"YOU'VE LOST ABOUT 60% of your hearing in your right and it's permanent." "What?!" I stared at the audiologist.
So he repeated himself, louder this time. He thought I couldn't hear him, which I suppose makes sense given that his entire job is assessing hearing problems. But I had heard him. I was just in shock. I was relatively young45 years old and healthy. I am a fitness instructor. A wife, and mom of five kids. How had this happened? How am I supposed to live my life with one ear? I burst into tears.
Losing my hearing overnight
Right before Thanksgiving 2023, I got what I thought was a minor head cold. No fever, no pain, no cough-just some congestion and stuffiness that made my right ear feel as if it was underwater. I told people it was probably just a sinus thing as I instructed them to "talk to my good ear." I figured it would resolve on its own eventually.
It didn't. One month went by, then two, and I still couldn't hear well, but because of holiday busyness I didn't get it checked out. It wasn't until the end of January, when I went to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor for an unrelated issue, that I thought to mention it. As soon as I did, the doc looked at me in alarm and told me to make an appointment for a hearing test the next day.
This story is from the September 2024 edition of Reader's Digest US.
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This story is from the September 2024 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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