How Brad regained his hearing

By Amanda Barbur, Doctor of Audiology; Amanda’s Family Hearing

Procrastinating about getting your hearing tested is something I, along with my fellow doctors of audiology Kevin Burkitt and Julia Saxon, encounter often. People recognize they have hearing loss, but don’t realize what a negative impact it can have on their quality of life, often leading to depression, isolation, cognitive loss and physical decline.

Meet Brad W. of Parma.

Even though he was in kindergarten when his moderate hereditary hearing loss was first detected, the family decided not to correct it with hearing aids.

He did well in school and became a firefighter and paramedic. Five years ago, at the age of 43, he noticed that the loss was becoming an issue in his life.

“I was starting to bury my head in my phone to avoid interacting with others and it was becoming a real communication issue. My lip-reading and contextual inferences were only taking me so far,” says Brad. “It was also becoming clear that I was a real pain to my wife, family and coworkers, making them repeat things all the time.”

Although he was concerned about the stigma of wearing hearing aids, thinking they were “for old people,” he came to me for testing and I diagnosed his loss and fit him with the latest Bluetooth-enabled hearing devices.

“I heard sounds and tones I’ve never heard before in my life,” he says. “It was an incredible experience. I was expecting people to notice and give me a hard time about wearing them, but everyone in my life has been so supportive. Whenever someone with hearing loss notices my aids and asks me about them, I tell them not to waste time and get them as soon as possible. You don’t realize how much you’re missing until you get it back.”

Amanda’s Family Hearing is located at 1701 Mentor Avenue, Suite 5, in Painesville. Call 440-357-4327 or visit AmandasFamilyHearing.com for more information.