Hearing Test

[426HemiChick]

24 Sep 2025

An elderly man thinking his wife was losing her hearing went about 20' behind her and asked "Can you hear me sweetheart?' No reply. Moved to 10' and inquired again. No reply. 5' and not a word. A few inches behind her, he asked "Can you hear me now honey"? His wife said "For the fourth time, YES."

A friend sent this to me. Liked it and decided to post it here.

As a foot note, my hearing is almost non-existent, so I have hearing aids supplied by the VA.

Before I got my first pair I was wondering where all the birds had gone; no more joyful chirping. Fast forward several years and it was deathly silent outside.

Eventually I went to the VA and asked to see an ear doctor. I was examined and it was determined I had Sever Hearing loss. He ordered a set of hearing aids; when they came in I went and had them fitted and adjusted.

Drove home, got out of the car; the birds came back and welcomed me home. That's when I came to the full realization I was stone DEAF.

Thank You VA!

If you are a Veteran and need hearing aids, enroll in the VA. If you need them they supply you with the very best available.

Chris

[Kern Dog]

My mom had a hard time adjusting to using them. She went from everything being muffled to a level of sharpness and clarity that bothered her. She suddenly could hear the hum of a refrigerator, the ceiling fan, the tick-tick-tick of the wall clock, her annoying second husband, etc.
When she dialed them back to eliminate all the background noise, she was basically back to where she started.
I'm just guessing but it seems that they would be a blessing to most people and that with time, one could learn to overlook whatever drawbacks they bring.
Looking back, I see where I got this tendency to be unreasonable and intolerant of some things.

[426HemiChick]

Hi Amigo,           04 October 2025

Sorry your mom is having trouble adjusting to hearing aids. They do require an adjustment period, especially if there is a long period between when the hearing deficiency started and you get your first set of hearing aids. When it starts, it is rare for it to return to normal. Once the loss starts, it only gets worse with time. If I remove the aids, I am essentially stone deaf. Yes, I hear sounds but they are just noise to my brain.

There have been times when I went somewhere that was noisy. I removed the hearing aids, placed them in the charging box and enjoyed my "Quiet Time" and no one was the wiser.

My hearing loss is the result of loud noise without wearing hearing protection. When I was in the Navy and working for the Navy as a DOD Contract Engineer aboard ship the noise was unbelievable. You seem to adjust, which you do to a certain extent. The reality is your hearing is slowly being destroyed.

The hearing aids make it possible for me to have a somewhat normal conversation, but it's nothing like the Real Thing. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

Advice: Avoid loud sounds.

Chris

[Kern Dog]

Thanks, Mom passed away 11 years back. She was a real fun lady, persnickity and motherly at the same time.
My sister felt that since Mom lost her hearing over time but then gained a lot of it back at once, dealing with the sudden dramatic change was just too much for her.