Best Friend Woke Up Deaf

[Lycan 01]

So I just got a phone call from my best friend. He apparently woke up deaf in his right ear. He can't hear out of it at all, and he said it is swollen pretty bad. Last night he was perfectly fine, and had no signs of ear infection or anything.

He figured I'd be able to help, since I always have advice for his random injuries and ailments. But I honestly don't know much about the ear and possible problems it can have, other than you don't want to ignore them. I told him he should go see a doctor, but he said he can't. Let me make that clear - he cannot see a doctor. I know that is what everyone is going to suggest, but he told me its not an option. His family doesn't have insurance, and his mom just got out of the hospital with pneumonia, so they just don't have the money for anything right now. So unless I can figure out a way to help him, he's just going to wait for it to either go away naturally or get worse. :smallsigh:


Plus, he's a stubborn fool, and probably won't go see the doctor even if he could... :smallannoyed:


At any rate, I think its a spider bite or something since he sleeps low to the floor and has bug problems in his room, and the swelling has caused his ear cannal to close up. Theoretically, it should go away naturally in a day or two if I'm right. Of course, if I'm wrong, he may go permanently deaf, which is a chance I'm not really willing to take... :smalleek:


So yeah, I told him I'd ask online for advice or help. I honestly don't expect anyone to have any real useful advice, but I'm a man of my word... And there's always that chance somebody may have experience with something like this.

At any rate, anybody got some advice or ideas? :smallconfused:

[Innis Cabal]

We're not allowed to give medical advice here. Tell him to go to a real doctor.

[Lycan 01]

I did. Like I said, he doesn't have the money. Plus he's stubborn. :smallannoyed:


Okay then, advice aside... Anybody got experience with anything like this, or perhaps a similar story or entertaining tale? :smallsigh:

[Worira]

Is your friend by any chance the King of Denmark?

[thubby]

i know my aunt went deaf in one ear, no explanation, no nothing, but no swelling so far as i know.
aside from that I'm at a loss

[Dr. Bath]

Free clinic?

Could be anything from a perforated ear drum to simple infection. A doctor might know.

If there isn't even a free clinic (with presumably a horrendous queue) your best bet is to a) consult with friend's/relatives that are/were/will be medics or b) google/wikeped/etc plenty of doctors still need to resort to looking stuff up on the internet.

[Deth Muncher]

Is your friend by any chance the King of Denmark?

Terrible. :smallannoyed::smallbiggrin:

[CoffeeIncluded]

He really needs to see a doctor.

[ninjaneer003]

Ya even if he's stubborn he'll need to see one if he wants to know how bad it is. Most people don't wake up deaf for no reason. A free clinic might help but a doctor would be best

[The Rose Dragon]

We're not allowed to give medical advice here. Tell him to go to a real doctor.

Well, we're not allowed to give legal advice, due to legal reasons. However, the best medical advice you can give is pretty much "see a doctor". Even real physicians may (and probably will) need to see a patient before diagnosis.

[Threeshades]

I agree, stubborness or not, either he'll see a doctor or he'll risk all kinds of different unpleasant outcomes.

[Kiren]

(Previous post edited)

Tell him to go to a free clinic!!!

Edit: I really wish I could help more than that.

[CrimsonAngel]

Why do people not see a doctor? My friend refused to see a doctor for most of the year, and when she finaly went, she saw how screwed up she is. She has to take all sorts of medication and tests now because of how bad she got. Heart tests, brain tests...

[Icewalker]

Look at the post folks, he's not avoiding the doctor because he's stubborn, he's avoiding it because they can't afford to pay for any medical treatment (the stubbornness is just an added bonus and a reason for that to definitively stop him). It's not really an option here, as much as it would be ideal.

I will further support the free clinic idea, because some kind of professional help is warranted by this.

[pinwiz]

Why do people not see a doctor? My friend refused to see a doctor for most of the year, and when she finaly went, she saw how screwed up she is. She has to take all sorts of medication and tests now because of how bad she got. Heart tests, brain tests...

I guess it's because of the reasons you listed. They don't want to have tests taken and medication given so they avoid going to the doctor in the hopes that the problem goes away on it's own. Another factor is cost. Health care is expensive. Some people can't or won't pay it.

Another reason is that some people think of themselves as tough and independent, and see it as a sign of weakness to go see a doctor.

Both of these reasons are fairly stupid to my eyes, though i can at least understand how they might see the issue this way.

[Fawkes]

Possible options:

1. Send him to an audiologist. Since the audiologist is not usually an MD, appointments and procedures will be cheaper.

2. Call an otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose and Throat doctor) yourself and describe your friend's the symptoms. The ENT or his nurses may be able to give you some advice, even if it is just "come in for an appointment".

3. Find a medical university in your area. Doctors-in-training are always in need of patients.

If your friend permanently loses his hearing, hearing aids are fairly obtainable. There are federal programs that will help him if he is employed, or still enrolled in high school (or younger).

[SurlySeraph]

The earlier he goes, the less it'll cost if it is something serious. And infections in your ear - you know, that thing you hear out of that connects to your brain - can be serious.

[Kuma Da]

Free clinic.

That said, I do have a friend who occasionally and without warning goes partially deaf in one ear. It'll last for months and then spontaneously clear up. Honestly, he needs to see some sort of medical professional, not the internet.

[Threeshades]

As far as I know doctor's are under an oath to treat patients and then ask for money (in the sense of priority not necessarily chronologically), and seriously, having to pay an overdue doctors bill seems to be the lesser price to pay when you think about all the things that could come out of this ear problem.

[Jack Squat]

If there's swelling, that sounds to me like an infection or an allergic reaction, though on the very mild end it could just be impacted ear wax. (Note: I am trained as a first responder and am only qualified in pre-hospital care. I am in no way a medical professional, though I can stop bleeding and comfort you while you die) All problems require professional medical attention (though if you know that ear wax is the problem, you can try and remove it through over the counter products)

Your friend and his family will more than likely have to go into debt to get this resolved, but that's much better than the alternative, which on the lesser end is that your friend can't hear out of that ear for awhile. As others have said, try a free clinic, but if you can't find one, go to an ER. Normally, I'm against telling people to go to one for things that can be treated through normal doctors, but I think waking up one day and not being able to hear out of one ear could be considered a legitimate emergency.

[Cealocanth]

First of all, try icing the ear, to get the swelling down. If that doesn't cure it, then there's a need for swell reducing drugs. If that doesn't cure the deafness, then there's something inside his ear, either a punctured ear drum, a curious bug, too much wax, congestion, or an overgrowth of ear hair. If you see a puncture, rush him to medical help immediately because it could be an infection or a venomous bite or both. Above all, don't let him stick things like his finger inside his ear. It may permanantly deafen him. If it gets any worse, call an ambulance or see a doctor immediately. Things as sensitive as this need to be dealt with carefully and quickly.

[Don Julio Anejo]

His family doesn't have insurance, and his mom just got out of the hospital with pneumonia
Highlighted the important part.

Go. See. A. Doctor. The fact that his mother was sick enough to the point where she needed to be hospitalized (most of the time you don't need to hospitalize someone with pneumonia) says that she was pretty sick. It may or may not be contagious (probably not something that would also affect the ear, especially a single one, but point stands - he may have been quite sick as well recently). In any case, his immune system was severely weakened, either by being sick, or by fighting off whatever it was his mom had (pneumonia is just lung infection and can be caused by a number of flu-like bugs).

Best case scenario? It goes away after like a day or two. Heck, I have it after taking a bath sometimes and it feels swollen (although I don't go completely deaf on the ear).

Worst case scenario? Complete loss of one ear. The faster you treat it, the better your chances are. This is probably more important than going to a hospital with a stab wound (assuming you got stabbed in the leg or something and none of your important organs got damaged) - at least in the latter case you'll be fine as long as it doesn't go septic.

PS: I'm not a doctor nor will I be one anywhere in the near future. Disregard anything I may or may not have said and go see a real doctor, even if it's only a free clinic.

[Starscream]

Happened to me once, probably due to an infection that caused swelling. I iced it to get the swelling down, used antibiotics, cleaned it really good, etc.

Eventually it just got better, but I'm not sure what worked (if anything), or indeed what caused it to begin it. I'm just going to agree with everyone and say a free clinic is his best bet; no telling what the cause is or what solution is required.

[bluewind95]

Has he just gotten a cold?

I was twice deaf in my right ear, and it was due to complications from the common cold/flu. Ear infection that got really bad.

Does he have a fever? If so, this points to an infection. If his ears feel like they're buzzing, and heavy, as though there's, well, fluid in there, there probably is. That would mean an infection. If there's no fever and no other signs of infection, it could just be a spider bite or something that got swollen like that.

If it IS an infection... he needs antibiotics. ASAP. Failure to do so may result in permanent damage to his internal ear. It happened to me, I always waited too long to get treatment. Fun part? I can hear just fine. My balance is dead, though. Permanently damaged because I got no treatment in time. You really, really don't want a thing like that.

And if it's not an infection... he should really get it looked at either way. The ear is a VERY delicate organ. You can permanently damage it with things like that. When you go deaf, something isn't wrong... it's REALLY FREAKING wrong.

[onthetown]

Ohohoh! This sort of happened to me not three weeks ago! :smallbiggrin: And I actually remember my notes on this from Physiology class!

The circumstances were a bit changed, though. Basically, I was lying on my side with the side of my head on my hand. When I took my hand away from my ear I ended up popping it really badly (audible "pop"). I couldn't hear very well afterwards, everything was very muffled. The ear started to hurt really badly, too.

When I saw the doctor a few days later, she said that my eustacian tube was swollen shut so my ear couldn't drain out fluid through them like it's supposed to. The fluid had built up behind my ear drum and gotten infected. When you pop your ears it's actually your eustacian tubes evening out the air pressure between the outside air and the air in your ears, so obviously it got hurt badly enough when it popped that violently (note to self, don't sleep with palm under ear) that it ended up swelling up.

She put me on a regimen of antibiotics and the infection went away, and now we're just trying to open up the tube again with nasal sprays and anti-inflammatories so that the fluid can drain out. Since my hearing isn't muffled anymore, I'm assuming it worked.

Now, that said, ear infections and fluid build-up behind the ear drums are fairly common around this time of year. Allergies to pollen and dust and all sorts of things like that are rampant with summer coming on. This can also cause your eustacian tubes to swell up and build up that fluid, thus causing an infection.

Anyway, that's my story.

If he can't afford a doctor, then he needs to find somebody who can look at it for him. Things happening around the head can get serious. He could probably ask a pharmacist about it -- they can't do complete exams or anything, but they take years in university just like doctors do and have to know a lot about most of the same subjects because they're also dealing with sick people.

[Thajocoth]

Why do people not see a doctor?

I haven't seen a doctor in over a year. It was about a year ago that my health insurance ran out. I can't afford health insurance and I can't afford to see a doctor.

I probably should not have gone snowboarding this past winter, come to think of it...

If I HAD health insurance though, and the whole "pre-existing problems aren't covered" thing vanished, there are so many things I'd have specialists look into. I'm willing to have my knees broken to fix my bowed legs at this point if comes to that... Not to mention my heart and circulatory issues, my spine's need of a chiropractor, a better understanding of how to explain my smell situation to others, and therefore a chance that a doctor could do something about it... Heck, my old medical coverage reimbursed for gym memberships. I'd join one now if I had that coverage.

I have my hearing cut out every few months due to wax buildup. This causes my inner ear to swell a bit making things worse. I use a few drops of something called Debrox which softens earwax, hold it in my ear for a few minutes by keeping my head tilted, then flush the ear with warm water using the plastic ball with a nozzle on the end that comes with it. Not quite hot... I do this 2-3 times a day, and usually on the 2nd or 3rd day, I start to get chunks of wax coming out. It takes me about 4-5 days to get it all. I think each ear does this yearly, but on opposite ends of the calendar from one another. Debrox is not a prescription thing, it's something you can just buy off a shelf. I have no idea, however, if your friend has excess earwax or not, so I have no way of knowing if my solution would work for your friend. Somebody would have to determine this by physically looking at his ear, and a doctor would be the most skilled sort of person to do that check.

[Water-Smurf]

Tell him to go to a free clinic or something. When it comes to sight and hearing, you really don't want to mess around.

[Serpentine]

God I love Australia's bulk billing and emergency care systems.

[TheLogman]

I don't know if you will see this, but if you do, TAKE HEED.

THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER

DO NOT MESS AROUND

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ARE WHAT IS NEEDED HERE

Doctors are not just a collection of folk cures and stuff you can do for various ailments. What he has is possibly only solvable with a high strength medication or some serious needle/scalpel work.

And even if it is not, the likelyhood of it being bad is QUITE HIGH.

There are FREE CLINICS AVAILABLE, and this is a serious enough malady that he NEEDS TO GO THERE.

I would NOT recommend trying anything yourself, it is not safe, and without proper diagnosis, horrible injury may occur.

[Coidzor]

Free Clinic, ER, doctor, find and pick one. Obtain ASAP.

[Zevox]

Hm, I had a similar problem a year or two ago. Left ear went deaf, though I had some warning in the form of it feeling odd (like it had some sort of bubble in it) for a few days beforehand, complete with slight trouble hearing out of it during that timeframe. 'Twas an infection causing it to swell shut, and the doctor supplied me with some ear drops to put in it for a week or so that brought it down.

Of course, I still couldn't hear out of it after I was done with the ear drops, but that turned out to be just a pile of ear wax having built up in the meantime.

My dad suggested the possible reason for it. When he was my age he had the same issue about once a year or so, and his doctor had said that it may be because he still took baths, not showers. The soap from the bathwater gets in your ears when you lay your head back to wash your hair in a bath, which over time results in an infection in adults, whose ears apparently don't drain as well as childrens'. He said his problem stopped when he started taking showers. I've since switched to showering as well, and the problem hasn't repeated - though for me it wasn't a repeat problem before he gave me that advice, so theoretically they could be unrelated.

Yeah, basically, as others have said, he needs to see a doctor somehow. You don't mess around with being friggin' deaf in one ear. Find something he can afford somehow or a free clinic - anything else is just going to be too risky.

Zevox

[littlebottom]

i am currently partially deaf in my right ear, due to an ear infection. which also caused a build up of wax because it had nowhere to go. i went to the doctor, was out in 5 minutes with a £10 worth perscription for some anti-biotics and some eardrops. although im "18 or younger and in full time education" so it didnt cost me a penny, but still, i cant imagine it would be all that expensive if its what i had.

[Lycan 01]

He's unemployed. And we live in Mississippi. I honestly don't know if there are any free clinics nearby. And the cheap places are suck-tastic. My grandmother went in with a major gash on her hand once, and they put tape on it. Not medical tape - clear plastic tape. And some cheap pain pills. Actually, I don't even think they gave her painkillers. Then billed her out the yin-yang for it.


If anything, he got annoyed/defensive with me when I kept mentioning the doctor thing. He was adamant that its not an option, since he and his mom are already in debt, and they have no real source of income outside her disability stuff. Not to mention he lost almost all his savings a few weeks ago through no fault of his own... :smallsigh:


So yeah. I've done all I can do. :smallfrown:

[Serpentine]

*sigh* Alright then.
He apparently woke up deaf in his right ear. He can't hear out of it at all, and he said it is swollen pretty bad. Last night he was perfectly fine, and had no signs of ear infection or anything... At any rate, I think its a spider bite or something since he sleeps low to the floor and has bug problems in his room, and the swelling has caused his ear cannal to close up.Where, exactly, is the swelling? Can he find where it seems to be originating? Is it on or near the outside, or is it inside the canal? Is it red? Is the centre of it a particular colour - darker red or lighter white, for example? Is there any pus? Is it hot? Is there a wound?
Someone may correct me on this suggestion, but I would suggest applying a saline solution (with all the salt very well dissolved, if you make it yourself). Preferably just dabbing it to the outside, but possibly (this is the bit where I might get pulled up, though if salt water doesn't do any damage...) dripping it inside, as well. Cool it, watch it, apply the solution regularly, see if it goes down.
You need to stress, if you haven't already (but you probably have) that by not seeing a doctor he is running the risk of both losing the hearing in that ear permanently, developing an even worse infection in there (which can lead to balance problems and all sorts of other things even worse), and/or going even further into debt to deal with what was originally probably a very basic, simple-to-treat problem. It's not unreasonable for him to put it off for a few hours or even a day to see if it goes down, but if it's still there in, say, 48 hours and he still won't see a GP or the emergency room or whatever, he's a bloody idiot.

[Lycan 01]

From what I've gathered, his whole ear is just swollen up. Not marks or anything, just a swollen ear, pain, and no hearing. :smallsigh:


Sometimes my friends piss me off. :smallannoyed:

[Serpentine]

Earlobe, top-of-the-ear cartiledge(sp?), rim, little nobbly bit in front of the whole, "dish" bit, opening to ear canal, inside of ear canal: what of that is swollen and painful? Is it all equally painful?
Man, a picture would be handy...

[Lycan 01]

All he says is that the outside is swollen and the inside hurts. He's not one for specifics... :smallsigh:


I think I've annoyed him now, since he told me to leave him alone on Facebook. Oh well... Guess its out of my hands now, unless I can find a free clinic via my GF's mom tommorrow, since she's a nurse. :smallconfused:

[Thajocoth]

He could've been stung by something. If a bee stung my ear, I know it'd swell up like that.

Really, there's a HUGE range of "what-ifs" here. It's impossible for us to really have any clue regarding the issue without at LEAST an image, if not a doctor's report.

I've never heard of this "Free Clinic" thing before. How do the doctors at one get paid? Or do they simply not exist in the USA?

[Lycan 01]

I've only ever seen one free clinic here in the USA, and it was in Louisiana. Actually, it might not have even been free, just cheap and open to anyone...

Mississippi has a rather bad... everything, actually. But our medical stuff is especially terrible. :smallannoyed:

[Serpentine]

*shrug* It's his problem. He's made his decision, now he's got to deal with the consequences.

[Water-Smurf]

Tell him to look up free clinics in Mississippi online. Then tell him to go to one. There are some things that you can take risks with and figure that it'll go away on its own--when you become deaf or blind, even if it's in one ear/eye, you do not mess around unless you're okay with that being permanent. Sure, he and his mother may be in debt, but it's either potentially making that debt worse or still having debt problems and going permanently deaf in one ear, and that's not even the worse that can happen. It could be a symptom of something much more serious, and if it's an infection and he gets that infection in his blood somehow (I think a little sore could do the trick), he could potentially go into septic shock and die from organ failure. You do not want to screw around with this ****.

[Lycan 01]

Believe me, I've told him all that. I'll be asking around about free clinics tommorrow. But if he's not willing to do anything about it, then there's nothing I can do. :smallfrown:

[Fawkes]

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/7634/ps1132.gif
This is extremely silly.

[742]

get him to see a doctor-of traditional chinese medicine (acupuncturists i think are required to be, at least all the ones ive seen are). i guess thats the next best thing to a doctor in this circumstance, probably cheaper and of course strange so more likely to not catch any pre-opposition. also unlikely to be in any way related to insurance since often they arent covered by it anyway. also possibly a more qualified voice saying "get to the ****ing hospital; and while your on the way there stand on your head and eat yams." you might contact one in advance and explain the situation.

[littlebottom]

Tell him that "every one on the entire internets has decided he needs to go see a doctor SOMEHOW" tell him we all think that if he doesnt he could go permanantly deaf. throw in whatever you like as long as its convincing that he should go.

[Telonius]

Okay, if he absolutely refuses to go see any doctor, here's my absolutely non-medical, guy-on-the-street opinion. (I am not a doctor and if your friend goes deaf because of this it's not my fault). Acute deafness does happen, usually due to a couple of things: infection, inflammation, earwax buildup, sudden trauma (i.e. got hit in the head). That doesn't mean it'll go away on its own! But if doctors' advice and antibiotics aren't an option, you might try a couple things to help.

First, no food that inflames stuff. No alcohol, limit caffeine, try to cut down on sugar if possible. Then take some anti-inflammatory over-the-counter stuff. Advil, Ibuprofen, Aleve, or the generic equivalents. (Tylenol and generic acetaminophen are not anti-inflammatory). It won't fix the underlying issue if there's an infection, but if it's just inflamed it might bring down the swelling. Ice might help a little bit, but you're more likely to give yourself cold cheeks than fix the problem since the inflammation probably isn't on the outside.

Good luck!

[multilis]

On chance it is earwax buildup...

I used to sometimes sleep only facing one way for days, as result earwax built up in other ear.

Cure for this was actually fairly simple, you put a little vegetable oil in the ear full of wax and try to have that ear facing down once in a while so the wax can slowly come out. (Eg sleep with that ear down) Took a few days to clear up/wax to fall out.

Too much earwax can cause pain, and trying to clean it out with some sort of tool can cause more pain and pack in the wax (and may be dangerous to ear).

[dehro]

Believe me, I've told him all that. I'll be asking around about free clinics tommorrow. But if he's not willing to do anything about it, then there's nothing I can do. :smallfrown:

if that's the case, try not to bother too much. people who don't want to be helped rarely can be helped.
my dad's wife lost her father who was, admittedly, in his seventies, but he could have lived for at least another few years if he had bothered to go and see a doctor when the ailments started to pile up. he steadfastedly refused and ended up with a stroke that maybe a few regular visits, a doctor-assigned regime and a better diet could have helped. people who don't want to listen cannot be made to.

that said, about your case...I am not going to give any advice, but the usual..free clinic

I have to live with a similar problem, being partially deaf in my right ear.
it came about due to the fact that as a kid I often suffered from otitis, which left scars on my eardrums, more on the right than left one, that is.
when I was six months old and traveling around europe with my parents, I fell ill with yet another bout of otitis (although it wasn't 100% clear, me being of course unable to point out what was wrong with me)..so my parents who had to work, put me on an airplane towards amsterdam, to let me be cared for by my grandparents
(to this day my mum complains that I didn't cry or anything, I just sat there in the arms of the airhostess without so much as looking back at her)
anyway, any doctor will tell you that flying with otitis is a no-no... you can loose your hearing over it..and that's if you're lucky. (a friend of the family made the same mistake and ended up seriously ill in hospital for a month)
anyway, I survived with relatively little damage
on top of that, as a kid of 6, as I was having an ice lolly on the beach I found myself suddenly chased by a swarm of wasps, who followed me all the way to where my family was lying...
big battle ensued, with my granny resulting the most successful, killing wasps with her flip-flops and a towel.
one of them however made his way into my ear and stung me on the inside (not sure whether on the eardrum or just the inside of my ear.. the ear started to swell, I was taken to the doctors and given, I suppose, antibiotics..but ever since, my hearing has been affected in my right ear.. there is a whole range of pitch and tune that I have a hard time hearing at all, and what I can hear is often muffled.. (good thing my other ear works just fine).
I don't have a very good sense of balance, which is one of the reasons I never took martial arts very far.. and balance IS very much depending on the condition of one's vestibular system which is part of the inner ear.
this is something that I will carry to my grave, I was told years ago, and to which there is very little that can be done
I'm told there are surgeons now who can do something, but on the whole I am not really disabled by it (although it almost meant I couldn't get my full driving licence straight away) and I can't really afford to do anything radical about it right now..so it will have to wait

in other words: ear infections? NOT something you want to under-estimate.

[The Succubus]

Hello.

I work as an audiologist and have done so for the past 9 years. Although I am not an Ear Nose and Throat consultant, I do have enough medical training to hazard a guess as to what is going on. My free advice to your friend, as a medical professional, is this: SEE A DAMN DOCTOR.

For a slightly more in depth analysis, I'll tell you what it isn't. Its nothing to do with wax - wax is a naturally occuring product of the ear and most certainly wouldn't cause it to swell up all by itself. It's also unlikely to cure itself if he just forgets about it. The hearing loss might be caused by the ear canal swelling up, or at least he'd better pray it is if he refuse to do the sensible thing because any problems to do with the middle ear or cochlea *rapidly* get worse the longer you leave them, and if it is just a spider bite on the pinna, that will take a long time to treat even with antibiotics, due to the low blood supply to that area.

I'm not looking to scare your frieend witless because despite the harsh tone of the above I do have my patient's best interests at heart, which is why I again advise him to SEE A DAMN DOCTOR.

[Laeric]

Dunno if I am allowed to post this here or not but the following is a list of free clinics in the state of Mississippi:

Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc.
510 Highway 322
Clarksdale, MS 38614-1216
Phone: 662-624-4292

Access Family Health Services, Inc.
63420 Highway 25 North
Smithville, MS 38870-9700
Phone: 662-651-4637

Central Mississippi Health Services, Inc.
1850 Chadwick Drive
Jackson, MS 39204-2841
Phone: (601) 376-1700

Claiborne County Family Health Center
2045 Highway 61 North
PO Box 741
Port Gibson, MS 39150-1741
Phone: 601-437-3051

Coastal Family Health Center
1046 Division Street
Biloxi, MS 39530-2935
Phone: (228) 374-2494

Delta Health Center, Inc.
702 Martin L. King Road
Mound Bayou, MS 38762-0900
Phone: 662-741-2151

Dr. Arenia C. Mallory CHC, Inc.
17280 Highway 17 South
Lexington, MS 39095-0479
Phone: 662-834-1857

East Central Mississippi Health Care, Inc.
1490 Hwy 487
Sebastopol, MS 39359-0142
Phone: 601-625-7140

Family Health Care Clinic
117 South 11th Avenue
Laurel, MS 39440
Phone: (601) 425-3033

Family Health Center
203 Broad Street
Sandersville, MS 39477
Phone: (601) 426-9918

Greater Meridian Health Clinic, Inc.
2701 Davis Street
Meridian, MS 39301-5708
Phone: 601-693-0118

Jefferson Comprehensive Health Center
225 Community Drive
Fayette, MS 39069-0098
Phone: 601-786-3475

Mantachie Rural Health Care, Inc.
5500 Highway 363 North
Mantachie, MS 38855-7173
Phone: 662-282-4226

North Benton County Health Care, Inc.
15921 Boundary Drive
Ashland, MS 38603-0092
Phone: 662-224-8951

Northeast Mississippi Health Care, Inc.
12 East Brunswick
Byhalia, MS 38611-0012
Phone: 662-838-2163

[LCR]

I think the best advice has already been given. Go to the next emergency room.
I think even in the US, emergency rooms can't turn down actual emergencies, even if you can't pay for it. So, if your friend worries, whether his loss of hearing qualifies as an emergency, I think it is safe to say that it does.

Oh, and don't go see someone who specializes in "Traditional Chinese Medicine". At best, they won't do anything different than any other MD, at worst, they'll bill you extra for burning candles in your ears. Don't go there, if you don't have loads of money to blow on stuff that is (mostly) scientifically unproven.

[The Anarresti]

I know from personal experience and medical professional advice that this works for infections. (I'm on a swim team and proper ear care is very important):

Here's what we do to cure/prevent ear infections:
1. Fill a bottle with equal parts vinegar and alcohol
2. Mix
3. Tilt head to side, pour mixture in ear until full (a dropper-style tube lid may be helpful
4. Keep that position for about a minute. You should feel bubbling. I know from personal experience I felt more bubbling when it was infected.
5. Repeat on other ear (this was for the prevention, but I don't think your friend will need to do this.

Use clear vinegar and disinfectant-grade alcohol, as clear and pure as possible.
If pouring the mixture in causes pain (it never did for me, but in theory it could happen, I think: here is where my personal experiance/coach's advice runs dry) dilute with water. Also, check for cuts on the ear canal.

It might be a good idea to look in the ear and see if anything is in it first. Use a penlight and a magnifying glass if you do not have a doctor's ear-looker

Also: When cleaning the ear (this was usually a bit more on the preventative side, use caution):
1. DO NOT use cue tips: These will usually just pack down earwax, and bits of the cotton can get caught in the ear.
2. Take a soft cloth towel
3. Wet the tip with the above mentioned alcohol/vinegar mixture.
3. Twist the tip up: not too much
4. Insert into ear canal. Clean in a circular motion.
5. DO NOT push or shove straight in: this may cause packing down of earwax
6. Holding onto your ear with your other hand, and stretching your ear canal a bit to open it up and make it easier to clean is advised, but not if it causes actual pain.
EDIT: Rule 7: If it hurts (pain, not soreness) DON'T DO IT!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional. The above advice stems from swim coach advice (people who know quite a bit about the human body, but are not medical professionals), and my own personal experience. I have done all of the above procedures, and they have all helped me. I have not firsthand made the ear-cleaning mixture, but I heard from my coach that is how it was made (and it certainly smelled like vinegar and alcohol). The one procedure I have not done is diluting with water, because I have never needed to. Although I have never felt pain when pouring in the fluid, I suppose theoretically it would hurt if you had a cut: this is mere conjecture, albeit logical (alcohol on cut hurts, therefore alcohol in ear hurt means a cut in the ear). I have felt soreness when stretching my ear to clean it better, when it was infected, but never anything above the discomfort level. If anything really, really hurts, stop procedure immediately and rinse thoroughly with water.
I really hope your friend gets better! And, of course, please see a doctor.

[The Succubus]

Oo

Some of the advice in this thread is at best intruiging and at worst worrying. Number one, if you even think you might have an ear infection, for the love of all that's holy do NOT stick anything in there! You cannot see your own ear drum, you do not know if there's any perforations there and if there is and you start poking around, there's a fine chance you'll go from needing a course of antibiotics to needing a tympanoplasty or ossiculoplasty, both complicated and potentially expensive surgical procedures.

Ear candling is something else that puzzles me. If you want to clear the ears out, use ear drops for a week to two weeks and then have the ear syringed or microsuctioned. I've seen way too many people come through ear nose and throat clinics with half a cotton bud sticking through their eardrum, which I'm reliably informed is *agonising*.

[dehro]

Oo

Some of the advice in this thread is at best intruiging and at worst worrying. Number one, if you even think you might have an ear infection, for the love of all that's holy do NOT stick anything in there! You cannot see your own ear drum, you do not know if there's any perforations there and if there is and you start poking around, there's a fine chance you'll go from needing a course of antibiotics to needing a tympanoplasty or ossiculoplasty, both highly invasive and expensive surgical procedures.

Ear candling is something else that puzzles me. If you want to clear the ears out, use ear drops for a week to two weeks and then have the ear syringed or microsuctioned. I've seen way too many people come through ear nose and throat clinics with half a cotton bud sticking through their eardrum, which I'm reliably informed is *agonising*.
awfully sorry to partially hijack the thread..but...since you're here...:smalltongue:
is there anything that can be done, surgically I suppose, to repair scarred/perforated eardrums?
back when I got in the trouble I described in my previous post, there was nothing that could help me, but I haven't updated my knowledge or seriously looked for help with my hearing in more than 20 years..so... have things improved in this specific medical field? (not asking for a specific consult, of course, lol..just in a generic informative way..I don't really know where to look)

[The Anarresti]

Despite the professional-sounding quality of my last post (I like to think so....)
I have to say that seeing a doctor is infinitely better than little ol' me. Maybe you have a friend who is a nurse practitioner or something and can get some free advice if you can't afford a doctor? I have no clue as to what caused your friend to wake up deaf, all I told you was how to prevent swimmer's ear.

[Adumbration]

Give your friend the link to this thread. That's about all you can do, at this point, I'm afraid.

[The Succubus]

awfully sorry to partially hijack the thread..but...since you're here...:smalltongue:
is there anything that can be done, surgically I suppose, to repair scarred/perforated eardrums?
back when I got in the trouble I described in my previous post, there was nothing that could help me, but I haven't updated my knowledge or seriously looked for help with my hearing in more than 20 years..so... have things improved in this specific medical field? (not asking for a specific consult, of course, lol..just in a generic informative way..I don't really know where to look)

It depends on the level of damage to the eardrum and the bones connecting to it. Generally very small perforations heal on their own and while there is some scar tissue that forms as a result (tympanosclerosis) it is usually not going to have an impact on your hearing. For larger perforations, it might be possible - that's what a tympanoplasty is - an operation to repair a damaged eardrum using a patch of skin from elsewhere. It would depend on how old the perforation is - if it is several years old, then its doubtful, as the the edges of the perforation would have grown into scar tissue. You'd really need to see an ENT consultant for your specific case.

As for preventing swimmer's ear, this is more my sort of territory. Audiologists have to make earmoulds for hearing aid users, amongst other things and we often do swimplugs as well. They're dirt cheap, usually costing around £10-15 pounds and come in a variety of bright colours so you dont lose them at the bottom of the pool. Most plastics they are made from also float.

[Salbazier]

Oo

Some of the advice in this thread is at best intruiging and at worst worrying. Number one, if you even think you might have an ear infection, for the love of all that's holy do NOT stick anything in there! You cannot see your own ear drum, you do not know if there's any perforations there and if there is and you start poking around, there's a fine chance you'll go from needing a course of antibiotics to needing a tympanoplasty or ossiculoplasty, both complicated and potentially expensive surgical procedures.

Ear candling is something else that puzzles me. If you want to clear the ears out, use ear drops for a week to two weeks and then have the ear syringed or microsuctioned. I've seen way too many people come through ear nose and throat clinics with half a cotton bud sticking through their eardrum, which I'm reliably informed is *agonising*.

Ugh. You just made me very afraid to use a **** bud:smalleek:

I think I'll go and find that ear drop. What it is called? name or something, just so I know what to ask the apothecary.

EDIT:Whoa, probably I mistype but somehow it the board detect the word above as profanity.

[The Succubus]

Not sure what the american names are but Earex, Otex or sodium bicarbonate ear drops do the job just fine.

[Salbazier]

Thanks, Masamune.

[The Succubus]

Final post on here for today - it goes without saying of course, that the advice offered here is not legally or medically binding, is 100% unofficial and any attempt to infer otherwise or attempts to sue me for inaccurate advice will be not be taken kindly. Its one of the reasons why I've never felt inclined to work in America. Far too many trigger happy, ambulance chasing lawyers.

But anyways, to get back on topic, if your friend still wants more advice, feel free to ask but only after he's seen a damn doctor.

[Kobold-Bard]

He could Van Gogh and chop it off. That'll solve the problem.

Or maybe stab himself, and then they'll have to treat him in the emergency room, and will probably get the ear seen to since he's there anyway.*

*I don't actually recommend stabbing yourself.

[Jimp]

Money problems or not and whether someone likes it or not, the loss of a sense is one of those things you can't ignore. I lost hearing in my left ear for two weeks once after a badly arranged set of speakers at a large gig I played at. They were a hellish and terrifying two weeks and I am still thankful it was only temporary.
To put it another way, if he doesn't do something about it and the loss becomes permanent then it could affect his job prospects. Most jobs require the use of your hearing. Never mind other problems like insurance. I know in Ireland you'd have trouble getting insured on a car if you are deaf in one ear. Being deaf in one ear might have implications for an employers insurance too.

[Lycan 01]

Haven't heard from him today, but last night he said he'd been rinsing it with various things and using ear drops, and drinking juices to buff up his immune system. I told him via Facebook where he could find a free clinic, but he has not responded yet... (And probably won't.)

His general attitude on medical issues is... bothersome. Something akin to "That which doesn't kill me only makes me stronger." Its very ignorant and annoying, since its like talking to a brick wall every time he gets sick or hurt. A few weeks ago he burnt his stomach severely while cooking, and he didn't even bother to treat the injury for several days, even though I was almost screaming at him to at least bandage and disinfect it the whole time. :smallmad:


Oh well. Like I've already said, I've done all I can do. :smallsigh:

[Syka]

We have an urgent care clinic in my area that is pretty spectacular. It's a full doctor and they are very good.

I actually went in with what I thought was a sinus infection (it was), but when he looked at my ears he goes "...can you hear out of your right ear?" I was, in fact, having a lot of trouble. It hadn't happened until the night previous when we flew home and I had a stuffy nose (NEVER EVER FLY WITH A STUFFED UP NOSE...EVER). Apparently the wax got packed down. I refuse to clean my ears out on my own, since it freaks me out, so I just got to the Dr. periodically. Since I was between doctors at the time I'd forgotten until he asked.


Sorry for the distraction...basically, find a free or urgent care clinics. They aren't always horrible. But when you are going deaf and your ENTIRE ear is swollen...you probably shouldn't mess around.

[Superglucose]

I have that right now syk, I'm just too lazy to get my fat ass to the doctor :smallwink:

[Water-Smurf]

Yes. I'm sure that going deaf in one ear will make you stronger. Definitely. :smallannoyed:

Tell him that the entire thread thinks he's being an idiot and if he gets a horrifying complication/permanent deafness/inner ear difficulties (the inner ear is in charge of your balance, so yeah...)/septic shock from an untreated infection that turned into bacteremia, then not only has he made his/his mother's debt infinitely worse (funerals are really expensive, any life/health insurance he may have would probably deny his mother's or his claim because he made no attempt to see a doctor and thus is partially if not mostly to blame for his death/health, he'd have to go to a hospital and whatever treatment he gets later will be a thousand times more expensive than if he went early, and he's not likely to get a bunch of jobs because of it), but he'll probably hurt himself and his mother with it and he'll have no one to blame but himself.

[Zeb The Troll]

Can you have your GF's mother the nurse look at it and tell him to go to the ER? At least then it's coming from a qualified medical professional instead random internet strangers.

On the "that which doesn't kill me" thing, my uncle was very much the same way while I was growing up. He went 20 odd years without darkening the doorway of a doctor's office or emergency room except when his kids were born. My cousins are now fatherless because he had a preventable heart attack at the age of 42. Guess all those missed medical bills didn't make him strong enough, did they? :smallfrown:

[KBF]

I'm probably out of my place here to say this as a high school student and coming from a somewhat reasonably salaried household but..

If someone says they won't see a doctor, that could mean they're just stubborn. If someone says they can't see a doctor, especially in America, that usually means the debt would be crippling. Especially since a certain bill got delayed a few years and is arguably not as great for this scenario as it could be. As it stands, it's not uncommon in America to already have a massive debt, be unemployed, and have no clear shot at getting employed in the near future. As great and as helpful and as necessary as consulting a professional can be, some people would risk basically and literally their future if they actually went through with it. It's a very depressing scenario, but for some people it's going deaf in their ear, throbbing in their right hand, eyesight's starting to blur.. Or being able to make their mortgage payment/rent for another month. It's.. Depressing, but it is for some people a harsh reality.

Saying he should go to the emergency room is also pretty rude, as it's immediate care no matter what but the bill is still quite large. Someone without health insurance.. It would not be a pretty sight. If it's affordable somehow then yes, absolutely go check with a professional. But since they just had a large medical bill..

If at all possible I would seriously recommend finding a nearby medical university. Free clinic would be helpful too.

[Zeb The Troll]

I'm probably out of my place here to say this as a high school student and coming from a somewhat reasonably salaried household but..

If someone says they won't see a doctor, that could mean they're just stubborn. If someone says they can't see a doctor, especially in America, that usually means the debt would be crippling. Especially since a certain bill got delayed a few years and is arguably not as great for this scenario as it could be. As it stands, it's not uncommon in America to already have a massive debt, be unemployed, and have no clear shot at getting employed in the near future. As great and as helpful and as necessary as consulting a professional can be, some people would risk basically and literally their future if they actually went through with it. It's a very depressing scenario, but for some people it's going deaf in their ear, throbbing in their right hand, eyesight's starting to blur.. Or being able to make their mortgage payment/rent for another month. It's.. Depressing, but it is for some people a harsh reality.

Saying he should go to the emergency room is also pretty rude, as it's immediate care no matter what but the bill is still quite large. Someone without health insurance.. It would not be a pretty sight. If it's affordable somehow then yes, absolutely go check with a professional. But since they just had a large medical bill..

If at all possible I would seriously recommend finding a nearby medical university. Free clinic would be helpful too.No one risks their future by going to the emergency room. Even the uninsured/underinsured. Their will be a bill, yes. It will probably be too big to pay off in a short time frame, let alone all at once, yes. However, and I know this from much experience, the hospital WILL work with you to try and get it resolved. As long as you talk to them and let them know the situation, they will work with you. If the situation is too bad, they'll point you in the right direction for financial assistance from other sources. If it's not quite that bad, they'll let you make payments that are affordable to you, for as long as you need to make them, even if it's $10 a month for the next 40 years, without charging interest. So long as you stick to the plan and make good faith effort in repayment, you won't be hearing from a collection agency and it won't affect your credit report. I also know from recent experience that the billing department will lump your existing debts together while you make the payments so that there's only one bill that even could be defaulted on, should it come to that. Your claims of total ruin over a visit to the ER grossly misrepresent how things actually work.

Not to mention, as others have noted, the option here could be a $500 ER visit now, or a $5000 extended stay later. Or possibly permanent deafness. And all for pride. Yay pride. :smallannoyed:

[Keld Denar]

In the words of the immortal George Carlin (rest his soul):

“That which does not kill me may sever my spinal cord, crush my rib cage, cave in my skull and leave me helpless and paralyzed, soaking in a puddle of my own waste.”

Nuff said about that.

Here's an idea*. Go get a large, blunt object. Text books work well, especially the physics ones. Irony damage, you know. Now, sneak up behind your friend and clock him REAL good with it. With any luck, you'll knock him out. NOW, take him to a hospital to have him treated for a concussion. While he's there, casually mention that hes been complaining of ear aches. With any luck, before they drag you off in handcuffs for battery, you're friend will come to and thank you for saving him.

* Note: Keld is not a doctor, nor does he play one on TV. Keld is not responsible for any results of following the above noted advice. See store for details, offer void where prohibitted, some exclusions may apply, no refunds. Tax, title, and licensing fees extra.

[Lycan 01]

Yeah, I'd try that, but he's over a foot taller than me and more than twice my weight. He'd take the book and cave me face in with it. :smalleek:

[Keld Denar]

At least you'd die a hero...Learn2SettingSun

[The Succubus]

In the words of the immortal George Carlin (rest his soul):


Nuff said about that.

Here's an idea*. Go get a large, blunt object. Text books work well, especially the physics ones. Irony damage, you know.

If you want my medical advice, look for Jack Katz "Handbook for Clinical Audiology". It's as long as my forearm and about 1.5x as thick. Believe me, clock him with that and he'll never have to worry about any health problems again.

[IonDragon]

At least you'd die a hero...

I think you mean an hero.

I suggest he takes something sharp like a syringe needle and sticks it as far into his ear as possible to drain the pressure :smallbiggrin:

No, but seriously. The clinics will either be free or much cheaper than the ER. Go there. I've been to them before and they're not bad. Not my preference, but you know, you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Serpentine]

"H" is a pronounced consonant in "hero". Therefore, it is "a hero" :smallannoyed:

Any more updates. Like, say, is it still as swollen and sore as before?

[Lycan 01]

Not really. All he's told me is that its still the same - no changes for the better or worse. :smallsigh:

[raitalin]

"H" is a pronounced consonant in "hero". Therefore, it is "a hero" :smallannoyed:

Any more updates. Like, say, is it still as swollen and sore as before?

The Joke (http://encyclopediadramatica.com/An_hero) Warning: explicit content
cleverhiddenmessageinwhitetext

[Serpentine]

Uh huh.
...
Those're some nasty ads :smallyuk:

[Superglucose]

The ads at ED are pretty much the only downside. Well, that and the offended page. Anyways yeah, that's a compilation of the seedy underbelly of the internet right there. Good for a few amusing reads.

[Kobold-Bard]

The Joke (http://encyclopediadramatica.com/An_hero)
cleverhiddenmessageinwhitetext

Dude, don't post links to that site. Especially without warning for people.

[Lycan 01]

He's seeing a doctor tommorrow. Not sure the specifics, but he said he was going somewhere in my town tommorrow to get it checked out. So, huzzah! :smallbiggrin:

Hopefully it won't be anything serious, and if it is, its not gotten too bad. :smallannoyed:

[bluewind95]

Excellent! I hope we all scared him good.

Since ear issues tend to be the kind of issues we can function through, they tend to get overlooked... but damage done to them can easily be permanent... and as dehro and I have seen for ourselves... this kind of stuff has no real cure and we really will carry all the damage to our graves.

[Runestar]

I know my friend's father fell asleep while listening to his MP3, with the earphones still lodged in his ears. Woke up a few hours later, to find himself completely deaf. Doctor said it is unlikely his condition will improve. :smalleek:

[Salbazier]

@Lycan

Great! :smallbiggrin: Hope he will be allright. :smallsmile:


I know my friend's father fell asleep while listening to his MP3, with the earphones still lodged in his ears. Woke up a few hours later, to find himself completely deaf. Doctor said it is unlikely his condition will improve. :smalleek:

Ugh,:smalleek: this thread is full with warnings for me. I often sleep with earphone or headset. Better be careful from now on.

[Runestar]

@Lycan

Great! :smallbiggrin: Hope he will be allright. :smallsmile:

Ugh,:smalleek: this thread is full with warnings for me. I often sleep with earphone or headset. Better be careful from now on.

In case it wasn't clear enough, he fell asleep with the music still blaring into his ears (don't know how he did it, but yeah...). Guess his eardrums just couldn't take all the torture...:smallfrown:

[Fawkes]

*I don't actually recommend stabbing yourself.

Do it.

It'll be funny.

[Kobold-Bard]

He's seeing a doctor tommorrow. Not sure the specifics, but he said he was going somewhere in my town tommorrow to get it checked out. So, huzzah! :smallbiggrin:

Hopefully it won't be anything serious, and if it is, its not gotten too bad. :smallannoyed:

Woo, peer pressure ftw :smallbiggrin:


In case it wasn't clear enough, he fell asleep with the music still blaring into his ears (don't know how he did it, but yeah...). Guess his eardrums just couldn't take all the torture...:smallfrown:

If you're tired you can just drop off. I do it all the time on trains at night, I'll suddenly wake up when a loud song comes on and it'll be an hour and 10 songs later.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Good for him. Hope he's okay.

[IonDragon]

In case it wasn't clear enough, he fell asleep with the music still blaring into his ears (don't know how he did it, but yeah...). Guess his eardrums just couldn't take all the torture...:smallfrown:

You know, they recommend you don't turn the volume up over 80%, and I usually listen to mine about 20% when I'm going to fall asleep listening to it. I have done so several times with no ill effects.

[The Succubus]

I like people that think their hearing is invicible and that listening to stupidly loud music doesn't harm. They provide me with a steady stream of employment in fitting hearing aids.

Exposure to loud sounds, be it music or otherwise, really doesn't have to be as long as you think in order to cause permanent hearing loss. A mere 4 hours @ 90dB SPL can start to cause it, 30 mins @ 100 dB SPL and a mere 10 mins at 110 dB SPL. While those sound quite high, normal human speech occurs @ 65dB, so crqnking up your iPod drown out background noise can be risky.

The middle ear has a muscle that seizes up when a loud sound tries to pass through the ear, a process called the stapedial reflex but the reflex was only designed to deal with short sharp sounds, such as a shout close to the ear. It *wasnt* designed to have death metal poured into for hours on end.

I try warning people about the dangers of noise induced hearing loss but it usually falls on deaf ears. Just hope it never becomes literal in your case.

[Serpentine]

On this topic: using ear buds increases the amount of bacteria in your ears to some insane degree (like, 1000 times or so). They also seem "softer", so you tend to turn it up louder than you would if you, say, were wearing ear- or headphones, instead. So: wear headphones. It sounds better, you won't need it up so loud, and you won't be growing gunk in your ears.
I hate my ear buds, but I broke my earphones :smallfrown: I used my ex's massive whole-ear-encompassing external sound-blocking brilliant headphones that he left at my place, but it turns out one of the thingies is completely broken :smallsigh: Gotta get some new ones...

[Keld Denar]

I try warning people about the dangers of noise induced hearing loss but it usually falls on deaf ears. Just hope it never becomes literal in your case.

I work in industry, commonly around REALLY loud equipment, some of which is OSHA qualified as DOUBLE hearing protection (thats 95 dB+ over 8 hours, for anyone who cares). I don't have enough fingers or toes to count all of the people I work with who have mild to severe tinnitis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus). Its pretty scary. We do a lot of training that simulates what its like to lose your hearing, and quite frankly its really tragic.

I get earplugs from work, and I stuff my pockets with em when I go home. I wear ear plugs while mowing the lawn, shooting my rifle or shotgun, running a chain saw or compressor, or even flying, even if the activity is only a couple seconds long. Man, I LOVE flying with earplugs in. Not only does it block out all the crying babies, but it also shields your eardrums from the low frequency vibrations in the plane that contribute a large amount to the fatigue feeling that is often associated with jet lag. Noise causes fatigue. (http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/noise.htm)



Because of noise, we often find ourselves fatigued and irritable. We don't even realize the effect until the noisy hubbub stops and we feel relief.


Seriously, if you don't have a ready source of hearing protection available, go to walmart or something and buy a big box of disposables for $4.99. That'll last you 2-3 years, easily, and wear them often.

Anyway, Lycan, keep us posted as to whats wrong. I'm kinda curious.

Also, check this out (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6589718701558785230#), skip forward to 11:30, its hillarious.

[Zeb The Troll]

A mere 4 hours @ 90dB SPL can start to cause it, 30 mins @ 100 dB SPL and a mere 10 mins at 110 dB SPL. While those sound quite high, normal human speech occurs @ 65dB, so cranking up your iPod drown out background noise can be risky.For the sake of comparison, though, it's important to note that decibels are not measured on a linear scale. A 10dB increase equates to roughly "twice as loud" so it's not like we need to turn up the music to 105dB to drown out ambient speech, because that's ~16x as loud as said speech is.

[The Succubus]

The guy with the creepy avatar is quite correct about the non-linear scaling. When it actually comes to measuring sound levels though, there are 3 different ones we use. dBHL is the one we use for hearing tests to measure degrees of hearing loss, dB SPL (sound pressure level) is used to measure intensity in open environments and the less often used dB (A) which is used to measure sound in enclosed environments such as factories and whatnot. Each is weighted slightly different but as Zeb pointed out, it is not a linear increase (3 dB is a doubling of intensity, according to wikipedia).


Man, its been a while since my college days of studying all this.

[Superglucose]

I keep reading this thread title as "Best Friend Woke Up Dead" and I keep thinking, "... how?"

[Zeb The Troll]

Creepy? :smallfrown:

I actually wish I had a picture of this picture being taken. He had his face all the way up inside the photographer's lens attachment thingie (I think that's the official term).

I'll make sure to let Alarra know you think her son is "creepy". :smalltongue:

[Serpentine]

Babies are creepy, and I say this as the proud aunty to a... 4/5? month old :smalltongue:

[The Succubus]

Babies are creepy, and I say this as the proud aunty to a... 4/5? month old :smalltongue:

Serpentine - equal parts wise, sexy and scaley.

@Zeb - no offence intend but babies do weird me out slightly, hence why paediatric audiology never really appealed. In this case I think its a winning combination of wide eyes and gaping bottomless maw that gives me the creeps.

@Lycan - good to hear. As with everyone else, I'd be very interested to hear the doctor's opinion.

[Serpentine]

Oh man, I'm a terrible Auntie Jay-Jay. He's closer to 8 months old :smalleek:

[Lycan 01]

Tis an outer ear infection, according to the docs. :smallconfused:

[Dvandemon]

Why do people not see a doctor? My friend refused to see a doctor for most of the year, and when she finaly went, she saw how screwed up she is. She has to take all sorts of medication and tests now because of how bad she got. Heart tests, brain tests...
There was this one time I woke up with my ear bleeding from a bug. All those times I had Exploding Head Syndrome...
Try Ice! Please don't

[Klose_the_Sith]

You know, they recommend you don't turn the volume up over 80%, and I usually listen to mine about 20% when I'm going to fall asleep listening to it. I have done so several times with no ill effects.

I do it every now and again ...

I actually can't sleep well without music or some other regular, calming sound (like someone special's breathing :smallsmile:) - unless I'm really tired.

But then I fall asleep in the Library.

[mucat]

Look at the post folks, he's not avoiding the doctor because he's stubborn, he's avoiding it because they can't afford to pay for any medical treatment (the stubbornness is just an added bonus and a reason for that to definitively stop him). It's not really an option here, as much as it would be ideal.
Bull****. He's being stubborn. A doctor won't refuse to treat him because he has no money.

If he can't pay the bill, it will damage his credit rating for a few years. If he leaves a serious infection untreated, it could damage his hearing for life, and/or become a chronic sinus problem that he has to deal with for a long time to come. (Or, less likely but still possible, damage his brain, either because the infection turns to meningitis or because it turns out he was actually dealing with a stroke or tumor, not an ear infection.)

Guess which one is easiest to live without: brain, eardrum, or credit rating?

EDIT: Oops, my post is way out of date. I read the first page and thought it was the whole thread; sorry.

However, the point still applies to anyone else who is leaving something serious untreated because they don't have insurance, so I won't delete it...

[bluewind95]

Tis an outer ear infection, according to the docs. :smallconfused:


Well, that's probably the best out of the worst... so long as it doesn't spread (which it should be less likely to with treatment), he should recover just fine.

Untreated, it could've spread and done all sorts of horrible, unfixable things...

[Zeb The Troll]

Tis an outer ear infection, according to the docs. :smallconfused:AKA Swimmer's Ear. All the better that he saw a doctor then. I looked it up on the Mayo Clinic's website and they recommend a doctor visit well before it gets to the point that his did.

Here's a list (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swimmers-ear/DS00473/DSECTION=complications) of what can go wrong if left untreated.

[Serpentine]

I've never heard of swimmer's ear being visably swollen and painful on the outside of the ear o.O Unless the description was just vague...

[Zeb The Troll]

I've never heard of swimmer's ear being visably swollen and painful on the outside of the ear o.O Unless the description was just vague...The Symptoms (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swimmers-ear/DS00473/DSECTION=symptoms) page on the same site.

That's probably because you never see it left untreated long enough for it to get to the "severe disease progression" stage.

Also, wiki "swimmer's ear" or "otitis externa" and take a look at the gnarly picture they have associated with it. :smallyuk:

[The Succubus]

Do they mean Otitis externa or perichondritis?

[Totally Guy]

Man, I LOVE flying with earplugs in. Not only does it block out all the crying babies, but it also shields your eardrums from the low frequency vibrations in the plane that contribute a large amount to the fatigue feeling that is often associated with jet lag.

That's some advice I'll have to take. I work in the construction industry so I can get hold of earplugs easily. I'm flying to the USA next month so that'll be a new experience.

[Keld Denar]

OMG, seriously, it helps a ton. When I started flying back and forth to Alaska on a semi-regular basis, I tried it out at the recommendation of one of the guys I work with. Now I'm hooked. It makes it way easier to grab a nap on the plane, especially if you are the type you can't typically do that, and it goes a long way toward making the ride a lot more comfortable. Noise canceling headphones work pretty well too, but those tend to be pretty expensive (in the $350+ US range) for a quality pair.

You will be pretty amazed though, I assure you.

[RandomNPC]

glad to hear about the doctor, good stuf there. As far as ear infections go I'm good, but I could de-rail this thread for pages upon pages with stories about my toes.

I have six toes.

I have four others I didn't tell you about before. That's just the tip of the silly, let alone the serious.

but honestly, good job with the doctor thing, even if it was a bit late compared to when the visit should have been.

[Elentari]

I do have to agree with everyone else that it was a good thing he finally went to the doctor. Messing around with your hearing is NOT good. I was born deaf, and I've struggled throughout my life to be able to perform on the same level as people with only a mild hearing loss. It infuriates me when people don't value what they have, because hearing is so intrisic to our culture that we don't have many options for people without that ability. Everyone, please, take care of your ears.

[Serpentine]

Really? Heh. This has gotta be about the medium where that matters the least of any other, right? :smalltongue: Well, 'cept for listening to clips and YouTube... Which is probably still a good thing when it comes to Rick Rolling :smalltongue:
Fo' serious, though, is living without hearing really very difficult?
edit: Fun fact: If you're from Australia, I could communicate with you very, very slowly with sign language. For some reason, my friends and I all learnt the Australian signing alphabet during a wood-work class. I don't know why that card was in the woodtech room, but it's one accomplishment I can add to my list.

[Thajocoth]

I would hate to lose one of my senses. Except perhaps smell... I don't think I'd miss smell... But a major sense like hearing would be awful to lose. If I lost my sight, the moment I find out it's absolutely permanent, I don't think I'd bother moving or eating anymore. (How much more useless can you get than a blind programmer who's favorite hobby is to play video games.) I think about these sorts of things far too much, and they depress me. Other chart toppers for self-depression: Lactose intolerance and diabetes. Either one would reduce my diet instantly to water.

I remember a girl who was deaf that I went to high school with. Her best friend knew the alphabet in sign language. So I was on their team for something in an English class in 9th grade, and her friend was signing, but not saying what she was signing so I couldn't understand, making it difficult for me to participate. So I stopped making noise. Heather was able to read lips, so she could understand both of us just fine and we could understand her because she could speak. Heather and I found it amusing. Her friend did not.

[Serpentine]

(How much more useless can you get than a blind programmer who's favorite hobby is to play video games.)You kidding? That has potential to be awesome. You'd certainly need a lot of help from another programmer, but imagine the innovation you could innovate in the field of video games for the blind! =D

[Elentari]

*snippy*
Fo' serious, though, is living without hearing really very difficult?
edit: Fun fact: If you're from Australia, I could communicate with you very, very slowly with sign language. For some reason, my friends and I all learnt the Australian signing alphabet during a wood-work class. I don't know why that card was in the woodtech room, but it's one accomplishment I can add to my list.

Yes, living without being able to hear anything at all is very difficult. Imagine, if you went to a fast food place and tried to order food. Unless you could talk and be understood, you would have to write your order down and the cashier would have to write everything he/she says back. Makes it very inconvienient, plus you can't do the drive through even if you're in a hurry. Or if you were trying to get a job, you wouldn't be able to get a phone call saying to come in for an interview. It makes extra hurdles for both the interviewer and interviewee. In short, being deaf affects every aspect of life, from who you can hang out with, to very basic things like money or food.

And I applaud anyone who makes an effort to learn some kind of sign language! It makes our day just a little easier.

[Keld Denar]

When I was in college, there was a kid in my fraternity pledge class who was a blind programmer. He had a little doodad-thinga-mabobber that went over his shoulder that kinda looked like a keytar. It had a pad that would project braile letters and numbers along the length of it that he could run his hands over. Plugging that into a computer with some simple plug and play software, he was able to do everything he needed by command prompt. It was pretty crazy to watch.

Sadly, I didn't get to know him that well, as we kicked him out for being a total jackass. I can understand having a handicap can make you a bit jaded, but there was no excuse for his level of abusive cynicism. He did have some hillarious stories though.

[Serpentine]

Yes, living without being able to hear anything at all is very difficult. Imagine, if you went to a fast food place and tried to order food. Unless you could talk and be understood, you would have to write your order down and the cashier would have to write everything he/she says back. Makes it very inconvienient, plus you can't do the drive through even if you're in a hurry. Or if you were trying to get a job, you wouldn't be able to get a phone call saying to come in for an interview. It makes extra hurdles for both the interviewer and interviewee. In short, being deaf affects every aspect of life, from who you can hang out with, to very basic things like money or food.

And I applaud anyone who makes an effort to learn some kind of sign language! It makes our day just a little easier.Probably showing the influence of pop-culture on me, but... are you not able to learn to speak without hearing? But the rest, yeah, 'twould suck.
And thanks :smallbiggrin: Never had an opportunity to test it, yet... I like that the vowels are just pointing to the fingers on one of your hands, and the f-g-h bit.

[Quincunx]

Those vowels are different than American sign language which mimics the shape of each vowel, but I've already been warned about using that one outside of the U.S. (specifically 't', which encounters the same problem as the victory sign).

[Serpentine]

For the curious, here's the Australian signing alphabet as I learned it:
http://www.deafblind.com/alphabet.gif

[The Succubus]

Oddly enough, as an audiologist we don't get any training in British Sign Language. We're taught basic finger spelling but full blown BSL is a hellishly difficult thing to learn. It's like miming on steroids and I salute anyone that takes the time to learn it. I guess froma certain perspective it makes sense; if someone has progressed to the stage where theyuse sign language as their primary means of communication, theywould be beyond the help of a hearing aid. Usually in that sort of case, they'd be fitted with a cochlea implant, something I don't have much experience with.

[Zeb The Troll]

I've often wondered why different locales have a different standard sign language. When I was younger I thought that learning sign language would be a great way to bridge a language gap with other people. Certainly the sign for "hand" and the sign for "mano" would be the same, right? It wasn't until much later that I learned that this is not the case. I don't know how different the various forms are though.

EDIT: Wow, Serp. That's completely different than the alphabet I learned. In American Sign Language the whole alphabet can be done with one hand.

[dehro]

Probably showing the influence of pop-culture on me, but... are you not able to learn to speak without hearing? But the rest, yeah, 'twould suck.
And thanks :smallbiggrin: Never had an opportunity to test it, yet... I like that the vowels are just pointing to the fingers on one of your hands, and the f-g-h bit.

I had a friend who was born deaf...(back when we were both very young..so he was very much in learning phase, don't know if things have improved for him as I moved to another country)
not being able to talk, at least in his case, was purely depending on not having experienced sound as anything other than a vibration (a bit like trying to explain colour to a blind person)..
not having a frame of reference and having no clue as to how to use his own voice...what sounds would come through if he tried to pronounce one or the other thing. also, volume control was obviously a problem. he'd often shout to draw attention, but without realizing that he was drawing attention from people 3 blocks away.
it's very much like trying to teach yourself to play an instrument that doesn't actually exist and you don't know what it looks like....you might somehow learn the theory, but you have no way of telling whether you're actually learning to use it properly.

[Lillith]

OP, I hope your wife will be okay soon. =/

[Elentari]

@ Serpentine: Yes, some deaf people (me included) can learn to talk. In my case, to be able to do so entailed 15 straight years of speech therapy. The first few years, I had therapy every single day, then it tapered off a bit after that. The only reason I was able to learn how to talk well enough to be understood was because I used hearing aids when I was little and they gave me enough sound perception to be able to understand what talking was. For those who can't hear a thing (those who don't have/want/can't use hearing aids/ci's etc) trying to learn how to talk is like what dehro said; extremely difficult. Even now, I sometimes have a difficult time talking at the right volume because I can't hear what is going on around me as well as others can so I can't adjust my voice as easily.

And AuSLan is rather different than ASL or BSL. It looks interesting tho. Zeb is right about ASL spelling only needing one hand, athough most ASL signs need two.

@Masamune: So you're an audiologist? May I ask what exactly do you specialize in? Anything?

[Nano]

I keep reading this thread title as "Best Friend Woke Up Dead." I just thought I'd have to share that.

[Worira]

So did I. Many, many times. Even after reading the thread.

[The Succubus]

@ Serpentine: Yes, some deaf people (me included) can learn to talk. In my case, to be able to do so entailed 15 straight years of speech therapy. The first few years, I had therapy every single day, then it tapered off a bit after that. The only reason I was able to learn how to talk well enough to be understood was because I used hearing aids when I was little and they gave me enough sound perception to be able to understand what talking was. For those who can't hear a thing (those who don't have/want/can't use hearing aids/ci's etc) trying to learn how to talk is like what dehro said; extremely difficult. Even now, I sometimes have a difficult time talking at the right volume because I can't hear what is going on around me as well as others can so I can't adjust my voice as easily.

And AuSLan is rather different than ASL or BSL. It looks interesting tho. Zeb is right about ASL spelling only needing one hand, athough most ASL signs need two.

@Masamune: So you're an audiologist? May I ask what exactly do you specialize in? Anything?

At the moment I'm working as a locum, so I'm mainly doing the boring day-to-day stuff such as fittings, initial assessments and covering ENT clinics. I like the clinics the most as there's a refreshing lack of paperwork but also because you see a variety of patients and conditions coming through. As for a specialisation, it's something I've been giving a lot of thought to of late as I'm looking for work in Denmark, which is home to the big players in hearing aids and assessment equipment - Oticon, Widex, GN Resound, etc. If things don't work out in Denmark, I'd probably be looking to go into neuro-otology and the diagnosis of balance disorders. Paediatrics....being honest, I'm not really the right sort of person for children's audiology, I just find kids difficult to get accurate results from and I like to be 100% confident with the results I do get. After all, people's hearing is on the line.

You said you had a long session with speech therapy - did you liaise with a hearing therapist throughout your treatment? Seems to be fewer and fewer of those around. A shame really as they're *the* people to go to for knowledge on tinnitus rehab and adjusting to hearing loss. Audiologists get some training in that regard but hearing therapists do it 1000* better.

EDIT:

On a separate note, I've always disliked the term "deaf" when dealing with patients. There is this association that if someone is "deaf" they are 100% completely without hearing and nothing can be done for them. Then, after doing an audiogram, I often have a hard time convincing patients that yes, there is some usable hearing in that ear. The phrase "hard of hearing" suggests degrees of hearing loss which is far more realistic. It is very rare that I see a patient that I cannot do something for and even then, there are people I can refer on to for support.

[Serpentine]

@ Serpentine: Yes, some deaf people (me included) can learn to talk. In my case, to be able to do so entailed 15 straight years of speech therapy. The first few years, I had therapy every single day, then it tapered off a bit after that. The only reason I was able to learn how to talk well enough to be understood was because I used hearing aids when I was little and they gave me enough sound perception to be able to understand what talking was. For those who can't hear a thing (those who don't have/want/can't use hearing aids/ci's etc) trying to learn how to talk is like what dehro said; extremely difficult. Even now, I sometimes have a difficult time talking at the right volume because I can't hear what is going on around me as well as others can so I can't adjust my voice as easily.I thought so. I mean, I knew you wouldn't be able to get pitch-perfect or anything like that, but I thought that if the problem was only your ears you'd be able to gain some speech ability.
Really, I have Helen Kelleher(sp?) in mind, which probably isn't a realistic basis for expectation. Anyone know whether she was "completely" or "mostly" deaf?
Also, I'm pretty sure there is a form of sign language in Australia that only uses one hand. That one's just the alphabet, although now I think about it the sign language translator on that lecture last night was using two hands...

On a separate note, I've always disliked the term "deaf" when dealing with patients. There is this association that if someone is "deaf" they are 100% completely without hearing and nothing can be done for them. Then, after doing an audiogram, I often have a hard time convincing patients that yes, there is some usable hearing in that ear. The phrase "hard of hearing" suggests degrees of hearing loss which is far more realistic. It is very rare that I see a patient that I cannot do something for and even then, there are people I can refer on to for support."Blind" has the same problem, I believe. As I understand it, very few people are completely, utterly and totally blind, but many are bad enough that they still struggle without a stick or a dog.
As an aside, we have a blind cane in our house. We don't know where it came from :smallconfused: I think I found it abandoned in a field somewhere, but it is slightly worrying...
Heh... A really bad thought just occurred to me... A while ago, a school was condemned for having a "Dress Up Like A Disabled Person Day" for fundraising for the disabled. Terrible idea, but I do have one of the more important parts of a blind costume :smallbiggrin: :smalltongue:

[Elentari]

At the moment I'm working as a locum, so I'm mainly doing the boring day-to-day stuff such as fittings, initial assessments and covering ENT clinics. I like the clinics the most as there's a refreshing lack of paperwork but also because you see a variety of patients and conditions coming through. As for a specialisation, it's something I've been giving a lot of thought to of late as I'm looking for work in Denmark, which is home to the big players in hearing aids and assessment equipment - Oticon, Widex, GN Resound, etc. If things don't work out in Denmark, I'd probably be looking to go into neuro-otology and the diagnosis of balance disorders. Paediatrics....being honest, I'm not really the right sort of person for children's audiology, I just find kids difficult to get accurate results from and I like to be 100% confident with the results I do get. After all, people's hearing is on the line.

You said you had a long session with speech therapy - did you liaise with a hearing therapist throughout your treatment? Seems to be fewer and fewer of those around. A shame really as they're *the* people to go to for knowledge on tinnitus rehab and adjusting to hearing loss. Audiologists get some training in that regard but hearing therapists do it 1000* better.

EDIT:

On a separate note, I've always disliked the term "deaf" when dealing with patients. There is this association that if someone is "deaf" they are 100% completely without hearing and nothing can be done for them. Then, after doing an audiogram, I often have a hard time convincing patients that yes, there is some usable hearing in that ear. The phrase "hard of hearing" suggests degrees of hearing loss which is far more realistic. It is very rare that I see a patient that I cannot do something for and even then, there are people I can refer on to for support.

Ah thats interesting. Where I live, my audiologist did hearing aids and cochlear implants, but lately, she's been doing more and more cochlear implants. I've always thought how interesting it was that your sense of balance relies so much on the inner ear. Hope you have fun if you do decide to specialize!

I think I did have a hearing therapist when I was little because I vaguely remember practing my hearing as well as my speech. Of course, when I got my cochlear implants, I did more hearing therapy to adjust to them, and it did help.

I do have a slight disagreement with that statement on deaf and hard of hearing. It is so much easier to explain to people that im deaf rather than hard of hearing because technically, with a profound hearing loss, i could hear extremely loud noises, but nothing close to the range of speech. Some people have a hard time grasping the concept that there are different shades of hearing loss so its easier to explain that I'm deaf rather then getting into a detailed discussion about how hard of hearing does not mean that I can hear people without my hearing aids or cochlear implants. :smallsigh: