I'm deaf in my right ear due to a very large brain tumor (5cm acoustic neuroma). It makes riding in a paceline interesting. Sometimes as I'm pulling through, other riders make small talk and I hear nothing. Early on though I told them what was up to not seem like a hard ass. Now they might just touch my right arm and I can turn my left ear towards them for a quick exchange.

I know others on this forum have had this type of tumor and we can tell you that having your vestibular system removed on one side of your brain presents a great challenge for balance. You must learn how to walk again, drive again, etc. by teaching your left side of the brain to handle it all. And locating sounds leads to some embarassing 360 degree turns sometimes when someone calls your name. But, you learn to laugh at it.