Diabetes and Hearing Loss

Diabetes Complications and other Conditions
1

My only diabetes complications after 69 years of type 1 are related to mild nerve damage. I have hearing loss caused by nerve damage in both ears, and it has gradually progressed for more than 10 years. The kind of hearing aids that are inserted inside the ears did nothing for me. Now I have been fitted for behind the ear hearing aids, and will start using them in a few weeks. My wife talks very loud and I still need for her to repeat sometimes. I turn up my TV and miss out on a lot of what is said. I should not have waited so long to try these newer hearing aids.

I would like to know if any of my online friends have hearing loss, and do you think it is caused by diabetes? I have a type 1 friend who says that doctors have told him that his hearing loss may be caused by a kind of neuropathy. Have any of you heard that before?

I am looking forward to my new hearing aids. They are small and not very noticeable. I think my wife is just as anxious as I am. lol

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/05/the-411-on-diabetes-and-hearing-loss.html

2

I didn't realize this could be a complication of diabetes, but it appears it is! (Like we need another one to worry about???)

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/seniors/diabetes-and-hearing-loss.html

But that's really fortunate that after that long with T1D this is your only complication - as you've mentioned before, you're a genetic wonder! I hope these new hearing aids help, because I can only imagine how frustrating that is. Have you checked into the cochlear implant option?

3

Thanks for your reply, Angi. I have not heard of the choclear implant, but I may ask my audiologist about that. She thinks the hearing aids she has ordered for me will be appropriate for me.

4

My understanding is that you only get a cochlear implant if you have a certain kind of hearing loss. I have been profoundly deaf since I had measles as a very little child and now, at 75, there is a new kind of cochlear implant that I may be able to have fitted. Well, two of them, actually. After a lifetime of not hearing people speak, not hearing films or tv, all through my university, my working days, it will seem odd to maybe hear.
Hearing aids are not your hearing back, you have to learn how to hear with them and your wife has to learn to look at you when she speaks to you so those little hearing thingies in the aids pick up her voice.
Good luck, Richard.

5

Pastelpainter, I did not know about your extreme hearing loss, at such an early age. I imagine that has been much more of a problem than your diabetes. I sure hope an implant will enable you to have an opportunity to hear again. That would be wonderful!

6

I am same…but use closed captioning on all visuals…tv and ipad, etc. Try it…it accentuates brain viability! Good wishes…

7

Thanks Sandy. I will look into the closed captioning if my new hearing aids do not help me much.

8

I wear HA's but I do not believe diabetes is to blame. I have served, worked, and played in a very loud world. My hearing loss is in the mid to high frequency range with word recognition problems. Many hearing specialists have said my loss is typical for Veteran/Engineer/Baby Boomer. Never has anyone said it was related to my Bete's.

9

thinking of you…and hope the volume turned off or much lower will add some tranquility to your life…Dave and I wear aids but much prefer silent and closed captioned tv in our life!