Hear, Here

By: Dr. Dawn H. MacMillan, Audiologist Happy National S'mores Day ! To celebrate, we are sharing with you tips on how to prevent hearing loss. Each day in our office, we treat patients who feel like they are doomed to have hearing loss because someone in their family has hearing loss. While there may be a greater likelihood of developing hearing loss in those with a genetic link, often times it is because unhealthy hearing habits are passed down from generation to generation! Nights spent under the lights at the racetrack with no hearing protection, mowing the lawn with no hearing protection, smoking--there are  things you can do to reduce your risk of hearing loss. 1.) Move away from the noise- This doesn't mean you can't enjoy a good outdoor concert. While being near the action may be good for your soul, it's bad for you hearing. By putting some distance between you and the noise source, you are reducing he level of hazardous noise reaching your ears which is g...

By: Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist Imagine this. You make the decision to eat better and lose a few pounds. You go to the grocery store and buy a cart full of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. You arrive home from the grocery store, put all the food away. You are ready to take control of your waistline! But the next time you go into the kitchen for a snack, you pick up a sugary, pre-packaged snack made by a lady named Debby. You repeat this over the next week, eating lunches out when friends ask, foamy coffee drinks when the late afternoon slump hits. You step on the scale and are shocked! What?!? You didn’t lose a single pound! Are you really shocked? Of course not! The fruits and veggies you bought are moldy and furry! You bought the food but didn’t get in the habit of eating it. Hearing aids are no different. You can have the test, buy the aids, have them professionally fit and that fitting verified but if that’s all you do when you leave their office, the hearin...

By Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist 1. Realize that getting used to new hearing aids takes time. You probably didn’t lose your hearing overnight; you won’t adjust to new hearing aids overnight. Ask anyone who wears hearing aids and they’ll tell you their hearing aids probably didn’t sound “good” when they first put them on, they probably sounded “different”. Not necessarily ‘bad different’ but just different. Hearing aids may feel strange at first on your ears, especially if you wear glasses. Wearing glasses with hearing aids is ok! You may just not be used to having both glasses AND hearing aids behind your ears, don’t be alarmed if you need to wear them for a few days, or even weeks, before they become comfortable. When your Audiologist first puts your hearing aids in your ears, you may notice a big difference or no difference at all! This alarms some users but is normal. Depending on your level of hearing loss, you may have heard your audiologist in their quiet office eve...

This is going to be a much more personal, passionate post than past blog entries. The issues discussed below are obstacles I face everyday as a Doctor of Audiology and they aren't solved by slapping a widget on someone's ear and yelling "next!". I hope you will stick with me through it and return frequently for other entries regarding hearing healthcare. I fit numerous sets of hearing aids each week. Most of them on new users who have never worn hearing aids before. I always encourage my patients to bring someone with them to this visit. I find people respond better when they have a familiar voice to hear first through their hearing aid versus MY voice that they may not be familiar with beyond our first visit at their hearing test and subsequent hearing aid evaluation. I find that most people do not bring a communication partner with them. Whether is is because their adult children don't live here or are at work and can't break away or because they are tr...