Hearing damage problems are common after traumatic brain injury
July 24th, 2008 | by admin |When you get used to wearing your hearing aid, you'll begin to realize just how much you were missing. Hearing damage problems are quite common after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) because the inner ear is directly connected to the central nervous system. Hearing aids are helpful when the speaker and listener are relatively close together and the environment is quiet. Ringing in the ear (tinnitus) and hearing loss are two of the most widely reported side effects of a traumatic brain injury. All hearing aid manufacturers provide a warranty with the purchase of a hearing aid, and most of the companies provide a one-time loss/damage replacement (for any reason), usually for one year or for the length of the repair warranty. Some other hearing problems that may occur following a brain injury include hyperacusis (normal situations seem very loud); difficulty filtering one set of sounds from background noise; and auditory agnosia (also called pure word deafness). Your hearing aid will seem to bother your ears at first, but if it has been properly fitted, it should "break in" nicely. Fortunately, for some TBI victims, hearing problems disappear a few weeks after the accident that led to the patient's brain damage, but other hearing problems will last indefinitely. If you are still experiencing soreness with your earmold, talk to your audiologist and "a little trimming might be in order" to make it comfortable for you. Many TBI victims already suffer cognitive issues such as trouble finding words, and these problems are only exacerbated if the patient cannot hear what is going on around him. Practice listening with various volume settings on your hearing aid. When it is too loud, sounds will be distorted and uncomfortable for you. Following a TBI, hearing problems can occur for a number of reasons, both mechanical and neurological, particularly when the inner ear and/or temporal lobes have been damaged.
