Don’s hearing loss began several years ago. Starting at the of 19, he served as a county firefighter, controlling and putting out fires as well as responding to emergencies involving area residents, property and the environment.

In the 1980s, when Don began his career, hearing protection was optional for firefighters.

Don says, “There were chainsaws, explosions, sirens and things popping and going off. Overtime, leadership began to tell us to use ear plugs, but we didn’t wear them on the truck because we needed to hear the radio as well as what was going on outside and around us, so we could respond quickly.”

The Challenges of Hearing Loss

Over the years, he found he had to turn his ear toward people as he strained to hear what they were saying.

Don says, “I could hear when people were speaking. I just couldn’t understand.”

Don’s hearing loss left him missing pronunciations as well as the sounds in song lyrics, the pitch of his daughter’s voice and any sound that was high-pitched. Sounds that were deep and loud were easier for him to hear.

“I had to turn the caption on when watching TV because people sounded like they were mumbling. I had trouble in restaurants, at parties, etc. I could hear to a degree, but I couldn’t understand. I had to ask people to speak up, and I had to watch their mouths. Many times, I would just laugh and say ‘yep’ when someone was talking to me because I didn’t hear what was said. Yet, people complained that I was screaming when I talked. And on many occasions at the fire station, my buddies would laugh when my watch alarm would go off repeatedly, and I didn’t respond to it.”

Retirement from the Fire Station and a Warm Welcome to the WakeMed Family

In 2017, the fire station ordered a hearing test for Don and found that he had significant hearing loss. He retired the following year in 2018 after 32 years of service.

Still a fairly young man and anxious to get back into service work, Don accepted a position in Raleigh, NC as an emergency medical technician in WakeMed Mobile Care Services. Initially, he was excited, but it wasn’t long before he noticed that hearing loss greatly affected his ability to perform on the job.

“I quickly realized my hearing was a problem,” says Don. “As a firefighter, my hearing loss wasn’t a problem because everything was loud, but at the hospital, it’s very quiet. I was missing out on important conversations and knew I had to do something about my hearing, but what could I do since I couldn’t afford hearing aids?”

Two of Don’s coworkers had hearing aids and gladly told Don that WakeMed provided hearing aids as a service of employment. Don was thrilled, especially since the cost of hearing aids was out of reach for him — with an average cost ranging from $3,000 to $8,000 per device.

“Right away, I scheduled a hearing test with Kelly Johnson, a WakeMed audiologist, at WakeMed ENT — Head & Neck Surgery — Raleigh Campus.”

Don was officially diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs following inner ear damage. It can also be caused by problems with the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Soft sounds may be hard to hear. Louder sounds may be unclear or may sound muffled. The most common type of permanent hearing loss, medication or surgery cannot fix sensorineural hearing loss, but hearing aids may help.

The Life-Changing Benefits of Hearing Aids

In November 2021, Don was fitted with small, high-tech, Bluetooth hearing aids that matched his skin and hair color, making them both hardly detectable and comfortable to wear.

“After I first tried them on, I was overcome with emotion,” Don says, choking up as he reflects on that day. “I asked the care team, ‘Is this how I’m supposed to hear?’ I was surprised by all the sounds I’d been missing out on.”

Recently, Don was assisting an emergent pediatric patient at WakeMed North Hospital. Eight members of the care team were hard at work, while Don was receiving guidance from a nurse, standing on the other side of the room.

Don smiles, “I was able to hear her just fine and take down notes. If it hadn’t been for my hearing aids, I wouldn’t have been able to do my job in that moment.”

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About WakeMed Adult ENT Services

At WakeMed ENT — Head & Neck Surgery, we offer a wide variety of services to treat all facets of adult ENT problems and diseases. All of our physicians are board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and are members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery.

Schedule an appointment at 919-350-EARS (3277).