IUBio

Do nerve cells die due to little stimulation in hearing loss?

Glen R. Meier gtniowa at netins.net
Sun Nov 8 10:04:33 EST 1998


crowley9 at ix.netcom.com wrote:
> 
> Hi there.  I had a head injury about 5 weeks ago and lost about 75% to
> 80% hearing in my right ear.  The ENT doc told me the hearing loss was
> conductive hearing loss instead of hearing loss caused by damage to the
> nervous system.  He said that it would not be a big deal to have surgery
> and fix the ossicle bones (where he thinks the problem is).  I am
> leaning towards waiting about a year or so to see if the problem
> resolves itself (based on info obtained from someone else under similar
> circumstances and from a book on hearing loss) instead of going under
> the knife now.

Although you may have similar circumstances as another individual, that
does not mean you have the same problem.  Ossicular discontinuity and
Otitus Media may give the same audiological results and both have a
conductive loss as the primary symptom, but discontinuity will not
resolve without surgical intervention and otitus media may.

An ENT doctor has access to tools and equipment that you don't.  An ENT
doctor deals with these sorts of problems every single day of work.  An
ENT doctor has many years of specialized education in this area and
years of experience to draw upon.  You stated that you had talked to
somone and read a book.  Who's decision is more qualified?

I would recommend that you visit with your ENT and discuss your findings
and thoughts with them.  They should be able to explain in further
detail why you have your hearing loss and the risks and benefits of
surgery.  This will allow you to make an informed decision instead of a
judgement based on a very little research.  I always tell people that my
job is to educate and inform them, not to make decisions.  When a person
fully understands their situation and all of the risks and options, only
then will they be able to make the best decision for them.  I applaud
your efforts to learn more and I would encourage you to continue by
discussing this situation with your ENT.

Glen
---- 
Glen R. Meier, M.S., CCC-A, FAAA
gtniowa at netins.net



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