Papers Rustle and Keys Jangle

I had forgotten how loud this world is!  

I got my new hearing aids this week and now I can hear most things. They’re aids, after all, not a cure, and they’re at 75% strength for now until I get used to this potential sensory overload.  It’s amazing! I can hear people’s pants move when they walk. My keys make noise when I pick them up. When someone talks I can look away and still hear what they said.

You’ll notice a little tail on the end of the device. That just goes into the ear “bowl” to help keep the gizmo in place. It’s not something one wants to lose! There is no way to tell by looking at me that I’m wearing them. Even if I put my hair back, you could easily miss the clear-coated wire as it hugs my ear.

They’re made by Unitron, a Canadian company and they come with Bluetooth for my phone and a gizmo that allows me to listen to a stereo or TV right in my ears.  I have settings for noisy rooms, normal rooms and music.  The electronics automatically diminish background sounds when they’re not voices.  I can do other things with the remote control that I haven’t tried yet.

Hearing aids have come a long way and so has hearing loss. It’s no longer the domain of the elderly. When I was younger, working in music radio and cranking my headphones to 11, it never occurred to me that I might hurt my ability to hear. I have known people around my age who have worn hearing aids for decades but never did I think it would be me. The technology has come a long way too and I’m lucky because my silly ears are so small that those pink plug-style aids would never fit inside them. Still, tips and batteries must be changed regularly and they require maintenance and cleaning. In other words, they’re still a pain in the ear! But what a wonderful pain to have.

I shopped around for my audiologist. After meeting some at a couple of the big companies, and being hounded to buy products from them, I did a search for a small, locally-owned audiologist and I found a gem in Joanne at Elgin Audiology.  Not only were her prices about half of the big guys, she is a local woman and along with a partner, she owns the company.  It makes a difference to me. And I got more goodies than I could have elsewhere, with a Canadian company as well. I’m a happy camper. And I can hear you now!