I’ll never forget my first hearing test. I was in my mid-20s, in graduate school and terrified. My father had hearing loss, as did his mother, so the fact that I was getting a hearing test so early in life was not surprising. It was traumatic nonetheless. My father felt ashamed of his hearing loss. Continue reading
Audiology
Know The Signs: Do You Have Hearing Loss?
I am proud to share my hearing loss story and tips on Mango Health. Hearing loss sneaks up on you gradually, making the signs easy to miss. You might first notice that it’s harder to hear in restaurants and other loud settings. You might ask people to repeat themselves more often or feel like the Continue reading
Do My Hearing Aids Really Help Me Hear Better?
Sometimes I wonder if my hearing aids really help me hear better. I was due for my annual hearing test and asked my audiologist if we could run an experiment. I asked her to test my speech understanding both with my hearing aids and without them. I wanted to see the difference in my word comprehension. Continue reading
When Your Hearing Aid Settings Are Just Wrong
This weekend my hearing aid settings were just wrong. I could hear every background noise, each buzz and beep, but not voices. At dinner, the silverware clinking on the plates blocked out the conversation. In the car, the sound of the wind overpowered the music. My children’s laughter in the back seat was excruciatingly loud, Continue reading
What Are The Stages of Hearing Loss?
I have read about the five stages of grief — denial & isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance — and they remind me a lot of the stages of hearing loss. This makes sense, because for many, myself included, the loss of hearing is something to be mourned, to be missed, to be fought. Continue reading
