I Can't Hear You - But I Will Soon

Today I finally took the big step. I ordered my first pair of hearing aids. I started to notice that I was having difficulty hearing about 10 years ago. I became an annoyance to my friends in grad school, because as we sat in class I was always having to ask the nearest person to repeat what was being said. In the past few years my students have become impatient when I have to ask them to repeat what they are saying numerous times. The conversation usually ends with, "Never mind." Since moving back to Texas, I start each school year by trying to explain to my students that I suffer from hearing loss and that they need to be looking at me when they speak. I have become an expert lip reader. This was confirmed by my audiologist. In fact, he was rather amazed at my ability to read lips. Lip reading however, does not help when a fire alarm goes off and I can't hear it. I wait to see other classes passing by to confirm that the kids have not planned an elaborate ruse to disrupt the learning process. More than once I have missed an important phone call because the phone that is inches from me is ringing, and I can't hear it. There is one advantage. The fire alarm in the school library, where I spend a great deal of time, is defective and rings nonstop for hours on a weekly basis. It drives my sister, the librarian crazy. I don't hear a thing. Everyone who knows me feels the need to point out how loudly I talk. Hopefully, the volume of my voice will decrease with my new "ears". The doctor told me that they should be in my ears in a week and a half. I can't wait!

As a side note, it's sad that part of the delay comes from the fact that hearing aids start at about $3500 and are not covered by insurance. I could get braces on my teeth, get a prosthetic device, purchase new glasses or visit a psychiatrist for a small copay, but hearing aid coverage - zilch.