I’m all ears
Monday August 18th 2008, 5:43 pm
Filed under: Non-Knitting

I was never great at following chartsI’ll have to drive an old clunker awhile longer.   The papers are signed: solar wins.  And… (pardon the cellphone photos)…

I asked John Miles, my longtime audiologist, if Sonic Innovations had ever yet come out with a more powerful hearing aid.  (Okay, yes, I know, if you click on SI’s link it looks like the guy is gargling his, but never mind.)  I had had a pair of theirs for awhile that were musically by far the most perfect hearing aids I have ever tried–but they just weren’t loud enough for someone at my level of deafness, they fed back too often, and eventually I had to replace them.  But the best of the rest of what was out there was just plain not pitch-perfect.  They drove me nuts.  You can’t tell me Alison Krauss is singing those top notes flat in real life, you know and I know it’s lazy software.  Grrr.

So.  I was in to John’s recently getting some work done, and happened to ask him if SI had ever yet come up with the hearing aids of my dreams.  Louder?  Got feedback suppression now?  He went and checked.  Yes!

There was some twiddle-your-fingers time in his office this morning with my ears hitched up to his computer as he was programming the new aids and walking through the new SI system, and out came the knitting.

silk snarl in the hearing equipment

And I bet I’m the first patient of his to snarl my silk in his telephone-cord-type testing setup.

I went home and, first thing I did was to listen to a favorite song on a musician friend’s CD.  And then: Alison Krauss, “Now That I’ve Found You.”  The way she really sounds.  Heavenly.

At last.  Oh, at last!


20 Comments so far
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I love that song! I’m so happy you were able to enjoy it again properly. P.S. My b-day book is on it’s way here. Wahoo!

Comment by Ruth 08.18.08 @ 7:19 pm

Great news about your hearing aid. Our daughter is cleft affected and her hearing is still within normal ranges, even though she currently has a hole that is 50% of her eardrum. We’ve spent many cleft team visits in that little soundproof room getting her hearing tested! She’s too small to have the hole grafted closed right now though. Anyway…good for you!!!
Blessings,
Lisa

Comment by Lisa 08.18.08 @ 8:16 pm

Yayy! (clapping) Hear, Hear!
Congratulations!

Comment by slimsdotter 08.18.08 @ 8:29 pm

That made me tear up. I’m so happy for you!!

Comment by Lene 08.18.08 @ 9:13 pm

I am so happy for you, Alison. Alison Krauss is one of my favorites also. A friend was recently fitted with new hearing aids and she was surprised to discovere the sound her digital camera made when she took a snapshot. Enjoy all that music!

Comment by Joansie 08.19.08 @ 4:51 am

I knew there was more than reason that you were my friend. Alison Krauss – “the high lonesome sound” – I love that woman’s voice. When Neil and I were first dating and he knew I listened to country music, his nose did a bit of a scrunch up. Then he heard Alison Krauss – “that’s not country, is it?” “kind of -it’s called bluegrass in some places” “oh” “got ya, didn’t I?” silence “yeah, I guess there is some music out there in the fly over states….” We’ve gone to see her twice up in Philly. Once by herself and once with Robert Plant (who? what’s Led Zepplin?”

Comment by Afton 08.19.08 @ 5:16 am

I am SO very happy for you.

Comment by marianne 08.19.08 @ 5:49 am

OH, that is such good news. Solar AND Hearing. Wow. Two really life altering decisions. Hurray! Oh, and the car? If it still goes places, you’re probably doing ok. Hearing the high notes right? That’s a better thing entirely.

Comment by Joanne 08.19.08 @ 5:52 am

Congrats!! I hope you enjoy every sound you hear 🙂

Comment by Danielle from SW MO 08.19.08 @ 6:00 am

That is wonderful!!

Comment by Diana Troldahl 08.19.08 @ 6:15 am

Congrats on your new hearing! That must be awesome for you. Thanks for posting on my blog about your fight with Lupus. it is always so cool to know that we are not alone in this world and that others have the same struggles that we deal with on a daily basis. UV lights kill me. I hate them! And hate is a very strong word! congrats again. Hope you have a good day!

Comment by Lori 08.19.08 @ 7:57 am

Whoo-hoo! That’s GREAT news — what an excellent update of technology, eh? (That *and* the solar 🙂 )

Comment by Jocelyn 08.19.08 @ 8:03 am

Did you get color? Come on you know you wanted to. 😉

I love my Oticons. I’m about to probably take the plunge for the new ones in their line with bluetooth so I can leave my hearing aid in when on the cell phone.

Comment by Tiny Tyrant 08.19.08 @ 9:05 am

I was so glad for this good news, Alison.
Especially since you are so musical!
Thank goodness for new technology…

Comment by karin 08.19.08 @ 2:06 pm

Congratulations on the new ears! I saw the impact of hearing aides that don’t quite meet the mark recently with my dad. I cannot wait until his new one arrives. =-) Enjoy the lovely melodies!

Comment by Gigi 08.19.08 @ 3:52 pm

So happy for you, Alison. Now you’ll never be surprised in the shower again. 😉

Comment by Wunx~ 08.20.08 @ 1:02 am

Yay!!! How wonderful! Congrats. Enjoy.

Comment by Channon 08.20.08 @ 7:01 am

Wonderful, wonderful news! Yea, technology!

Comment by Laura in Alameda, CA 08.20.08 @ 10:59 pm

I’m glad you’re happy with your new hearing aids! My grandmother absolutely hates hers and refuses to wear them.

Comment by Sarah 08.21.08 @ 5:43 am

You can tell your grandmother I said to her: you don’t have a baby in a day, it takes a nine month process. When hearing aids are new to you, the world is suddenly WAY louder than you’re used to. You’re giving birth to being able to hear well again. It takes awhile for the brain to adjust to the new normal: there’s a period there where it startles, in effect, at the parts of sound it’s not used to. My first pair of aids, at 27, took me about four months to adjust to, and now I absolutely can’t imagine being without them.

Comment by AlisonH 08.21.08 @ 10:12 am



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