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A Comparison of First Time Hearing Aid Users to The Recovery of Normal Hearing - A Case Study of Jay by Rick Kirkham |
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Jay came into Ohana Hearing Care as a 65 year old male and the son of a patient. Jay reported a history of hearing loss due to the improper growth of tonsils when he was five years old and explained his experiences with the recovery of normal hearing. Jay's History Jay was five years of age when he had his tonsils removed. At about six years of age Jay began losing his hearing. The only symptoms at that time were doing poorly in school and shouting. No regular testing of hearing was performed at that time in schools. According to Jay, the doctors had determined the tonsils had regrown irregularly and were putting pressure on Jay's Eustachian tubes causing a loss of hearing. The condition lasted for three years until Jay had surgery again at nine years of age removing his regrown tonsils. Jay reported to me the first thing he noticed was everything was so loud. He jokingly described it as being able to hear a mosquito four miles away. He told me he placed cotton in his ears because sound was so loud. It took Jay approximately six months to readjust to his new and normal level of hearing. Compared to New Hearing Aid Users Fortunately with today's hearing aids, we don't have to suddenly throw “normal” hearing at a patient his/her first day of being fit by hearing aids, but during the initial adjustment period, it's perfectly normal to hear many of the adjustment problems that Jay experienced as he was readjusting to normal hearing. The average person with a hearing loss, due to the nature of the slow progress of this health issue, waits approximately five years before receiving help for his/her hearing loss. The person simply does not know he/she even has a hearing loss until friends and relatives finally tell him/her. With Jay having a hearing loss for three years it's not surprising it also take the average person six months to completely adapt to hearing aids. Given my own experience every week I felt I was used to them, yet my clarity of speech continued to improve for the next six months. Conclusion Whether regaining normal hearing at a young age or finally listening to friends and relatives about your hearing health care situation the process of retraining the brain to comprehend speech is the same. Studies also indicate the sooner this process is started the greater the benefit you'll receive. Call Ohana Hearing Care for more information and a free consultation at 808-593-2137. Hawaii residents call 808-593-2137 for a free consultation
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