You’ve done it. You’ve taken the best advice and invested in some hearing aids. First of all, good work, you’ve just made a positively life-changing decision and one that you definitely won’t regret.
However, if we’re right in thinking (and we take pride in knowing our patients), you’ll also be wondering what your life’s going to be like now carrying this new device on your head.
Well, let us do our best to put your mind at ease and give you some pointers as to what to expect …
It takes a little while to adjust
As you know, your hearing aid isn’t going to cure your hearing loss, but it will help it significantly. In order to do that, the aid needs to get comfortable and fit in alongside the other parts of your ears; it needs to work in harmony and this can feel a little strange at first. Your brain has to adapt to the sudden amplification of sounds, and depending on your level of hearing loss, this can take up to a few weeks to really bed in.
Some sounds might feel too loud at first
Like we said, your brain needs time to adjust, especially as a rush of sounds will be coming at it from all angles. Digital hearing aids should be pre-programmed to ensure the sound levels you experience are safe for your ears and also comfortable. You might struggle to distinguish background noise at first, but don’t worry, your brain will catch up very soon!
You’ll need to practice getting it in the right position
Getting your hearing aid to fit perfectly takes practice and is often tricky to do for the first time, but once it’s achieved, you’ll find it’s much easier to do going forward. If you continue to feel discomfort or the sound quality is compromised, it may be worth getting a doctor or nurse to take a look at your ear canal and make sure it’s not blocked with excess wax. At no point should you feel pain. If this occurs, you need to seek advice from your Audiologist.
“Sorry, can you repeat that?” will be a thing of the past!
If you got used to saying that phrase, then get used to hardly ever needing to say it again, as your hearing aids will give you so much more clarity than you had before.
Your confidence will be given a boost
You’ve been through a lot and you’re bound to have taken a knock through the process of discovering your hearing loss. The least your new device can do is help you to regain some of that confidence back, and we’re glad to tell you that’s exactly what you should expect. Hopefully, you won’t feel overwhelmed in noisy places, and you’ll be able to enjoy conversations, music, nature, etc. once again.
People may or may not notice it
But do you know what, if they do, who cares anyway? Hearing aids are very common and do not warrant a stop and stare reaction. If you feel self-conscious in any way, remind yourself of their purpose and smile in the knowledge that you’ve actively done something to improve the quality of your life.
Ultimately, it’s going to take a few weeks for you to fully welcome your new hearing aids into the family, but just like anything in life, with a little adjustment and positivity, you’ll soon see them as an integral part of enjoying a fuller, more quality life.
If, for any reason you don’t take to your hearing aids, i.e. they’re uncomfortable or don’t seem to work properly, don’t worry, it’s easily fixable.
Just give us a call at 337-436-3277 and we’ll book you in to see one of our friendly Audiologists who will get you seen to right away.
We hope this has been useful to you.
Now go and enjoy your new, enhanced hearing – sing, shout, whatever, just enjoy!
From your friends at Acadian.
