Now Hear This

Today I picked up my new hearing aide from the audiologist. It's tiny and very hard to see when I'm wearing it. It's got a watch battery inside and comes with a remote control. Thankfully, my insurance paid for all of it. I need to buy batteries for the remote, so I haven't gotten to try that yet.

So far the sound has been great! I hear a whole lot better without it seeming overwhelming. I can even hear the kids whisper behind me when I'm driving! Instead of asking, "What? What did you say?" all the time, I'm now saying, "You don't have to shout!" It's a little weird getting used to the pressure of having something in my ear constantly, but I figure it's like adjusting to new glasses or contacts. After a while I won't notice it that much.

The best part so far has been that when I practiced my trombone today the sound was 100% better! It improved my playing because I could hear the notes, so it increased my confidence. I've been wavering on my decision to play in our church praise band, because I felt like I've become a much worse trombone player since high school. I had NO IDEA that my ability to play could be affected so much by my hearing! Last time I practiced with the band the other trombone player suggested that I should work on "getting my lip into shape". I can't wait for him to hear the improvement tonight at practice!

Now I just have to make a list of any noises that are too loud or too soft so that the audiologist can make any necessary adjustments to my hearing aide next week. I'm already in love with hearing again!