Hearing Aids

I have no pictures to include with this post. I wish I did.  I often don't want to carry a heavy camera and this week we did not do any big adventures.  You readers are just have to use your imagination. Anyway, this post is about hearing, not sight.

Last Wednesday, Frances and I went to the audiologist to talk about hearing aid options. Before going into it, I knew I had two options: a single hearing aid to augment my poor hearing in my right ear, or two hearing aids where they can take the sound heard in my right ear and transfer it to my left ear. Going into it, I felt that sound localization was the biggest problem for me, so if one hearing aid can help me, then I would like to try that.  After speaking to the audiologist, I became not so sure.

She thought the cross hearing aid system would be better for me because I would pick up speech and sound that my big head would block out from the other side.  Because I had normal hearing not too long ago, she felt I might be able to localize somewhat from the stereo effect. My left ear would hear the same thing twice and use that information to pinpoint where it was coming from. The only thing I would gain from a single hearing aid is some localization. Speech understanding would be off the table because of the tones of frequency loss.

Luckily, there is an opportunity for trials of hearing aids, starting with the cross hearing aid. She did make a mold of my right ear to use for the single hearing aid, but she is waiting for my signal to send it (because there would be a non-refundable fee associated with that part). That day I picked up a sample of the cross hearing aid, and let me tell you, I was blown away

Ok, time to reveal some geekyness.  Aaron has been joking that for a while I will only read books that have dragons on the cover, and well, more often it has been true than not.  Recently, I have been reading the Eragon series. In these books, a human becomes a dragon rider and through a series of events becomes more elf like. One morning he wakes up with overwhelming heightened senses. He can see father, is stronger....and can hear superbly.

That is what I now feel.

I put the hearing aids on and then I slipped my glasses back on, but there was loud noise. What was the sound? I did it again It was the sound from my hair on my glasses rubbing.  I moved my glasses on my left side (my good ear) and indeed I normally hear that sound, but on the right hand side it seemed so foreign and unexpected.  I probably haven't heard that for YEARS. Than I moved to go downstairs and as I was waking, my foot steps sounded like a giant's. I stopped and just stayed still. Even my breathing seemed loud.  I eventually sat down and turned on the tv.  Wow, I heard the tv perfectly clear and it didn't even matter which way my head was tilted. I didn't think I was accommodating myself a lot, but maybe I was.  I turned the tv off and went up stairs to talk with my family. As soon as I started talking, my voice sounded weird. It was echoing and it seemed like I was talking in a microphone.

I assume the echo sound was the stereo effect.  I wanted to know if I could localize. I stool in the middle of the room, closed my eyes and started spinning. I tried to keep spinning until my bearings were gone. I then had a family member say something and I tried to point where they were. At first I was getting it, but Aaron started to move around and I couldn't find him accurately. I think I never fully lost my bearings.  I was a little discouraged, but the audiologist told me adjustment can take time. 

Since then, I have gone to work for two days and witnessed how things are different with the hearing aids on. The crackling of paper and typing on keyboards are REALLY loud. If I am talking in a room with parents and a crying baby, right now it is really hard to tune that baby out (normally no problem).  When I hear my voice echo, I start focusing on how it sounds, then I get funny about my word choice, then I hope I am making sense, and then I am way too far in my head.  I hope the echo/microphone effect fades with time.

When I put them on, I feel bionic. I guess this is how every person normally feels, but maybe not. I know my good ear is better than normal. Put two good ears together, and I am super human.  I don't know if I can save the world with my new found power, but maybe I can hear ants talking with each other, or snakes slithering my way.

To be honest, I didn't think the difference would be so dramatic, but it is.  I am unsure what to do now, should I just go for the cross hearing aid, or is localization more important that being bionic/normal.  I have a few more days until I check in with the audiologist.  Hopefully I will straighten out my feelings.