Q. I lost my hearing capacity due to meningitis. Should I consult a rheumatologist?
Hello doctor, I had meningitis fever when I was 7 years old because of which my hearing capacity was lost. I use hearing aids and I can hear from hearing aid, but it is hard to listen. One of the doctors said that I have bones issues, and I need to consult with a rheumatologist. But it is hard for me to understand.
Hello. The main problem with meningitis is that it is an infection which causes irreversible damage. As far as knowledge goes, there are not many cases who benefitted with the hearing. The cochlea is the hearing organ of the human body. It has three partitions filled with fluid. When hearing loss is caused by meningitis, the cochlea begins to ossify (the canals in cochlea start turning into bone). Thus the sound vibrations are not able to reach the auditory nerve. Usually, the loss is permanent. If you already wear hearing aids and now having a problem with understanding the speech, you need to see an audiologist and recheck your hearing as it might have progressed. If the loss has increased, please reprogram your hearing aids. If it has not changed, then you need to practice communication perception techniques. A speech therapist can help you with the techniques to improve communication. There are few techniques for better communication, but as you have not mentioned, I am not familiar with what method you use. I feel you should have discussed the problem in detail so that I could have helped you more with techniques. Do not hesitate to contact me.