Three Signs That Your Hearing Aids Can No Longer Help You Hear
Posted on: 15 September 2016
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If you have been wearing hearing aids for a long time and find that suddenly you do not hear as well as you used to, it may not be your hearing aids at all. Hearing loss continues as you age, and if your parents had progressive, age-related hearing loss, you probably will too. Here are some signs that indicate that your new hearing problems may have nothing to do with your hearing aids and why it is possible that hearing aids may no longer be able to help you.
You Still Cannot Hear, Even with the Volume Cranked
If you turn the volume dial on your hearing aids all the way up until they start whistling and screeching at everyone around you and you cannot hear that or the people you are talking to, then your hearing has taken a turn for the worse. Usually, the volume dial on hearing aids is not meant to be turned up quite so loud, but the volume adjustments exist in case you need them. When the batteries are new in your hearing aids and the dials do not help you hear at the highest volume possible, it is time to have your hearing rechecked.
You Heard a Loud "Pop" and Then....Nothing
There is a set of nerves that lead from your ear canals to your brain. These, like your visual nerves for sight, can become damaged or detached at any time. The biggest clue will be a the sound of a large popping noise in your ear(s) and inside your head, and then you will not hear a single thing after that (unless it only affects one ear). Regardless of how high you turn up the volume on your hearing aids now, the disconnected or damaged auditory nerve(s) will not receive the signal and you cannot hear.
Your Hearing Has Continuously and Rapidly Degraded
This warning sign is one which many people may find alarming and others may ignore. Either way, you should see your audiologist right away. A continuously and rapidly degrading ability to hear may be indicative of something else amiss in your ears. By rapidly, it is meant that within two or three weeks you have gone from setting the volume control on your hearing aids to four to setting it on the highest setting possible and your hearing is still not corrected. If you do not visit your doctor right away, nothing can be done to fix this and your hearing aids will then become entirely useless.