hearing loss

over the course of 20 years i have sustained about 6 or 7 concussions. I played softball, volleyball, gymnastics and i was in color gaurd in high school. now im noticing that i can hear everything but it doesnt register what theyre saying. the actual hearing isnt loss, its the comprehension. i have to be very close to the person physically, or be watching their lips a lot of the time to understand them. if im not its just noise. could my concussions have anything to do with this? everyone else blames it on me being a stupid kid and listening to loud music but i figured that would damage the hairs which would be hearing loss like in getting older, not in comprehension. any ideas?

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

Getting older does = comprehension loss. It also causes hearing loss in the higher frequencies, which is needed for good language comprehension.  Age, well I don't know your age, so I can't really tell you if that is a determining factor. Head trauma....  depending on your age, that may be it. In other words if you are 28 and have a hearing loss, I'd say that is head trauma related....  If you are over 60 it could be age and a history of head trauma.

Either way, if there is any doubt or concern, just go get a hearing test. It is painless.

[salukigirl]

i just turned 20 less than a month ago. i had to switch math professors because he had such an accent that i couldnt understand one word he said. i have to ask people what several times in a row even when i hear them. i always pass the hearing tests because its just a beep and its not the hearing part thats damaged, its the comprehension part. the last concussion i had was almost 2 years ago. i never noticed anything before that but ever since then my hearing has gone downhill. i also get random headaches that last only a few seconds but its an intense pain.

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

You need to take another hearing test, along with the speech protion.  If your REALLY wanted to dig deeper you would want to find someone that will do CAPD testing. That is Central Auditory Processing Disorder testing.   Finding someone that will do it or can do it is difficult.

But to be frank, head trauma can do anything unpredictable. I would not doubt that you have suffered something wihtin the auditory processing mechanism to distort your hearing.

Cure...  none really....  maybe some auditory training etc. You may want to consult with an Audiologist, SLP & a neurologist.

[salukigirl]

thanks. i kinda figured it was from listening to loud music but at the same time that sounds like an old wives tale. its pretty rural down here so i might have to wait until i go see my family in cincinnati. it was hard to find an OBGYN let alone an audiologist.

thanks for your help.

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

No listening to loud music is not a wive's tale...  not at all. But normally most people do not listen to music at such levels to do that kind of damage.

Just as drinking a HUGE amount of water is actually lethal.....  most people do not do drink that amount of water....