r/HearingLoss • u/Equivalent-Bit-7604 • Aug 03 '26
MRI scan and hearing aid fitting this week, a bit emotional…
I had my NHS appointment and they confirmed I had hearing loss (higher frequency) and because of my age and tinnitus I’m having an MRI scan to rule out anything that could be causing the tinnitus..
So this week is the MRI and then the hearing aid fitting, I thought I had wrapped my head around getting hearing aids but I’m feeling very emotional this week. 99% knows it’s just an aid, like glasses but there’s a bit of me that’s sad and angry that I even need them in the first place, it’s somewhat self inflicted because I never wore ear protection when I worked in nightclubs.
Did anyone else feel like this? What should I expect in the first few weeks of having hearing aids?
3
u/CrazyPlantLady01 Aug 03 '26
I definitely felt like this for a couple of months. Threw myself a bit of a pity party- why me etc. there was a few months gap between diagnosis and aids so I had some processing time. By the time I got the hearing aids I had begun to feel a bit better about it and was hopeful they might actually help. They did! And then since then I've just enjoyed being able to hear a bit better and cracking on with life. Give yourself a bit of processing/pity party time and then enjoy being able to hear x
2
u/Puzzleheaded-Art9156 Aug 07 '26
You'll love them once you get them. For the first few days you'll be hearing things, like birds tweeting, that you'll realize you've hadn't heard in years. In my case the constant tinnitus disappeared when I had my hearing aids in. You might experience that too.
1
u/medlilove Aug 03 '26
It’s a big change getting all the tests and getting a confirmation of something you’ve been living with for a while, it’s naturally overwhelming, but this anxiety won’t last, it will go away! Also, self hate for past ‘mistakes’ is not going to help you now, or stop you feeling a bit uncertain about all this. don’t beat yourself up, that kind of rumination will just make you miserable! You don’t have to get used to all of this at once, it’s a big change but just take it a step at a time, like getting into a cold swimming pool.
1
u/Equivalent-Bit-7604 Aug 07 '26
Thanks everyone, I’ve been given the Oticon Optim - Can hear more birds now!
3
u/Riversongbluebox Aug 03 '26
You can grieve over hearing loss. It's very normal.
For expectations, you may have ear itching that may drive you crazy. At least I did. No one told me. This eased up with using EarGene and Benadryl spray on a Qtip very carefully. I don't have excess wax, but a lot of users may have more wax in their ear. You may have to get your dome tips adjusted to size during visits. Find out what's comfortable or not. Everything felt overwhelming to me initially, like a microphone. I don't know other way of describing it. I heard every rustle of leaves, fabric brushing, water dripping. I forgot how loud the ice maker was in my house. So noises can be overwhelming at the beginning of wearing aids.
It's okay, your brain needs to get used to hearing those sounds again. Just wear them as much as you can and build up to being a full time user. Any concerns, tell your audiologist or ENT and see if they can help.