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Hearing aid & genetic testing

I am 25 years old. I experienced gradual bilateral sensorineural hearing loss since 10 years ago which is getting worse by time. I have severe impairment in hearing high frequencies (2000 Hz and up). My brother (26 years) experienced exactly the same situation, except that his case is a moderately severe one. My parents do not experience this, neither my sister does. My parents are not relatives.
I was prescribed an open-fitting hearing aid which I don't like to wear at all. I started to hear sounds I didn't hear before, but at the same time I did not feel any better in discriminating speech or in communicating with people. I tried to force myself to wear it, but I really can't withstand it more than 2 hours daily. My brother has an in-built hearing aid and is using it since 2 years, it works well with him.
I have read that some cases with (severe) impairment do not accomodate well with hearing aids. So my first question is whether accommodating with the hearing aid is related to the severity of hearing loss. I also wanted to ask if sitting for a genetic test may be beneficial by any means.

Appreciating your kind reply
Thank you
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your time,

I am really considering a cochlear implant test, the only obstacle is that I think this would be too expensive for me.
For sign language courses, I guess I can start considering this if my case gets worse. By now, I can manage to hear almost 60 - 70 % of my daily conversations, or I guess so. Probably learning sign language will be beneficial one day, I just hope people would cope with it.

Once more, thank you. I appreciate your reply.
Helpful - 0
1740498 tn?1328962585
Hi and welcome to the Hearing Loss community!

You are right that the severity of the hearing loss affects how well you do with hearing aids. The type of hearing aid also makes a difference.

You could get genetic testing, but I am not sure it would be worth it. There is no cure for sensorineural hearing loss.

Have you been evaluated for a cochlear implant? If your speech discrimination is poor, you may be a candidate. Most people with severe-profound hearing loss find that they hear much better with cochlear implants than hearing aids.

I would also recommend sign language courses. You would be able to meet and make friends with more of your peers. Over and over I hear how the world just opens up when you learn sign language. It did for me, and I am hearing!

Let us know how things are going for you!

BC
Helpful - 0
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