Any Hearing Impaired?

[K31]

I had a hearing test a couple of weeks ago and the Audiologist found I had some hearing loss. The type of loss wasn't age or environmental so I was directed to go to a ENT specialist about it. He told me that surgery could give me back some of the loss but not all and that in any case the loss would continue so that I would need a hearing aid eventually in any case. There was also a 1% chance he said, that the surgery would leave me deaf in the ear chose (they would only do one for that reason). So, I've decided for the time being to get hearing aids. Because of the type of loss the hearing aids that will work best are the "behind the ear" type. I told the Audiologist that I do "karate" (since I've found that most people don't know what TKD is) twice weekly and asked if they would come out easily. She said, no, but asked if I sweated a lot during karate. I told her yes and she said that they had some type of cover for that. I'm wondering if anyone out there uses hearing aids during class? During sparring? I'm a little leery of wearing them during class because they are rather expensive.

 

[Sukerkin]

I don't have any experience to advise you with on this, K31 but hopefully there is someone who can. I'd suggest seeing if Ceicei can give you some pointers as she is familiar with this territory.

 

[StuartA]

Cant speak on the hearing aids themselves Im afraid, as I guess thats a risk down to you.

What I will say is that I knew an excellant Taekwondoist who was deaf and he wore hearing aids in classes and gradings and I never saw him have to pick them up.. then again, I guess its down to how rough your sparring is and sods law your get kicked on the side of the head!

Eitherway, its a crappy thing to happen and I hope if you do have the op, it helps and sorts most of it out.

Best of luck,

Stuart

 

[jks9199]

I don't think I'd recommend wearing hearing aids in class, unless you're absolutely unable to hear necessary instructions. Even then, I wouldn't wear them for sparring and some other stuff.

It just seems to me that you're inviting damage to either the hearing aid (expensive) or, even worse, your ears (irreplaceable). Someone hits or kicks your head, and you can see where it seems pretty easy to have something bad happen.

The best advice would be to discuss it very specifically with the audiologist fitting you for them. They're more likely than the ENT doc to really know the specific issues with the hearing aid.

 

[Ceicei]

I do both American Kenpo and Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. 97% of the time, I wear my hearing aids when I train as I depend upon them to help me understand and communicate. If I don't wear my hearing aids, I have trouble lip-reading (surprising how much even some sound helps when I lipread).

Since the ear-molds are well fitted, I've never had problems with them falling off when I train. When hearing aid tubes (that connects to the mold and the hearing aid) are new, they're very flexible and don't always hold your aid where it should while in vigorous activity. A few days would be needed before the tubes will become more rigid (due to air and natural sweat) and do their part to hold the aids in place. The aid cases are by design, relatively air/water tight, so sweat in general will not bother them, but they're not water-proof though, so be sure to allow your aids to air-dry afterwards. You can choose to have "waterproof" covers for them if you sweat a lot. I don't bother with those covers anyway as I see very little need personally. My hearing aids haven't had problems with getting wet from sweat--maybe long hair may play a role. Do protect them from excessive water (rainstorms, showers/baths, and swimming).

Yes, they're expensive, but they're really not "fragile". The hearing aids are able to withstand a great deal of physical wear. Aids in a simple fall to the ground generally won't damage them. Just be sure to protect them from unnecessary force (run over by a car, chewed by dogs, an angry toddler throwing them against cement, etc.)

I usually wear my hearing aids when I spar. Since head gear is required, I still wear my aids anyway (but be aware that head gear does present a tighter fit on your ear with the aid, so you want to be sure to find the headgear that fits you comfortably). If it is intense sparring or with certain partners who love head shots, I may just leave my aids off. That's up to you to decide whether to wear when sparring--just personal preference--since it will depend a lot on whether your place of training focuses on head shots.

Jujitsu is a different story. I've had my aids accidentally knocked off twice when I rolled with my partner. Most of the time while I train, I wear them. If I know I will be working on intense groundwork, I will take my hearing aids off anyway since I'll be focused upon the ground grappling and won't need my ears (to hear sounds) for that.

Any further questions or requests for advice, let me know. Good luck!

- Ceicei

 

[K31]

Ceicei thanks for the excellent response this is exactly what I was looking for.

I already have a problem finding large enough headgear because I have a large head. I did get some with air channels that seems larger although it's not exactly what the school uses/sells. My previous instructor commented that he liked it though and had seen another school with the same gear at tournaments so hopefully my latest instructor won't have a problem with it.

I didn't think about ground work but that is a good point because we are taught some self defense from time-to-time that involves it.

Since I'm tall, I don't get too many shots at my head except for my partner who is the same height.

I have found that if I face people and watch their mouths I can understand them better although I can't read lips.

Thanks to everyone else who responded also. It's too bad I just thought about putting this question to the MT family before now, it would have alleviated a great deal of consternation on my part if I'd done it sooner, I see.

 

[MA-Caver]

Glad to see you've swallowed your pride to decide to wear them. There are a great many people that do not wear aids simply because of pride. Hearing loss shouldn't be taken lightly (as many know but few actually take it seriously).
There'd probably be a lot less mis-understandings if more people would get their hearing checked on an annual basis. Like your eyes, your hearing is a value sense to have and an important survival tool.
My own hearing has been progressively worse through the years. Now I have severe hearing loss and have to wear two aids.
While I'm not in a (MA) school at this time, undoubtedly I will do as Ceicei does as it has worked for her. My *ahem* other chosen activity is just as physical and rigorous and the aids that I have now are durable.

You should do well. You also have the advantage of cranking them up just a notch or two and catch anyone talking behind your back (....I heard that!) or trying to sneak up on you from behind. :lol:

 

[mrhnau]

or trying to sneak up on you from behind. :lol:

Ah ha! Ninjas, take note! Secret to passing the Godan test

 

[MA-Caver]

Ah ha! Ninjas, take note! Secret to passing the Godan test

Ah but perhaps being a Shaolin would be better, remember from the show (Kung Fu) :"...it is said that a Shaolin can be looked for but cannot be seen, listened for but cannot be heard, felt for but cannot be touched...."

 

[K31]

You should do well. You also have the advantage of cranking them up just a notch or two and catch anyone talking behind your back (....I heard that!) or trying to sneak up on you from behind. :lol:

These are (as I understand most are today) to be tuned to my specific loss which is in the lower range (but from what I understand, if I read their graph correctly, is still in the meaty part of human speech). So, I probably won't have bionic hearing.

 

[K31]

Oh, and although I'd like to say that I'm not vain about wearing them (just when did I begin falling apart?) if it means that I can hear the instructor plainly I'll gladly put up with some self consciousness. I already feel kind of like the village idiot when he explains something and I can't execute it.

 

[Ceicei]

Oh, and although I'd like to say that I'm not vain about wearing them (just when did I begin falling apart?) if it means that I can hear the instructor plainly I'll gladly put up with some self consciousness. I already feel kind of like the village idiot when he explains something and I can't execute it.

Ah yes. That does take time to get used to feeling like the village idiot. It is okay to pause to look toward other students for reference while training in what needs to be done. There will usually be a "lag time". If you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask. It's generally better to have them "show" along with their explanations whenever possible.

If you haven't tested recently, you may find testing to be rather challenging with your hearing loss. The testing process is definitely a learning moment for you and your instructor to find solutions in making the test useful for both of you.

- Ceicei

 

[MA-Caver]

Oh, and although I'd like to say that I'm not vain about wearing them (just when did I begin falling apart?) if it means that I can hear the instructor plainly I'll gladly put up with some self consciousness. I already feel kind of like the village idiot when he explains something and I can't execute it.

Remember amigo, just because you didn't hear/understand something doesn't make you an idiot! So don't feel like one. Speak up and let it be known that you are there to learn and thus want to be sure you heard all the instructions or whatever the instructor said. You DID pay for the lessons neh? :uhyeah: Then get your money's worth. :asian:

 

[jim777]

There are three students (brothers) in my school who were born completely deaf, and have cochlear implants that they wear during class. I don't know if they wear them during sparring though, as they aren't in my class. Great guys, though, and it doesn't seem to have impacted their ability to get promoted in anyway.

 

[turtle]

I'm a little late to the thread but I taught taekwondo to a class of about 20 hearing impaired and deaf middle schoolers who all wore hearing aids during class and I don't recall that they had any problems. In fact, other than making sure that I always faced the class when giving instructions so they could see my mouth, I ended up teaching it just like any other beginner's class.

 

[jks9199]

Remember amigo, just because you didn't hear/understand something doesn't make you an idiot! So don't feel like one. Speak up and let it be known that you are there to learn and thus want to be sure you heard all the instructions or whatever the instructor said. You DID pay for the lessons neh? :uhyeah: Then get your money's worth. :asian:

If I'm teaching, it's my task to make sure my instructions are heard and properly understood. But I can't do that alone... If a student can't hear me or doesn't understand the instructions, they have every right to ask for clarification or for me to repeat the directions. In fact, they have a duty to do so -- because I've found that invariably if one person was confused or had trouble hearing, others did and won't speak up. This could be very important for safety! For example, during an exercise, I may change the directions. If you don't hear me tell the class to step to the right now, you may walk right into another student's strike!

 

[tellner]

Steve Perry, the writer not the singer, has posted on his blog about this. Here are his most recent thoughts.

 

[K31]

Steve Perry, the writer not the singer, has posted on his blog about this. Here are his most recent thoughts.

That was a good one. I wonder about scuba diving. Since I became aware of this, I remember many years ago I was diving and couldn't equalize my ears and they were getting painful and then, all of a sudden, a great gush of water and I was okay. I thought maybe I ruptured both eardrums but I wasn't in any pain later and didn't seem to have any trouble hearing even immediately after I was back in my hotel room.

 

[K31]

Remember amigo, just because you didn't hear/understand something doesn't make you an idiot! So don't feel like one. Speak up and let it be known that you are there to learn and thus want to be sure you heard all the instructions or whatever the instructor said. You DID pay for the lessons neh? :uhyeah: Then get your money's worth. :asian:

No, I just meant I appear to be the village idiot to others because it looks like I can't follow instructions. Ceicei hit the nail on the head with "lag time" I can hear but it takes me a minute to process what was said because I didn't get all of it.

 

[CF'er]

A funny story....

I wear aids on both sides for loss from ototoxic meds. In class one day we were told to lay on the floor flat on our back. We were then told to do 25 punches. I thought it was an odd thing to be doing but did it anyway. After two or three I glanced at my neighbor and saw the rest of the class doing CRUNCHES. I now always look at my instructor to see what he demonstrates and what the others are doing.

The only problem I have is when I am sparring and have my head gear on I get a ton of feedback from the aids. I wear glasses too so that may be part of it. I have to take the aids off when sparring because of that. Suggestions?