It has been 9 years since my husband got his last hearing aid. We had to pay for it completely out of pocket. I swear they are a small fortune, but in reality for the amount of use you get, the price isn't so bad.
Today he got 2. This is the first time he has worn 2 and it's like a whole new world. There are sounds that he has never heard and others that sound so much clearer and cleaner.
So now there are sounds that we normally take for granted. From the sound of the highway as you drive over it. The crunch if gravel as you walk across it. The noise of a busy restaurant as you attempt to eat dinner. Even silly little unconscious actions we all have like tapping your fingernails on a tabletop to the rustle of the pages in a book.
While I may not be deaf or hard of hearing, I have incredibly poor eye sight without my glasses. I know some would say that it can't be compared, but I feel it can. In the middle of the night if you have to get up to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom, you just get up and go. I HAVE to put on my glasses before I do anything so I can see where I am going, not step on a dog or cat, trip on anything or see that the seat is down on the commode. :)
May seem silly to some, but that is how visually impaired I am. At night I have accidentally knocked my glasses from my nightstand and have to have my husband find them because I can't even see them to find them.
I am just glad glasses don't cost anything near what his hearing aids cost.
Last year we both lost our jobs. Me to closure and him to reduction of staff due to lack of funding. Most insurance companies do not offer coverage for hearing exams and hardware because they consider most hearing loss a pre-existing condition. At the end of February, he got a new job through a Temp agency. The normal wait period for them to hire on permanently is six months. He was hired after 3. And insurance was active soon after. God Bless his new employer because they cover all hearing exams and hardware.
Perhaps he was destined to have this job even it pays less. He has less stress, better hours and new hearing aids. And for all of that I am incredibly grateful.
Things happen in life for a reason. Lots of times the seem insurmountable and hurt so much. But if you press on, you might be surprised at what you find at the other end and what you learned along the way.
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