It was the middle of last summer when, after seeing so many full-page ads in the paper for hearing aids, I thought those companies must really be raking in the dough to afford such expensive self promotion. Then I did some checking on the high cost of today’s high tech devices for cranking up the audio portion of our five senses program to levels that have been turned down by advancing age or excessive exposure to loud noise.
Holy Tinnitus!
A recent survey published by the Hearing Review found that mid-range hearing aids average around $4,000 a pair and most insurance providers do not cover this cost. Lord, I thought, I’m glad all those decades playing drums right next to the PA speaker didn’t cause any damage.
Just a few weeks later, I got the sensation in my right ear that felt just like when you’re flying and ears plug up because of the altitude change. Some chew gum to get rid of it I’ve always been able to open my canal with a yawn. So that’s what I was doing most of the day when I encountered sudden partial deafness. But it didn’t help.
Oh No..I thought while constantly testing the severity of my loss by rubbing two fingers together in front of each ear; loud and clear in my left..barely a sound in the right. Well, that does it, I thought. Next stop Ryerson’s..and then to Home Federal to try float a loan.
But, procrastinator that I am..I kept putting it off until one day recently, I repeated the finger rubbing test and I’ll be darned if my right ear hearing hadn’t markedly improved. Thanks Lord..auditory and financial crisis averted.
Oh, Linda and I still can’t hear each other when trying to communicate in our little house but it’s usually because I’m in my man cave with the TV on too loud.
A recent check-up with the doctor revealed no health issues of consequence other than the familiar request for me to shed pounds; lots of them. I finally concluded that he might have a point and have embarked on the last diet of whatever life I have left. It has been 8 weeks of joy and frustration but, as of this morning, I’m no longer lugging around 23 pounds. Only another hundred or so to go.
So..the hearing issue has apparently healed on its own; the obesity is a work in progress but determination to succeed has not wavered. So everything is hunky dory. “Hunky Dory”..I wonder where that phrase came from. Googleing : Ugh..no real help:
There’s no agreed derivation of the expression ‘hunky-dory’.
It is American and the earliest example of it in print that I have found is from a collection of US songs, George Christy’s Essence of Old Kentucky, 1862.We do know that ‘hunky-dory’ wasn’t conjured from nowhere but was preceded by earlier words, i.e. ‘hunkey’, meaning ‘fit and healthy’ and ‘hunkum-bunkum’, which had the same meaning as ‘hunky-dory’. ‘Hunkey’ was in use in the USA by 1861, when it was used in the title of the Civil War song A Hunkey Boy Is Yankee Doodle.
See..this is why I can’t get anything done. Too many diversions when on the computer.
The real reason I started this blog was to tell you about my latest physical malady. I’m going blind.
Okay, slight exaggeration.
I was in our bright family room watching football on a recent Sunday when I noticed that my glasses..at least one of the lenses..wasn’t clean even though I’d just used a lens wipe on them. After closer inspection, the glass on both sides appeared free of smudge. So I performed my own exam which turned out to be a real eye opener. Closing my left eye..all was well; bright and clear. Closing my right eye..not so much; like looking through a sheer curtain. Just some leftover sleep in my eye, I thought..a bit of rubbing and blinking will take care of it. Nope. Eye drops; (I hate those) no help. Now, I’m a little scared. What’s going on?
Monday morning I’m in Dr. Haiar’s optometrist office seeking an explanation and resolution. After several tests, I was relieved to hear that I don’t have glaucoma and my eyes are in real good health for a fella of my advanced age. One problem, though…and it’s another side effect of being older than dirt; Cataracts…or more specifically, a cataract that has decided to take up residence in my left eye clouding my view of the world.
My immediate thought was, no problem, I’ll wait it out and just like my right ear..it will heal itself. “Doesn’t work that way, Doug” said the sympathetic but firm Dr. Haiar. Your choices are living with the fog or have cataract surgery which is not a major deal anymore and Medicare covers the cost.
So what to do? What to do? I’d almost prefer dealing with a little visual cloudiness than somebody slicing into my eyeball.
I’ll let you know.
I’m going to give this self-healing thing a few more months.
9 Responses
You are looking wonderful! So proud of you and Tara and the courage, love and commitment you both have.
Eyes and ears don’t work so well anymore, unfortunately my taste buds seem to be working to well. When I was on chemo and radiation they cautioned me not to lose too much weight. Once I stopped losing the old pounds have started to reappear on their own. Now to take some back off.
Dump the carbs. I’m down 51 pounds as I round the corner to the last 1/8 of my life…optimistically assuming a life-span of 80.
When I go to the eye doctor and she asks if I want to book for next year I ask her: “Are you an optometrist or an optimist?”
Congratulations on the weight loss! One thing that always sticks in my mind from my own weight loss adventures is to be happy about the success, no matter how far you’ve come or still have to go. If you think of every pound off being the size and weight of a pound of butter, you get a better sense of the accomplishment represented by every one. Of course, butter is not always my friend no matter how often it whispers in my ear! 🙂
I remember Grandma Lund having cataract surgery and how much it helped her. You know well how opposed she was to all things medical, so just get it scheduled!
Love you whether you lose weight or not, can hear or not, can see or not! Just want the best of everything for you!
Doug, check with your insurance agent about those hearing aids. Most companies can add a rider to your homeowners policy to cover hearing aids and eyeglasses. Usually it is a rate-per-hundred of coverage. There also probably will be a choice of deductibles.
I just went throught the cataract surgery the first of October. Great results and very easy to go through. Don’t wait to get this done. The cataract happens so gradual that you do not realize how much vision you lose. You will be amazed at how the colors will change.
Doug, don’t wait to have your cataract removed as it will only continue to get more cloudy. I had them in both eyes and had them removed about 6 weeks apart. I could not believe how yellow my vision was in the one eye with the cataract left to be removed. My vision was 20/10 after the surgery and I only needed reading glasses with slight magnification which I purchased at the drug store. Don’t wait to get it done !!!
Get the cataract taken care of. Not a big deal and you won’t believe what you haven’t been seeing
I remember my dear uncle’s words: I can hear just fine, but people just don’t talk loud enough ! There’s a lot of truth to that, because I can hear some people just fine and others not so much but many people mumble. I’m not ashamed to tell people it helps me if they will just speak louder.
Good luck with the cataract removal. It will be great.