I am pleased to share my hearing loss story and tips on the newly launched site — FindHearing.com. See an excerpt below.
My left ear has been acting up — increased pressure from seasonal allergies led to excess fluid, making my hearing aid unwearable for a few days until my ear dries out. It is a frustrating situation — I can’t hear on one side so I feel lopsided and out-of the-flow. It is hard to tell where sounds originate and the constant tinnitus in my hearing-aid-less-ear is a nuisance. Thank goodness this situation is only temporary.
Among the many challenges, the worst part is feeling less self-assured. At my yoga studio this morning, I briefly greeted my fellow students, but quickly retreated into a pre-class savasana to avoid conversation. I thought about cancelling lunch with a friend, but decided to fess up about being down one ear today instead. I feel low-energy, shy, and less poised. My self-confidence has taken a dip.
This feeling brought me back to the days before I came out of my hearing loss closet, when I feared walking into an unknown situation, concerned that I might not be able to hear. These feelings of uncertainty still hit me every once in a while — particularly before what I know will be a difficult listening environment like a loud restaurant or a cocktail party — but since I began wearing my hearing aids regularly, I feel that way much less often. Most of the time, I feel confident and ready to take on whatever listening challenge comes my way through a combination of self-advocacy and technology.
Click here to read the full post on FindHearing.com.
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Hi Shari
Sorry to hear about your problem with fluid.
You are right though about the boost to confidence we get from hearing aids. Even though I have a severe loss my hearing aids make a huge difference to my ability to hear and understand in many more situations than I could if I didn’t wear them.
Ian
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Ever since my hearing loss worsened, 5 years ago, I’ve often felt like isolating.
No matter how much I educate people about my communication needs and challenges (in noise), they just don’t seem to get it, because it’s not REAL for them.
My hearing aids enable me to not feel so alone..but, as you noted, they are nOT perfect. They don’t give me “20/20” hearing..aint’ such a thing…it’s not like wearing eyeglasses.
So, yes, without my hearing aids, I’d be lost in a sea of loneliness. But, I’ve come to accept my limitations and I am very kind to myself when I just need to escape the cacophony of room noise and cross talk.
Well said. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you so much for sharing your story sometimes it’s hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes so you don’t know how to react, thank you for letting us borrow your shoes.
I am so glad you found it helpful. Thank you for your comment.
if you cannot see you have a personal problem…….it a disadvantage to you and a inconvenience
to some other people….you may be able to correct your vision with corrective lenses or surgery.
if you are hearing impaired it is the problem of every person you try to communicate with. hearing
aids help…….make life much better…..but they dam sure don’t fix hearing loss. this is just
my opinion……been dealing with hearing loss since 1967
john
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you so much Shari for sharing your hearing loss story. This will definitely help thousands of other peoples to overcome their hearing problems.
Thank you for your kind words.
your story has boosted my confident in me. I will share this with my friends. most of my friends are suffering from hearing loss.
So glad it helped! Thank you for sharing with others.