A 'bit deaf'

I've suffered from Tinnitus for almost 20 years so I don't have full sound range in my left ear. Like lots of people I find people mumble and I don't hear lower register sounds but have never required a hearing aid . I just need the sound a bit louder on the TV and don't hear American accents well.

After being repeatedly pestered by a certain High Street Chemists I arranged my Hearing Test. My hearing is so good I could hear the phone ringing on the shopfloor when I was in the booth

It can be distracting having very good hearing, easy to "earwig" on conversations several tables away in cafes etc. My DM, DD & DGS1 all have excellent hearing, think DGS2 will have but he's only 16 months old it's a bit to soon to be sure.

I have some hearing loss in both ears but it's worse in the left ear. Background noise, echoey rooms, lots of people talking are all a problem for me. I'm constantly asking people to repeat things and turning up the TV to 'unacceptable levels', according to our kids. I've had two tests at ENT, the last one two years ago, but was told my hearing had not deteriorated sufficiently for them to offer me any assistance. Just how bad does it have to get I wonder?! To keep the peace at home I bought wireless TV amplifier headphones. They are marvellous, comfortable to wear, very adjustable, and I can still hear conversations in the room - and I can turn them off when the ads come on! I can't get on with subtitles, I miss too much of the action trying to keep up with them.

Sometimes being able to hear doesn't make much difference in my house, husband just said " when we next go to whatshisnames must remember to get thingymejig done" might as well be deaf!

Had my hearing retested after watching car show with DH and the vehicle had gone into "Limpopo mode" apparently it was -limp home mode, oh dear.

It is interesting how, generally speaking, people are more comfortable with accepting sight weakness/imperfection and go to opticians and wear glasses without a second thought. When it comes to hearing we are less comfortable with imperfect hearing/need for hearing aids.

Attitudes (generally!)to those who are profoundly deaf, partially deaf or hard of hearing are less empathetic than attitudes shown to those who are blind, partially sighted or have less than 20:20 vision.

Deafness is every bit as disabling as loss of sight.. different but can be just as isolating.

Had occasion to visit GP for ear test. Turned out to be a simple excessive wax problem in one ear. The other was clear as a bell. Have never had this in my life before. Tried to seek both a cause and a preventative from a few medics with no success. I'm rushing up to 80 with indecent speed and cannot understand this. However, I'm seriously grateful such a simple solution was found. Syringed yesterday. Terrific!

For years I didn't realise I was a bit deaf and it was partly the reason I dropped out of a language class some six or so years ago because I couldn't hear what the other students were saying. Then I had a hearing test, had one NHS hearing aid to start with then two. What a difference, especially with the Loop. Without them I can't really hear most people. However, they do make me feel I'm an old lady. DH now has hearing aids (it's just getting him to wear them . . . ).

I wear both hearing aids and glasses. Encouraged by a friend I joined a Beginners' Yoga class. After a couple of weeks I abandoned it. I needed my glasses to see what was being demonstrated and my hearing aids to hear what was being said. Unfortunately the postures I was expected to assume resulted in all of them falling off at regular intervals.
My 'dodgy' knee didn't agree with being knelt on either.

Maybe I should just join the local " sitting-down exercise class for pensioners".

I've had hearing tests at Boots. Apparently my hearing is poor for my age at 62. I use subtitles for TV. To be recalled in 2 years. (No plan to buy privately.) Was explained I can hear vowels but not consonant or vice versa. In groups it can be hard to hear properly

It is obvious when our sight begins to fail as it becomes difficult to read, so we have our eyes tested and wear glasses. Glasses can be fashionable and ‘cool’ to wear. Sadly that is not the case with hearing and hearing aids. We are not aware that our hearing is not as good as it used to be and somehow aids are seen as something old people wear. We need to reverse that attitude. I wear hearing aids and I’m not ashamed to admit it. They don’t show under my hair and free NHS ones are just as good as the expensive ones and equally invisible. The first thing you notice when you wear them is that you can hear the birds singing as it is the high sounds that go first and of course, speech is clearer. There is nothing more aging than saying ‘pardon?’ all the time. So MissAdventure, bite the bullet and have a hearing test.

You're so right.
I'm sure my work colleagues think I'm as thick as two short planks sometimes, but its simply because I didn't hear what they said.
"Oh, could you quickly get me... blmmm mumble, shbog, mumble?"
"Of course!" and off I trot, with not the faintest idea what they said!

I was recently tested & now wear two hearing aids. They're silver & NHS. Unless I tell people I'm wearing them they don't know. Telly now on a lower volume setting. Not all plain sailing as opening a pkt of crisps sounds like an explosion. Might need one turning down slightly. All the settings are controlled from the audiologist's computer. Very clever.

Hearing aids don’t just make sounds louder, the diagnostic test works out which pitch of sound you are finding it hard to hear and the hearing aids compensate for this. If you suffer from tinnitus, aids will help, for as your hearing diminishes so the tinnitus appears louder, aids help you to hear the sounds in the world instead of the sounds in your head.

Have you ever been reading in the evening as it gets darker? Then you put the light on and think However was I reading in that light? Same with better hearing.

It was great to hear birdsong again and so many sounds I had forgotten existed. You're probably entitled to free hearing aids and a supply of batteries on the NHS, depends on age. First stop is your GP who will syringe to check it's not just wax.

So many people say they won't have aids because it's aging - more aging to keep on saying What? Everyone who needs to wears glasses, why should anyone think of aids any differently?

Eh? Whassat you said?
I think I’m going deaf as I always need subtitles on TV.
It doesn’t bother me very much socially - I don’t need to hear anything as I rarely stop talking long enough for anyone else to get a word in!

Just go to Spec Savers and book a free hearing test. If you do need hearing aids then they will let your GP know and they will assess you for NHS hearing aids if you prefer to have them rather than private ones. My husband has both.

Not all spectators offer NHS appointments! The system here is referral to an NHS audiologist who them provides the aids. You can go back until they are right!

My hearing started to deteriorate in my thirties - a long time ago now! I have otosclerosis which affects lots of women. Hormones flying about cause the small bones in the ear, which vibrate and conduct sound to the brain, to gradually fuse together with calcium deposits and then they fail to work. I have had two hearing aids for a while now and they really do help. It's very common indeed it seems - and since I have worn hearing aids I have been amazed to notice how many others do.

I had Specsaver aids to start with - now with the second set (you can get a new set after 3 years) my GP has said I now have to go to another shop. So now instead of getting six months' supply of batteries through the letterbox I have to go to the shop every three months and ask. Cutting costs, I don't blame them.

Today at work, somebody asked me outright why I ignore them, or answer just "uh ha.."
The whole thing was horribly embarrassing, so, I'm going to phone the

Oops! The doctors. That's who!

My hearing was borderline when tested last January so I expect to need hearing when next tested again in the new year.

The audiologist advised me to adjust the tv treble setting to improve speech clarity on programmes.

Oops, I meant to add that the increase in treble will make the tv sound tinny so it's a bit of a trade off.

I am, indeed, a 'bit deaf'.
I had a hearing test today, which showed moderate hearing loss in both ears.
It seems a convoluted way to go about things, but now I have to phone the docs so they can refer me for hearing aids.
Now I'm thinking that moderate only sounds like 'a little bit'...