Can you hear me now?

Do you feel like you have a hard time hearing? Find yourself unable to hear people around you in a crowded room? Feel like if you could just turn down the volume on background noise you would be ok? How about clogged ears like when you have a cold, but you don't have a cold?

This is actually an often complained about problem with Rheumatoid Arthritis, but no one seems to have the answers. Studies have been done but most have come up inconclusive, often blaming medications not the disease process. 

I'll first let The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (asha) explain how we hear.  

The ear can be divided into three parts leading up to the brain – the outer ear, middle ear and the inner ear.

• The outer ear consists of the ear canal and eardrum. Sound travels down the ear canal, striking the eardrum and causing it to move or vibrate.
• The middle ear is a space behind the eardrum that contains three small bones called ossicles. This chain of tiny bones is connected to the eardrum at one end and to an opening to the inner ear at the other end. Vibrations from the eardrum cause the ossicles to vibrate which, in turn, creates movement of the fluid in the inner ear.
• Movement of the fluid in the inner ear, or cochlea, causes changes in tiny structures called hair cells. This movement of the hair cells sends electric signals from the inner ear up the auditory nerve (also known as the hearing nerve) to the brain.

The brain then interprets these electrical signals as sound.

- See more at: http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/How-We-Hear/#sthash.9xITBfSz.dpuf

I went to see a hearing specialist to see what was going on with my hearing, I'll note I was NOT in a flare during the visit. What she realized was that certain parts inside my ears were loose or a bit too free moving, which is not good for the hearing process. There are three tiny bones in our ears that are all connected to other parts of the ear to help sound travel through vibrations, there is also a lot of soft tissue in our ears. As we know RA loves to attack both bones and soft tissue (among other things). It's as if the ear drum and the ossicles (three bones in the ear) are hyperextending, which is common in other joints in my body. 

Unfortunately there does not seem to be anything that can be done to stop this from happening. So if you see me driving with my stereo turned up loud, it's because I need it loud to hear it, or Lynard Skynard told me to turn it up (Sweet Home Alabama for those who didn't catch that) 

If you are personally having hearing problems I suggest you go see an audiologist. 

I would like to thank you all again for stopping by, if you enjoyed remember the best compliment is sharing with friends.