Lend Me Your Hear
My whole life I have cleaned out my ears with Q-Tips. I've heard a million times that it's bad for your ears, but I never had any problems with it so I've always done it.
But this it not a post about my hygiene habits. This is a post about hearing - or rather hearing loss.
Over time I've noticed that my hearing is getting worse. I can hear things, they just sound more garbled than ever. I know that people my age suffer hearing loss from listening to a lot of loud music. Even though I've listened to my share, I missed out on a lot of loud music other people my age were exposed to. I've owned at least three cars that didn't have a radio, let alone a stereo. Any car stereo I have owned was factory installed and not that great. I've never owned a home stereo system. Seriously. I've never been able to afford to. I didn't attend a live rock concert until I was 33 years old. So my hearing loss and/or decline probably has less to do with loud music and more to do with the aging process.
But then again, maybe it's the Q-tips. So I bought an ear wax removal kit and took care of it. I can't tell if it helped but I haven't had to ask anyone to repeat themselves ever since, so maybe there is something to it.
The other reason I wanted to do this is from listening in on conversations between pateints and families. They go like this.
Patient: Will you get my hairbrush out my bag.
Famiy Member: Huh?
Patient: My hairbrush.
FM: Your hairbrush?
Patient: Can you get it out of my bag?
FM: Okay. Where did you put it?
Patient: Huh?
FM: Your bag.
Patient: What?
FM: Where did you put your bag?
Patient: Look behind the suitcase over on the couch.
FM: Huh?
Patient: Look behind the suitcase over on the couch.
FM: (Rustling around through patient's belongings) I don't see it. Are you sure you packed it?
Patient: Huh?
Four hours of this is maddening.
But this it not a post about my hygiene habits. This is a post about hearing - or rather hearing loss.
Over time I've noticed that my hearing is getting worse. I can hear things, they just sound more garbled than ever. I know that people my age suffer hearing loss from listening to a lot of loud music. Even though I've listened to my share, I missed out on a lot of loud music other people my age were exposed to. I've owned at least three cars that didn't have a radio, let alone a stereo. Any car stereo I have owned was factory installed and not that great. I've never owned a home stereo system. Seriously. I've never been able to afford to. I didn't attend a live rock concert until I was 33 years old. So my hearing loss and/or decline probably has less to do with loud music and more to do with the aging process.
But then again, maybe it's the Q-tips. So I bought an ear wax removal kit and took care of it. I can't tell if it helped but I haven't had to ask anyone to repeat themselves ever since, so maybe there is something to it.
The other reason I wanted to do this is from listening in on conversations between pateints and families. They go like this.
Patient: Will you get my hairbrush out my bag.
Famiy Member: Huh?
Patient: My hairbrush.
FM: Your hairbrush?
Patient: Can you get it out of my bag?
FM: Okay. Where did you put it?
Patient: Huh?
FM: Your bag.
Patient: What?
FM: Where did you put your bag?
Patient: Look behind the suitcase over on the couch.
FM: Huh?
Patient: Look behind the suitcase over on the couch.
FM: (Rustling around through patient's belongings) I don't see it. Are you sure you packed it?
Patient: Huh?
Four hours of this is maddening.