Hearing is a sense that the majority of us rely on every day to communicate and like many people my age, I wrongly assumed I didn’t need to think much about it until I was much older.
My recent experience has shown me that we make decisions throughout our lives that can impact our hearing, and even though our hearing will always deteriorate over time, you can speed up or slow down this process depending on your listening practices. At 11 years old, I attended my first concert and two hours later I knew live music would be a big part of my life. I clearly remember the ringing in my ears as we left that night, which I was told was all part of the experience. That’s why they say ‘live music gives you a buzz’ right?
23 years of regular concert attendance later and for a long time I was completely oblivious my hearing had changed at all - changes happen slowly so you naturally adapt without realising. But over the more recent years, I’ve started to notice conversations are sometimes more difficult and I often need people to repeat themselves. At points I found myself watching people’s mouth if sounds were not clear! I assumed I was overthinking it, or maybe had wax that needed to be removed, but I wanted to find out how my hearing was doing so I booked a free hearing health check at M&S Opticians Longbridge.
I was a little bit nervous for my appointment, but I was made to feel at ease as soon as I arrived with a warm greeting and gentle reassurance. I was asked to complete a pre-test questionnaire where I added detail about my favourite hobby - attending live music events. My hearing aid audiologist thoroughly checked my ears and we completed a number of tests to assess if there was any wax build up and if I had any hearing loss.
I was shocked to discover that I did have hearing loss that would require hearing aids soon if I didn’t make some changes to my lifestyle. I was completely oblivious of the damage I was doing, or even the steps I could take to reduce the damage before my appointment.
The hearing aid audiologist discussed my lifestyle with me and, as well as informing me I have my earphones far too loud, explained that I can still enjoy live music, with a small change to make it a safer listening experience.
So, I left with my new best friend for live music events, my Phonak Serenity Choice Music earplugs! I can still hear the music brilliantly, but I no longer get the ringing in my ears that I’ve since learned is a sign of damage to your hearing!
I’ve switched from earphones to noise cancelling headphones, which means the sound starts further from my eardrum and noise cancellation means I can have the volume lower and still hear the music.
I did have a look at the hearing aids during my appointment, and I was amazed at how discreet they can look! Plus, they could connect straight to my phone or TV and even answer calls. Although the cool features made me feel better about potentially wearing hearing aids at a younger age, I’m not there yet and I’m hoping that with my new listening practices, I’ll slow down my hearing loss while still enjoying the things I love!
I wanted to share my experience as I know there will be lots of people like me who don’t think they have a hearing loss or look after their hearing health.
The first step is to get booked in for a free hearing test to keep yourself hearing better for longer!