Some of you may know this already but I am hearing impaired and I wear hearing aids. About two months ago, Thelma (my right hearing aid) died after nine years of loyal servitude. It was too difficult to wear Louise (my left hearing aid) without Thelma. Within a few days, Louise, too, was put to rest.Thus began the quest for a new pair of hearing aids.
The first place I went kept fitting me with aids that emphasized high pitched sounds. Everything sounded tinny and sharp. Within minutes of wearing them, I would be in tears whilst wishing the dog would choke on her own piercing bark.
I went back to the audiologist. Again. And again.
She kept telling me that I'd have to get used to the new technology. She had me convinced that it was me. It was all me and I was being difficult. In the meantime, simple things such as cranking the car would have me feeling as if there was an earthquake of sounds going off in my head. It was unbearable.
Finally, I took the hearing aids back and set out to live without much sound.
A few weeks went by and I made an appointment with another audiologist. After another round of proving that I indeed could not hear, I was fitted with a sample pair of hearing aids. I could hear!
Tears sprang to my eyes. I know it totally confused the poor audiologist but I had convinced myself that I would never hear again. And I had missed hearing over the last two months.
As of yesterday, I officially received my new pair of hearing aids.
Please welcome Thelma and Louise to the family.
4 comments:
How awful that the first audiologist did not take more time with you to figure out the problem....that is an issue here too...there are fly-by-night audiologist places that just want to sell hearing aides but not help someone...and others who will not quit until they find one that works for you.
yay!!
SO happy for you! My niece is going to college to become an audiologist, I will pass this post on to her.
Char
So happy for you...! My sis and nephew have had to shop for audiologists quite a bit...
On another note - have I ever told you that one of my administrators also wears hearing aids? I think of you every time I have a meeting with her. :-)
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