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I picked up my new hearing aids today. Over 30 years in the Power and Steel Industries have taken their toll on my hearing (though I always wore hearing protection).
It was obvious that something was wrong some years back when my son played me a recording of his sonar going through his ship - as far as I was concerned it was a totally blank recording, I thought he was taking the piss.
Anyway over the years it has got worse and now my TV volume is on 70% and I still have to use subtitles I thought it was time to do something about it. I have lost a lot of the high frequencies (which probably explains why I have trouble understanding women) and reduced hearing generally.
Remarkable little devices, they are made and programmed in the Netherlands and almost invisible. First day of wearing them and already the clock in the lounge is driving me mad clunking away...
(I don't know why that last photo is sideways it is the right way up on my computer - both taken with my phone though)
Didn't cost me a cent either, well worth getting your hearing tested and getting it corrected.
I wore my hearing aids all day and was thinking that they weren't doing that much... Until I took them out!
Really, I only got them because a couple of people mentioned that I didn't hear them if I was walking away from them and on a couple of occasions I have talked over someone in a group when they were not in my line of sight and I hadn't realised they had started talking a fraction of a second before me.
I have compensated for hearing loss by having the TV up much louder and using subtitles and I was getting near to the stage where a noisy environment affected my ability to take part in a conversation however, as yet, my hearing loss certainly didn't impact on my quality of life but after only one day I have to say that they are brilliant!
I didn't wear them when I went out for my walk this morning because I listen to the wireless using earbuds but once I was home and showered I was pretty keen to get the hearing aids in. My biggest fear at the moment is that I forget them when I go for a shower because wearing them is no discomfort at all (I might have several showers a day depending on what I am doing)