Each post will begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet beginning with A and finishing with the letter Z.
I began participating in this challenge in 2012. With the exception of last year, I believe I completed the challenge each year. Last year I lost steam somewhere around the letter W.
eXam
I know it's a bit of a cheat, but you don't mind do you?
On Tuesday I have an appointment to have a hearing exam.
I've had several indications that I am experiencing hearing loss.
One of the first is me having to ask others to repeat themselves.
Then there are the times I have to turn on "closed caption" on the TV. Usually that is necessary when I am watching something on Netflix or Amazon Prime. For some reason the sound isn't as clear on those streaming apps.
Ross' hearing is better than mine. He always hears when "The Godfather" theme is playing on my phone letting me know I have a message. I don't hear it unless the phone is sitting right next to me.
I suppose for those reasons alone, it makes sense for me to have my hearing checked.
But, that's not the primary reason I am going for the exam.
In the past few month or so I have developed something called Tinnitus.
I have read that it is common as people age.
"Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. A common problem, tinnitus affects about 15 to 20 percent of people. Tinnitus isn't a condition itself — it's a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury or a circulatory system disorder."
My Tinnitus sounds like the sound you hear when you put a sea shell up to your ears. It's constant and at times distressful.
Most times I am distracted from it. That is when I am watching TV, listening to a book, or having a conversation.
I'm not sure what answers I will get on Tuesday. I wonder if I will pass the exam.
There are so few words that start with X that everybody needs to cheat at some point.
ReplyDeleteI have really bad tinnitus, particularly in my right ear. I sleep with white noise going all night just to block out the sound.
I bought a sound machine to try. It didn't work for me. TV noise seems to help. I set a timer.
DeleteLet us know. I think I'm losing my hearing which isn't good in my profession. I know sometimes I have trouble understanding children's voices (and not just little ones who are learning to talk but girls in particular around 10 years old).
ReplyDeletebetty
I have difficulty understanding my grandchildren. Part of it is my hearing, but I'm wonder if they speak as clearly as they could.
DeleteLast year I did "Xtra" for X. We kind of have to cheat here.
ReplyDeleteI do the captions for as much TV as I can nowadays. I think sometimes people mumble on TV. I worry about hearing loss, too.
I agree about the mumbling people on tv!
DeleteGood luck with your eXam. I've had tinnitus since my mid 40's. I remember the first time it hit...scared the crap out of me. Now it's constant. Mine is like crickets chirping all the time, sometimes louder than others. I have a very slight hearing loss. I notice it most when I can't see the lips of the person talking. Closed captioning is a big help!
ReplyDeleteDB McNicol, author
A to Z Microfiction: Xylophone
Thank you! I am trying to cope with the tinnitus. Some days it seem louder than others.
Delete