Feeling anxious

[Abu78]

Hi... first post on here.

I'm 38 and went for a hearing test 8 weeks ago at specsavers and told I've got mild hearing loss but they were v vague about what to do, it all felt v airy fairy!!!. So I Made an apt with gp and she's referred me to the hospital audiology dept and my apt in next week.

I'm currently anxious for two outcomes

1. they'll tell me the specsavers were wrong: my hearing loss is too mild to treat and I'll be left struggling to hear my children and join in with girl friends... feeling pretty isolated at times when they are all chatting. Just constantly missing odd words/ getting the wrong word etc and so bored of feeling like an outsider in the conversation. Same with the kids... just want to walk down the road and be able to answer their little questions first time, not having to bend down and get close to hear each running commentary about cats/ trees/ bikes etc

2. Worried they WILL say it's treatable and I'm not sure how I'll cope with the emotion of admitting I can't hear/ wearing hearing aids and what it may be like. How I'll feel around other people/ family and explaining to my little ones. Also what the world at large may say/ do ?

Any advice?

( history had grommets as kid/ dad is moderately deaf - age onset)

[Hidden]

Hi,

I was told I needed hearing aids a couple of years ago, I'm 44.

Hewring groups was becoming so hard, went for a test knowing I would fail nut convinced myself that all was ok, because of that, the fail was hard to take and quite upsetting.

However it was the best thing I could have done, yes I felt self conscious of the hearing aids but thay soon went once I'd had them a little while, friends and family were brilliant and I think relieved that they didn't have to shout/repeat any more :0)

They really don't show much and the benefits of hearing well again out weigh it.

Please don't worry, just get them, wear then a little at a time at first and you will soon wonder how you ever did without.

Happy to chat more if it helps.

Mark.

[Abu78 in reply to Hidden]

How quickly from your test did you get hearing aids?!

[Hidden in reply to Abu78]

Got them same day, got the ones with the domes, not the full earmould type. They seem to fit them for most these days, if it's a mild loss then that's probably what you'll get, they can barely be seen :0)

[Abu78 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the heads up...I wonder if that's the same for all NHS trusts.

[Hidden in reply to Abu78]

I think so, tho I'm no expert lol

Where do you live?

Is your loss in both ears?

[dickfend]

Hi, I was very similar in my thoughts about not being able to hear properly and what others would think of me. However, that was many years ago ( as I am very much older than you now) but I had similar thoughts going through my mind. I kept having to say 'pardon!' so many times just to get people to tell my again what they were saying and much to the annoyance of my wife and family I would gradually increase the volume of the television until it was at a pitch that was too much for the perfectly normal hearing. I was very vain in my thoughts of having to wear hearing aids and remembering what my mothers NHS versions were like I decided to go private and buy my own. The first pair were very small and fitted inside the ear canal but eventually they became too basic for my deteriorating hearing and had to have a more sophisticated pair. I now go back to the hearing centre every 6 months and have another hearing test and have the aids reprogrammed according to my hearing loss. They also clean and replace basic expendables which comes free with the purchase of the aids. I understand now that the NHS versions are very much better in design and function now and provide a very good service. As a man I suppose I put vanity before everything else and did not want to show the world that at my young age then that I wore hearing aids. Today, I do not care what other people think as I know that I do not have to say ' pardon' too much now and do not have to annoy my family by turning the volume on the TV to a ridiculous level. With yourself as a lady I suspect you have a little more hair on your head than me also, so no one will know that you have aids in your ears if your hair covers them. You go for it and to hell with what others may think. Your hearing is a valuable asset - look after it! Good luck Brian.

[Abu78 in reply to dickfend]

Thanks for the message... and yes you guessed correctly I do have more hair 😀

ill keep you posted as to how it goes with the audiologist.

[Hidden]

Ah ok, of it had been London I might have been able to give a better idea :0)

That's not to bad, your clearly having trouble and background noise is a killer, I think you'd benefit from hearing aids, just takes the stress out of life, yes it's scary, yes there is a stigma to wearing hearing aids but they will make life easier, they won't be noticed where as pardon, eh, what? Does get noticed doesn't it lol

[Abu78 in reply to Hidden]

So I went and the results were slightly different to soecsavers. But not much!

However as my lowere range hearing is close enough to normal range, the NHS stance was to 'wait'. Upper ranges still dip down to 45db. But despite me living a life surrounded by women and children which higher voices.

So feel in limbo now. Clearly I'm in a much better position that lots of people for which I am greatfull. But having having helped out on a school trip yesterday and been unable to work out what half the vcildren were mumbling.... it was body language and guess work as to what the 4 year olds were asking!!! Blooming frustrating at the stage of life I'm in.

[Hidden in reply to Abu78]

You should go back and say that it's affecting your family life, regardless of where your loss is, if you are struggling then they need to help you.

I had to insist on mine, they tried to do the same but I was tired from the stress it causes, after pushing I got mine.

If it's affecting your day to day life, which clearly it is, they need to do something for you. I'd definitely contact them.

[MickeyJoints]

Go for it!

Services vary from NHS trust to the next so you may find you wont get hearing aids for your loss at the moment. I tend to follow the idea that hearing aids help the brain to continue to process high frequency sounds (your's is HF loss I guess?) which helps to maintain HF processing. When people who have suffered years of loss get hearing aids, they don't help much as the brain is not processing the HF anymore.

I have aids with croda, not ear molds, from my NHS trust and they help me greatly. You may not have to explain to anyone about having hearing aids - they wont be able to see them if you have enough hair. I have to point them out to people sometimes as most don't even notice them. I do and you will - but that's 'cos we are aware of them.

Do bear in mind that they take some time to get used to. They can start off sounding like an echo but your brain will pick up how to use them and the oddness that you get initially will wear off. Then you'll really notice they aren't there when you forget to put them in.

MJ