Tinnitus - "Ringing in the ears, also pulsing, roaring, wooshing..."
10 Early Signs of Hearing Loss:
- Your significant other works as your interpreter, especially at parties, restaurants, or other noisy places, because your "educated guesses" at what is being said are often incorrect.
- When watching television, others in the room are asking you to "turn it down, it's too loud." But you think it's just about right.
- You need to ask people to rephrase or repeat what was said. Your excuse is that people mumble nowadays.
- You intently watch the face of the person speaking to you to understand what she or he is saying.
- You become frustrated and angry because you find that more and more you simply cannot understand what speakers at meetings or your minister at church are saying. You blame it on their lack of ability to speak clearly.
- It's hard to tell which direction sounds are coming from.
- You miss familiar sounds such as the telephone, the doorbell, or your alarm clock.
- You begin to notice ringing, hissing, or cricket sounds when you're in a quiet place. It may be tinnitus, which is caused by injury to the nerve receptors in your inner ear, the latter being the primary cause of permanent hearing loss.
- You wonder why recording artists do not articulate the words to their songs like they used to.
- You're starting to stay home from meetings, parties, or church services because you know that you will probably not be able to hear what is being said anyway.
-- Compiled by Joe Kleinsasser and Ray Hull