By Roberta S. Carlson
Often, decisions related to medical issues—especially those that aren’t life-threatening—are made without much care or concern. When my husband, Rich picked up on my hearing loss, I was neither interested nor compelled to do any research to solve the problem.
When Rich finally voiced his complaint, it actually was not about my hearing, but about my lack of processing what was said. He told me he noticed the blank look on my face and my hesitation in responding to him when he asked me questions.
I conceded he was right and went for a quick fix. And so, over 20 years ago, I made my very first hearing aid purchase, hastily and out of pure necessity. The devices were generic and not really customized for my particular hearing loss, but I was eager to pop them in and get on with life, quite frankly.
I was 48 years old at the time and I didn’t even consider my hearing loss to be that big of a deal. I moved forward with an audiogram and hearing aid fitting only because my husband insisted I do so. In hindsight, I’m glad I obliged. Over the years, my hearing loss has become more difficult to handle.
The cause of my hearing loss isn’t certain, but I am fairly sure the source is a combination of owning a business in industrial manufacturing—where I was often exposed to loud noise—coupled and frequent ear infections during my childhood and adolescence. I am not aware of any genetic factors.
Roberta Carlson, and her husband, Rich, who encouraged her to seek out hearing loss treatment.
As the years went on, my hearing worsened and I sought out progressively stronger aids to amplify my hearing. After about six different pairs, I looked into cochlear implantation. I was tested twice at the University of Florida Speech and Hearing Center to learn if I was a candidate. Results showed profound loss in one ear and severe in the other. Unfortunately, I could not qualify for Medicare coverage for cochlear implants (CIs) because my speech discrimination in the better ear was too high.
About five years ago, my ears met a new enemy: hyperacusis. At times it can be unbearable. Anything from a loud sneeze or cough by my husband to a dog barking to a horn honking can make me cringe and shutter. I have stopped attending any indoor group activities for the past several years as the din of conversation is overwhelming.
So I make decisions carefully. I only go shopping or to any health appointments with Rich as I can’t understand verbal communications. These activities produce stress and exhaustion exacerbated by COVID-mask wearing.
I get pleasure out of regular golfing, long solo walks, and watching TV with closed captioning. I especially love reading, including non-fiction (politics, history, and science) as well fiction (mystery, science fiction, and espionage).
I can only hope that future generations will make more careful decisions than me, and will learn early in life about the importance of preventing noise-induced hearing loss.
Roberta Carlson lives in Florida with her husband.
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I do feel like something is lost when older adults are put into what feels like isolation chambers due to our hearing ability. We have something unique to contribute from the perspective of our years, and I would like us to find a way as a society to allow us to do that.