Hi guys, finished up my antibiotics today for a double ear infection. Both my ears are still clogged. I can barely hear, it’s absolutely awful (see previous post). Finally booking in to hopefully get some debris out and clear these blockages. Do you think this will work? Has anyone else done this and it’s helped?

Hi - I just found out yesterday that my daughter has normal to mild hearing loss for high frequency sounds. She failed her newborn test and was tested at 2 months (didn’t pass but thought some fluid in ears still) and just retested yesterday to confirm not fluid but something structural.

We are going to move forward with all the recommendations from our audiologist (hearing aids, early intervention etc) so that there won’t be a significant impact to her development.

This news is super fresh (less than 24 hrs) and I’m still processing all my emotions. All I want is for her to have a normal, happy, fulfilling life. I know this new information means there will be additional challenges that she will need to overcome.

I don’t want to downplay the seriousness of her hearing loss but at the same time I don’t want to make it a big deal. I dont want to make her feel like she different from everyone else but I also want to recognize her challenges. I’m so scared that she will feel insecure and limited by her differences and I’m scared she will also be bullied / not accepted because of them

So I guess my question is are you happy with your life? What have your friends and family done to make you feel loved and supported and fulfilled in your life? What can I do to help her live an amazing life?

Hi guys, so I’ve had middle ear infection on both ears for just about over a week. I caught it early and got antibiotics day 2 of infection, so I’ve been on Cephalexin for 6 days. The intense pain from infection has died down, don’t need heavy pain meds anymore, but the pressure and aches are still there and this horrid feeling of the clogged ears, muffled hearing, both blocked, and tons of pressure. I’ve tried every trick with drinking warm fluids, garlic oil in ear, massaging, excessive yarning, warm compressions, the bloody lot. I go through phases of panicking and thinking I’ll be stuck like this for months, especially with searching stuff up too. Somebody please give me some clarity it will get better or if anyone’s experienced this before and have tips!

Hey everyone!

Miscommunication happens to all of us, but for those in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (HOH) community, it can sometimes feel like an everyday challenge. Whether it's in conversations, at work, or even when trying to order a coffee, those small misunderstandings can add up.

What’s one moment of miscommunication that really stands out to you? Was it frustrating, funny, or something that taught you a lesson? How do you usually deal with situations where people don’t understand your communication needs?

Let’s share some stories and strategies—it might just help someone else navigate similar situations!

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences! 😊

I've been shopping around for a bluetooth transmitter that will work well and work reliably with my Phonak hearing aids.

I reallyw want something I can plug into my PC so it can transmit the sound to my aids, instead of relying on external speakers.

Problem is, I've already tried a bunch out and they all either failed to work or worked improperly (sound cutting out at random intervals, which is distracting and annoying).

Can anyone recommend a bluetooth transmitter that just works?

Looking for the best comfortable headphones for a low tech senior family member. a great deal (maybe Cyber Monday) on headphones that could be used on the family TV for a senior who uses hearing aids would be nice (you can DM models if you don't want to post). We'd like to still have the TV audio play so everyone else can hear it but headphones for the family member that misses a lot even with subtitles (these always seem bad with live TV or news). What's also very important is the voice be emphasized over the background music/noise as I think some headphones do this. If it makes any difference the TV is Toshiba (model 43LF621U19). Thsnks!

I took a trip to Pittsburgh, did some outdoor activities that gave me a cold. Coming into Vegas my left ear was feeling off, I kinda did the worst thing possible. Used my thumb to pop my left ear to try to alleviate the pressure. Dumb idea, after doing so. I felt a sharp hard pain in my inner ear. I was wearing those apple wireless in ear headphones all day, and I didn’t realize how much hearing loss I got until I removed them after landing. (This was all in the last 30 minutes of decent). When I got off the plane. My hearing was lost from that ear, it sounded like a light wind that didn’t stop until about 1 hour after. I can barely hear from it now. My right ears good, but the one I did that to is like at 30%. My hearing was fine before but I think I accidentally ruptured my left eardrum. Should I see a doctor immediately or does it come back eventually?

I have severe hearing loss (>70dB) and I'm looking for a way to listen to music without my hearing aids for example while showering or falling asleep. Extremely loud speakers aren't an option because I don't want to disturb others. Headphones aren't an option either because of the aforementioned use scenarios. I've heard of directional speakers but there's not much information on using them for this use case. Has anybody experwince with them. Or are there other solutions?

landline telephones VS cell phones?

For approximately one year, my left ear has felt fullness and has had minor hearing loss (hard to put a value on it, but maybe 5-10%; "vibrates" less and in frequency test shows very weak hearing in the 5k-6k range and 7k-8k range; my best guess based on my symptoms is that it's conductive as opposed to sensorineural). It regularly feels itchy and has small amounts of fluid coming out of it fairly regularly. I went to an ENT and was told that the results of my audiogram indicate minor hearing loss in my right ear, and the left ear has no problems. I tried to argue with him, but he insists that my subjective experience differs from reality. He offered me steroids to try to reduce the "fullness" feeling, which did in fact help some, but didn't fully resolve the issue.

Has anyone ever had a similar experience? What did you do? What is a likely diagnosis to this kind of problem?

I understand this is a side effect of the surgery for many people, and something my doctor told me to expect, but it's hard to really understand how bad tinnitus is until you actually experience it.

I'm still wearing the cup over my ear when I sleep which means I can only really sleep in one position that's already fairly uncomfortable, that plus the constant ringing means I can't really sleep for more than a couple of hours every day.

How do you cope? What are some things you can recommend? I'm going to get the packing removed in one week and by then I'll probably feel more comfortable to sleep without the cup but until then I'd love any advice to dealing with this short of just drugging myself to sleep

My new partner has a hearing number of 70. Thanks to this group, I'm learning key skills for creating a positive communication experience for us.

My question is this: is a hearing loss coping mechanism to talk a lot? It seems my partner does a lot of the talking, all the time, between us. I mean, from the the first light of day until the first light snore at bedtime. Lol.

I've learned to face him when I talk. To enunciate. To tap his shoulder for attention. To reduce background noise. Despite these efforts, he still has a tough time hearing/processingy my side of communication. He does wear hearing aides.

Thanks in advance for being so open about your hearing loss and teaching the people in your lives how to be inclusive.

3 years between the hearing test. I am shocked, really.🤯 The audiologist at the hospital has sent me for further consultations to start the cohlear implant process. I hope I'm a good candidate. I'm struggling.

for anyone with otosclerosis, do you get dizzy? do u get pressure in ears

Hey everyone! Have you ever had someone come up with a super creative way to communicate with you? Maybe it was writing on a napkin, using emojis, or even coming up with impromptu signs.

For me, I’ll never forget the time a friend used a series of hand-drawn stick figures on a notepad to explain an entire story—it was hilarious but so thoughtful!

I’d love to hear your stories! What’s the most unique or unexpected way someone has tried to connect with you? Let’s share some fun or heartwarming moments! 😊

Hi all,

For those of us who struggle with hearing on the phone, what do you find the most challenging? Is it phone tree menus (IVRs), miscommunications, or something else?

I’d also love to know if there’s a tool or service you’ve found that actually works well. Let’s share tips and ideas for making phone communication easier!

So a little background. I’m completely deaf in my left year and wear a hearing aide in my right ear. (Since I was 5 years old, now almost 40) I just had bunion surgery on my right foot and ever since then, my hearing has been off. Everything is loud and echo-y. I’m missing out on more conversations, and a couple of days ago I would randomly get dizzy and lightheaded. This morning was the first day, I woke up so dizzy I ended up throwing up. Something is off with my ears, I just know it. Has anyone else experienced sudden hearing loss and vertigo after a surgery?

So last night I started to rinse out a pot, and let it soak in the sink. The running water made me need to go to the bathroom, which is right by my kitchen so ran to it while the pot filled with water...

And then forgot I had the water running. Woke up to a huge mess in my kitchen.

I’ll keep my story brief and thanks so much to anyone who chimes in. My daughter is 3 ever since she was little she kind of would breathe like a pug and hold her breath for a bit between breaths. Let the doctors know and they were never concerned fast forward to a little bit of a speech delay not passing a hearing test. We think her tonsils are too big and that’s somehow effecting hearing.

I was wondering if someone could help me decipher her chart

I sat in the chair with my headphones on, waiting for sound. I don't know how many she played, but I heard something only 5 times. I have failed this test gloriously.

Next stop, in depth CI workup and meet with the surgeon. It's starting to get real

Does anyone have trouble using a headset with these kind of hearing aids? Constant feedback and whining have left me looking for alternative options when gaming?

Does anyone have any recommendations? Just isn’t the same without a headset 😢

This might be a bit of a long shot but about 6 months ago I had gotten an ossiculoplasty surgery in my left ear to restore conductive hearing to it.

The surgery had worked successfully and my hearing has had a noticeable improvement, however recently I got an ear infection due to a cold I got and I can’t help but notice that I’ve had reduced hearing loss in my left ear?

My GP has told me that after taking the antibiotics it looks all good now but 2 weeks from the infection, I feel like my hearing has only barely improved? Is it meant to take a while for the hearing to restore after an ear infection?

I’m additionally more worried if the ear infection possibly led to complications with the ossiculoplasty that had occurred earlier in the ear.

Has anyone experienced the same thing in the past that got the surgery? Sorry if that didn’t make sense!! Honestly stressing badly and will appreciate any help 🥲

What the title says.

3 years ago, I had moderate hearing loss per an audiology exam. I needed a checkup this year, and there was a dramatic change. Now, my hearing is apparently normal. I do still have a teeny bit of loss at 8kHz, but it's on the borderline of mild and normal.

I have no clue how or why, but I'm thanking my lucky stars! I thought hearing couldn't recover when it was gone, but according to the audiologist if you're very protective of your hearing, some degree of barotrauma is reversible.

Hi! I’ve been HOH since I was 6 months, it’s genetic in the family. I wear hearingaids full time, but last year I noticed that high-pitched sounds were getting irritating. After an appointment with my audiologist, it was determined that my cochlea was losing its hair cells. Things like whistling, toddler screaming, door squeaking, and shrieking have now started making me disoriented and painful.

Its suspected I have type II incomplete partition, parts of my cochlea are abnormal or underdeveloped. Does anyone have any experiences with this? I’m looking into CI’s and wondering if those have been any help

My husband is hard of hearing. I'm not sure if this stems from his hearing loss, but he has a very hard time following conversations with a group of more than 3 people. I already talk at a very fast pace, and when I'm around other people, it probably is worse. That being said, he gets really upset because he feels left out of conversations. He's usually really quiet anyways, and rarely talks, which I'm attributing to his hearing loss.

How can I help him feel more included in conversations with a group of people?

Hello everyone!

My name is Gabriela Barrios. I’m a college student at Georgia State University, and I’m currently working on a project focused on understanding the unique educational experiences of deaf students. I believe that the best way to learn is to hear directly from those with hands-on experience. I’m looking to interview educators who have worked with or currently teach deaf students to better understand challenges you’ve faced in the classroom, strategies you find most effective, teaching styles you’ve developed, etc. I’m also looking to interview students as well to better understand their personal experience in academia, the specific challenges they face, and any other personal anecdotes. 

If you’re open to sharing your experiences, please comment below or send me a private message. We can set up a time that works for you to chat—whether via email, video call, or even here in the group. Being an educator/student is not a requirement, I value anyone’s opinion on this matter and would love to include that as well.

Your stories and insights could greatly impact fostering awareness and improving education for deaf students. Thank you for your time and for considering sharing your experiences!

Hi everyone,

I lost total hearing in my right ear at the same time as a migraine. I (maybe stupidly) did not want to go into the ER with a migraine even though the hearing loss was concerning. I woke up the next day and felt anxious all day and like my ear was full but had some hearing. It wasn't until Monday came around where that feeling wasn't getting better and in fact got worse (plus new tinnitus) that I went to an Urgent Care.

I got a rudimentary hearing test and then they called the oncall ENT who put me on high dose oral steroids. I then needed an audiologist appt who told me I have mild hearing loss.

With the audiologist test (which I frustratingly have no idea how to interpret) I went to the ENT that prescribed me the steroids and they told me I have a 30% chance of getting my hearing back but the combination of the migraine and virus probably permananetly damaged my ear.

Anyway all that to say I am struggling with this and I keep having panic attacks about the tinnitus and hearing loss feeling. It doesn't feel like I thought it would as a hearing person. I feel like I can hear but I can't ascertain where sounds are coming from. This disorients me and I have fallen 3 times since Friday. I keep having massive panic attacks and have been wearing an ear plug in my right ear to pretend it's normal. I don't know why that helps but it does.

I don't know why I'm writing this post but I feel very scared and lost. I'm struggling in places I especially have to concentrate on sound such as school (I'm a grad student). This is all extremely new too, only a week. I don't even know if this will be permanent. I'm just very scared.

Any helpful tips or advice for someone with new hearing loss?

Thank you for reading all that!