Customer Story: Barbara Land's Experience With Hearing Loss and Audicus Hearing Aids

We asked customers to send in stories about their hearing loss and experience with Audicus hearing aids. This week, we are happy to share with you Barbara Land's personal story about how she came to find Audicus hearing aids and hear the birds in the backyard once again.

Where do you live?

I live in St. Louis, Missouri.

What do you spend your time doing?

I work full time. In my "spare time" I love going out to dinner with family and friends, doing some traveling (would love to do more) and exercising- Zumba is my current favorite.

Can you describe your career/previous career?

In my work, I support the educational programs for continuing education for mental health professionals. It involves individual work with students, instructors and program directors and group meetings with other support staff.

When did you know you needed hearing aids? How?

Beginning about 5 years ago, I slowly came to realize that I was asking people to repeat themselves way more often than my co-workers. I definitely had trouble in meetings when people lowered their voices. I then began to  notice that I didn't enjoy going out very much any more because I had so much trouble in noisy environments.

How did you find Audicus?

I found Audicus after going to a private office for a hearing test and getting sticker shock at the hearing aids they recommended. I started doing some research online and thought I had nothing to lose by giving Audicus a try.

What was the most challenging thing for you to deal with without hearing aids?

The most challenging thing to deal with without hearing aids is the constant necessity to ask people to repeat themselves. It gets not only embarrassing, but you get to the point where you just smile and hope nobody notices.

What was the most meaningful experience for you after getting your hearing aids?

The most meaningful experience after getting hearing aids was noticing how much clearer everything sounds.

Can you describe your first few sounds?

The first few sounds I noticed were the birds in the backyard.

Can you describe what sounds you were missing out on?

I had not realized how muffled speech was, how I wasn't hearing the "s" sound- I just thought everyone was lisping! Hearing aids have given me back all those "s" sounds.

What advice would you give others with hearing loss?

I would tell others who suspect they have a hearing loss to get tested and get aids.

What would you tell people about Audicus?

Audicus is a great option for those who need hearing aids and cannot manage the extremely high prices of most clinics. Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your experience! Readers, do you have a story to share with us? Please email it to stories@audicus.com. Happy hearing!