Connect
← Return to How does hearing loss change you?
Discussion
How does hearing loss change you?
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Jun 22, 2024 | Replies (172)Comment receiving replies
The change for me has been in my ability to understand what people say is social and work situations. When I ask friends, family members or colleagues to repeat what they said with a little more volume and enunciation, I get looks like I am stupid or that I am less intelligent than the speaker who can't speak up and enunciate. That is usually not true because I have a very high IQ (not bragging). I have found that more intelligent people tend to understand my infirmary and empathize with my hearing loss. And it's not like I haven't tried to accommodate those around me. I wear some of the most expensive hearing aids out there - Oticon Opn's. Unfortunately, hearing aids are mostly developed by people who have no hearing loss and the hearing aids don't live up to the hype.
Replies to "The change for me has been in my ability to understand what people say is social..."
Connect
@tmclain I could have written your post. One of my closest friends used to be a teacher of deaf students and she had a deaf aunt so she is very good about my loss and she can tell, just by looking at me, if I have really heard her. My son is very good about my loss, he is always trying to make sure that I am included in the conversation. He's a real people person so he wants me to be involved.
Have you tried the Connect Clip for your Opns? I have one and use it in certain situations. It can help in some but not all. It really does not help much in a noisy restaurant but it does in other situations.
@marijaneb I have the same problem with my husband. For some reason he seems to be the person who just does not understand as much that I cannot hear him when in a different room, or when his head is in the refrigerator!
@bookysue The lower frequencies of men's voices are definitely easier for me also. I once got halfway to a job interview and panicked when I realized I didn't have my hearing aids in! To go back home would have made me very late for my appointment so I went. The interviewer had a very low voice so I was able to hear him perfectly. At least I think I heard him -- I didn't get the job. 😉
JK