Many years ago, I had a patient call me a couple hours after she got her hearing aids. She was so excited.
She was making a salad and could hear the lettuce tearing in her hands. This is just a small everyday sound that she hadn’t heard in years. Hearing the sounds around you makes your whole world richer.
I have a friend and a colleague who has worn hearing aids for years. He just upgraded to the latest technology and he can hear things he hasn’t heard in years. He is finding everything a bit noisy, but is amazed at how much better he is hearing.
For most people, it takes about a month to get used to their hearing aids. Since hearing loss is a very gradual change for most people, your brain “forgets” how things are supposed to sound. With gradual adjustments, the brain adjusts to the sounds and re-learns to interpret them.
I really enjoy helping my patients get used to the sounds around them again and it is fun to hear them talk of the sounds that they have rediscovered.
Susan E. Terry, Au.D.
P.S. If you have questions about your hearing, give us a call at 727-323-2471.