My First Pair of Hearing Aids

Before Kindergarten started, I was introduced to my teacher.  I was able to walk around the empty classroom and find my own desk.  Then the teacher showed me a box attached to a set of headphones.  I remembered the headphones from the hearing test and put them on.

The teacher held a microphone to her lips and began talking to me.  I could understand her!  The only time I would use the headphones was during story time.  I don't ever remember her using the microphone during any other time.

During my next visit to the audiologist, it was time to be fitted for ear molds.  A piece of cotton attached to a string was stuck in my right ear.  To this day, I cannot handle the feel of cotton balls....the mere thought of touching them brings prickly goosebumps to my skin.

I sat, with cotton strings from both ears, watching the audiologist mixing something.  I wish I knew what was going on!  He was stirring a goopy pink mix with a wooden popsicle stick.  Very quickly, the pungent smell of new plastic stung my nose.

He took this pink goop and scooped it into a plastic syringe.  I looked closely....I didn't see a needle.  I still had no idea what was going on and my imagination started to run wild.  I looked around the room and found my mom, silently watching.  I didn't see any concern or worry on her face, so I sat still and waited for what was to come next.

He tugged on my ear and began to squeeze the syringe....the soft, cold plastic quickly oozed into my ear, completely shutting out ALL sound.  He gently tapped and pushed on the plastic, making sure it had completely filled my inner and outer ear.

After filling my other ear, I entered into COMPLETE silence.  Wide eyed, I looked at my audiologist.  He held up his hand and gestured for me to "wait."  Wait?  How long?  There was no way to communicate.  It wasn't long before he tugged on the string and pulled the molds out of each ear.  My ears felt like they could finally breathe.  I felt like I could finally breathe.

A few weeks later, my ear molds arrived.  I was ready to be fitted with Behind the Ear (BTE) hearing aids.

It was winter time when I received my new hearing aids.  "I can hear the snow crunch!"  I excitedly told my mom while walking out to the car.  I was introduced to SO many sounds that day.  I asked a lot of questions: "Why is the cat roaring?" (He was purring) "What is that sound?"  "Where is it coming from?"


And so my journey into a new world of sound began....