Hearing

Hi Rachael 

No hearing loss.... some tinnitus, quite annoying for a while but it has become less so, not sure if it was chemoradio associated.

Peter 

Hi Rachael,

I had chemoradiation for sinonasal cancer and I'm now NED yay! However I had cisplatin chemo and my ear on my business side (as you put it) seems to be declining in terms of hearing. I asked my oncologist if it would improve as I am currently at the tail end of a cold, but he said, very vehemently, no! I'm going to get an appointment with audiology soon so I may learn more, but I have to wait. Before treatment I was told I have limited hearing in the higher range, but it's definitely worse now. I don't know if this is on a par with your treatment, but this is my experience. I'm prepared for hearing aids if needed. It's a side effect that I can deal with I think. Not fun though!

Oh yes the tinnitus! It is quite busy in that ear as well! 

Glad to hear yours has subsided!

R

Glad to hear you are NED! Must be a relief. 

I'm straight forward RT but because the tumour was so close to my ear(upper hard palate, in the bone) so I guess so must the RT area. It's stupid wondering as who knows until I see an audiologist at some point after treatment ends, but I sort of can't help it, particularly because as a teacher, it may well affect my ability in the classroom.

However, it is interesting to hear other people's experiences. 

It's odd cos you know all these things in the abstract, but things don't really sink in until you are going through the process. 

Thank you for sharing

R

I finished my treatment just over a year ago. 6 weeks rt and 2 lots of cisplatin. My hearing wasn’t brilliant before treatment but it definitely got worse after. I was fast tracked to audiology as they said it could be treatment related. Audiology couldn’t say for certain if it was or not as my ears weren’t checked before treatment started. The outcome is I now wear two hearing aids which is fine by me. 

Hi Rachael S 

I am the same as you. RT only and damage to my irradiated cochlea which is permanent high end loss. I can't hear bird song with that ear. I have seen an audiologist privately and both he and my oncologist confirmed that as the reason. I tried hearing aids and they were a huge improvement. One thing that I miss without them is that localising the direction of sound can be difficult sometimes and I find hearing conversation in crowds hard. However at £4K a pop they are out of the question so I am waiting for an NHS appointment instigated by my oncologist. I have been waiting 9 months so he obviously doesn't have much clout in that department.

I have tinnitus as well but had that before I started. Tinnitus is vastly improved with aids, strangely.

Let us know how you get on

yes, I always had a bit of background noise, probably caused by rock concerts and Harley-Davidsons.. lol.. but it has definitely taken a turn for the worse since treatment.. it is classed as a potential side effect so I was pretty much expecting some sort of loss.. I have no problem with regular sounds, but I have to ask people to repeat themselves a lot more than I used to.. and when watching TV I've given up trying to make out what folks are saying.. I either get it or just wait to see how things pan out.. 

Beau Chapeau said:

when watching TV I've given up trying to make out what folks are saying..

Try a hearing aid. You might be surprised

Beesuit said:

Try a hearing aid. You might be surprised

hmm, thought about that, but put off with the thought of the cost.. 

I'm using subtitles on my TV now :-)