Q&A

Subject: Operations

From: DB

March 20, 1998, Background: In July 1989, I underwent an "elective" exploratory tympanotomy, canalplasty, atticotomy, mastoidotomy and myringotomy and # 2 tube insertion in my right ear. In retrospect, if I had it to do over again, I would not have had the operation. The operation had a large impact on my body, which persisted for several months. My right ear has never been the same. It used to be my good ear. Following the operation, my hearing level dropped to below 40 decibels. I continue to experience about 3 ear infections a year. Apparently, I have a malformed auditory tube in my right ear, which I am told accounts for this.
Question.: Do you know of any research being done to improve hearing following a mastoid operation? Would digital hearing aids help? Thanks for your interest.

Wow! What a trial! I am sorry for the hearing difficulty you have experienced. I have to believe that such extensive exploratory surgery was recommended to investigate ongoing pathology (chronic infection? cholesteotoma?) in that left ear and that the inspection of the area showed the necessity of the canalplasty, atticotomy, and mastoidotomy. Further, failure to perform these procedures would have left you vulnerable to still more serious problems.

However, you are still left with a significant difference in hearing between ears. Have you asked your surgeon whether further reconstructive surgery is an option? If not, digital amplification for your left ear is a good consideration. One of the problems of balancing amplification against normal hearing to create "stereo hearing" again, is that the amplification comfortable in quiet is frequently too much in noisier situations. I have found the Widex digital aids more effective than other aids I have utilized in those situations. It seems more effective at managing the competing noise than the other models we have investigated...both digital and analog.

PS. However, the hearing aid industry has made many advances since 1998, and your audiologist may have a better solution today.

Solveig