Hearing loss was bringing uncertainty, stress and frustration throughout Josh Wagler’s life. Before getting his new hearing aids, Josh told us all about how it felt:
“Wherever I go, there is always a little lack of confidence in me because I am worried I misheard, or that I could be coming off as rude or ignorant,” said Josh.
Josh’s concerns centred around how his hearing loss affects his interactions with other people. “Missing out on any information can be incredibly frustrating for both parties,” he said.
“Personally, I do not like to repeat things more than once, whether it is re-doing work, or making a second trip to the grocery store because you didn’t hear the first (or maybe second) time.&rdquo
Hearing loss also caused Josh to miss out on opportunities, and to feel that he had sunk lower in the estimation of others.
“It can also instil a lack of confidence in you from your peers since they have to remind you, or end up doing something themselves when you could’ve easily helped,” said Josh.
“The hardest thing about hearing loss is the mental stress it can have on you,” says Josh.
And after receiving new hearing aids, Josh’s is much more optimistic.
“These new hearing aids will be a massive overall increase in my quality of life,” he says.
“Anything you can do to increase your quality of life is worth every bit of struggle.”