My Hearing - Where Did It Go?
By Tim LesmeisterI just picked up my new custom-fitted hearing protectors a few days ago. I'm upgrading from the analog units I've been using for the past five years to the new digital models that are available now. Truly, there is no comparison between the old units and these new ones. The sound quality of the digital units are far superior and from what my hearing specialist told me, the newer units are also going to increase the protection levels when I pull the trigger.
About seven years ago I opted to begin wearing hearing protection when I hunt after receiving some not-so-great news after a hearing test I received during a routine physical. The years of slinging lead at big game, birds and varmints had taken a toll on my hearing and if I didn't salvage what I had left, in a few short years, I was told, I would be purchasing hearing aids that would become permanent fixtures in my ears.
I never failed to shove those foam plugs in my ears when I was on the target range, but when it came to hunting I needed the benefit of hearing, so closing the hole in my ear was never an option. I always figured one or two shots wouldn't make a difference, but I was terribly wrong. My hearing specialist is Mark Rother, better known as The Hearing Aid Doctor, and what he had to tell me woke me up.
"One shot is all it takes to damage your hearing," said Rother, "and you can never, ever, get it back. There is no cure for hearing loss when the hearing is damaged by loud noise and once it's gone, it's gone for good. The only option you have when you have hearing loss is to use hearing aids."
I immediately realized I was either going to pay now or pay later. The first thing I did was buy some generic hearing protection that had some amplification. These one-size-fits-all units worked alright as long as I wasn't moving, but when I was stomping through sloughs chasing birds or doing a deer drive they worked loose and didn't perform. I finally checked out a pair of custom fit units. Man, were they expensive.
"They're worth every penny," said Rother. "The hearing protectors that are custom fit to your ear canals give you the most protection and when you consider the cost of those compared to the hearing aids you're going to need when you have reached the point of heavy loss, the investment you make early on is well worth it."
I was sold and made the investment. My last hearing exam showed I was a little lower on some frequencies than I was the time before, but that's probably due to age. The reduction is slight and that wouldn't have been the case if I had chosen to do nothing at all. Without using hearing protection when I hunt the loss would have been dramatically worse.
"What hunters don't realize," said Rother, "is that even one shot is detrimental to hearing. And it's a cumulative thing. You might not notice the problem for 10 or 15 years, but when you do, it's too late."
The last time I went pheasant hunting with a big group I was the only one with hearing protection. In a duck blind last fall with three other hunters I was the only one with hearing protection. In a big party of deer hunters at the Governor's Deer Opener last November I was the only one with hearing protection, and there were easily over 40 hunters there. It just doesn't seem like hunters get it.
The bottom line: You can either pay now or pay later, but at some point you will be buying something that amplifies sound and putting it in your ear because of your passion for hunting. It will either be because you want to maintain your healthy hearing situation or you'll need them just to hear because of the damage you inflicted over the years to yourself when hunting.
If you have any questions about custom-fitted hearing protection feel free to use my resource. Mark Rother is The Hearing Aid Doctor and he can be reached at 952-882-9190. He'll gladly address any concerns and his number one priority is to make sure people don't have to ask themselves, "My Hearing - Where Did It Go?"
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