I first started wearing Hearing aids when I was living in Tasmania approximately 10 years ago. I went and had my hearing tested and as you found I had a lack of hearing, predominantly there was a hole in one of my ear drums.  I think a lot of  the problem started when I was a child at school. I had a biro poked down my ear which perforated my ear drum. That didn’t help.

I had hearing aids that went inside my ear because I didn’t want anyone to know that I had hearing aids and because I wear glasses.  That type of hearing aid, was very loud and I kept having to go and have them turned down or up. I could hear myself walking on carpet and it got to the stage where I found them very uncomfortable. I felt as if my ears were plugged up so I didn’t wear them for a long time.

I now have a behind the ear hearing aids and domes; these aids are much more comfortable.  In terms of sound quality there is absolutely no comparison to my old aids, these aids are far superior. I am very impressed with that how the computer can work out how I am hearing including how much time I spend in background noise. That wasn’t applicable with my other aids. Sometimes I have to watch that because I wear glasses that I don’t knock the aids off which I did do once.  I just wear my hair over them now, so people don’t know I have hearing aids.

I now wear my hearing aids several hours a day. If they do start to annoy me a little I just take them out and give myself a break.  I mainly wear them for watching television and for socialising in group situations. It is far better than putting myself in a situation where I can’t hear everybody.  I still use lip-reading.  I have always been very good and lip-reading which I just naturally did because I didn’t realise I had such a hearing problem.

If you are concerned about getting Hearing aids because you are young or are worried about the look of the aids, just come and see Kathy Murray at Advanced Hearing. It is a personal decision that you have to make but it is amazing how you cope without hearing aids and then you get them and think wow everything is too loud…you don’t know what you have missed. Your equipment helped me correct any sounds that were just too loud.