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When Words Fade: 10 Symptoms of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss, who has it? I do, and maybe you do, too. My loss developed slowly. The first sign was not being able to hear my husband if he spoke from another room. "What?" became a frequent question at our house. Finally, I had an audiogram and, though it showed a hearing loss, I didn't get a hearing aid because I was so busy.

My days were filled with family matters, twin grandchildren, volunteer projects, a writing career, and a book publicity campaign. To save time and money I ordered a $300 hearing aid from a mail order company. It came with three ear inserts, large middle, and small, and none of them worked. So I gave up on the hearing aid idea. Besides, I knew people who wore hearing aids were often considered stupid, and didn't want that to happen to me.

But the hearing aid idea resurfaced when I was taping a radio program. Musicians were recording a CD later that day and chairs and sound bafflers were clustered about the studio. Due to microphone placement the host sat on the far side of the studio. When he asked a question I didn't hear it and, to cover the mistake, answered the next question in the script. Had I answered the right one?

The experience was so distressing I didn't listen to the program when it aired. But I did make a medical appointment. According to Minnesota law, you can't get a hearing aid if your audiogram is more than six months old. My audiogram was eight months old, so I had to be re-tested. Results: additional hearing loss in both ears, especially at high frequencies where consonants are heard - sounds that are criical to understanding speech.

I may have picked up on the extent of my hearing loss if I had added up my symptoms: * Increasing radio and television volume * Difficulty in hearing when there was background noise * Anxiety at meetings and in groups * Asking people to repeat sentences * Missing key points in a speech or sermon * Misunderstanding words, names, numbers * Missing chunks of movie dialogue * Constantly straining to hear what's being said * Fatigue (Straining to hear is tiring.) * A family history of hearing loss As soon as the audiologist received my audiogram I went in for a hearing aid consultation. "You need a hearing aid for your left year," the audiologist said, tracing a red descending line on the audiogram. Hearing loss or not, I heard that sentence clearly, and my mind added a cash register "ka-ching." "You also need a hearing aid for your right ear," she added, tracing a second descending line.

"Could I get by with just one hearing aid?" I asked.

"You could," she replied, "but you'll always be turning your head to the side and that looks funny."

So I ordered two hearing aids. Hearing aid technology has imporved vastly during the last two years. Now hearing aids have tiny computers in them. Some hearing aids are adjusted by hand, others by remote control or automatically. After seeing the hearing aid types and checking prices, I chose one that adjusts automatically for small groups, crowds, and telephone conversations.

What's the moral of my story? Instead of being reactive, as I was, I urge you to be proactive about your hearing. Watch for early signs of loss, especially a ping in your ear, an indication that a nerve cell is dying. Be alert to the symptoms listed above. Get your hearing checked and if you need a hearing aid, get it a.s.a.p.

Though it will take time to adjust to my hearing aids, I know the quality of my life will improve. At meetings I'll be able to follow the discussion and pick up on nuances. Thanks to hearing aid technology I'll be able to hear my husband whisper, "I love you," my grandkids exclaim, "You're funny!" or a reader say, "Thank you for writing this book."

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