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Understanding the Audiogram

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As you can see, hearing loss is complicated to understand and manage.

An audiogram is a graph that records the way a person responds to specific sounds called pure tones. The audiologist measures hearing threshold at the pure tone of each frequency. Hearing threshold is the intensity at which a pure tone is barely detected 50 percent of the time.

Understanding Frequency

Various frequencies or pitches are measured to determine how you hear at each area of the hearing organ. During a hearing test, the frequencies used in speech and in common everyday sounds are tested. When frequency is plotted on the graph, low pitches are on the left side on the vertical lines progressing to the highest frequencies on the right side of the graph. An audiogram is similar to the design of a piano – low pitches to the left, higher pitches to the right.

Understanding Intensity

Intensity is measured to determine how loud a frequency needs to be heard. A decibel (dB) is a measurement of sound loudness (sound power) and grows more rapidly than a linear measurement. For example, 20 feet is 20 times longer than one foot but 20 decibels is 100 times more powerful than one decibel. When intensity is measured, it is plotted on the audiogram on a horizontal line. The lower the mark (the larger the number) on the graph, the more sound power is needed to hear it.

The Test

Earphones or insert earphones are used to test hearing as it passes through the outer, middle and inner ear. Sound heard through an earphone is called the air conduction response giving you the degree of hearing loss. To determine the type of hearing loss you have, a bone conduction oscillator is placed on the mastoid bone behind your ear. The bone oscillator bypasses the outer ear and middle ear and gives a direct response of the hearing organ at each frequency. This is called the bone conduction response. The air conduction and bone conduction responses are plotted on the audiogram.

Degrees of Hearing Loss      

  • 0 dB – 20 dB normal hearing
  • 20 dB – 40 dB mild loss
  • 40 dB – 50 dB moderate loss
  • 55 dB – 70dB moderately severe
  • 70 dB – 90 dB severe loss
  • >90 dB   profound loss

Types of Hearing Loss

  1. n  Sensorineural loss – the hearing organ is impaired.
  2. n  Conductive loss – the outer or middle ear has impairment. The hearing organ is normal.
  3. n  Mixed loss – both conductive and sensorineural impairment.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Hearing loss that is the result of blockage, damage, or disease to the outer and/or middle ear is called a conductive loss. The conductive mechanism consists of the outer ear, ear canal, eardrum, eustachian tube and middle ear bones. Conductive hearing loss means there is a difference between bone conduction responses of the hearing organ and air conduction responses. Typical causes of this type of loss are ear infection, otosclerosis, ruptured eardrum, and wax in the ear canal.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hearing loss because of dysfunction in the hearing organ or in the hearing pathways in the brain is called sensorineural. This type of loss has the same response of intensity for air and bone conduction. Typical causes of this type of loss are noise exposure, side effects of medication, heredity and viruses.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Hearing loss that has both conductive and sensorineural causes is known as a mixed hearing loss. This type of loss has some dysfunction in the hearing organ and some dysfunction in the mechanical area of the hearing mechanism. Typical causes for this type of hearing loss are nerve damage, wax build up in the ear canal after you already have a hearing loss, otosclerosis, ear surgery, heredity and trauma.

As you can see, hearing loss is complicated to understand and manage. Don’t trust your hearing and ability to interact with others simply to the lowest bidder. Because hearing is different at each frequency, it is not simply a matter of making sound louder. Each frequency must be modified independent of the next, so that you can hear as comfortably and naturally as possible. Find an audiologist who will give you time to discuss your needs and be willing to research the best possible solution for you. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. She may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

What to Know Before Seeing Your Doctor About Dizziness

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The basic difference between the sensation of being off balance and being dizzy is whether or not you feel motion.

Dizziness can be an extremely frightening symptom to have. It may slowly build up or hit you all at once. Sometimes you may feel a “whoosh” of dizziness that leaves as quickly at it came.

Studies have shown that 24% of the population over 72 years of age has dizziness or imbalance. This article will help you understand the different types of sensations you can have and what to jot down before you contact your physician. The more specific awareness you have of your symptoms, the better experience you will have when you search out a diagnosis.

The Sensation of Being Off Balance

The basic difference between the sensation of being off balance and being dizzy is whether or not you feel motion. If you are having balance issues, you will feel that you are unsteady or not sure of what direction you are going. You may feel weak and need to sit down, or you need to hold on to something to keep walking. Some people only have balance issues when they walk in the dark. Balance problems can be caused from nerve damage to your legs, vision difficulty, medications you take or even neurological conditions. The inner ear houses the balance organ and sometimes it can be the culprit. Dehydration will negatively affect balance.

The Sensation of Dizziness

In this article, we are combining dizziness with vertigo. For this condition, a person feels that the room is spinning or that they are spinning. It may happen when you are still or if you move your head in a particular direction. Causes of dizziness can be the result of dysfunction of the balance organs, anxiety, medications, migraine, head injury or a growth on the balance nerve. If you feel lightheaded, you could have blood pressure problems or heart disease.

What to Do Before You Visit Your Doctor

As you may have noticed, the causes for balance problems and dizziness are numerous! What a doctor does to help diagnose your symptoms is to rule out causes. It is like opening a can of worms to look into a person’s health history and attempt to focus on the correct cause. You can help with this process by writing down a list of symptoms before you go to the appointment.

 

  1. Write down when it started. Note if you started any new medications or changed your diet near the onset of the symptoms.
  2. How often do you have “episodes” and how long do they last?
  3. Can you make yourself feel the sensation by changing position? Maybe it only happens when you stand up, lie down or look up. It is important to experiment at home before the appointment.
  4. If you feel a spinning sensation, what is moving? Is it the room or your body?
  5. What direction is the motion?
  6. Do you feel a vibration at the same time or is it only spinning?
  7. What time of day does the sensation occur?
  8. Is there a history of this problem occurring with your family members?
  9. Are there any other physical sensations you have at the same time? For example, do you suddenly hear ringing in your ears when you have the sensation? Does your vision change when it happens?
  10. Do you have a history of migraines?
  11. Do you have sleep apnea?
  12. Do you have a history of leg problems, neurological difficulty or physical strength?
  13. Have you ever had a head injury?
  14. Have you ever been treated for this condition before? What was the diagnosis?
  15. What medications do you take?
  16. Do you have a history of dehydration?

Now that you have written all this down, you can look at it and see if there is more information needed to help fill in the blanks. By recording this information at home, you will be able to think about it. Start the paper and then add to it as you think of something new. Do this at home in a stress-free environment rather than waiting to write it down while sitting in the doctor’s office.

As you describe what you are feeling, your doctor will ask even more questions to build a more thorough picture of what is going on. Be patient as your doctor rules out the most common causes of your symptoms. Tests may be ordered and medications may be prescribed. You may even be sent to a specialist. By ruling out the various potential causes, the reason for your dizziness may emerge. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. She may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

Common Questions for Your Audiologist

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Here are some of the most common questions I hear during appointments.

Going to a heath care professional can be a stressful situation. You have chosen to ask for a professional opinion about your health and want to get the best possible information during the appointment. Treatment for a physical issue you are having is a very personal subject and you want to feel that you are receiving individualized recommendations.

When you go to any health care professional, it is important to be prepared before the appointment. Write down possible questions you have. They might focus on treatment, length of treatment and possible outcomes. Having questions with you will help you stay organized during the appointment and help to make certain you don’t forget to ask something you planned to find out. Next, be prepared to write down the answers. It is difficult to remember what someone is telling you, especially if you are stressed or not feeling well. If you don’t want to write down what is said, take a friend or family member who is willing to do it for you. Two heads listening during an appointment is much better than just one!

As an audiologist, I hear many questions about hearing and balance. I am pleasantly surprised when someone comes to an appointment with pen and paper in hand. It shows me that the individual is prepared and attentive and, usually, the appointment has a better outcome. I am able to explain more and I know that the individual will review what was said during the appointment. That reduces confusion.

Here are some of the most common questions I hear during appointments.

Do I have a hearing loss?

Once a hearing evaluation is completed, the audiologist will help you understand the results of the test. Most of us understand that the lingo used will be foreign, so we try to use language that is more commonly heard. We expect a person to ask for clarification if they need it. Don’t be shy! You are paying to have someone who has extensive training in a subject bring the information to you in a way you can use. You will be told if the hearing loss is in one or both ears and what amount of decrease in hearing you have compared to a standardized norm.

Is the hearing loss permanent?

This is a wonderful question to ask. The audiologist will be able to tell you if the hearing loss is from permanent damage to your hearing nerve or if it is caused by a temporary issue with the middle ear. The testing process is designed to do just that. In addition to hearing test results, we need a list of current medications to note if any might be compounding your hearing difficulty. If you have had a previous hearing evaluation, it is good to bring a copy of the test to compare to the current results. We will help you understand if the hearing difficulty is progressive or something that will resolve on its own, or needs the intervention of medication or surgery. We need to understand your family history of hearing loss, noise exposure, significant illnesses or chronic illnesses, when the hearing difficulty began and how the hearing issue affects you.

Do I need hearing aids?

To answer this question, the audiologist will use the test results and the answers to questions about the difficulty you have hearing friends and family, music or TV, etc. The audiologist will explain to you if your hearing loss can be treated medically or make a recommendation to see an ear surgeon. If medical intervention is not recommended, then hearing aids are an option.

Do I have to get hearing aids?

During the visit you will be offered a variety of treatments. Hearing aids are one option. The decision to wear hearing aids is based on the difficulty you have hearing the things that are important to you. If you are not ready to do anything about the hearing loss, explain that to the audiologist. We will give you a list of things to watch for and recommend a yearly hearing examination to document the progression of the loss. The brain likes to be stimulated with sound to maintain proper skills, so to speak. Because of this, it is important to continue exposing yourself to sound, so if later you decide to try out hearing aids, your brain will jump on board. Hearing is not just an ear thing; it is a brain and ear thing! QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. She may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

Are You a Happy Camper?

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Once you have decided on some life goals, you need to decide what motivates you.

Most of us take our day-to-day experiences with a grain of salt. We don’t expect things to go too smoothly or we are disappointed, so why expect more? This article is about how to create the life you want. It takes planning, steadfast focus and self-reflection. A joyful life does not just happen, it is created!

Focus on Being Your Authentic Self

Take the time to sit down and look at your future goals. You could divide them into short-term and long-term goals. Now, look at the goals and see if they are in alignment with your authentic self. This is the part of you that defines who you are and what your actions and thoughts will be to support your true self. This is not the part of you that attempts to please others at your own expense. It is not about making other people happy at your own expense. Your authentic self is about you, not what you want to project to others. If you are true to who you are, then you can use those thoughts to focus on future goals that are supportive to you!

Look For What Motivates You

Once you have decided on some life goals, you need to decide what motivates you. Think about why you picked the particular goals you have. What drives you toward them? Why are you craving the change in direction in your life? There must be a motivator from the inside, not external, for this to work. It is also important that you understand how you are driven and how to access what drives you.

Let Go of Negative People

The path to obtaining the joy you want does not include room for associating with people who treat you badly or are not a positive support for you. Part of being authentic is having healthy self-respect and in doing that, you protect your personal goals. A way to determine if a friend is negative or not is to observe the way they speak to you. Do they negate your ideas or encourage them? Do they seek out the bad things to talk about or focus on what is good in the world? The biggest test of a relationship is to ask, “How do I feel about me when I am around them?” Once you find the supportive relationships you have, spend more time with them and less time with the “Debbie Downers!”

Look for the Good in Any Situation

As you focus on your life goals, it is important to reduce the non-supportive thoughts and actions. Don’t allow yourself to become trapped in the old habit of whining about how things should be. Look for another point of view or perspective and then focus on that. You don’t have to be a Pollyanna; you are simply putting your thought time into what works for your life. It took time to create the life you have, so it stands to reason it will take time to create your new life goals. When they say, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” this simply means the day-to-day stuff is important. Step over the thoughts that bring you down and replace them with the stuff you want to move toward.

What If Other People Don’t Like My Goals?

This can be a huge brick wall for all of us. We are so excited that we finally decided to live authentically and have set goals for ourselves and want to tell the world!

Be careful here. Don’t try to talk other people into accepting your goals. These are your private goals and you are asking for trouble if you advertise them to your friends and family. They will probably want you to stay the way you are. This process is private, something you are living toward. You may take a class or look for a new job or start a savings account, all with the intent of aiming your activities toward your dreams or life goals. It is rare to be able to announce to everyone what you intend to do and have global support.

Create Supportive Relationships

Relationships come in all sizes and shapes. It is important to focus on proper communication with the individuals you feel make your life fuller and more joyful. You must learn to listen to what others are saying and allow them to have their own path. Be flexible with others as long as there is respect at the core. Offer support when it is asked for as long as it is comfortable for you and fits into your life-goal path. You can do this! QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit Trinityhearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

Exploring Hearing Loss, Dementia, Social Isolation, Loneliness

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Hearing loss may create an invisible barrier to building a relationship with family and friends.

Hearing loss occurs in all age groups. According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing loss is found in three out of 1,000 children in one or both ears. In adults, the number of people reporting trouble hearing is one in eight people, or 13%, in the United States.

The Link Between Hearing and Dementia

According to a recent Johns Hopkins study that tracked more than 600 adults for 12 years, it was evident that even a mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk. Moderate hearing loss tripled the risk of developing dementia and a person with a severe hearing loss was five times more likely to develop dementia. They found via brain scans that hearing loss may contribute to a faster rate of atrophy in the brain. If a person has a hearing loss, they tend to reduce the number of interactions with others. They may not want to be around groups of people or engage in conversations as much. These factors contribute to escalating dementia.

Common symptoms of dementia and hearing loss are confusion during a conversation, difficulty completing everyday tasks, difficulty communicating when stressed or in a noisy environment. If an individual struggles to understand what is being said, they are less likely to store new information in their brain. They spend so much energy and focus on getting the information that there is no time to store the comment or information before the conversation progresses. Most conversations are fast and require quick moment-to-moment storage of information. So, if you are trying to figure out what the third word was in the first sentence and the other person continues to talk, the following sentences will be missed. Sometimes, it is just too much trouble to keep up, so you give up.

Hearing Loss and Social Isolation

In the previous example, you can see how difficult it is to maintain a social connection with other people. If the hearing-impaired person asks to have something repeated, the normal hearing person will sometimes repeat but may not talk slower to help facilitate understanding. More likely, they will repeat part of the dialogue and expect the other person to keep up. These types of exchanges contribute to social isolation. The hearing impaired will not want to engage in conversations that are too stressful to keep up or conversations that make them feel less than adequate. I have heard patients say, “It is easier to pretend that I understood what was said so they don’t think I am mentally slow.” I have heard comments like, “My family gets mad at me if I don’t understand what is being said,” or they will be told, “You were sitting right there, why didn’t you listen?”

If you are sitting with a hearing-impaired person talking only to them, facing them and speaking slower than normal, you will probably be understood. However, if there are three or more people talking, people no longer look directly at the person with hearing loss when speaking. They assume everyone is able to keep up with the various speakers. But the hearing-impaired person is dealing with different voice pitches, different rates of speech, perhaps someone is laughing at the same time someone is talking. This all makes being with other people more stressful and less enjoyable. It is easier to sit and read a book or watch TV than be with other people.

Hearing Loss and Loneliness

Loneliness is a state of mind in which what someone wants and what they are experiencing is not aligned. Another description of loneliness is the feeling we get when our needs for rewarding social contact and relationships are not met. You might feel misunderstood or not cared for by the people around you. You do not have to be alone to be lonely. People can experience loneliness in a group of people.

If you have difficulty interacting with people, you might feel lonely. Hearing loss may create an invisible barrier to building a relationship with family and friends. It is hard to maintain relationships if you don’t understand what is being said or feel the conversations are not interesting.

Feeling lonely can trigger dejection and depression. It is important to address the hearing loss before attempting to change social activities. If you try new activities with the hearing loss, you may feel overwhelmed and misunderstood. Work with an audiologist to find the best amplification for your particular needs. The noise reduction and assistive technology will be important features to discuss. Your desired lifestyle needs and the price point of the hearing aids will be important information in a discussion with your audiologist. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

Phonak Offers Hearing Aids that Respond to Motion

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The hearing aid industry is changing to meet the needs of more people than ever before.

Phonak has a new hearing aid that is able to adjust sound input based on your motion! When you are walking, your hearing needs are not the same as when you are sitting in a chair talking to a friend. Speech sound while walking the dog with someone or hiking on a trail present unique challenges, which are now finally addressed. It is all based on your motion read by a chip in the hearing aid that is able to change the noise cancellation and the microphone settings in the hearing aids without any assistance from the person wearing the hearing aid. It is all automatically changed.

Traditional Hearing Instruments

Hearing aids are designed to pick up sound with a microphone. The microphone converts the sound waves into electrical signals. The microphone may have the ability to switch between directional or omnidirectional function, depending on the needs of the wearer. In some situations, the microphones may switch to directional to help reduce background noise. In other environments, it is important to hear sound from all directions, so the microphone switches to omnidirectional. A hearing aid with the ability to automatically switch back and forth between directional and omnidirectional microphone pick up is important to create the most natural sound.

The electrical signal is then sent to an amplifier, also called a processor, or the computer, of the hearing aid. The job of the amplifier is to change the electrical signal from the microphone and convert it into digital sounds. This is the part of the hearing aid that the audiologist programs to respond to particular pitches and situations based on the results from hearing evaluation. After the adjustments to the sound have been completed, the amplifier converts the sound back to an analog signal.

The receiver of the hearing aid takes the sound from the processor and enhances the sound to meet the hearing loss of the wearer of the aids. Receivers are made to provide mild, moderate, power or extra power to the listener, depending on the hearing loss. The receiver converts the analog signal back into sound waves that the hearing aid wearer hears. All of these components complete this process in a fraction of a second!

The New Paradise Motion Detect Hearing Aid

Now, let’s imagine you are sitting and talking to some friends over lunch. You are able to look at the person you want to hear. You will typically look left or right as each person speaks to you. You are focused only on the voices and not the surrounding sounds. Ideally, your brain will help to focus your attention on the desired voice and ignore the competitive sound in the environment. Directional microphones are used in this scenario. The microphones facing behind you are turned off or turned down and the forward-facing microphones are picking up the speech. It is important to remember that you will have the least amount of auditory distraction if you sit with your back to the room noise. You don’t want to face your friends with loud noise going on behind them, because that noise will sneak into your hearing aids.

However, if you go on a walk or hike with your friends, it is more difficult to look at the person talking. They might be off to your side or behind you. If you are walking on the side of a road and a car passes while you are listening to your friend, it would be difficult to hear. This new hearing aid feature in the Phonak Paradise hearing aid employs a unique algorithm when motion is detected. It changes the microphone focus and deactivates the spatial noise cancellation. A study in August 2020 demonstrated improved sound quality, speech understanding and environmental awareness of sound when out walking while wearing the Phonak Paradise model hearing aids. I find this feature amazing and the fact that this all happens automatically is a winner! No need to push a button or change a setting in the hearing aid app in your phone.

The hearing aid industry is changing to meet the needs of more people than ever before. The special features are just part of the advantages. Battery life, water resistant hearing aids and programming to the specific desires of an individual are now at our fingertips. Be mindful of offers that seem too good to be true, your hearing is your connection to the people you love and it is important that you explore the best fit for your lifestyle. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

New Treatment Being Tested for Chronic Dizziness

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The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has begun research into a treatment that involves a modified cochlear implant.

If you have ever had a bout of dizziness, you would empathize with an individual who experiences dizziness chronically. Most of us have had an episode of car sickness or sea sickness. Imagine being in that state all the time! It is one of the most debilitating symptoms a person can have. Their entire life is consumed by the sensation of vertigo and coping with the nausea and disorientation it causes.

Drugs to treat vertigo are designed to reduce the sensitivity of the balance organs and usually have the side effect of making the person groggy or sleepy. In some conditions, the drugs are not helpful at all. Chronic vertigo can be caused by many conditions, including circulation issues, low blood pressure, dysfunction of the inner ear (vestibular systems), medication side effects, trauma to the head or neck and viruses, which cause damage to the vestibular system. The vertigo may start out slowly and cause dizziness intermittently or suddenly begin and stay all day and never go away.

Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

One type of dizziness is called bilateral vestibular hypofunction, or BVH. Bilateral (both ears), vestibular (balance organ) hypofunction (the organs work but not correctly). It is estimated that about 1.8 million people have this disorder. Because humans use multiple inputs to navigate the world, having one input disrupted is a tremendous disadvantage. People with BVH are at risk for falls and have to concentrate on their balance to walk, bend over, stand up and sit down during their daily activities.

As a person moves, the brain receives information from a few different sensory systems such as vision, muscles and joints and, finally, sensations from the inner ear balance areas. People with BVH have difficulty keeping their eyes, head and body steady. Head movements make their vision jump and blur, which makes walking a challenge. It creates significant stress because the individual needs to concentrate to walk, and if they don’t, down they go. Because the current medicines cause a degree of sedation, people are encouraged to avoid driving, swimming and walking on uneven surfaces. People with BVH are 30 times more likely to suffer a fall than their peers.

A New Implant as a Treatment

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has begun research into a treatment that involves a modified cochlear implant. The multichannel vestibular implant (MVI) is designed to stimulate the balance nerve long-term, which makes it a 24-hour-per-day sensory restoration treatment. The implant electrode bypasses the malfunctioning area of the inner ear and stimulates the vestibular nerve in response to signals. The vestibular nerve is located very close to the hearing nerve; essentially, in the same area of the head. The implant is designed to help people with damage to the delicate anatomy that makes up the vestibular system. The inner ear has three tiny structures called semicircular canals that track the head’s rotation along three axes (imagine nodding, shaking your head and tipping your left or right eyebrow up). Fluid in these canals pushes on sensory hair cells that change the mechanical signal to an electrical one in order to send information up the vestibular nerve. This implant restores most of the ability to walk, move and turn the head without dizziness. It helps people with BHV orient themselves in space!

What is the Implant Made of?

The MVI is comprised of two parts. There is an implanted device that stays just under the skin above the ear with its electrode embedded in the vestibular nerve and an external motion sensor device that sends signals inside to the electrode. The external device is designed to send information about the speed and direction of any head motion. A tiny gyroscope is used to track the person’s head rotations in three dimensions, and a processor, which sends the rotational data to the internal implant to electrically stimulate the vestibular nerve. The implant uses nine electrodes to convey the information that would normally come from the three semicircular canals. This initiates head and eye reflexes that help maintain clearer vision during head movement and reduce the need to exert conscious effort to walk.

This research group has implanted eight people. All of the candidates already had hearing loss in the ear that was implanted. Some of the recipients lost more hearing in the implanted ear after the surgery and some of them maintained the hearing they had prior to the surgery. With these successful results, we hope that the industry will be able to offer this procedure to more individuals in the next few years! QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

Treating Hearing Loss in Children

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The secret to having the best outcome for the child is early hearing aid use. The earlier the better.

We all know intuitively that you need hearing to learn traditional speech and language. If a child has a hearing loss, especially one that is not detected, the world is confusing and distorted. Imagine a mom telling her young child that it is bath time. If she does not have a bath towel in her hand or is not walking or pointing toward the bathroom, the little one may not understand what is going on. Or, think about parents sitting in the living room talking about going to the park and going out to lunch. When they stand up to get ready, they wonder why their little one is not excited to go when the other kids are getting their coats on.

What are the symptoms of hearing loss in children?

Undetected hearing loss may show up as confusion, stubbornness, moodiness, speech delay and difficulty learning. The child may be inattentive to activities unless they are expressly directed at them. They may get angry and frustrated with activities that require significant interaction with others. Put yourself in the child’s shoes: imagine playing with your toys and suddenly someone is yelling that you aren’t playing with the others the way you should. What just happened? I am in trouble? All I was doing was playing with my toys! Social skills in the hearing impaired child do not develop the same as a normal hearing child.

Hearing loss is not as evident as deafness; however, hearing loss is much more common than deafness. It is reported that two in 1,000 well babies are born with hearing loss and 24% to 46% of babies from the NICU (newborn intensive care unit) have hearing loss. Based on these figures, you can see that hearing loss is a significant issue facing children.

Causes of Hearing Loss According to the American Speech and Hearing Association, some of the common causes of hearing loss in babies are:

 

Infections, such as rubella or
herpes simplex virus

Premature birth

Low birth weight

Birth injuries

Drug and alcohol use while
pregnant

Jaundice and Rh factor problems

Maternal diabetes

High blood pressure while
pregnant

Reduced oxygen to the baby during pregnancy

Genetics

 

Causes for hearing loss in children are commonly from:

Ear infections

Ototoxic drugs (medicine that damages the auditory system)

Meningitis

Measles

Encephalitis

Chickenpox

Influenza

Mumps

Head injury

Noise exposure

Testing for hearing loss

Today, most babies get a hearing test prior to leaving the hospital when they are born. For home births, a hearing test can be scheduled as an outpatient with an audiologist. A screening test is completed first; then, if there is any question about the hearing, a diagnostic test is ordered. The test is quick and completely painless. For young children, the test is completed in a small room while the child sits in the caregiver’s lap. The sound comes from special speakers in the room that mimic wearing headphones. The child does not even know they are being tested. It is just a little room with cartoon videos playing.

Treatment for hearing loss

If a hearing loss is confirmed, the baby or child will be sent to an ENT to rule out hearing loss caused from middle ear fluid. If the hearing loss is determined to be caused by damage to the hearing nerves, then hearing aids are ordered. Today, hearing aids are much more comfortable and have a more natural sound than in years past. The secret to having the best outcome for the child is early hearing aid use. The earlier the better. The more exposure to sound at the earliest possible age gives the child the best chance of learning speech, language and the necessary social skills to keep up with their peers. I have fit hearing aids on babies as young as four weeks.

In addition to hearing aids, it is important to enroll the child in speech therapy as quickly as possible. Again, we are racing against the clock and need to expose that beautiful little brain to as much sound and learning opportunity as possible, as young as possible. The brain learns speech easiest prior to the age of two. You would be amazed at the amount of learning a child does when playing around the house. We want to take advantage of every single opportunity to learn. A speech pathologist will teach the caregivers how to expose the child to the best speech opportunities and will work with the child so they understand how to produce sounds.

A team approach with an audiologist, speech pathologist and the caregivers is imperative to ensure the best opportunity for a successful outcome. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

Exploring the Lyric Hearing Aid and Tinnitus Masker

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The Lyric is a hearing aid that is housed inside the ear canal for extended periods of time. No need to change a battery or put the hearing aid in a recharging device at night. All you need to do is go to your audiologist and ask to try a pair of them for free!

Discreet Amplification

The most amazing consequence of wearing the Lyric is that you are a “normal” person. You do not have to be careful with your hearing aids around the house so the dog or cat does not eat them when you take them off. You can remove your glasses without catching the hearing aid and having it fly across the room. You can remove your facemask without worrying that your hearing aids will be lost. You can put on your motorcycle helmet or bicycle helmet without fear of losing the hearing aid. You can even swim, on top of the water, while wearing Lyric, although you must wear earplugs to protect the Lyric from excessive water while lap swimming or kayaking and bathing.

No one will politely remind you to put your hearing aids in every morning while you are simply trying to enjoy your coffee and newspaper. People enjoy the fact that they wake up hearing normally and are able to hear house noise at night similar to the other family members.

Lyric Sound is Clear

The sound of speech is clear and distinct. You are able to understand your friends and family under most circumstances. Extremely loud environments will present a challenge, but my patients report that 95% of the time they are very happy with the sound quality.

The Lyric Difference

The sound of these aids is different than other in-the-ear hearing aids because of the location in the ear canal. The canal wall has different composition as it extends to the eardrum. The Lyric sits deeper in the canal than any other hearing aid. The depth is one of the biggest secrets to the successful sound transmission. The Lyric sits ¼ of an inch from the eardrum in the boney portion of the canal. The composition of bone rather than cartilage and fat reduces the echo that many people hear with traditional hearing aids. The Lyric takes advantage of the outer ear, or pinna, in its ability to focus on the sound that the listener is facing. Finally, the power needs are much less because it is so close to the eardrum; thus, there is less distortion of sound.

The Lyric Sound is Adjustable

The Lyric comes with a wand that is designed to change the volume or even mute the sound completely. It has a sleep mode if you prefer to hear at your pre-hearing aid level. There are many options so that the sound can be modified by the person wearing Lyric.

Lyric for Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a noise that is heard by a person either in the brain or in an ear. It can be a whistle, buzz, chirp or hissing sound. There are numerous descriptions of the noise that can be heard by someone. The Lyric is a great way to either reduce tinnitus or completely eliminate the sound. Many patients will be astounded that the minute the Lyric is placed into the canal, the noise they hear is gone! Anyone who wants to find out if he or she will benefit is welcome to try out a Lyric for free.

Removing the Lyric

The person using a Lyric is able to remove it at any time. A tool is provided that is placed in the ear canal and attaches to a loop on the outer edge of the device. I have had people attempt to replace their device, but by not using the specialized tool, the ear canal was scratched. The Lyric must be reinserted by the audiologist. The fit is comfortable only if it is placed in the canal at the proper depth and at the proper angle.

Replacing the Lyric

The Lyric battery will last more than two months. Sometimes it will last up to three months, but it is safe to say that the Lyric should be replaced every two months. The audiologist will remove the Lyric, clean the ear canal and place a new Lyric in the ear canal. Even if you wear traditional hearing aids, you should try out this new technology on a free trial. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

 

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.

What is it Like to Have a Hearing Loss?

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As an audiologist, I see hearing-impaired individuals every day. One of the most rewarding activities of my job is to teach the family members what it is like to have a hearing loss and how to better communicate with hearing-impaired people.

What Can the Hearing-Impaired Person Hear?

I think that understanding what a person really can and can’t hear is the key to successfully living with or working with a hearing-impaired person. It is crucial to understand what can change the clarity of your voice for a person attempting to comprehend what you are saying.

For argument’s sake, let’s select the most common hearing loss to use in our discussion. That would be a high-frequency hearing loss. Now, we will put lovely hearing aids on, which have been programmed by your favorite audiologist! That individual is now being given sound to augment what they hear without amplification. Can this person hear the same as you? I am sorry to say, no. The individual is able to hear more sounds that are used for speech and also hear room noise that is sharing the same pitches as speech. Our patient can hear water running, cinders crunching under their feet, paper rustling and other high pitch sounds. He or she can hear your voice much easier (note the word easier) but not perfectly. The individual can now hear the competitive speech sounds in the same room. The damage in the hearing organ is still there. In essence, even as a person wears hearing aids, he or she is still hearing impaired, but the hearing is aided.

Filtered Speech You Can Hear Online

There are some amazing websites that play a variety of sound samples for the normal hearing person to hear speech through a damaged hearing organ. It is a remarkable learning experience to listen to the samples and step into the shoes of an individual who lives in a world with this type of hearing. After listening to the samples, imagine going to a church service or a meeting with the “sample ears.” How loud would you need to turn the TV? Now imagine sitting in your favorite chair reading a book and suddenly hearing the demonstration sentence start up. Would you be able to understand it? If you turn the “sample ears” louder, does it eliminate all the difficulty or do you still need to concentrate on what is being said? Do you think that you could relax and listen as people were talking in a group setting?

You will notice on the websites that speech in noise is separate from the speech in quiet. Listen to the difference. Notice how noise is a significant distraction to the desired sentence on which you are concentrating.

The website called The Real Sounds of Hearing provides sentences with filtered sound, giving you unique insight into the life of a hearing-impaired person. Go to:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/06/175945670/the-real-sounds-of-hearing-loss.

 

This website is provided by Audrey Carlsen. She demonstrates to the listener how it is to hear with the high frequencies missing. In another sample, she demonstrates what it sounds like with a flat hearing loss. A flat hearing loss causes you to miss all the soft sounds of speech.

Another site is the Phonak website: type in “Phonak hearing loss simulation.” You will find samples of speech, music, bird song and other sounds commonly heard every day with a comparison of a normal hearing individual with that of a person with a hearing loss. One of the most glaring differences is how they each hear sounds if there is background noise. The damage in the ear creates difficulty separating the noise from the sound on which you want to focus.

I hope those of you who do not own a computer will go use a family member’s or friend’s computer to listen to these samples. You could go to your audiologist’s office and ask to hear the samples. Another suggestion is to go the public library. A librarian will be able to help you find the websites and help you use the computer.

If you live with or work with someone who is experiencing hearing loss, you will likely find this knowledge profound. My experience is that the normal hearing family members are moved to tears as they finally understand what their loved one is experiencing. QCBN

By Karon Lynn, Au.D.

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit TrinityHearing.net.

 

Karon Lynn, Au.D., is a doctor of audiology with 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.