Alarming rate of teen hearing loss

I figure most of you have heard this by now, but being a teen I think it alarms me that much more to consider the number of friends that I have who will likely require hearing assistance when they are older. So, I'm posting this for those who already haven't already heard...


1 in 5 teens in the US has a slight hearing loss.*

1 in 20 US teens have mild or worsening hearing loss.

This is a 30% increase since the mid '90s.


Links:
Yahoo! Associated Press Article 
USA Today Article

I think the problem is both a lack of education about noise exposure, as well as the all-too-common idea "it won't happen to me." The other day I got into my seventeen year old (hearing) sister's car, and as soon as she turned it on the car was shaking with the radio blasting at full volume. I could feel the beat in my chest, and could hear the low frequency sounds pumping without my implants (I can tell when I'm able to hear something with my residual hearing alone. It "comes through" differently.) I glared at my sister, and she turned off the radio. Lately she's been complaining about hearing a buzzing or ringing in her ear. I went on to tell her that this could damage her hearing, and that this tinnitus could actually be a sign of hair cells in her cochlea being killed off. She was actually surprised, and went on to ask me why *I* get to turn my iPod speakers up so loud. "Well, sis. I don't know if you've noticed yet...but I'm already deaf! I've got nothing left to lose!" (I suppose she doesn't think it's fair). I'm pretty sure as soon as I got out of the car she turned the radio right back on, but who knows. I'm sending her this article.


*"Slight" hearing loss in teens is consider to be a loss of 16-24 dB, and most of these are in only one ear. It is important to realize that many hearing aids (and even cochlear implants) don't always amplify/provide sound down to this level, it is very quiet. With my cochlear implants, the softest sounds I can hear range from 5-20 dB. With my hearing aids, it ranged from 40-80dB hearing loss (or so, this is based off of my memory). However, as these teens with hearing loss grow up and lose hearing from age-based hearing loss, they will need stronger hearing aids earlier, such as in their 40's rather than 50's, 60's, or 70's.

the tinnitus that wasn't

My spring break is almost over. The idea of going back to school makes me start hyperventilating (I'm only exaggerating slightly.) I think I speak for all the students and teachers of the world when I scream, "IS IT SUMMER YET?!"

Anyway, I was home alone on this lovely spring morning, since my mom and sister had some college meeting to attend, and my dad had work. I'd just finished draining the Pacific Ocean taking a shower, and my dog excitedly ran up to me, with that I've-really-gotta-pee look in his eyes. My hair was wet, so my CI's were off.

I ran to the back door, with a smile on my face, laughing at the fact that I'm basically my dog's slave. As I shut the door, I noticed a strange sensation in my left ear.

My ever-present tinnitus sounded...different. Rather than the lovely chirping I'm used to, it sounded like a faint, high-pitched whining/ringing noise.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Whoop-de-doo. Bring out the marching band and parade floats. But, you see, when you've heard the same chirping for a year (it's been exactly a year and 2 days since my 2nd CI surgery!), it's a pretty big deal when it suddenly sounds different.

I briefly worried if that meant something odd was going on with my ear. No change is good in my book.  I rubbed my ear, to see if it made it sound different. It didn't. I shuffled away from the door, pondering this change.

That's when I noticed it getting louder. I realized the noise sounded oddly familiar...almost like the alarm for our home security system. No...it couldn't be! I went over to the alarm keypad to look at the screen. You know,  just to be sure.

I looked at it, only to be greeted with the words "ALARM. BACK DOOR OPEN"

I silently cursed my mom's fear of getting the house broken into, and quickly punched the 4-digit code that was engraved in my memory, while freaking out. The last thing I needed was the police coming over, with me (nearly) stone-deaf, dripping wet hair, and in my raggedy bath robe. I mean, isn't that how people get tased?

At that very moment, as if on cue, my mother and sister walked in, to see the horrified look on my face. My sister simply said "Wow, nice going." and walked away. My mom soon called the security people, and everything was settled and that all too familiar chirping returned.

Zach the Lhasa-Poo. He's not as innocent as he looks!

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