Will he ever admit his hearing is going?

One of my grandsons (7) is severely deaf in one ear and wears a hearing aid at school, but is already an adept at 'turning a deaf ear' when his mother wants him to do something.

That's a male thing anno

I have a very close friend who has had hearing problems for a long while and sensibly got some good NHS digital aids. One time when we were having a moan about the the increasing health issues we have as we get older, she made some comment about her hearing and I replied with! Yes! "but you were deaf before you were old." It was not the most elegant way of saying what I meant! It was just as well she has a sense of humour.

People do mumble. DH does. And now others have started too!

DH suddenly went deaf in one ear on 16 August 2012, mid afternoon while driving home from a shopping trip. After a month he visited the doctor who dismissed it as essentially the adult equivalent of glue ear that would eventually clear.

A month later he had an extreme dizzy spell and collapsed while on a business trip to Germany. He was rushed to hospital in case it was a heart attack or stroke. He was given the all clear and visited GP on return home who blamed collapse as combination of tiredness, stress and high blood pressure medication. He then had several more severe dizzy spells so went to doctor again and saw a different GP who connected ear problems with dizziness end effectively gave him high-powered sea sick tablets, which are very effective and a referral to a consultant. NHS means a three month wait so we are having an initial private consultation in the next few days.

At least he admits he cannot hear and we all try and stand on the right side when we talk to him.

Well, it is sort of reassuring that so many of you have had the same experiences. I am sorry Gina123 if you felt we were making fun of people with hearing problems. I can assure you we were not. Personally I used to teach deaf awareness to nurses, and also my father was deaf. I love my OH very much but I, like many others, use this forum as an occasional much needed place to vent, and get support and advice from like minded people who "get it".

My DH spent thousands on very sophisticated aids but only wears them when out socially. As a result, we do not have normal conversations in the house anymore - I say something, he says what what, I repeat it louder, he says no need to shout, i say forget it, he says what what - etc ad infinitum. I feel like a repeater button sometimes. I now find its best not to bother saying anything unless its something like, dinners ready - he always hears that. The upside is that I can say some pretty terrible things and grumble away to my hearts content without any fear of reprisals!! Its an ill wind!

I must apologise for my previous response and have to agree how annoying it must be for a person not to wear a hearing aid if they obviously need one. The NHS provide excellent hearing aids, maintenance or replacement and batteries all free of charge. I gather from the person in charge of my Hearing Aid Department that privately a hearing aid can cost around £2000 plus maintenance and batteries. The NHS by buying in large quantities pay about £200. As a hearing aid user of 48 years I know that wearing a hearing aid is not like wearing spectacles which correct eyesight immediately. You have to wear your hearing aid every day to get accustomed to the sounds and let your brain get used to the new sounds. Only then, with the help of their local Audiologists, will they appreciate being able to switch on to sound again. Please do not leave it too late as your ability to do this gets less and less as your hearing deteriorates.
Good luck to all the partners of people with a hearing loss.

Gina, you are so right. My OH has worked extremely hard to get the best out of his hearing aids. He wears them all the time and can adjust them to suit the circumstances.He also keeps them in good nick and together we replace the tubes when necessary. Maintemance is very important.