Thursday, December 13, 2018
I almost missed this appointment because I somehow got it in my head that it was on Friday the 13th! Good thing I checked my Google calendar before bedtime and thus was able to set my alarm clock. 7:30 a.m. came early and I would have much rather slept; but I had to get up, get in the shower, and wake Linda up so she could make coffee. We arrived in the Union City Hearing Center at 10:55 a.m.
Dr. Ahuja took us into a different office, just as difficult for Linda to get her scooter in. But I was glad she was there and could see and hear everything that was being said. The hearing aids and accessories were on Dr. Ahuja’s desk and she showed me how to put them in and take them out. Over and over until she was reasonably sure I could do it on my own. I think I will need to cut my fingernails! At least on the index fingers. It was easier to work with the right side, but I will need to practice on the left side until it becomes easier.
She showed me how to replace the parts that will become worn after a few months and how to put the hearing aids in the charger that we paid an additional $150 for. Then she phoned for some technical assistance, I think from Samsung, in order to program my Galaxy S5 to pair with the hearing aids. When that was done, to check it, she had Linda call me on my cell phone so I could hear that her voice was coming directly into my hearing aids because of the Bluetooth connectivity. Cool, huh?
Finally, she said I should make an appointment for two and a half weeks (which actually turned out to be four weeks because of the holidays). And she accompanied me out to the receptionists’ desk where I paid and scheduled the follow-up appointment for 9:30 a.m., Monday, January 14, 2019.
On the way out, we passed the Vision Essentials store and Linda thought I should take time to look at glasses frames while we were here. But I was more interested on exploring the possibilities of getting my thyroid medicine today. (To be continued, maybe between Christmas and New Year’s.)
I spent the rest of the day and evening discovering what sounds I could now hear. Background noises in videos. The kitchen clock ticking. The sound of chewing my own food. I had to turn down the volume on my computer speakers because, yes, Linda, it had been indeed too loud!