From the Experts

The other day, I was wrapping up an appointment with a dear patient of mine, who, despite doing quite well with her new hearing aids, shared with me how difficult it was to hear her husband at times.  “It is as if he doesn’t remember that I have this pretty severe hearing loss and thinks I’m ignoring him.  Here’s the thing about hearing loss: unlike

The other week I had a patient who came in quite sure that her hearing aids that weren’t working properly and that this was due to my lack of attention to her hearing aids.  After extensive testing and troubleshooting, it was determined that the hearing aids were working properly.  I ran additional hearing test measures  and we discovered that there like was a change in

Every morning, I sit on my front step and take in a few moments of quiet while a sip my coffee.  The mornings have gotten cooler and I am finding leaves scattered on my driveway and lawn.  Fall is upon us.  There is a quote that comes up on my feed every September: “The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to

The other day, towards the end of her appointment, I had a patient ask me what my most difficult kind of patient was.  You would think it’s someone with a severe hearing loss, oddly shaped ear canals, or even a difficult to test patient.  It’s not any of those cases.  The most difficult kind of patient, I tell her, is the one who hasn’t come

I recently consulted a patient who had significant hearing loss, on hearing device options.  She was cautious, and mid-consult, paused and asked me this question: “But what if they work too well?  What if my brain gets used to them and I can’t hear without them?”  We discussed this question at great length.   After she left, I reflected on our visit, and how fearful she

Two weeks into the new year, I am reflecting on how hard it has been to juggle change.  I think about how sometimes, we hold stories of those around us as our own and how it affects how we navigate our decisions.  I had a patient who came in to see me last week who had a pretty significant hearing loss and told me stories

“I wanted to know if they heard it as loud as I did,” my patient remarked, as we wrapped up a tinnitus treatment session.  She was telling me that she was often checking in with friends and family, asking them if they experienced their tinnitus as loud as she had.  The problem with that is that she was using people around her as a point

A few weeks ago, a patient revealed some things to me that he hadn’t shared in earlier visits.  He told me that he hadn’t realized how much having a hearing loss had changed him.  He told me that he would sit off to the side at social gatherings and when his friends would ask why he was so removed, he would tell them, “I just

At the moment this picture was taken, I am standing with my kids, bracing with pain but putting on a smile.  We were about to take a tour in and around the pyramids of Egypt.  It is all so surreal.  The sights (and how my limbs are feeling).  Ever find yourself asking, “How did I get here like this?” and also, “How will I keep