Coping With Hearing Loss

My Weekly's favourite GP Dr Sarah Jarvis from TV and radio writes for you

- Dr Sarah Jarvis

As a GP I spend much of my time advising people on the importance of getting health checks-hearing, vision, cholesterol, blood pressure and cancer screening among others. Of course, I can't experience every condition my patients have, but I always try to put myself in their shoes whenever I can.

I've been working as a medical advisor with hearing specialist Amplifon, to raise awareness of the impact of untreated hearing loss. As part of this work, I was offered the opportunity to have noise-canceling ear moulds fitted for a day, to experience hearing loss for myself.

I agreed, but only on a day when I wasn't working. I know many people of working age have hearing issues, but I couldn't imagine trying to carry out a patient consultation or doing a radio interview if I couldn't hear properly.

On the appointed day, I arrived in good time at the hearing centre. I found myself much more conscious than usual of sounds around me birdsong, music on the radio, the pedestrian light beeping.

My audiologist was friendly, professional and reassuring. I went through a thorough check of my ears and he set about fitting the moulds, which are used to produce noise-cancelling earphones or swimming earplugs.

My first thought, as the second mould was fitted, was that the audiologist who had been looking after me was playing a trick. His mouth was moving but no sound was coming out - surely he was just pretending to speak? But no - when I strained very hard I could hear a very indistinct voice. I found myself concentrating on his lips, trying to make out what he was saying.

But within seconds, I resorted to asking him to speak up, and then to write down what he was saying so I could understand.