"Help Me, I Can't Hear a Thing!"

A few years ago, Anna, who had recently graduated from college, was traveling with friends in the Pacific Northwest when she suddenly and mysteriously became deaf. Her friends insisted she return home right away and see a doctor. Ordinarily, that would not be a difficult thing to do. But almost immediately, Anna discovered that without the ability to hear, nothing was simple. Alone at the airport, Anna had to exchange her ticket, but without being able to hear, she had to ask the ticket agent to write everything down while the long line of angry customers behind grew impatient. Worried that she would not hear the announcement to board the plane, Anna sat in the waiting area with her eyes glued to the arrival/departure monitor until she could board.

Once seated, Anna’s problems continued. She was unable to hear anything the flight attendants asked, so again she had to ask them to write notes on whatever paper was handy. As her seat mates eyed her with pity, Anna desperately wanted to explain the situation. But at the same time, she knew having a conversation was out of the question, so she decided the best thing to do was to keep quiet and avoid eye contact. Watching the movie or listening to music was out of the question, but by this time, Anna no longer cared. She only wanted to get home to her Manhattan apartment.

But once she arrived home, Anna realized she was not able to call the doctor’s office to make an appointment. Not only that, she could not hear the phone, doorbell or downstairs buzzer ring. How would she know if anyone was trying to get hold of her? Finally, an older, retired neighbor provided a temporary solution, after Anna explained what was happening to her. The neighbor called Anna’s doctor, set up an appointment for the following week and even volunteered to go with her if she needed someone to be “her ears” along the way. At first, Anna was reluctant to ask for more help. But in the days that followed, she found that without the ability to hear, life was more challenging than she ever would have imagined.

Since she was home early from her trip, Anna wanted to get in touch with her boss at the clothing store where she worked. Calling was out of the question, so she sent an email explaining the situation. Her boss replied by asking if she was going to quit, since she clearly could not do the job if she couldn’t hear. Anna tried to remain calm and replied that she would wait to find out what the doctor thought, but her boss’s reaction frightened her. Was she going to lose her job over this? And how would she ever get another? What kind of work could she do if she couldn’t hear or carry on a conversation?

Frustrated and unable to communicate, Anna sequestered herself in her apartment. Television was out of the question, so she used her computer to research sudden hearing loss on the Internet. What she found did not make her feel much better. Although the condition is rare, only five to ten percent of the people who experience it ever discover the cause. Sometimes it resolves itself within a few days, but not always.

Anna began to think about what her life would be like if her hearing never returned. She considered the possibility of learning sign language, but quickly realized that it would be of limited use. Her family and friends would have to learn it as well, or how would they know what she was saying? She worried that there could be a genetic aspect to the condition, which could be passed on if she married and had children. There was an uncle, Anna recalled, who had lost his hearing fairly early in life. Did anyone know why? Anna desperately wanted to call her parents, but she couldn’t talk on the phone. Her neighbor might be able to carry on the conversation for her, but knowing that their daughter had lost her hearing would only frighten her parents and she had no information from the doctor that might explain it.

Anna wrote down her questions for the doctor, and then spent a restless night tossing and turning as she worried about missing the appointment because she wouldn’t hear her alarm go off. With her neighbor’s help, Anna made it to the doctor, but he was not able to find any reason for her hearing loss and referred her to an ear-nose-throat specialist (ENT) for further examination. A few days before that appointment, though, Anna’s hearing began to return. To be on the safe side, she kept the appointment with the ENT, but again, he could find no reason for what had happened.

The experience, which occurred more than a decade ago, changed Anna’s life. “I could not believe how empty life was without sound,” she explains. “Until I lost my hearing, I hadn’t realized how much we depend on background noises to know what is happening around us. I was accustomed to living in a three-dimensional world that had suddenly become one dimensional, with only visual cues to guide me. It was like sensory deprivation, in many ways. And I was so anxious and concerned about what I was not able to hear that sleeping was difficult. Plus, the lack of communication with other people was devastating. I felt as though I was no longer connected to anyone. Paper and pencils became a lifeline. Without it, I had no way of hearing.”

When her hearing returned, Anna did not forget the experience of living without something we all take for granted. She returned to school and became an audiologist, working with children who are challenged with hearing difficulties.

The deafness Anna experienced is “profound.” In other words, she could hear nothing. Fortunately, the condition only lasted for a short period of time. Anna’s experience is rare, but the emotions and difficulties she experienced are not. Soldiers returning from war who have developed hearing loss during battle often report that their initial reaction is that the world seems “empty” without sound.

Hearing loss, which usually occurs gradually, affects millions of people. It often leads to misunderstandings, frustration and avoidance of activities that involve talking or listening, such as classrooms, movies, and parties. So it makes sense to do everything you can to protect your hearing now. Start by letting your ears rest for a few hours (or more) each day in a quiet environment.