r/APD

Hi! This might get long so I apologize in advance.

I was recently evaluated for APD, and scored one point higher than is needed for a diagnosis. Doctor was emphatic with how frustrating that is, since I don’t have enough deficits to diagnose, (therefore insurance won’t cover a hearing aid and my job doesn’t have to give me any accommodations) but I’m having very real struggles in my everyday life. Her recommendations were getting AirPods Pro 2 or newer ones, which have hearing aid capabilities, and trying recourses like Lumosity, L.A.C.E., and Brain HQ. I’ve ordered a new pair of AirPods despite not really wanting to, and now that I’m off work for my weekend, I’ll be looking into those other recourses, but I can’t afford to pay for any of those. She wasn’t sure if any had a free option but thought one did at least. Is anyone familiar with any of these and/or the hearing aid feature on AirPods Pro 3? Have any of these things been helpful to anyone or should I be preparing myself for disappointment and frustration?

I’m also wondering about ways my job might be able to support me. I work in the emergency department of a veterinary hospital, and when it’s busy or loud, I’m not able to understand what’s being said on the PA system. I’m terrified of missing triages or stats because I never know if they’re calling for something relevant to me or if it’s for another department completely. This is a new job that I just started at in March. I’ve been getting by with asking people around me what’s being said but sometimes no one is really sure/there’s no one around to ask and it really makes me anxious, because the last thing I want is for it to look like I’m just ignoring these pages. I know that they’re not required to do anything, since I don’t have any diagnosed hearing deficits, but does anyone have any ideas that they might be willing to try out with me? I’m also nervous about trying to wear AirPods while at work, since we’re typically not allowed to. I’ll definitely email my boss before I try to wear them at work and make sure it’s okay, but I’m just overall anxious.

If you got this far, thanks for reading. I guess I’m just overwhelmed and frustrated with a plethora of medical issues right now, and this hasn’t been helping lol but yeah. I’d really appreciate anything anyone has to say about navigating not being able to hear, but not having a diagnosis to explain it. Thanks friends!