I was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss in one ear a few months ago. The ENT consultant I saw seems to think it was caused by a random viral infection in the inner ear although he said the cause will never be known for sure. I can cope ok although struggle in situations with a lot of background noise or if someone is talking on my ‘deaf’ side. Emotionally, I think I adapted pretty well, and I have no problem with having a hearing aid to help.
So...my consultant gave me a little hearing aid to try over the holidays. It’s a Phonak with a bit that sits behind the ear and a little wire that comes into the ear. My problem is that I can’t really tell how much good it’s doing. The consultant said I’d had enough hearing loss that I should notice a ‘substantial’ difference...but I’m not sure that I do, especially as I didn’t find that I was coping dreadfully before. Even with it in, if I stick my finger in my good ear I still can’t hear the tv clearly. In fact, I’m not sure I can hear much more than without it.
It’s left me feeling really baffled and confused! I’m happy to get one but I can’t really be certain how much of a difference it’s making.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation?