Tone of voice

[lholl36233]

I go to the hairdresser with my mother and sister who tell me they can hear every word I'm saying to the person doing my hair, KJ.  I can hear KJ but I can't hear anyone else's conversations.

My mother says I raise my voice in the salon but I speak in a normal tone everywhere else.  Maybe that helps me hear myself above noise like multiple hair dryers running at the same time?  My sister must have perfect hearing to hear me above all the noise? (Must be nice?)

I can tell you the idea of going to a concert does not appeal to me.  Too much loud background noise.  I went to a Hard Rock Cafe and have no desire to go back.

Does this happen to anyone else?

[NancyMc]

Yes.  I have the same experiences.  However, going to a concert is not a problem . . . unless you are trying to have a conversation with more than one person at the same time.
It takes a while for friends and family to understand our situational disadvantage.  Don't take it personally.
Nancy

[wendysig]

When you are SSD background noise makes everything harder to hear, if not impossible.  I will miss never going to a concert again because I enjoy them, but with only one working ear, it's just not worth taking the chance of damaging my remaining hearing.  As for background noise elsewhere, I try to avoid noisy situations as much as I can but some are unavoidable.  I have a couple of favorite restaurants that I go to at slightly off hours to avoid the crowds so I can enjoy them.

Wendy

[Jim Scott]

lholl36233 ~

I've been SSD for almost ten years and I've learned to adapt.  That takes time.  Since I've been SSD, I've attended one music concert in a relatively small venue and a play, in a fairly large venue.  The concert didn't pose a problem because it was loud enough to hear and drown out ambient noise but the play was occasionally a bit of a strain to hear clearly, even though speakers were close by.  Movies are easy because the 'surround-sound' is loud enough to hear clearly.  I don't abuse my remaining hearing but I doubt being exposed to an hour or two of slightly-louder-than-normal sound is detrimental to my hearing. 

I agree that your tone of voice is important.  As a former radio broadcaster, I have a fairly strong voice and, by training, I 'project' it, so I'm usually a tad louder than most folks in almost any setting - but not to the point of annoying others.  Yet, I'm easy to hear.  I can't say the same for other people.  When you're SSD, it's amazing how quickly you realize how many people talk too softly or mumble, making them difficult to hear, clearly.  Even my wife, who is well aware of my hearing deficit and tries to accommodate it most of the time, occasionally speaks a bit too softly in a noisy  environment (restaurant) or speaks to me while walking away, making me either walk after her to hear or simply shout 'what?'.  As I stated, one adapts, but slowly. 

Jim

[lholl36233]

Thank you Jim.  I don't think I'm loud enough in the salon to annoy others, just easy to hear.  I'd better not say anything to get myself in trouble.   

Another thing happens to me at work.  I'll hear someone say, "Laura" but I don't know exactly who called me.  I go, "Did someone call me?"

[leapyrtwins]

Since my AN surgery I talk louder in general - even when wearing my BAHA.

Sometimes I think it's because I now realize how many people are low talkers and/or mumblers and I'm trying not to be one of them. 

I don't mind loud places, I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'll never hear a conversation while I'm in one     I loved the Hard Rock in NYC - I visited Chicago's Hard Rock soon after and it was nothing compared to NYC.

Jan