Aa
change in audiogram, 2 years later
Im 26 years old and have tinnitus for about 4 years. I had an audiogram done 2 years ago with that read
Right ear
250- 25 db
500- 35 db
1000- 35 db
2000-40dB
4000-50dB
8000 35dB
Left Ear
250- 30 db
500- 40 db
1000- 45 db
2000-55dB
4000-50dB
8000 45dB
And one that was dne recently:
Right Ear
250- 35 db
500- 35 db
1000- 35 db
2000-40dB
4000-60dB
8000 50dB
Left Ear
250- 40 db
500- 40 db
1000- 50 db
2000-60dB
4000-60dB
8000 50dB
Now over the past 2 years, i havent gotten any infections, no exposure to loud music and basiclly took care of my ears.
My questions are:
1) what is the normal change in dB over a year?
2)what can casue the change in dB? (besides hearing loss)
3)what casues the change in dB between Left and right ears? I thought they usually decrease in the same amount.
4) what can casue a "cookie bite" pattern?
5)Should I be worried that im going to go deaf in when im 40?
thank you
Right ear
250- 25 db
500- 35 db
1000- 35 db
2000-40dB
4000-50dB
8000 35dB
Left Ear
250- 30 db
500- 40 db
1000- 45 db
2000-55dB
4000-50dB
8000 45dB
And one that was dne recently:
Right Ear
250- 35 db
500- 35 db
1000- 35 db
2000-40dB
4000-60dB
8000 50dB
Left Ear
250- 40 db
500- 40 db
1000- 50 db
2000-60dB
4000-60dB
8000 50dB
Now over the past 2 years, i havent gotten any infections, no exposure to loud music and basiclly took care of my ears.
My questions are:
1) what is the normal change in dB over a year?
2)what can casue the change in dB? (besides hearing loss)
3)what casues the change in dB between Left and right ears? I thought they usually decrease in the same amount.
4) what can casue a "cookie bite" pattern?
5)Should I be worried that im going to go deaf in when im 40?
thank you
"Some hearing losses are genetic in nature and some of the genes responsible for hearing loss have been identified. There are many, many, many causes of hearing loss ranging from abnormal development of the ear while in the womb, to viruses, bacterial infections, exposure to loud noise, tumors etc. Unfortunately there isn’t any way of knowing for sure if a hearing loss is going to be progressive, unless it is associated with a known cause or syndrome that is characterized by progressive loss of hearing. This is why I asked how long have you had the hearing loss. "
I have really havent noticed any hearing loss. However, I did notice that my audiogram has been steadily declining since 2005 at a rate of 10dbs every 2 years. I had tinnitus before and can deal with that. Now im just worried about my decreasing audiogram.
I have really havent noticed any hearing loss. However, I did notice that my audiogram has been steadily declining since 2005 at a rate of 10dbs every 2 years. I had tinnitus before and can deal with that. Now im just worried about my decreasing audiogram.
The tinnitus is most likely the result of your hearing loss. It can conceivably interfere with your hearing test results depending on the presentation of stimulus (called pure tones) used during the hearing test. For example there is the steady tone which is one long continuous beep....beeeeeeeeeeeep; then there is the pulsed tone which is a series of beeps......beep...beep...beep..beep; and then there is a warbled pure tone which kind of sounds like the "phasers" used in the old Star Trek series. (Dating myself here-lol)
If a steady pure tone was used, then conceivably, you may have had some elevated responses in the frequency range where your tinnitus occurs (usually tinnitus is a high-pitched ringing sound).
When you are tested wearing earphones or insert earphones, the entire ear (outer ear, middle ear and inner ear) is being tested. This is called air-conduction test results. Usually when diagnosing a hearing loss, another test called bone conduction is completed. With this test, a little oscillator (vibrator) is placed on the bone behind your ear and your thresholds for the different pitch sounds are identified again. This test "vibrates" the bones of your skull and stimulates the inner ear directly. This test gives you a good idea where in the ear the problem is occurring.
If the bone conduction thresholds are the same as the air conduction thresholds, then the hearing loss is termed as sensori-neural (the problem is in the inner ear and/or the auditory nerve). If the bone conduction thresholds fall in the 0-20dB range (which would be significantly better than your air conduction scores) then most likely, the problem is in your middle ear; if the bone conduction scores are greater than 20dB but not as "bad" as the air conduction scores, then the hearing loss is "mixed" (involvement of both the middle ear and inner ear).
I am just assuming your hearing loss falls in the sensori-neural category. Your ENT did an MRI to rule out any growths or abnormalities along the auditory nerve and in your brainstem. Sometimes CT scans are done of the temporal bones (the area of your skull where the hearing apparatus is housed) to see if there are any abnormalities with the three little bones in the middle ear and to check for deformities of the Cochlea (the area in your inner ear where the sensory fibers (hair cells) for the auditory nerve live) or “other” inner ear abnormalities.
Some hearing losses are genetic in nature and some of the genes responsible for hearing loss have been identified. There are many, many, many causes of hearing loss ranging from abnormal development of the ear while in the womb, to viruses, bacterial infections, exposure to loud noise, tumors etc. Unfortunately there isn’t any way of knowing for sure if a hearing loss is going to be progressive, unless it is associated with a known cause or syndrome that is characterized by progressive loss of hearing. This is why I asked how long have you had the hearing loss.
Tinnitus can be caused by a lot of things: damaged hair cells in the inner ear which constantly send a "message" to the brain that sound is present, certain medications, abnormal pressure in the hearing system (like when you have an ear infection, pressure changes while flying or abnormal fluid pressures in the inner ear), exposure to loud noise, tumors or other growths putting pressure on the auditory nerve, high blood pressure, etc. Sometimes a cause cannot be found.
You are obviously not satisfied with your ENT. As in any profession, there are good ones and bad ones. You may want to find yourself an otologist (specializes in only the ear) or a neuro-otologist. I firmly believe you are the owner/operator of your body and know it better than anyone else. If your doc isn't listening, find another! They're not gods.
As Dulababa said, there are various treatments for tinnitus if this is your biggest complaint. I would suggest you find an Audiologist who specializes in tinnitus. Try www. audiology.org to find one in your area or google tinnitus-there must be a tinnitus association. Treatments can range from a form of biofeedback, to tinnitus maskers, to whatever else recent research has come up with. A lot of people report that their tinnitus goes away while wearing hearing aids and there are even hearing instruments that are both a hearing aid and tinnitus masker all in one.
An inexpensive approach which has been reported to help, is to go to Target or some other such store and buy a sound wave machine - it's kind of like a radio that puts out different kinds of background noises such as the ocean etc.
Hope this helps answer some of your questions. Enjoy “turkey day”.
If a steady pure tone was used, then conceivably, you may have had some elevated responses in the frequency range where your tinnitus occurs (usually tinnitus is a high-pitched ringing sound).
When you are tested wearing earphones or insert earphones, the entire ear (outer ear, middle ear and inner ear) is being tested. This is called air-conduction test results. Usually when diagnosing a hearing loss, another test called bone conduction is completed. With this test, a little oscillator (vibrator) is placed on the bone behind your ear and your thresholds for the different pitch sounds are identified again. This test "vibrates" the bones of your skull and stimulates the inner ear directly. This test gives you a good idea where in the ear the problem is occurring.
If the bone conduction thresholds are the same as the air conduction thresholds, then the hearing loss is termed as sensori-neural (the problem is in the inner ear and/or the auditory nerve). If the bone conduction thresholds fall in the 0-20dB range (which would be significantly better than your air conduction scores) then most likely, the problem is in your middle ear; if the bone conduction scores are greater than 20dB but not as "bad" as the air conduction scores, then the hearing loss is "mixed" (involvement of both the middle ear and inner ear).
I am just assuming your hearing loss falls in the sensori-neural category. Your ENT did an MRI to rule out any growths or abnormalities along the auditory nerve and in your brainstem. Sometimes CT scans are done of the temporal bones (the area of your skull where the hearing apparatus is housed) to see if there are any abnormalities with the three little bones in the middle ear and to check for deformities of the Cochlea (the area in your inner ear where the sensory fibers (hair cells) for the auditory nerve live) or “other” inner ear abnormalities.
Some hearing losses are genetic in nature and some of the genes responsible for hearing loss have been identified. There are many, many, many causes of hearing loss ranging from abnormal development of the ear while in the womb, to viruses, bacterial infections, exposure to loud noise, tumors etc. Unfortunately there isn’t any way of knowing for sure if a hearing loss is going to be progressive, unless it is associated with a known cause or syndrome that is characterized by progressive loss of hearing. This is why I asked how long have you had the hearing loss.
Tinnitus can be caused by a lot of things: damaged hair cells in the inner ear which constantly send a "message" to the brain that sound is present, certain medications, abnormal pressure in the hearing system (like when you have an ear infection, pressure changes while flying or abnormal fluid pressures in the inner ear), exposure to loud noise, tumors or other growths putting pressure on the auditory nerve, high blood pressure, etc. Sometimes a cause cannot be found.
You are obviously not satisfied with your ENT. As in any profession, there are good ones and bad ones. You may want to find yourself an otologist (specializes in only the ear) or a neuro-otologist. I firmly believe you are the owner/operator of your body and know it better than anyone else. If your doc isn't listening, find another! They're not gods.
As Dulababa said, there are various treatments for tinnitus if this is your biggest complaint. I would suggest you find an Audiologist who specializes in tinnitus. Try www. audiology.org to find one in your area or google tinnitus-there must be a tinnitus association. Treatments can range from a form of biofeedback, to tinnitus maskers, to whatever else recent research has come up with. A lot of people report that their tinnitus goes away while wearing hearing aids and there are even hearing instruments that are both a hearing aid and tinnitus masker all in one.
An inexpensive approach which has been reported to help, is to go to Target or some other such store and buy a sound wave machine - it's kind of like a radio that puts out different kinds of background noises such as the ocean etc.
Hope this helps answer some of your questions. Enjoy “turkey day”.
I do not believe that tinnitus is the "cause" of your hearing loss. An audiogram with those results means you have a real hearing loss.
Tinnitus very frequently accompanies hearing loss. It's the brain's way of "making up" sounds when it loses the auditory input due to hearing loss. In a sense, hearing loss "causes" tinnitus, not the other way around.
You really need a doctor who can at least give you theories as to hearing loss and do any necessary testing to find the cause. If you feel your current ENT is not up to date or not interested in your case, get a second opinion, from an ear SPECIALIST.
Tinnitus, if it's bothersome enough to be interfering with your daily life, can be helped with medications, maskers, and/or tinnitus retraining therapy. I would be more worried about the hearing loss!
Nancy T.
Tinnitus very frequently accompanies hearing loss. It's the brain's way of "making up" sounds when it loses the auditory input due to hearing loss. In a sense, hearing loss "causes" tinnitus, not the other way around.
You really need a doctor who can at least give you theories as to hearing loss and do any necessary testing to find the cause. If you feel your current ENT is not up to date or not interested in your case, get a second opinion, from an ear SPECIALIST.
Tinnitus, if it's bothersome enough to be interfering with your daily life, can be helped with medications, maskers, and/or tinnitus retraining therapy. I would be more worried about the hearing loss!
Nancy T.
I am 78. I am having tinnitus since last more than 30 years and deaf since18 years. I use hearing aids.I am hypothyrodic.This is a genetic problem . my mother and my siblings have this problem in more or less same degree.So far i could not find any treatment.Acupressure books give some points for tinnitus and deafness. One can try this alternative treatment.
Recently i took two sittings for ozone therapy. It is not an approved therapy.It being given as alternative therapy. they pass Ozone gas through your ears for upper body region. For lower region problems they pass it through rectum. It is also given intravenously.Research in the website.
You can also try yoga-pranayam.Practicing humming sound for few minute a day may improve the situation.
Blowing in the ears.Take a deep breath, close your nostrils and blow in the years.Probably doctors may demonstrate this technique.I have tried many things but failed to get any results.
I have heard about an operation Chochlioplast (not sure of the name) for the deafness.Results should be researched before planning operation. It is quite expensive.
Doctors may suggest Hearing aids.Chance of cure are dim.
Wish you best of luck.
Recently i took two sittings for ozone therapy. It is not an approved therapy.It being given as alternative therapy. they pass Ozone gas through your ears for upper body region. For lower region problems they pass it through rectum. It is also given intravenously.Research in the website.
You can also try yoga-pranayam.Practicing humming sound for few minute a day may improve the situation.
Blowing in the ears.Take a deep breath, close your nostrils and blow in the years.Probably doctors may demonstrate this technique.I have tried many things but failed to get any results.
I have heard about an operation Chochlioplast (not sure of the name) for the deafness.Results should be researched before planning operation. It is quite expensive.
Doctors may suggest Hearing aids.Chance of cure are dim.
Wish you best of luck.
My problem is mostly related to tinnitus. I think the ringing in my ear is muffling some of the normal sounds that i shoul be hearing. I had an MRI done 2 years ago and was normal, and Im pretty sure my ENT (as with most ENT) dont have a clue.
My first question would be how long have you had this hearing loss?
The normal range for hearing is between 0 to 20dB for the frequencies you described. Your audiogram suggests a mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears, slightly greater in your left ear. "Cookie bite" just describes the configuration of your hearing loss and actually I would not use that term to describe the configuration of your hearing loss as your hearing does not improve in the high frequencies.
A change in hearing for any particular frequency of 5 to 10 dB (especially over two years) is not considered to be a significant change in hearing. You have to remember, the decibel levels recorded on your audiogram is the decibel level where you are able to detect the sound 50% of the time; this is called a threshold. It is really quite normal to see some very slight variations in thresholds from one test to another due to a variety of factors such as attention, background noise during testing, the tester themselves etc. etc.
Ideally you should have your hearing tested once a year; sooner if you feel there has been a change. If you have not seen an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat specialist) you should in order to rule out any serious causes of the hearing loss.
You are a good candidate for hearing aids. Most states require medical clearance from a physician prior to the first fitting..........it would be very smart if that physician was either an ENT or an otologist.
Good Luck!
The normal range for hearing is between 0 to 20dB for the frequencies you described. Your audiogram suggests a mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears, slightly greater in your left ear. "Cookie bite" just describes the configuration of your hearing loss and actually I would not use that term to describe the configuration of your hearing loss as your hearing does not improve in the high frequencies.
A change in hearing for any particular frequency of 5 to 10 dB (especially over two years) is not considered to be a significant change in hearing. You have to remember, the decibel levels recorded on your audiogram is the decibel level where you are able to detect the sound 50% of the time; this is called a threshold. It is really quite normal to see some very slight variations in thresholds from one test to another due to a variety of factors such as attention, background noise during testing, the tester themselves etc. etc.
Ideally you should have your hearing tested once a year; sooner if you feel there has been a change. If you have not seen an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat specialist) you should in order to rule out any serious causes of the hearing loss.
You are a good candidate for hearing aids. Most states require medical clearance from a physician prior to the first fitting..........it would be very smart if that physician was either an ENT or an otologist.
Good Luck!
Has your ENT given you any reason that you are losing hearing at such a young age?
You should be seeing an inner-ear specialist (otologist or neuro-otologist) if you aren't already. If your decline in hearing has a treatable cause (and not all of them do, for example I think genetic hearing loss is inevitable), you should be getting treatment by a SPECIALIST.
I don't think any change in dB is "normal" except that people's hearing does get worse in the higher frequencies as they age, but your hearing loss cannot be normal at your age!
"dB" is a measure of hearing loss (it stands for decibels), Like "points" are a measure of cholesterol. Except that for hearing loss, a higher number is worse. I am not any kind of expert and someone will please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that "40 dB" means that a sound has to be 40 decibels louder for YOU to hear it than for a person with normal hearing. It's a measure of how far DOWN from normal your hearing is.
Good luck!
Nancy T.
You should be seeing an inner-ear specialist (otologist or neuro-otologist) if you aren't already. If your decline in hearing has a treatable cause (and not all of them do, for example I think genetic hearing loss is inevitable), you should be getting treatment by a SPECIALIST.
I don't think any change in dB is "normal" except that people's hearing does get worse in the higher frequencies as they age, but your hearing loss cannot be normal at your age!
"dB" is a measure of hearing loss (it stands for decibels), Like "points" are a measure of cholesterol. Except that for hearing loss, a higher number is worse. I am not any kind of expert and someone will please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that "40 dB" means that a sound has to be 40 decibels louder for YOU to hear it than for a person with normal hearing. It's a measure of how far DOWN from normal your hearing is.
Good luck!
Nancy T.
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