All. The. Sounds.
Thoughts from a brand-new hearing aid user
A couple of weeks ago, I went to an audiologist to have my hearing tested. My daughter (Mother of The Magical Creatures) had been urging me for some time to get my hearing checked out. She wasn’t so much annoyed at repeating herself as she was concerned for my future mental health. Current research has uncovered an unsettling link between hearing loss and dementia.
I was met with friendly and kind staff at the audiologist recommended by my healthcare insurance company. While they do not cover the cost of hearing aids per se, they are contracted with local audiologists to provide discounts on appropriate products. My hearing test rendered no surprises for me. My left ear had a greater deficit than my right ear — i.e. my good ear. But the right ear also had lost its ability to differentiate a number of sounds, especially certain letters in speech patterns.
The whole experience was fascinating, and I learned a lot in a very brief amount of time. And even though I was staring at hard data right in front of me, I was still on the fence whether I truly needed hearing aids. But then, the audiologist allowed me to try on a pair.
At first, I hated the sound of my own voice. Everything was too loud — I could actually HEAR the man scratch his pant leg. It was sensory overload…
