Thursday, January 25, 2007

My Hearing Aids Are Reality

Well, yesterday was the day. I got my hearing aids. They feel very strange in my ears and will take getting used too.

The audiologist explained lots of things to me, but it is very strange to be actually experiencing these things. He told me that I would be hearing things that I had not heard in a long time or had never heard before and that they would sound very loud and intrusive. He said that it would take several days for my brain to sort things out and begin learning to ignore the everyday sounds that people with normal hearing no longer pay any attention too.

So, my brain is all of a sudden processing information about sounds that I have not been aware of before. I got in the car after my appointment and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I was hearing a loud rhythmic clicking sound. I was very confused and could not figure out what it was, but then it stopped. As I pulled into the turn lane, the noise came back. Turns out that it was the turn signal! I had never known that the turn signal in my van made sound.

Every squeak of a floor board sounds like the house is falling down around my head. I turned on the dishwasher and the refrigerator turned on. I had to leave the room because t sounded like a train was coming through my kitchen. And my poor husband - he took the packaging off a DVD and the crinkling sound of the cellophane was so loud that it just about blasted me out of my skin.

This is all very disconcerting. I hope the process of retraining my brain to hear goes quickly! Chocolate will definitely be required! A lot of chocolate!

"Write a real letter, not just an email" is the chocolate wrapper wisdom of the day.

3 comments:

Gerry said...

Good for you. They are no different than glasses, or even makeup for that matter. Except now you won't be able to tell your DH that you "didn't hear" him. LOL.

Susan said...

Wow, that is really interesting. Is there a volume control until you are used to the sounds? Yes, have another chocolate, you deserve it today!

Thelma said...

Hope you can get adjusted to your hearing aids. My father in law has the same kind of problem when he is around different types of noises. Maybe you can adjust them to turn them down where it isn't as annoying.