Your sense of hearing is dependant on tiny hairs deep inside your ear, if you lose your hairs, you loose your hearing.
Hearing aids use a microphone to pick up sounds and an amplifier to increase the volume in to your ears, this is all well and good if you have something to amplify in the first place!
After being referred to a hearing aid specialist (NHS) last June I was sceptical but thought it was worth a try. The nurse answered all my questions and fitted me with a new set of Cros hearing aids, balanced them on the computer and showed me all I needed to know. It was explained that the aid will pick up sounds from my bad ear and play them in to my good, allowing me to know what is going on on my left side even though I would hear the sounds in my right. I couldn't notice any difference in the hospital room so I tried them on the way home in the car instead. My Dad was sat next to me (on my bad side) and we talked, listened to the radio and tried to put them to good use. The difference they made was so slight it was hardly worth having. I was disappointed but told myself I had to give them a try.
After 6 weeks I was convinced they didn't work, despite being told numerous times that I just had to 'get used to them'. In the end I went with my gut feeling and made an appointment to have them checked. I was referred to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham where I was seen within a week. The nurse very quickly confirmed what I already knew, they were faulty!
Up until this point I felt that all the information I knew about my condition was found on google! No one had sat me down and explained the reasons for my hearing loss and discussed the challenges I may be experiencing. This particular consultant was brilliant and very informative of what may have happened. Once she had replaced my cros aids and they were working correctly, we then went on to talk about the limitations of this particular hearing aid. I was then advised of the BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) which I will talk more about next time.
The new set were much better and I find them helpful in quiet situations, for example, if me and my boyfriend go for a meal, I can hear the waiter on my bad side, along with the next tables conversation! To be clear, it's nothing like having 2 fully functioning ears, but I can pick up sounds that I wouldn't normally hear. Anything louder than a 2 person conversation they are pointless, for example, in bars and clubs the noise levels can become unbearable and i find myself feeling isolated and sometimes detached from any conversation. If my hair is down I find that it rubs on the speaker and causes a constant swishing sound though my good ear. Hoods and hats are also a no no as I found out on a recent trip to New York with a friend. The weather was wet and cold and the rubbing of them on the speaker made everything sound like I was under water, even with my friend on my good side, the wind also doesn't help. My working environment is incredibly loud with children, a cafe, tap shoes and constant music and background noise. In my opinion, In these situations the cros hearing aid does not provide any benefit. I find myself most days wishing for some quiet! Sshhhhhhhhh!
Until next time...
Facebook page - Hear today, gone tomorrow - https://m.facebook.com/heartodaygonetomorrow/
I won't wear mine as I have learnt to manage without them for so long that hearing is actually upsetting for me. The BAHA sounds promising for you, fingers crossed here . Don't you find that people tend to shout at you when they know you can't hear? I wish they wouldn't, I find it scary to be honest.
ReplyDeleteSame here, I manage fine most of the time without them in. Haha yes Iv had that too! Many times!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment :)