my HEARING loss

“I think my hearing loss was gradual enough over the years that I was able to compensate without even realizing the loss. That changed during the pandemic when everyone was wearing masks and I realized how much I had been relying on lipreading...And so, as I get ready to enter my 47th year, I am researching hearing aids.”

Written by Theresa

This article is for educational purposes. The information is not meant to diagnose or treat a medical condition and does not replace the advice or care of your physician. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding your health and care plan.

I think my hearing loss was gradual enough over the years that I was able to compensate and make small changes without even realizing the loss. That changed during the pandemic when everyone was wearing masks and I realized how much I had been relying on lipreading. I struggled at the grocery store to understand during checkout, I struggled in other retail settings and at the hospital for doctor visits regarding other things that I’m sure we’ll discuss at a later date. It was at this time I learned the importance of checking my hearing and scheduled an appointment with an ENT, who left me less than impressed, but had a great session with the audiologist who informed me I had profound hearing loss in my left ear, but my right hearing was stellar. It made me notice other things in my behavior as well, like going out to eat in a loud restaurant or in a bar with loud acoustics, I was piecing together sentences and struggling to be a part of conversations because I couldn’t catch some of the words. I realized how exhausted I was because of the effort. I realized I was keeping my head down when I would see people at a distance, whether across the street or across the room, when I knew that I would struggle to understand what they were saying, so I was avoiding it completely and I didn’t like it. I wasn’t a rude person who didn’t have time to engage. I was a person who didn’t have the hearing capability.

I started being honest with myself. I started being honest with others. If I couldn’t understand a person across from me who was checking me out at Target or the grocery store I would simply have to say I’m sorry I’m a little hard of hearing, can you please say that again? And every time they considered me, smiled, apologized and restated much clearer what they had said. I came to realize something else. I am in my mid 40s - it came as a surprise to people that I had hearing loss. No one would look at me and assume that this was a challenge for me. 

So my best friend sends me links and articles and Instagram posts about hearing aids and hearing loss and I love her for it. She gently reminds me that this is my new reality and there are solutions. And so, as I get ready to enter my 47th year I am researching hearing aids. Stay tuned as I find the right one for me.