Hello from a newby

Hearing Loss
#1

Hi everyone. New here, just saying hello.

I’m a 49 year old group therapist from england, always struggled a bit to hear clearly but first got a hearing test 10 years ago when my patient’s told me I couldn’t hear them properly…

I guess I have mild hearing loss but I find it impacts my confidence and if I don’t have my hearing aids in it gets me down. Am a happy chappy with them in though, glad to be able to take part in conversations and do my job well.

Recent retest after 5 years and new aids (thanks NHS) and am currently a bit amazed that towels make noise - never knew lol.

Glad to have found the forum, nice to hear other people’s experience. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#2

Towels make noise? Get outta here… Really?
Oh…Welcome to the forum…

#3

Welcome, I hope that you’ll have the best HA experience.

#4

How do you know your towels make noise? Take out your HAs before shower, they don’t do very well with water :slight_smile:

Welcome !

#5

thanks everyone :slight_smile:

I do occasionally forget to take them out in the shower, but I guess everyone else does too.

Re the towels, maybe my current aids finally let me hear things I’ve not for a long long time - hence being a bit surprised at how towels sound when rubbed. Same as how loud keyboard clicks are etc. I hope it settles down in a week or two.

My patients have commented that I am talking much more quietly in their groups, which is a good thing, nobody wants a shouty therapist !

1 Like
#6

I too have been in the shower with them on…twice in 20 years…no damage…was lucky…now back to the towels…do they seriously make noise? 'cause if they do, I am gonna crush my hearing aids(kidding)

#7

Your patients feedback is the best indicator you HAs are working. That’s a very good news. And yes, keyboard sounds very noisy, the’ll feel better in 2-3 weeks. Enjoy your HAs.

#8

Yeah, and not the sound I would have imagined lol. I’ve been wearing hearing aids for a good few years but these are obviously the first ones that hit the spot. Don’t crush yours dabhuddleston, buy nosier towels :slight_smile:

#9

thanks melvyn, I’ve gone into the shower with them on 5 or 6 times in the last few years, Amazingly they just sound like you are underwater (obviously), you panic and put them outside the shower and they work fine when you are done.
I keep fighting the urge to run them down from the default volume, like you say, a couple of weeks and I’ll probably not notice things anymore.

#10

Anybody know where we can find the dB ratings for towels?

#11

In 5 years wearing, so far I haven’t, but I do have compulsive habit - when I look up towards shower head, I put my hands on ears to check if aids are still here. So I hope that habit will save them from being watered down. So far it worked.

I do have that habit many times during the day when I’m outside and every time when I move things around my ear, like scarfs, masks and such.

But they’re definitely gonna be watered down with the rain, especially drizzle, since I don’t use umbrella. But I try to put something over ear. And sweat, that’s their main water source in my case. I think shower head would give them less water than my head does :joy:

#12

You’re in luck. Pink and fluffy 10db, tropical beach towel is 20db. Paper towel is 10db :smile:

3 Likes
#13

You guys are killin’ me. I purposely tried to listen this morning…now I feel silly. Maybe my ears are too bad for hearing towels…but I feel my leg is being pulled…

#14

If you lightly rub your thumb and index finger together, can you hear that?
I can now with my CI. It’s loud. With my arm extended!

For so many of us HOH, sounds we can not hear are really strange when do hear them. This is why so many that wait too long to get hearing aids or cochlear implants have a tuff time with the adjustments.

#15

Can you hear your leg being pulled?

#16

Umm nope. But I can’t hear my finger prints either, even with my hearing aids on. I know that one is true because I remember hearing it many years ago…

2 Likes
#17

Guys, I’m really not pulling any legs. I’m at the stage of : didn’t have a test for 5 years, what I guess is a pretty big change in my hearing,… properly adjusted new aids… hearing at a level that brings back the stuff I haven’t heard in years. My boss told me off for talking too quietly today. I feel a bit lost really. I need to hear clearly to give therapy properly but I need to be heard clearly too :frowning:
I hope it all settles down in a week or two but after the euphoria of being able to hear all this stuff again I’m wondering whether the aids are set too loud if that makes sense ? Too confusing. Apols for the complaining.

#18

This is the reason I love this forum! Too much knowledge here.
Thank you @markyB!

1 Like
#19

No apologies necessary. We’re just having a little fun.

It may settle down for you in a week or two, but it could also take longer. I do remember that when I got my first aids, many of my coworkers said I was talking too quietly, but I don’t get that anymore. I must say, getting accustomed to my own voice actually took me over a year.

If your boss told you off for this, I suggest you get your resume together…

#20

Thanks blue crab. I’m feeling really down tbh - they don’t let you take a photo of your graphs in the NHS but I remembered the figures and did a retest in my soundproof rehearsal studio at home and both come out pretty much the same and have gone from mild to where they are today. Not sure how to feel, but is hard to get used to things being worse.
My boss has a point in telling me to speak up as I need to be heard. Is just crappy not to be able to trust how I think I am sounding.

Does anyone have any tips for getting painful webcam audio to sound less horrible ? People have noticed me wincing when certain people are speaking and its a bit embarrassing frankly.

thanks everyone.