Hard of Hearing
Many years ago, when I had problems understanding everything that was said in a noisy room, my children would say, “Go to see an otologist. Get a hearing aid.” After a while, I got an appointment. The doctor asked me, “Why have you come to see me?” My answer was, “My children say my hearing is bad. I don’t hear everything.” His next remark was, “Why do you want to hear everything?” and we laughed. After the examination and hearing tests the ear specialist told me that even though my hearing was reduced, it was not yet necessary to get hearing aids. After a couple of bouts with acute hearing loss, I finally asked my ear doctor to prescribe hearing aids. Now he was happy to do so, as it would be good for me to learn how to cope with those little gadgets before it is too late. It has taken some time to get used to them, but they do help, although not in all situations. Having put off the decision for a long time myself, I understand that many people try to avoid getting hearing aids.