Thursday, February 18, 2010

Aging Well?

Yesterday afternoon I left the theatre at 2:00 so I could be early for my appointment at Sandia Hearing Aid Center to be tested and fitted for ...wait for it... hearing aids! I have resisted this for a long time, but I grew up with a hearing impaired mother and I know the signs of creeping deafness. I also know how and why: routers, drills, circular saws, table saws, grinders, planers, compressors, staple guns, forklift engines... and for seven years I rode motorcycles to work every day. Add this to my Bicentennial Cherry Bomb tinnitus, and there you have a recipe for hearing loss.

I called Tuesday for the appointment due to some persuasion from the other human resident of the household. That night I was watching Sherlock Holmes on PBS and could barely follow the thread of the story, my hearing was so bad. The time had come for sure.

The folks at Sandia assure me that in a week or so, when my new hearing aids are installed, I will be amazed at how clearly everyone around me is speaking. I can't wait - people have been mumbling at me for a long time, the bastards!