Hearing aid technology has come a very long way. The modern hearing aid is super sophisticated and sleek, and more and more Baby Boomers are wearing them. Those two facts, their transformation into a digitally advanced instrument and their increased need by a generation that has some spending power, has made it a common occurrence to see hearing aids either in or on people's ears.
But there are many more aging ears out there, and younger ears that have been blown out by music (can we call them ear bads, not ear buds?). If everyone who could benefit from a hearing aid got one, they might become the new tattoo. I can see it now - bejeweled, Steam Punk, neon, Goth, camouflage, clear, shabby chic, blinking, glow-in-the-dark - hearing aids as the latest way to express our individuality.
Years ago I was told I wouldn't benefit from a hearing aid to deal with my (at the time) moderate hearing loss from Menieire's Disease. It was only in 2015 when my Mom offered to purchase one for my (at the time) severe hearing loss that I got one and leapt for joy at the wonderment of it. Now at this time, with profound hearing loss in my left year, that amazing little device is not helping one bit, it's just annoying me. I wish I had got one years ago, I wish all the What's That? Huh? Could You Repeat That? and Excuse Me?s could have been helped, but for whatever reason I was told otherwise. I should have got a second opinion. Oh well.
If you're on the fence about getting one, if your spouse/kids/friends/coworkers/pet are getting frustrated with your hearing loss, my advice is to at least get your hearing assessed. You can't fail a hearing assessment, it's not a test to pass or fail. It's just to see what situation your hearing's in. There is no harm in that, knowledge is power, right? If money is the issue you may be helped by some of the cheaper options becoming available. If you're a razzle dazzle kind of person, there are some razzle dazzle options available too. From barebones to top-of-the-line, it's worth it. It is so fabulous to spend time with people not straining to hear what they're saying, but rather to spend the time listening to them. Once you can hear, you can listen.
My hope is to get back to where I was two and a half years ago when I got my first hearing aid. This week I'll meet with a surgeon to talk about a Cochlear Baha 5 Attract. That's my dream situation at this point. But trying to find a good little chunk of time to recover from even that minor procedure is looking dicey in the next couple of months. In the meantime, I need to hear...
...so at my appointment in eight long days from now, my audiologist will take the Widex Dream 440 (which I now wear on my left ear) and turn it into a sound receiver I'll wear on my right ear. (This is one of the benefits of purchasing a razzle dazzle model. When I was in Connecticut getting my Widex, I was telling Frank the hearing aid guy that I would get the cheaper model. My sister and Mom yelled out from the waiting room "Order her the best one!" and that's what they did. Now I'm glad of it, because it can now serve me in this new function.) I'll buy a new transmitter to wear on my left to send the sounds to the right. Single Sided Deafness no more, now Single Sided Hearing. A glass half full vs. half empty sort of situation. I'll take it.
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| I'm going to get real technical here. See the thing that looks like a snail? Thats the part of my ear that's all messed up. In reality it's the size of a pea. Amazing. |
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| The one on the left will be on my right. The one on the right will be on my left. It looks HUGE!! I may need a bigger left ear. |
