My Experience with Hearing Aids.

My hearing aid experience begins with me getting and hearing test back early in 2005 and being told that I really needed hearing aids. I really had no idea what to expect or even what I needed. I was having issues understanding what people was telling me, and at times not even hearing people talk to me.
But to go a lot farther back in time when I was mustering out of the Navy back in very early 1977, I was given a hearing test and was told that I had a hearing loss, but they did not say anything to me about needing aids or that I should have gone as soon as possible to the VA and get into the VA system. I pretty much just for got about it. Then again in about 1992 I was working on a government job and was given a hearing test and again was told I had a hearing loss, but again was not really told I needed help with hearing or that I should seek further help.
Then in 1999 I had a job as phone support specialist and was noticing myself shouting into the phones when I had some one on the other end that was in a very noise server data center, and I was also being asked by others that worked with me to hold it down. But still I was not willing to go and seek the help that I needed. So I just kept putting it off.
Then fast forward to 2005. I start by searching the Internet for information about hearing aids. And I ended up with an audiologist that was recommended by a hearing aid company that their aids sound good to me. And to be Honest that was a big mistake, but at least I managed to get started on my journey.
It has been my experience that it takes your brain about 6 weeks to 3 months to get use to hearing aids. The aids will be letting you hear so many different sounds that you have not been able to hear or maybe the sounds are just so much louder that they seem to be new. Believe me brain hearing is a true statement and your brain has to get use to the new/old sounds that it has forgotten about. I can only imagine what it is like for someone that is deaf that gets implants and are then able to hear. To give you just one example, upon leaving the audiologist after getting my first aids, I got into my car and was hearing something that I did not know what it was, it turned out to be the turn signal, I never knew that they made any sound. I could goon and on but I believe you can figure it out from there. Also it was great to be out in nature again and hear the bees, and the birds etc.
You will need to be very patient when you get your first set of aids, not only with it take time to get them adjusted correctly but you will have to adjust also to the new sounds of your environment.