hearing aids...blessing or a curse? - Hearing Disorders Message Board

blondybear · 07-31-2005, 11:46 PM

Ive always had cronic ear infections and occasonial tendenitus. I got hearingaids just before my fourteenth birthday and loved them at first. I could hear the rain again and my cats purring. Everything sounded different. Now i only wear them occationally. they're comfortable enough, but do i really want to hear all that i can with them? I am fluent in ASL but im the only one in my family whos had any interest in it and am wondering now why im wearing them less? is scilence better? Can anyone think of a way to get me to wear them again..? I really want to use them since i made my parents pay for it but have trouble remembering to put them in every morning or before i leave the house. Can anyone help me?
thanks.

Suni321 · 08-13-2005, 06:32 AM

Hi BlondeBear, I read your email and thought immediately of someone I know. She received hearing aids when she was 14 but hated having to hear everything - birds, bees, trees it was kind of noisy. So she pretty much stopped wearing them much to the dismay of her parents who could barely afford the hearing aids. But, after a few years of being frustrusted at college & work she tried again.
Technology has changed! Now you can get hearing aids that are digital and filter out the background noises to concentrate on the person you're talking to OR the music your listening to. In fact if your in your car it was will even filter out the whoosh outside it.
So the miracle of the story is the NEW hearing aids changed her life! She performs better at work - school & her relationships dramatically improved and she always wears her hearing aids proudly! So do try again but, find a doctor of hearing to discuss what your expectations are in advance. Good Luck!

PS: The more you wear what you have the better it will be. Put the hearing aids next to something you always put on or do before you leave the house each day. Some people put them on top of their jewelry case or next to their keys. Also you can have your hearing aids "tuned" so talk to the person who fitted you to find a comfort level. Perhaps they can slowly turn them up over time to give you time to get used to them.