Heart and Soul: Living with hearing loss
Heart & Soul

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About five years ago, my hearing showed signs of deterioration. The audiologist at General Hospital Seremban recommended that I wear a pair of hearing aids, an inconvenient necessity.

I was first given an introduction to hearing aids:

“A hearing aid has three basic parts: a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker. A hearing aid magnifies sound vibrations entering the ear. The healthy and undamaged hair cells detect the larger vibrations and convert them into neural signals that are passed along to the brain.”

My pair of hearing aids was of the ITE (in-the-ear) type. They were custom-made in shape and size so that they fitted discreetly into my left and right ear canals respectively. The immediate sensation was the uncomfortable feeling of blocked ear or occlusion. Even after a prolonged period of adaptation, I still tended to take the aids out of my ears whenever I was not having a conversation with others or attending a briefing session.

I was fortunate that my hearing loss happened after I had retired from working as a teacher and school administrator. Nonetheless, it was unlikely that the loss was due to external factors. My work environment had been usually serene and tranquil. So, the loss was attributed to genetic factors as two of my brothers were also showing similar symptoms.

Hearing degeneration may come with ageing and is irreversible. Hearing loss is a huge concern that could make it challenging to enjoy everyday activities. I could only pray that the deterioration did not progress further.

With no formal work, interactions with others were minimal, manageable and not mandatory. But interactions with family members, particularly with my spouse, were unavoidable. There were moments when family members became impatient as they had to repeat themselves time and again. There were even times when the conversation was abruptly dropped. I took all this stoically. It was all on me; they were not the cause!

The hearing aids seemed to be “directional” in their functions. They worked best when they were directed towards the source of the sound/ voice. So, I needed to “tune in” to my conversation partners.

I sometimes attend coordinating committee meetings at church. With my hearing aids on, I made sure that I sat close to the chairman so I could pick up his deliberations and other major announcements made. Nevertheless, while I could hear the words of the few sitting beside me, voices of others who sat further away became muffled. This resulted in me being unable to contribute as much as I wanted to in the meetings. This experience made me want to consider if I should resign from the committee and be content with just reading the minutes of the meetings and submitting my suggestions in writing, if any, post-meeting.

After three years, to my relief, I was referred to a private audiologist who proposed that I change my hearing aids to the BTE (behind-the-ear) type. The new pair of aids was less invasive. They each had a main body or casing which held the electronic components (microphone, amplifier and a rechargeable battery) and was connected by a tiny plastic conduit to a miniature speaker pod at the other end.

I wore each aid with its main body behind my ear and its pod fitted into my ear canal. The audiologist could also adjust the frequencies of the sound to be received or discarded. Overall, it is more comfortable and effective in conveying the sound and voices desired. In addition, unlike my old device, this new device being worn outside the ear need not be cleaned of ear wax regularly.

Nowadays, I normally do not wear my hearing aids when I go shopping at a store or mall. The traders are usually surprised when I seem not to hear them when they are speaking in their normal tone/ volume. I would have to put my right hand behind my right ear and lean a little forward towards them. The gesture or “sign language” conveys the message. They would raise their voice a bit and we would then be in friendly communication, abeit a little inconvenient but it does save me the feeling of a stuffed ear.

I do not wear my hearing aids when I sleep. This helps to cut off the sounds made by night insects and birds, dogs’ barking from a distance and even the croaking of frogs on a rainy day. I also don’t hear the raindrops falling on the zinc balcony roof of my neighbour’s house. These used to be annoying disturbances and a nuisance, but not any more. Still, I would exchange a disturbance-free night’s sleep for perfect hearing!
Heart and Soul,Hearing,hearing loss,hearing aid
Wearing hearing aids takes some getting used to, and the writer goes from one type to another.