The spouse got hearing aids last year. For some time he had been accusing me of mumbling, denying that I'd ever told him about various events, and watching TV with the volume set at levels that caused most humans to run screaming from the room. These symptoms, however, weren't enough for him to realize that he had a hearing problem. Then his brother got hearing aids and it made such a difference in his brother's life that the spouse thought maybe he should get his hearing checked too. A month (and thousands of dollars) later he was sporting hearing aids that were nearly invisible, but allowed him to once again hear.
He's had some challenges in adjusting to using hearing aids. He still has trouble distinguishing conversations in a room with a lot of background noise. He temporarily gave up using his aids at Thanksgiving with a room full of noisy relatives and our granddaughters' constant chatter, but the hearing aids have allowed him to once again be a part of the conversation of daily life.
In the past few weeks the volume on the TV has been creeping up and I was repeating myself constantly. The spouse said "My hearing aids have stopped working for me." So he made an appointment with the hearing aid technician to get them adjusted. There was nothing wrong with the hearing aids, but when the technician looked in the spouse's ears they were packed with wax. Turns out that when you wear hearing aids it can, over time, pack the ear wax into the ear canal.
The next day the spouse went to the doctor to get his ears roto-rootered. He reported that there were chewing gum sized wads of gunk in his ears!
Who knew that hearing aids could cause the formation of giant wax plugs that interfere with hearing. Since the wax vacuum sucked the gunk out of his ears he can hear again and the TV plays at a reasonable level.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I learned from this experience was after writing the above I googled "ear wax images." I was looking for a picture for the top of the post. Take my word for it, you don't want to see those images!
Ear wax, one more thing I get to look forward to on my journey to old age.
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I have to have my ears roto-rooters every five years or so, and I don't wear hearing aids. It just builds up and one day, I can't hear out of one of them. In Boulder, my doctor would put me in a room with the water squirter and told me to go to town myself. She came in and checked my progress and finished up what I missed. I wish more doctors would do that...
ReplyDeleteIt's too much of a palaver for me to have my ears syringed at our doc's surgery, as we're instructed to use drops every night for a week, before coming in. The theory is it loosens up and softens the wax. The reality is, it stinks to high heaven and stains the pillowcases! We never realise our hearing is impaired until AFTER having our ears syringed, it's a fact! All my adult life I've trotted along on an annual basis to have it done - up until moving here. It's ten years since my last one (mutter, mutter)!
ReplyDeleteHello, #1. Like your work and thought I had a comment, but Rambo is pretty hard to follow. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Thanks for your discretion about not showing those ear wax pictures.
ReplyDeleteI have to have this done fairly often. It's always such a relief, although I accuse people of shouting for quite a while afterwards.
ReplyDeleteAh, This was a great post! I had my ears vacuumed once and it felt so good. Mine was full of fluid. Since I recently got hearing aids, for many of the same reasons your spouse did, I have noticed them not working so well lately. So, I am thinking I may have to make an appointment as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! You just never know who is going to be the one who needs it!
Thanks also for your comments on my recent post. I appreciate your encouragement.
When we were kids, we used to say, "Mind your own ear wax." I have no idea why we said that to each other. Now, I learn we should mind our ear wax to make sure it doesn't build up.
ReplyDeleteNo, old age won't be fun, not at all, but just think of the alternative!
ReplyDeleteGreetings From Southern California
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you picked the cat photo. Ear wax is ugly stuff!
Thanks for your recent visit to My Blog
Have a great weekend :-)
I learned a lot on this post and thank you for the warnings. I also incidentally learned not to read elderblog posts while eating breakfast.
ReplyDeleteOh, this made me laugh! Men tend to be stubborn, for sure, but the earwax, now, that's the most stubborn thing of all.
ReplyDeleteNow this is irony at its finest - fix your hearing by putting a device in your ear that then in turn causes an interruption in your hearing due to its very presence in your ear. Oy! Glad he's got it worked out!
ReplyDelete1nana, a very interesting blog and very informative. Thanks - Dave
ReplyDeleteHave you had the battle of the batteries yet? My spouse's batteries last about a week. When they fail, the hearing aid buzzes or whines. He then takes out the aid and puts it in his pocket. (Why is he the only one in recent memory who has only one hearing aid?) This invariably happens on Sunday at the beginning of the sermon. I have suggested that he change the battery every Sunday before we go to church. You can imagine how that goes over.
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh! For several years I volunteered at a free 2-day children's health clinic. In the planning meetings leading up to the event we had numerous, DETAILED discussions about ear wax, removal, and making sure there were enough supplies and tools on hand for the ENT's to use.
ReplyDeleteAfter every discussion, we'd all look around at each other and laugh wondering what people would think when they read our meeting minutes years down the road.