Profound hearing loss and anxiety when more than a few conversations going on at the same time

Thank you Ron you don’t really notice how fast sign language is, until someone is attempting to narrate 2 signers chatting away, it is virtually impossible to keep up, a simple example; What is your name and where do you come from, and where were you born, how old are you… In sign language, that sentence would be signed… Your name what, live where, born where, age what… Sign language is very direct, and back to front, where, what, why and when, the subject matter comes first, followed by a question, and its at lightening speed, some older generation finger spellers are worse still, they don’t use much actual sign language, and finger spell every word, at breakneck speed, my brain doesn’t work that fast, so I find it impossible to keep up, I have to tell them to slow down please! My biggest asset in communication is lip reading, I am good at it, which helps, in effect my eyes are my ears… As I have said many times before, we humans adapt, we find a way, I am glad you have found your way Ron, with the help of your good wife, a problem shared, is a problem halved… Cheers Kev

@kevels55 said:

My biggest asset in communication is lip reading, I am good at it, which helps, in effect my eyes are my ears…

My hearing loss is not profound however I find that I am having to work to look at people’s eyes again now that I have hearing aids. I had become in the strong habit of looking at people’s mouths and not their eyes. It is an interesting exercise.

Hello @RSW… I have stuck this up be before, on other threads… Interestingly it is said, Communication is 93% nonverbal, so basically only 7% of the spoken word is communication, when face to face with someone, the rest comes from visual clues, like eyes, body language & facial expressions, so apparently, apart from the likes of telephone conversations, we could possibly throw away our hearing aids? Please see the link below… Cheers Kev

Lifesize | Enghouse Video4.

@kevels55 ,
I found that study extremely flawed. Their references were primarily to the communication of emotions. Nothing about facts, details, curiosities, interests, business, science, medical or the myriad of other topics not expressible solely by emotions or otherwise non verbal communication.

Yes we could all switch to a 93% reliance on text and sign language, and for the web perhaps we have, but that was not their point and that is not really correct as these are all rooted in verbal communication including the conveyance of emotions through verbal inflection. I do agree the written word has a lot of influence on communication. Less so for sign language. Non verbal communication is heavily dependent for the expression of emotions but that is a smaller subset of all communications.

It takes a lot of brain energy to communicate with someone who speaks, or even writes, in another language. When you can not hear it takes a lot of brain energy to communicate as well. Both of these can be full of frustration and a heavy loss of all the benefits of verbal communication. Can this isolation lead to early dementia?.. I do not know myself. However it sounds more credible to me then the implications of the other study which I find flawed.

And again, why risk or dismiss it?

Of all places, that was Shetland, it’s quite rare to see any form of trouble there, especially in pubs or clubs, obviously there is the occasional idiot, but you usually feel safe, when you are out & about! Taught me a valuable lesson, do not assume anything, and always try to keep your wits about you, I have been glassed in the neck before, they missed the jugular by millimetres, that was further south, no arguments, nothing to indicate it was about to happen, I was talking to someone else at the time… Strangely this was a woman, that did the deed, I knew her, but only vaguely, I believe she had mental health issues? I was very fortunate… Cheers Kev

Thank heaven you’re here!

Dave

godavid_d - I entirely agree with your statement that most audiologists do not know how to deal with profound hearing loss. I had this experience over the last few years, too.
While I don’t believe I have anxiety, I want to share my own recent experiences with severe hearing loss.
After I contracted Covid-19 in Sept 2022, I have since been treated by an ENT because of recurring sinus infections every 2-3 months. I had been able to manage the typical difficulties of participating in a conversation while in a restaurant or any other noisy environments, regardless of the program choice for my Oticon miniRITE S1 using the Companion app. However, the onset of tinnitus about November 2023 following another sinus infection increasingly made life significantly more difficult. So far, the preliminary diagnosis indicates problems with the auditory nerve or anywhere along the central auditory pathways. The tinnitus is intermittent, varying in intensity and noise type, and is most disturbing when it kicks in during the night - it can take hours until I am able to fall asleep again. More recently, my sensitivity to louder noises has significantly increased. Typical noises like clatter with dishes in the kitchen, running a blender, or a vacuum cleaner near by forces me to switch to Mute on the Companion app, otherwise it becomes painful. I am currently being cared for by a new ENT as well as an Immunologist, hopeful that they will be able to stop the sinus issues. Afterwards, the ENT and his Audi will give me a hearing test (which I will upload here) and some recommendations about how to handle the tinnitus. I haven’t given up, yet. If of any interest to the community, I will be glad provide an update.

Its sounds like your trip with your daughter to Vietnam was a neat experience. I’m in Italy alone have not done a lot of conversing. I don’t know about Vietnam but in Italy you do a lot of walking. I’m not sure if it is because I’m lazy or I was just too tired to use the translator. I found cumbersome. Even though I had google maps I got lost a lot. Rome was the most troublesome. I have stay in three cities, Rome, Florence and Salerno. Most likely because I was not reading the maps right. I did pretty good today reading the maps. Went to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain today. I’ve had a lot of anxiety about getting run over and not knowing where I was going most of the time did not help either. For me it was hard to tell which direction I was going because the building are so close together and most of them are over ten stories high so it was hard to tell which direction I was going. So does being tired from walking a lot and stressed out because I don’t know where I’m going affect my hearing? I think it does and today I did not leave the apartment until middle afternoon after taking a nap. I was more relaxed and found my way reading the maps much better. Also I only have one more day here before heading home Wednesday. I know some of you know over here in Italy they talk with the hands which has helped me get my point across. I know when I’m tired my brain does not function right. I guess, the point I’m trying to make here is the when I’m tired or stressed out I’m not going to understand very well what is being said. That creates more stress. I used to think I like walking till I came to Italy. A lot of people stroll over here but that is not walking. I have a fear of stumbling and falling another stressor! Walking in Italy is not smooth like it is in most of the cities in the U.S. It may seem like I’m venting here but I’m really just putting my thoughts into words. Walking has been a real challenge here. I really appreciate a place to talk about what going on with me and my hearing challenges. Thanks for all your shares.

I work in the medical field and a psychiatrist once told me that it’s impossible for our brains to feel anxiety and gratitude simultaneously. Easier said than done, but when feeling anxious think about what you’re grateful for.

Put everything down and travel out of the home. Keep an open mind and it will be very enjoyable trip. Easier said than done.
Once the air ticket is confirmed, the mind will become overdrive! It is normal. Just like a young boy, when there is a trip, they do get excited every now and then.
Enjoy your holiday and take care of your health.
A happy stomach is a healthy mind!

Fantastic, thanks for the feedback.