My 81 year old father can't hear very well at all anymore. He says it started about the time they put him on gabapentin about 2 months ago. He also had 3 falls since starting that medicine. We have wean him off of it with the help of the ER doctor but he still cannot hear unless I am standing right in front of him. I have to yell everything and he also is talking in a very low voice. he also will hauler once in awhile in pain and his ears pop and then asked me if I heard that and I always say no. I can't hear it. I have tried antihistamines and coricidin D to see if we can get it to drain, he's also had an antibiotic. I just wonder if anyone else has had this happen or if it is just part of aging. I thought it was bad before because nearly everything you asked him he would say what? After her even though he actually hurt you but he was too busy staring at the TV. no it is really bad and I have previously had his hearing tested. any suggestions are appreciated thanks.
If he's had hearing aids which don't improve his hearing, I'm wondering if those who gave the tests did as thorough as job as they could. Again, the VA takes about twice as long to perform a hearing evaluation and it's much more thorough.
Googling that drug's side effects doesn't show hearing problems as even a rare side effect. That doesn't mean that it COULDN'T be possible, though. Time will tell. Poster suggesting having a specialist check for ear wax is right on target as well.
My other thought was that there's an intense buildup of wax in his ear.
You state that you thought it was bad before, so apparently he did have some hearing loss, but he FEELS that it's worse. So it couldn't be entirely attributed to something recent.
I wouldn't try anything else before talking to an ENT specialist. ASAP.
I'm not really sure what this means:
"After her even though he actually hurt you but he was too busy staring at the TV. " Was someone hurt after he began having so much trouble hearing?
Terry, I'm wondering if your father served in the military and in what capacity? If he worked around equipment or planes, his hearing loss could have begun then. Also, what did he do for a living? Did he work with loud equipment, such as in a construction industry?