Day One

Well, I've come back to York.

And importantly, went to the hospital this morning for a hearing aid fitting. Firstly, aren't hospitals big places?? Secondly, upon the fitting and leaving the soundproof room - it's was WEIRD!! These new hearing aids are six years more advanced than my old ones. And as important, they're also brand new. I don't know quite what I was expecting from them, but everything is radically different already. Don't forget, I lost my hearing when I was 17-18, and that was a good 15 years ago. Suddenly - yet again - I have to adapt to noises I haven't heard in all that time. Apparently, it's going to take a month or two to adapt to the new aids, but the good news is that they will be a lot better.

I am hearing so much more. There are now sounds within sounds, if that's the best way to describe something so subjective. I'm not hearing much that I didn't hear before, but all these sounds are suddenly more complex, and more rich/lilting. When I left the hospital and was out in the street, I was pretty disoriented as I was hearing more traffic noises than I have in years. It was confusing and hard to judge what was what and where it was coming from. But I'm going to get better and better. Plus, these things have a Mode 2 for noisy environments. Note to self: must try the pub tonight. ;-)