find out why its happening. I am just worried about what other kids might say behind her back at school and what not, because lets face it kids can be cruel. I don't want her to go through that kind of hardships. Is there reason for hope that this time if she goes in without a flue, that the operation will be a success and her ear can back to a normal level, and hearing aids not be a requirement? I just want to get some opinions on this. It is not the cochlear implant. Apparently the tubes they keep putting in do not seem to work. Something in hear ear keeps expanding, and they do not know why. They say this is what causes the hearing loss.

Posted by: Jessica on 2010-04-15, 09:59:12

I have worn hearing aides since the second grade. Yes, kids can be cruel, but honestly I was much harder on myself than any of the other kids were. I never wore my hair up or behind my ears to try to hide my hearing aides (they were much bigger and prominent back then) because I was embarrassed by them. However, whenever someone found out that I actually had hearing aides, they were either indifferent, accepting, or curious. I never once had that traumatic teasing I feared so much. Now (age 23) I don't care what other people think about it, and as long as I am confident with it other people don't seem to bother me about it. Honestly, people who know me well complain/ tease me when I DON'T wear my hearing aides if I don't hear them. Any kind of treatment is better than no treatment. Think of it like eyes: which is worse, wearing glasses or not seeing well? Hearing aides are not that bad. Technology has improved dramatically since I got my first set. They can be a lot less noticeable and work a lot better. Digital programmable is the way to go. As bad as you think this may be for her, the experience of hearing a lot better is well worth it. Alternatives and duration depend on the exact source of the hearing loss. If you give me more information about the exact cause I may be able to answer your question better. Placing a tube in your ear is not for hearing loss (I had this one too) but to try to alleviate excessive ear infections. As for the operation, are you talking about a cochlear implant? I never had the option of doing this as my hearing problem has nothing to do with my cochlea. I have heard very good things about the implants. This is basically a "permanent " hearing aide. If she gets hearing aides, it will take a while to get used to them, but eventually she will not ever want to be without them. Tell her to be prepared to get used to sounds she has never heard before. Background noises like air conditioners can take a while to get used to. It will be a little bit of a sensory overload at first, and it is best to just wear them for part of the day while she gets used to it. (again, just like glasses) I know it all seems scary, but from a girl who has worn hearing aides almost all of my life, I can say it is definitely worth it!