Chemo , loss of hearing

[Sun1115]

I am almost completely deaf after my Chemo treatments . Any similar experiences out there ? And what can I do about it ? I really appreciate any input . Thank you

[Tall_Allen]

How long has it been since your last chemo? Does neurontin help?

[Sun1115 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Last Chemo was November -Dec 2017 . 6 cycles of Docetaxel based Chemotherapy. Not sure if it included Cisplatin . Hearing loss never went away .

[Learning4him]

My late husband had cisplatin (sp?) And it greatly affected his hearing. No one told us it was a side effect. we were told that some restoration is possible 4-6 months after tx but other than that, they tested his hearing and recommended hearing aids.

[milto27xabc]

Wife had chemo for lung cancer and lost a lot of her hearing after first treatment--oncologist said it wasn'

t his fault-- bought hearing aids and there has been no improvement after 3 years

[DenDoc]

Very hard to sort out cause and effect. Since I was 77 when I had chemo and already had a hearing loss. Audiologists tell me it is more about speech processing than about hearing loss. I am definitely worse and struggling. Newest set of hearing aids made no difference except in my wallet.

[j-o-h-n in reply to DenDoc]

Best Hearing aids for a good price are at Costco....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 02/14/2020 8:32 PM EST

[Dd7757]

Could you identify the type of Chemo you had. Cisplatin is known to cause hearing loss. I do not know if other types of chemo can do the same.

cancer.gov/news-events/canc...

[Hidden]

Sad to hear that. The only chemo side effect I was aware of was neuropathy. I learned something from your post. I hope things improve.

[Sxrxrnr1]

My sense of taste has never returned to normal after 6 sessions of Taxotere and followed by subsequent cabazitaxal. Nether has the sense of feeling in my finger tips and feet. Last infusion was August 2018

Neither drug did anything at all to lower PSA or improvements in scans. In both progression continued unabated as though I had been infusing Coca-Cola.

Ask your MO of how many months,,,if chemo drug does work for you,,,in overall survival gain you might expect. Numbers I have seen are not impressive.

Advice: prepare your questions and ask them. If I were to have a ‘do over’, I would choose the Zytiga prednisone door myself.

Certainly others have responded very well and recovered nicely.

[j-o-h-n]

Best Hearing aids for a good price are at Costco....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 02/14/2020 8:33 PM EST

[cochlear1]

Hearing Loss to an extent beyond what hearing aids can lessen - could be regained with Cochlear Implants. Prior hearing individuals have described the initial hearing with Cochlear Implants as "Donald Duck talking underwater with popping sounds" - and then the brain acclimates with people/noises sounding mostly as they did in the past.

The first step would be to obtain a hearing test that can test EACH ear's hearing loss. FDA has approved Cochlear Implants with restoration of Moderate, Severe and Profound hearing loss in people.

There are 3 companies who manufacture Cochlear Implants: Cochlear Americas, Advanced Bionics, and Med El Corporation. Without question, Cochlear Americas and Advanced Bionics have the largest number of recipients worldwide and here in USA.

The second step is seek out an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) MD Surgeon who specializes in the Implantation of Cochlear Implants. At some point in the evaluation, there will be a need for a CT Scan of the Inner Ear structures to view the Cochlea prior to any surgery.

Some individuals choose One Cochlear Implant, while others may choose Bilateral Implants. Our son has Bilateral Implants from Cochlear Americas, talks FLUENTLY without "deafy talk", played saxophone in High School Marching and Concert Bands, speaks on the Telephone, and graduated University of Montana with his Bachelor's Degree --- all with being born PROFOUNDLY DEAF, and using his Cochlear Implants.

So, unfortunately, there ARE many Ototoxic Medications, which may destroy your hearing. I just wanted to present the Cochlear Implant as a viable option for those of you with Moderate+ Hearing Loss, should traditional hearing aids fail to provide any significant benefit to you.

[Sun1115 in reply to cochlear1]

Very interesting! Thank you . I am sure their expensive.

[cochlear1]

Yes, Cochlear Implants are indeed costly. A conservative estimate is $100,000 for the presurgical workup, surgery, device, and activation. However, I know BlueShield, Kaiser, CCS, Medicare, etc. cover it - and the subsequent external hardware equipment replacements are usually covered under Durable Medical Equipment.

[Sun1115 in reply to cochlear1]

Yes thanks I definitely will look into this . I have a Medicare and AARP Advantage supplement.

[cochlear1]

.... although I might add, it brought our son from the Deaf world into the Hearing World. He loves to talk and loves to listen to music as well.