It is understandably very tiring for your mom, not to hear well and also to be stressed by tinnitus. Hearing loss and tinnitus makes it hard for someone to participate in social situations and conversations, and is very tiring and reduces one's mental cognition, memory and safety even.
Your mom may misunderstand what is said and feel insecure or embarrassed by mistaking things said, and thus present as paranoid, grouchy or slow in mentation.
If it was a sudden hearing loss that has been reviewed by multiple ENTs and no cause has been found by all of them and tumor excluded, the most likely cause would be viral infection, poor blood supply to the inner ear or an autoimmune issue previously.
With a hearing loss from 8 years ago, there may not be improvement now, unless it is due to an ongoing middle ear infection or growth which can be treated.
The ringing sound in her ear, also known as tinnitus, is due to her hearing loss. It is aggravated in times of stress, by caffeine or salt intake possibly, and magnified when the environment is quiet. That is why hearing aids are important for rehabilitation - as the hearing is improved and there is sound stimulation, the tinnitus can improve.
For the hearing aid to be of help however, we will need to ensure that it is tailored specifically for her type of hearing loss, as there is a very wide range of hearing aids. We need to also do very careful tuning of the hearing aids and let her try a few different brands and models to see what works best for her. Many have personal preferences.
As with any hearing aid, we will need your mom to persist with the use as the maximum benefit may only come after a month or more, especially as this is a long-standing hearing loss. My audiologists will have to work closely with your mom and your family to support her.
Nowadays, we also offer hearing aids with specific tinnitus rehabilitation features built into the hearing aid. We will also advise on tinnitus rehabilitation therapy to reduce the tinnitus. Often, we may add a simple supplement tablet to manage the tinnitus, and add tinnitus counselling for the best results.
Kind regards,
Dr Lynne Lim
