Learning to hear

After several years of not listening to my wife I have got real and accepted that I really have a lot of trouble hearing things in a wide variety of situations.

Actually, I've always had a lot of trouble - that's why it's been difficult to accept that I might need support. I've been completely deaf in my right ear since birth and have been dealing with that ever since. Most of the time I've convinced myself that 'if I just get myself in the right place' it'll all be fine. And sometimes it has been.

But over the last few years what's been happening is that I've begun losing the higher frequency hearing in my left ear, as y'do at my stage, and the impact of that on my overall hearing has been much greater than if I'd have had two working input channels.

I've grown used to life in mono...but just cover one eye and see what it does to your 3D vision. Ears are just the same and I have never had any spatial or directional hearing. Now I can't hear the top end...and I need help.

So, after several conversations with learned audiologists I've ordered a hearing aid...and I'm picking it up this afternoon.

They say it'll take 6 months to a year to 're-learn' the way I hear. It's true, I've certainly learned more recently to ignore stuff I can't hear and I've always 'interpreted' what I've heard - sometimes with total misunderstanding.

So this blog is mostly for me - a log of re-learning, but if anyone is interested in reading or engaging with my experience you're most welcome.