You think everything is fine. You believe your hearing is normal. But people speak to you from the next room with their back turned and you miss it completely. Your spouse accuses you of selective hearing. You swear they never said that. The truth is harsher. Your brain has been quietly lying to you. You are not hearing entire words or sentences, and your brain fills in the gaps without asking permission. You feel normal. You are not.
For me, it happened fast. After a short airplane flight, my hearing collapsed. Within days, I was stone deaf. Panic set in. I ran to doctors. An ear, nose, and throat specialist told me it was Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Temporary, he said. Give it a month. You will be fine. I believed him and exhaled.
A month passed. Nothing. I tested my hearing every day. Clapping. Voices. Telephones. Silence. I could not even use the phone. One month became seven. Seven months of isolation, fear, and professional damage. When sound finally returned, it was a cruel trick. Only about ten percent came back.
The ENT doctors were blunt. If I wanted anything resembling a normal life, I would need hearing aids in both ears. I was sent to an audiologist and fitted with state of the art devices. They helped, a little. In quiet rooms, tolerable. In noise, useless.
Five years later, I upgraded. Better technology. Same disappointment. I am now on my fifth set of hearing aids, made by Phonak. These changed everything. They use artificial intelligence that adapts instantly. Quiet rooms. Noisy restaurants. Conversations in moving cars. They just work. I will spare you the tech sermon, but one accessory deserves a standing ovation. A small microphone called the Roger On 3 that streams sound directly to my ears. Television. Speech. Clarity. I call it a miracle device.
These hearing aids cost well over ten thousand dollars. Because I am a veteran, the VA medical system provided them. Without that help, I would be struggling.
As a private investigator, I spend endless hours in court. Every word matters. Missing one sentence can cost a client their freedom. Today, I hear every word. That is not a luxury. That is survival.
Hearing loss brings isolation, depression, embarrassment, and denial. People get tired of repeating themselves. Because you cannot hear your own voice properly, you talk too loud everywhere you go. You think you sound normal. The entire neighborhood disagrees.
If you have even a hint of doubt about your hearing, get tested. Go to an audiologist. If they tell you that you need hearing aids, they are probably right. Yes, there is fraud in the business. That is reality. Reputable audiologists can be found at Costco, where hearing tests are free and there is no sales commission pressure. You get options, not a hard sell. Trust between you and your audiologist is essential.
I learned a tremendous amount from YouTube. Dr. Clifford Olson of Phoenix runs an excellent channel explaining modern hearing aid technology in plain English. His advice is solid and practical.
If you are hearing impaired, you will not understand how much you are missing until hearing aids are properly fitted and tuned. The improvement can be shocking.
My hearing loss is classified as severe, nearly profound. For people with much milder hearing loss, Apple’s latest AirPods can provide sufficient amplification to noticeably improve everyday hearing.
If you think you have hearing loss, there is help. Real help. Modern help.
Denial is your enemy.
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