fallenangel

In the past two years my hearing has slowly started getting a bit worse. I"ve been tested under regular hearing tests and they've come back normal, but i mean, if you sit in a little booth and push a button when you hear a noise, it's a piece of cake, my hearing is sharp then... however, when i'm in a room where there's any other activity, noises blend together.

Cliff notes, i can hear noise, can't distinguish different words etc. I've been recommended to take a test C.A.P.D for my hearing (central auditory processing deficit). Has anyone heard of it, (no pun intended) or know a bit more about the testing... Thanks

PM me if you know more

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exizldelfuego

I haven't heard of CAPD, but I think the same thing is happening to me. It's weird, because when there isn't anything going on around me, I hear just fine. But in bars or particularly noisy restaurants, I can hear the vocalizations of people talking to me, but I can't distinguish any particular words unless I lean in and have them speak louder. It's embarrassing, and it always seemed like my hearing just can't focus on any particular thing; it takes in all sound, ambient or otherwise, and can't sort it out.

Glad to know I'm not the only one. I'm 22, by the way... seems a bit young for hearing loss.

maleficent

I did a quick google on CAPD , most of the info out there is about babies - and young children, I couldn't find much on adult onset.

Asking a question - -How much use of Portable Electronic devices do you use (walkmans, IPods, CD Players)? Continual usage at high volumes has been proven (at least according to the last package of headphones I bought) some hearing loss, that with time can be reversible.

Hearing loss and Walkmans

Or do you spend a lot of time in loud environments?
Noise Induced Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss from WebMD

Can you get to a hearing specialist?

GOod Luck

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apeman

you start losing the top end of your hearing range pretty early on in life, before you're twenty probably. Can we also ask how old you are? Loud noises will just make it worse, especially top-end hearing.

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fallenangel

I just turned 19, but i first noticed a problem (as well as my parents noticed it too) when i was 16

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iamnormal

What?

iamnormal

I feel that I'm loseing mine too. I do have a 11 years on ya.

SparklingDot

In psychology, I learned about something called the cocktail party effect. In short, there is just too much noise for your brain to register anything comprehensible. Kind of like how it is at a large party. Tons of people all talking about different things at the same time, so you can't understand much at all.

I work in a very noisy place and sometimes my hearing is ok, and sometimes I can hardly hear the people I am helping. I have just learned to pay closer attention.

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amonkie

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum from most people here in that I've already lost 80% of my hearing, but I can still understand what you're hearing since I go through it every day. The Cocktail affect is a very logical thing to take into account. Here's something you might want to try.

The next time you are in a restaurant setting, sit back and just close your eyes for a minute, and don't engage in any conversation. Try to gauge what you can hear around you- ie can you hear crystal clear the conversation at the next table, or are you just catching the fact that there are people talking loudly but can't really make out what they're saying?

What I find happens to me is that I often cannot actually distinguish the sounds around me until I turn my full attention to the sounds. This would tie into the cocktail party theory, and it's basically your brain's way at trying to filter out the information that's coming in based on what it think's is important. Apparently, it's wrong, according to what you think you should be hearing.

Once you've sat through an experience like that, if you get a chance stop by an audiologist and tell them your experience. There are a lot more heaing tests than just the residual hearing, and being able to discern if it's brain fuctionability would allow them to give you ways/exercises to try and "exercise" your ears to hear what you want them to hear.

Whew... didn't mean to post so much but this is one of the ways I cope with the hearing I have and try to make the most of it. The more aware you are of your body, the more doctors can help you.

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greyeyes

yeah I've got the same problem and I'm 20, and I really dont think my ADD helps at all.

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