I can relate to that, Alan C. Upon buying my new hearing aids, I went home and sat in the living room. Then I got up and checked all around the house to find out where the water was running. My wife finally figured it out: it was the river we lived nearby. I had never heard it before. The ringing never stops or recedes, and while playing in bands it was often too loud to allow sleep. Of course, the music career quickly atrophied. As to accomodations taken in ordinary conversation, I'm afraid I have to fake it a lot. One gets tired of saying "Huh?" or otherwise admitting that you can't keep up with everyone else. I still struggle with dialogue on TV at any volume, and rely instinctively on lip reading. The tendency is to give up trying and become withdrawn (perhaps venting in discussion groups like this one.) People tend to talk to you like you are an idiot if they see your hearing aids or realize that you can't hear them. I discovered this to be true also for those who cannot speak. I had to keep totally silent for six weeks to treat nodes on vocal chords, and when I passed notes to people, I was always treated patronizingly. Slowly I realized that I too treated those with special needs in an unintentionally demeaning manner. As to expense, mine cost $5000 and last an average of 5 years. On top of that, there is little likelihood of finding an insurance plan that pays for this medical necessity. Plenty of people have heavier burdens than I, but this is what hearing loss is like for someone whose primary enjoyment is music.
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