Likewise. I have worn hearing aids for the past 6-7 years with steady deterioration of my hearing overall. A couple of months ago I purchased new Phonak Luminas and have been working steadily with my audiologist and with a Phonak training rep to optimize my hearing and comprehension. I still struggle with interpreting many words, particularly in situations where there is any background noise at all or with people who speak rapidly.

Recently people have started masking again for Covid’s resurgence, and masks make it virtually impossible to understand what people are saying; I rely heavily on reading lips. I have and use a Roger mike and a Phonak TV connector. Both are helpful, but the Roger mike is of very little use in noisy rooms. It seems the technology that has been developed thus far still leaves us to deal with some of the core issues of hearing loss pretty much on our own.

I find myself being careful where I go and what situations I put myself into. It’s hard living that way, but the alternative is frustration, stress, and feeling excluded from much of the interaction around me. I am learning to speak up, but it’s a long learning curve for people with normal hearing to understand our limitations and needs. My husband still often speaks to me from another room and expects that I will be able to understand.