FLIP-Flop

Abby had an ABR (auditory brain response hearing test) done last week and we got some interesting results. Her previous ABR indicated that she had a mild to severe/profound loss in her RIGHT ear and a mild to moderate loss in her LEFT ear. Well, the new test shows that her right ear has actually improved and it is mild to moderate, and her left ear had dropped dramatically and is now moderate to severe - bordering profound.

We knew that their condition (enlarged vestibular aqueduct) can cause fluctuations in hearing, but I never imagined it could do this! I talked to the audiolgist about it, suggesting that maybe there was a mistake and they accidently flipped the ears and labeled it wrong, but she said in the more indepth testing results (not shown here) there is a way to tell which ear is which, and she said everything was done correctly. Sooo, we'll get her aids adjusted and just keep testing her on a regular basis and try and keep up with the craziness.

For any of you interested in learing how to read an ABR, it's actually pretty easy. The numbers across the top represent frequencies, or the highs and lows of sound. In the 500 hz range are deep sounds like a lawn mower, a big dog, a truck and low sounds like that, and also speech sounds like 'm', 'd', and 'b'. At 1000hz you can hear a baby cry, a piano, mid range music, and speech sounds such as 'l', 'a', 'o', and 'r'. Higher pitched sounds fall into the 2000hz range, like a clock ticking, a telephone ringing and speech sounds like 'sh' and 'k'. and in the 4000hz range are birds, whispers, and speech sounds 'f', 's', and 'th'.

The numbers up and down represent sound levels from loud to soft or "decibles." 0-10db you can hear the leaves rustling. 20-30 you can hear whispering or birds singing. 40-60 is normal speaking range. 60-and up you can hear sounds such as a chainsaw, loud music, a bullhorn, and loud percussive sounds.

Looking at Abby's most recent ABR (the one at left - the one above is from 6 months ago so you can see the flip-flop), you can see at 500hz (or lower sounds) she can hear any noise that register at 40-50 decibles in loudness. Then her right ear stays between 40-60db in the higher frequencies, and her left ear drops down into the 70's and 80's.

You can see how difficult it must be for Abby and Carter to learn language when half of the speech sounds are lost in their ears. I am SO grateful for hearing aids!