Did you ever have a hearing aid party? My family and I recently did. My hearing aid had died so I had no hearing aid on the left side for two days. It was not fun for me or for my family. I suffered through dizziness, that lopsided feeling of only hearing on one side, and crazy ringing in the ear. My family helped out by speaking loudly (even more than they usually do!), rearranging the seating at the dinner table so my better ear was toward the conversation, and tolerating the TV at a higher than normal volume. I might have been acting a little bit grouchy too. Maybe. In short, it was hard on everybody.
Luckily, after two days, I had a new hearing aid in hand. The moment I put it in, I felt such relief. I could hear! And the incessant ringing in my ears was down to a manageable level. I must have looked so joyous because my children starting doing a happy dance and chanting, “Mommy can hear! Mommy can hear!” which made us all laugh. I guess we don’t take hearing for granted in this family!
It felt incredibly festive and we carried on to have a fun family dinner and evening together — it really felt like a party. We even cracked open a bottle of wine – on a Tuesday! The seating was back to normal and I think my family was as relieved as I was that they did not have to remember to speak even louder than usual. But the biggest change, so they tell me, was that the look of pain on my face was gone.
As anyone with tinnitus knows, the constant ringing in the ears can wear you down. I sometimes think it is worse than the hearing loss itself! When I don’t wear my hearing aids, I hear a loud ringing in my ears constantly. It is awful. Lucky for me, my hearing aids mask a large part of my tinnitus much of the time. That is one of the reasons I chose my Lyric hearing aids, because I can wear them 24/7, and even sleep in them. This keeps the ringing in my ears to a tolerable level most of the time.
I came away from this experience with a lot of gratitude for my hearing aids. While they do not help me hear perfectly (see more on this here) and I still struggle to hear in many situations when wearing them, life without them is much worse — for me, and also for my family. If you are considering giving hearing aids a try, take the plunge! You will not get perfection, but sometimes better can still be a big improvement.
Readers, do you ever celebrate your hearing aids?
This post first appeared on Restored Hearing.
We all take our hearing for granted so I’m glad you are writing about its importance through the lens of your life with hearing issues. I’m SO glad you got your new aid. It does make a difference. Without my glasses I can’t see faces, things – everything is one big blur. I guess together we’d make one pretty incredible person, eh? Party on!
Party on! Thanks for your comment!
Celebrate my hearing aids? 🙂 Every morning when I put them in. When I wake up, the silence is absolute. Installing my hearing aids literally “turns on” the world for me. Being able to hear the coffee maker gurgling often makes me smile.
Glad to hear it! I like the coffee maker sounds too!
I agree with you. I feel completely cut off from the world without my hearing aid. I am totally deaf in one ear so the one aid in my “good” ear is very important to me. The first thing I do is make coffee, give my dogs a morning treat and open the back door …where I can hear a lot of birds singing. Heavenly!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your story.
That feeling when the hearing aid dies is pure panic. It has reduced me to tears. It has happened enough (although once is all it takes) that I now keep a BTE backup just for that reason. You might consider that…
Good idea. Thanks.
Hi Shari! I so agree that having your hearing aids work perfectly is a “party!” I’ve been wearing mine for nearly a year now (time to do another post about it!) and I am so very glad I took the step. I guess I am fortunate that I don’t have the tinnitus problem, just moderate loss in both ears, but I can now hear so much better! But overall, I think the best part is being able to sink them with the telephone. Not only can I easily talk to others with the voice being streamed directly to my ears, but last week I did a 45 radio interview on the phone and had such a great time. That would have been impossible over a year ago. Now I am never afraid to answer the phone and hear every word. It’s SOOOOO worth it. Thanks for the reminder. Let’s party any time we can! ~Kathy
I am so glad your hearing aids are working out so well! Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Hi Shari. It’s really interesting to hear about the benefits that the 24/7 Lyric can bring to your tinnitus. It’s an angle I hadn’t thought about, but obviously a really important one.
Thanks for reading Tracey!
Having a celebration when you can hear again is a wonderful idea, Shari! Putting
on my aids boots up my brain, the computer that makes it possible for me to hear.
We are lucky that, even with all the problems associated with hearing aids, the
technology keeps improving. I’ve been wearing aids and using assistive devices
for 45+ plus years. We’ve come a long way in that time.
We sure have! Thanks for your comment!
I love the idea that putting in your hearing aids, or turning on your cochlear implant, boots up the brain. Exactly! It’s so hard to think without being able to hear, even if there’s nothing there to hear. I know writers with hearing loss who purposefully do not put their hearing aids in while working. I don’t think I’d be able to make my brain work.
It’s so nice that you have a positive perspective on your hearing aids (even though it doesn’t restore your hearing to perfect). I feel like many of us need them, yet so many of my mom’s friends won’t get them—Ugh!! And really, your post is almost a reminder that maybe we should have a little “party” even on non holiday days!! Enjoy life! jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks for your comment Jodie!
my stepmom has had hearing loss since childhood and lost one of her hearing aids down a plumbing hole. we spent the evening trying to communicate AND trying to get the hearing aid. Funny but frustrating!!
Oh no! I hope you got it back! Sometimes you just have to laugh or you will cry. Thanks for your comment.
My physician stated that it is inadequate just to buy a hearing aid. I require time to readjust it separately for me as well as checked with the help of a special program on the computer. I am brand-new in deafness and I wish to recognize even more details concerning http://www.audiologyisland.com/siemens-hearing-aids, how excellent is it, what does it cost? is it effective in noise suppression function and also just what added accessories are included in the kit? Please, share your experience in listening devices option and outcomes.
It is true that it takes time and practice to get your hearing aid set up properly, but it is worth it! Thanks for your comment.
Yes, I even wrote an ode to my hearing aids 😊! I could not function at all without them.
Great!
I’m a PLWHL, I will appreciate anyone in this community who could wish to donate their old hearing devices. My contact is +254722378258, email; Waithakajob@gmail.com.