Finally realized that I need hearing aids
On 10-5-25 my ears didn't pop after a flight home to EWR from ATL. On descent, my ears hurt (first time ever) and I had no gum or water. I used to always buy gum but never had a problem so I stopped buying it. I'll never not have gum and water with me on flights. By day 2, people had to talk to my ear. The only way to talk on phone was hold it on my right shoulder with mic next to my ear. Could not hear the click of turning on a lamp, my apartment’s doorbell, and the beep from plugging in the instant pot. Waited 8 days to see an ENT that people raved about who did bilateral myringotomy and oral antibiotics. After 2 visits, I switched to an otologist who basically did the same thing.
A little over 7 months later, I have zero issues with the phone, in person, restaurants, the sounds I mentioned above. Hearing test doesn't show much improvement but I feel there is. Otologist says I need HAs to wear every minute. I said I'll get them and use them for, say, movies when I can hear but not understand (clarity) and in a car with people in back seat. Until THIS:
Last week for 3 nights in a row, my bedroom clock radio alarm went off at 12am. I was in my office at the computer. It shares a wall with my bedroom. I have it set between stations and loud, so all you get is horrible loud static but it gets me up out of bed. If I get up before the alarm and I forget to turn off the alarm, when I'm in my office or kitchen and it goes off as scheduled, it's SO LOUD that I RUN to my bedroom to turn it off thinking that every apartment near mine is hearing this.
I'm on the 6th floor. On night 3 of this, I went to the bathroom (next to the bedroom) and heard the alarm LOUD and clear. I learned that my clock radio alarm is designed to go for 1 hour and then shuts itself off. So I've gone in 7 months from hearing the alarm clock loud and clear when I'm in another room to having it so muffled that I thought it was 6 floors down in the parking lot. AND TODAY I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT COSTCO. First opening was JUNE 30!!!!! Obviously I DO NEED HAs, even in the house. Those 3 annoying nights saved me because without that, I don't think I would have accepted the truth. (The alarm was set clearly by me and I don't know why I was so careless to set it for midnight.)
1