Why Hearing is Hard for Me

Describing my hearing loss to others is one of the greatest challenges I face as a hard of hearing, late deafened adult. My hearing ability in the moment can fluctuate depending upon allergies, nasal congestion, tinnitus, headaches, the person who is speaking, and the background noise present. My hearing aids help because they amplify sounds which I am unable to hear without them. But understanding speech is trickier than just pumping up the volume. It requires processing by the brain.

For me listening is very tiring. It involves a constant game of fill in the blanks to comprehend what people are saying. Because this is all internal, people who are not hard of hearing or deaf themselves have no idea how hard it all is. For me it's a point of pride to handle it without making my problem become yours. Occasionally I do share the crazy stuff I think someone has said before I figure it out what they really said, but that is usually only with my nearest and dearest or with someone who really doesn't seem to get that I have a hearing loss.

The best illustration that I've found so far of what hearing loss is like is this video clip featuring the Flintstones. The audio has been altered to reflect different levels of hearing loss. To me the world has been a quiet place for a long time.  I don't remember ever hearing at the normal level portrayed in the video but perhaps I did as a child. I think for much of my adult life I experienced mild hearing loss and that it was only once I crossed over into moderate loss that it became problematic for me.  If you watch this video, you'll understand better how this could be possible.

A Comparison of How You Hear to How I Hear

Audiograms

Another way to explain my hearing loss is to look at my audiogram, the chart the audiologist produces based on my hearing tests.