HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION- OF AMERICA OF QUIET CORNER NEWS

February 2008

A PUBLICATION OF Hearing Loss Association of America of Quietcorner, AN AFFILIATE OF HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

A NON-PROFIT, TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATION P.O. BOX 314, ASHFORD, CONNECTICUT 06278

WEB SITE: http://qcshhh.tripod.com/  E-MAIL: QUIETCORNERSHHH@JUNO.COM

A movement to change the way the world thinks about hearing loss and the way individuals with hearing loss think about themselves

Next Meeting

 At the next meeting, February 9 ^th at Ashford Senior Housing (across the street from the Town Hall), we will have election of officers. Dues are due prior to the voting ($15/person and $25/family). In addition, Ralph Compagna of Amplisound will give a talk on ‘Micro Hearing Aids with a demo on loss of sound (45 minutes or less)’.

We have included the Absentee Ballot for voting in the February meeting for those that have paid their dues but can’t make the meeting. .

Last Meeting

Norman talked on how Pat got her hearing aid with the help of the Rhode Island Chapter of HLAA. This got us started on our own hearing aid program.

Pat talked about her hearing loss due to Meniers disease Part of her hand out is printed below. This is taken from the webmd web site and more information can be found there.

Ménière's Disease - Topic Overview

What is Ménière's disease?

Ménière's (say "mun-YAIRZ") disease is a disorder of the inner ear that affects hearing and balance. It causes sudden attacks of vertigo (a spinning sensation), tinnitus (a loud ringing in the ears), and a loss of hearing that may become permanent.

Ménière's disease usually develops between the ages of 40 and 60 and affects both men and women.¹ Children can also have Ménière's disease.

What causes Ménière's disease?

The cause of Ménière's disease is unknown, but it may be related to a fluid imbalance in the inner ear.

What are the symptoms?

During an attack, Ménière's disease causes symptoms that include:

• A low-pitched roaring, ringing, or hissing in the ear (tinnitus).
• Hearing loss, which may be temporary or permanent.
• Vertigo, which is the feeling that you or your surroundings are spinning or whirling.
• A feeling of pressure or fullness in the ear.

How is Ménière's disease diagnosed?

Ménière's disease can usually be diagnosed based on your medical history and a physical exam. If your health professional is uncertain, hearing tests or imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be done to rule out other conditions.

How is it treated?

Treatment focuses on reducing the severity of the vertigo until the attack ends. For some people, it may be possible to reduce the frequency of attacks by eating a diet low in salt and using a medication (diuretic) to rid the body of excess fluids and doing exercises to improve balance.

Medications that affect the inner ear, called vestibular suppressants, may be used to reduce the whirling or spinning sensations of vertigo. Medications that reduce nausea and vomiting (antiemetics) can also be effective in relieving those symptoms.

Exams and Tests

Your health professional can usually diagnose Ménière's disease by taking your medical history and doing a physical exam.

If the cause of your vertigo is unclear, your health professional may want to do more tests to determine whether your symptoms are caused by problems in the inner ear or in the brain. Brain-related causes of vertigo (such as stroke, head injury, brain tumors, or multiple sclerosis) are less common.

Additional tests that may be done to rule out other causes of your symptoms and to confirm a diagnosis of Ménière's disease include:

• Electronystagmography, which uses electrodes to measure eye movements. It looks for characteristic eye movements that occur when the inner ear is stimulated. The pattern of eye movements can indicate the location of the cause of the vertigo, such as the inner ear or the central nervous system.
• Imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging of the head (MRI) or computed tomography of the head (CT scan), which may be done if symptoms could be caused by a brain problem.
• Hearing tests, to detect hearing loss. A specific type of hearing test, called a brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) study, may be done to determine whether the nerve from the inner ear to the brain is working correctly. Hearing loss supports a diagnosis of Ménière's disease.

The cause of Ménière's disease is not known, but it may be related to a fluid imbalance in the inner ear.

The inner ear contains a fluid called endolymph. It is thought that, in Ménière's disease, too much of this fluid builds up in the inner ear. The resulting pressure affects the sensory systems in the inner ear that help maintain balance. This leads to the symptoms of tinnitus (ringing in the ears), hearing loss, vertigo (spinning sensation), and pressure or fullness in the ear.

Little is known about the cause of endolymph fluid buildup. It may be that too much fluid is produced or that the fluid does not properly drain from the inner ear, or it may be a combination of the two.

Ménière's Disease - Medications

Medications do not cure Ménière's disease, but they can reduce the severity of some symptoms-such as the spinning sensation of vertigo, nausea, and vomiting-and make you more comfortable during an attack.

Medications that reduce the spinning sensation of vertigo by calming the activity in the inner ear are called vestibular suppressants. These include:

• Antihistamines, such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), meclizine hydrochloride (Antivert), and diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl).
• Scopolamine (Transderm-Scop), which is a patch placed on the skin behind your ear.
• Sedatives, such as diazepam (Valium) and clonazepam (Klonopin).

Antiemetic medications may be used to reduce nausea and vomiting that can occur with vertigo.

Diuretics and a low-salt diet may be used to reduce excess fluid and prevent future attacks of vertigo.

Ménière's Disease – Prevention  In most cases, Ménière's disease cannot be prevented. However, some cases of Ménière's disease may be caused by head injuries. Wearing a helmet when bicycling, motorcycle riding, playing baseball, in-line skating, or during other sports activities can protect you from head injuries that could lead to Ménière's disease.

You may be able to reduce the frequency of vertigo attacks by limiting the amount of salt in your diet and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and stress, which can help reduce stimulation to the inner ear. For more information on reducing salt intake, see:

Eating a low-salt diet for Ménière's disease.

Ménière's disease may be connected to allergies. Treating allergies with desensitization shots and eliminating suspected food allergens may reduce the frequency of attacks.² For more information, see the topic Food Allergies.

Ménière's Disease – Surgery  Surgery for Ménière's disease can cause permanent damage to your hearing. Talk with your health professional about surgical options if repeated attempts at less invasive treatment methods have failed to relieve your symptoms. Surgery may be considered for people with Ménière's disease who:

• Have persistent or frequent attacks of severe vertigo (a spinning sensation) that do not improve with medication use.
• Have symptoms that are so debilitating that it becomes difficult to get through the events of daily life.
• Are affected in only one ear.

Surgeries that may be used to treat Ménière's disease include:

• Endolymphatic sac decompression, which removes some of the bone surrounding the inner ear.
• Endolymphatic shunt, which inserts a tube to drain excess fluid from the inner ear.
• Vestibular nerve section, which cuts the nerve that controls hearing and balance from the affected inner ear.
• Labyrinthectomy, which removes the balance center of the inner ear (labyrinth). This nearly always stops vertigo but also results in total hearing loss in that ear. It is most commonly used for people who have already lost most of their hearing.

The goal of surgery is to eliminate the symptoms while retaining as much hearing in the ear as possible. However, the most extreme form of surgery involves removing some of the bone surrounding the inner ear, which always results in complete hearing loss in that ear. The possibility of losing your hearing in the treated ear is a major consideration when deciding whether to have surgery to treat Ménière's disease. In some cases, the disease may have already greatly damaged your hearing, which makes the risk of being deaf in that ear less important.

CORPORATE PROXY—QUIET CORNER SHHH, INC

.The undersigned Member (the “Member”), 
___________________________________________________________, 
of (Town)________________________, Connecticut, hereby designate(s) 
___________________________________ (the “Proxy”) as the proxy for the Member, with respect to the member’s membership in QUIET CORNER SHHH, INC. 
(the “Corporation”). 
By this designation of proxy, the Member hereby revokes any prior designation of proxy that the Member may have previously given with respect to the Member’s membership in the Corporation. This designation of proxy shall be effective for the Annual Meeting of the MEMBERS of the Corporation to be held on February 9, 2008, at 10:30 AM, and at all adjournments of such meeting, for the purpose of electing the officers and directors of the Corporation. 
The Proxy shall have the full power, as the Member’s substitute, to represent the Member and vote on all issues and motions that are properly presented at the meeting for which this designation of proxy is effective. The Proxy shall have the authority to vote entirely in the discretion of the Proxy.

Date of Signing: __________________

SIGNATURE OF MEMBER: _______________________________________________

Print Member’s Name: _____________________________________________________

Membership Application

NAME: _________________________________________ADDRESS: _________________________________________TELEPHONE: _________________________ (TTY: ___YES, ____NO) E-MAIL ADDRESS: _________________________________________ANNUAL ACTIVITY FEE (per Calendar year): SINGLE $15/YR _____ FAMILY $25/YR _____SPOUSE (if family participation): _________________________________DO YOU REQUIRE ANY ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES FOR MEETINGS? YES___ NO___ IF YES, PLEASE SPECIFY:________________________________________________________________BRIEF HISTORY OF HEARING DIFFICULTY:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SERVING ON ANY CHAPTER COMMITTEES, SUCH AS MEMBERSHIP, PUBLICITY, NEWSLETTER, OUT REACH, FUND RAISING?

YES ____ NO ____. IF SO, PLEASE SPECIFY AREA OF INTEREST: ________________________________________________________________ARE YOU A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION, Hearing Loss Association of America, INC.? YES_____ NO _____

Please complete this form with your check payable to QUIET CORNER SHHH, INC., return to QC SHHH @ P. O. Box 314, Ashford CT 06278

 

QUIET CORNER SHHH, INC.

PO BOX 314

ASHFORD, CT 06278

Officers

President - Norman Babbitt (860) 923-0171 nbabbitt0171@charter.net

Vice President Nance Paulhus (860) 423-4784

Treasurer Robert Balinskas (860) 745-6654 Balinskas@sbcglobal.net

Secretary Ruth Mensing (860) 646-7039 aemensing@snet.net

Board of Directors

Gerald Boone   (860) 774-5575

David Kovarovics (860) 429-4690

Nancy Palhus  (860) 423-4784

Patricia Rock    patrock1944@sbcglobal.net

CAN Operator

Kathy Rivers  (860) 202-5297