Anyone who can remember back like 4 years ( I think this may be the topic that brought me here in the first place)...was the frustration over my DH's refusal to address his very obvious and fairly serious hearing loss.
Nothing worked, Kindness, anger, crying, negotiating, nothing. He did go in for a hearing check a year ago and the audiologist was so waffly about whether he's do better with aids meant he thought he was fine.
Nope--got worse.
Few weeks ago, I threw away all the info he'd gotten and just decided to live with hollering at him. He was so checked out all the time. He started noticing that he was missing a LOT of stuff at work and that the grandkids always came to ME with anything they needed, he simply can't hear them.
I don't KNOW what the actual tipping point was. One day he just said "Did you say that there was a hearing clinic close by?" Yep. .8 miles away. He said "Go ahead and make an appt for me. I don't think I have a problem they can help but I can't stand you texting me from the basement bedroom at 1 am telling me to turn the TV down when I can barely hear the dialougue".
He went yesterday. I went with him (which was suggested) and I was silent as the grave.
Results? Moderate to severe loss in one ear and moderate in the other. Hearing aid worthy?? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I might have shed a tear.
He looked over all the options and such, and being an engineer, he was very stoked about the bluetooth options---and so after an hour of fussing over what would be best HE ORDERED THE BEST OF THE BEST. He kept saying "These are SO expensive" and I said "we can afford them. Get what you want."
He had to leave town, but I paid for these and he went on his way. Next week he gets them and learns how to work with them.
I could cry, I did cry. I am so happy.
BTW, even though he was in the soundproof booth--I could hear a lot of the tones and was raising my finger to show "left, right" where the sound was coming from. The audiologist said it was not uncommon for one spouse to develop "spidey sense" hearing when the other one goes deaf.
His hearing has most definitely degraded over the last year.
Best part was, he wasn't angry or defensive. He just accepted it, and onc embroiled in the "techie" part of how these things work (he's an engineer) he was sold.
I know we're at step 3 of about 8 steps--he has to adjust to them, etc., and not LOSE them...but I have hope.
(laughing) yeah, I am going to have to watch my language...I've been not so silently cursing him under my breath sometimes.
Wore them to work today and said he really did notice a difference. Time will tell--when we are around the g-kids and they are all talking at once...fingers crossed and hoping he likes them in 45 days! That's the "trial" period.
ADVERTISEMENT
DH went and was set up with his hearing aids. He got to the appt before I did and they had put them in and adjusted them for comfortable hearing.
HE LIKED THEM. HE LIKED THEM. HE LIKED THEM.
omg.
almost 30 years of working on this and in ten minutes with proper aids, he can hear everything. I was walking down the stair, behind him and talking in a very quiet voice and he was able to hear me just fine.
All these YEARS of speaking so loudly, of repeating myself, of wondering if he heard ANYTHING that was being said--30 years of believeing he could not be helped b/c some quack told him he had nerve damage that couldn't be helped (turns out he NEVER had nerve damage!!!)
I just...well, so happy.
Yes, they were hella expensive. But worth every cent.
They're VERY 'techie' but he loves that about them. Tied into his phone so he can hear music or listen to a book and I won't be bothered by it.
Just...wow.
whatever it is, I am grateful.
we are still only at the starting gate. He's out of town for a week and so he can't even have them tried on for another week, but his attitude is what changed...hoepfully, he will like being able to hear.
Fingers crossed.
Whatever the reason, I'm so happy for you I could cry. ((((((Hugs))))))))