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Being able to hear at social events….

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Posted 11/9/2015 9:47 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,

Since fibromyalgia affects our nervous system, I wonder if it can also affect our ability to converse.

My husband and I attended an indoor church event yesterday and, for the first time, I had trouble hearing the woman seated next to me. I asked her several times to repeat herself and when that didn't work, I gave up, smiled, and just nodded my head politely hoping she wouldn't catch on to what I was doing.

There was some background noise of other people conversing but not a lot. My husband, who is considered hard of hearing, had no problem hearing the person seated across from him.

What else can a person do in that kind of situation? And what can a person do when you're seated at a table of people and you have to turn your neck (I have an old neck injury) to converse with the person next to you and it causes pain?

Wow, socializing can certainly be difficult having fibromyalgia. And, once again, I had to turn down a request for help with a big job at the church, namely overseeing a group of people cooking for church dinners. I think I handled it well.

Thanks!

Post Edited (almost medfree) : 11/9/2015 3:46:27 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/9/2015 12:28 PM (GMT 0)
First of all, I think you need to have your hearing checked. As we age we do lose some hearing and the high sounds, which make up 96% of speech, are the first to go. Also, women have higher voices. You should not be having difficulty hearing someone next to you unless she had a very soft voice...almost like a whisper.

Your hubby was probably doing a little lip reading and didn't know it. Also, was he talking to a man? Men are easier for me to hear and also women with deeper voices are easier to hear. When my hearing plummeted, I did lip reading. I never had a course in it but am very good at it now. But in the beginning I didn't realize I was doing that.

As far as turning your neck, if you are having a conversation with someone next to you, turn your body in the chair so you can see them better. Also, you can scoot your chair back slightly so you don't have to turn your head so much.

It sure doesn't hurt to say that you are having some difficulty hearing them and that the noisy room doesn't help one bit. Most people understand that.

Most of your problem isn't caused by Fibro...only twisting your neck a lot. This has happened to me and I compensate it by doing what I suggested above.

Sherrine
Posted 11/9/2015 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
Wise words, Sherrine, thanks!
Posted 11/9/2015 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
I wonder if it is more being able to differentiate the words with background noise rather than hearing loss. Ever since I can remember I have found it next to impossible to understand song lyrics, especially to rock music. (One popular song years ago I swear the singer was saying, "I'm getting ready for spaghetti". I mean it rhymes, right?!). My daughter thought that was terribly funny. My hearing is fine, so it's my brain processing ability.

I sometimes have trouble understanding people if the speaker isn't clearly enunciating, or there's a strong accent, or I'm in a noisy room.

T
Posted 11/9/2015 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
T, you're so right. I think that's what I experience.

Didn't you mention in an prior thread that you also have PTSD?

It's as if my brain gets overwhelmed. This woman seated next to me talked fast. It was difficult to keep up along with her soft voice…. But I don't think my husband had trouble hearing her.

Thanks.
Posted 11/9/2015 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
Almost,
Yea, brain scramble! A soft voice takes too much concentration. Brain fatigue inducer. Too many noises takes too much energy integrating and filtering out the background noise. Again exhausting.

Those with traumatic brain injury suffer the same symptoms (though worse).

PTSD, yes. Sometimes I wonder if fibromyalgia is a different manifefstation of PTSD since it often occurs after a dramatic event, stressor, illness., or series of these life events, chronic or otherwise The brain's wiring gets messed up.
T
Posted 11/9/2015 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
You're so right, T, that fibromyalgia could have something to do with it.

After all, we fibromites get brain fog. Maybe what we're going through is related.

Brain Fatigue Inducer, great way to put it.
Posted 11/10/2015 1:36 AM (GMT 0)
Like Sherrine, I have lost most of my hearing. I have Meniere's Disease. I lip read but have had people ask me why I look at their mouth instead of their eyes when having a conversation. It's odd...I can hear the hum of the refrigerator but can't hear the phone or door bell ring. In any event, I understand the frustration when you have to ask someone to repeat themselves three or four times.


Donna
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