Digital miracles

For years I've suffered from Tinnitus. A hangover from my teenage years of listening to loud music through headphones followed by loads of concerts in my twenties and thirties. You know that loud wine you get in your ear after you come out of a gig? No, not your other half! It used to fade away, but some years ago it decided to stay. And get louder. And louder. Until the high pitched ringing started to be louder than the things we are all supposed to hear. Like birdsong. A conspiratorial whisper. Or what someone sitting next to you is saying without having to look at them and try and lipread! As I type, I realise what a virtual tap dance is being played out on the keyboard - it's so loud!! So, much to the delight of my OH - I took myself off to the doctors in February for a hearing test. And guess what? I have what they call "high tone" deafness, and mild hearing loss. This morning I took charge of a minor miracle in the latest digital technology. An "open mould" digital (Siemens, no less) hearing aid. A whole new and noisier world is opening up to me. I had not realised what a muffled environment I had been living in for many years. I hope the Tinnitus will subside - it is believed that as a sufferer gets used to all the "normal" everyday noises around them that the alien ones will fade into the background. For now, I am in awe. I will also be doing more typing on my lovely quiet laptop because the pc is so noisy!!