Case studies
Personal experiences of living with hearing loss
Young London woman offers hearing loss hope for others
Despite suffering with severe bilateral hearing loss from a very young age, Valerie Idowu, from Peckham, London, has refused to let her condition stop her having a normal life. Now aged 20 and embarking on the second year of a photography and media arts degree at UCA, Maidstone, Valerie is more determined than ever not to be held back.
Cheshire woman’s shock at waking up with sudden hearing loss and tinnitus
56 year old Pam Brown, from Stockport, Cheshire had lived with limited hearing in her right ear from her mid-twenties and had coped reasonably well; but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of waking up one morning with sudden hearing loss and unbearable tinnitus in her left ear.
Virus leaves woman with a future of hearing difficulties
It was during her early 30s that Marese Pitman was struck down with a virus that, combined with otosclerosis, left her with damaged nerves and progressively worsening hearing loss in both ears. Twenty years later, Marese, now 53 and living in Poole, has also started to experience tinnitus, but while this has been difficult to manage, she is feeling more positive following a recent visit to an ENT specialist.
Lack of help leaves Chesterfield couple frustrated after APD diagnosis
At age 20, Chelsea Briggs was always turning up the television to what her husband was finding intolerable levels. Convinced they needed to get her hearing tested, the Chesterfield couple couldn’t have imagined Chelsea would eventually be diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD); they were then faced with a lack of support and information to help them cope.
Yorkshire woman benefits from Transear hearing aid
Joyce Parker, 59, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire had surgery to remove a vestibular schwanomma in her left ear four years ago. More commonly known as an acoustic neuroma, it is a benign growth on the vestibular nerve which causes hearing loss and balance problems.
Virus leaves woman deaf in one ear
When 61 year old Carole Wilson from Praze-An-Beeble in Cornwall went for her weekly trip to the swimming baths, the last thing she expected was to be struck down with a virus which would result in her losing her hearing in one ear.
Rebuilding confidence after deafness lead to bullying
For 20 year old Daniel Whiteside of St Albans, working towards a degree and returning to education has been not only a learning experience but also a lesson in confidence building after a childhood being bullied about his hearing problems and hearing aids.
The beauty of BAHAs
Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) have been in use in the UK for around twenty years but are not widely known even among medical professionals. BAHAs conduct sound through the skull bone whereas conventional hearing aids conduct sound through air.
Living with cochlear implants
Elaine Webster was born in 1969 with significant hearing loss as a result of maternal rubella. Although she had no useful hearing in her right ear, she had some hearing in her left ear and benefited for many years from a body worn and then a behind-the ear (BTE) hearing aid.
Getting an NHS hearing aid
Raymond Coleman urges perseverance when it comes to obtaining and getting used to your hearing aids.
I'd forgotten what certain noises sounded like
A hearing loss – however minor - can be a very distressing time. Often people feel embarrassed to admit that they cannot hear as well as they used to and delay seeking help. For many it can be a very frustrating experience as well as being isolating.
