Patient Testimonials
“They
complained that they couldn’t carry on a conversation with me in a
group, at synagogue or in a restaurant. My family had reached a point
of frustration, fussed at me continuously about not hearing. I just
knew that it was them mumbling. They also said I played the tv way too
loud and didn’t hear the phone ring. Well, that was in 1995.”
“Margaret and Lisa came in to see me about Margaret’s hearing loss. Margaret was convinced that everyone in the family was mumbling,” commented Dr. Sheri Weiner of Hearing Services of Tennessee. “Margaret was babysitting for her grandchildren, taking them to get their haircuts, among so many other things. They were worried for her safety and the safety of the kids.”
“Boy, was I surprised when the doctor told me that there was no medicine or surgery that would fix my hearing. I don’t mind telling you that I wasn’t too happy about that. But I cannot imagine my life without them. I am at such a loss without my hearing aids. I feel like a walking advertisement because I tell everyone I can how important they are and how much getting hearing aids changed my life.”
Her daughter-in-law Maxine continues, “As involved in the lives of her grandchildren and in the community as our Bubbe is, this has been such a gift for her and a great peace of mind for us.”
“Sheri and her staff have been so good to me all these years. I am proud to tell everyone I see that I use hearing aids and that I couldn’t be happier with this experience. It has been 12 years since I first got my hearing aids. How lucky I am. Why suffer when you don’t have to?”
“I
had reached a point of frustration, had stopped going to church, was
not involved in group activities”, Joan Sincerbox explained. “I had
known for several years that I had a hearing loss and hearing aids had
been recommended. I really just hoped it would go away if I ignored it.
Unfortunately, that was not to be the case.”
“I suffered for two years and finally mentioned it to my doctor who sent me to try hearing aids. What a horrible experience that was! I liked nothing about it. I couldn’t keep them in, , I couldn’t hear with them, my ears felt blocked and I just couldn’t wait to return them.” Mrs. Sincerbox went on to explain that she had been told bad things from friends about their hearing aid experiences and she just became very disillusioned after her own experience.
“She was at her wit’s end and near tears”, noted Frank Bauman, her friend of three years. “My wife told me about Joan not going to church because of her hearing and not pursuing her desire to get involved at the new Bellevue YMCA, so I called her up. I told her about my hearing loss and hearing experiences. I explained that I have a severe hearing loss and it took several trips and patience on my part, but that it was so well worth it. I encouraged her to call Dr. Sheri Weiner, my Audiologist at Hearing Services of Tennessee here in Bellevue.
“I knew Sheri because I had seen her several years before I tried hearing aids, in fact, she is the one who first identified my hearing loss. About the same time that I talked to Frank, I received a call from Vicki Balance at the Y wanting me to be in charge of the trips and tours for them. I went to a meeting of about five people and when I couldn’t hear or understand them, I knew that I couldn’t fulfill that commitment. I did explain to Vicki that I knew I had to do something and would get back with her if I was able to take care of my hearing problem. She was patient enough with me to wait til the first of the year. I called Sheri and she was kind enough to see me almost immediately.”
“As soon as I was fit with the newer open-type hearing aid, I noticed immediately that I could hear the blinkers on the car, the sounds in the room around me, could understand at church and in meetings. And, the best part, I did not feel stopped up and did not want to pull them out of my ears. I was able to accept the position at the Y, something that is near and dear to my heart. I am so fortunate to have friends like the Baumans and to have an Audiologist like Dr. Sheri. It had to be divine intervention.”
When asked what they wanted others to know from their experiences, Mr. Bauman said, “Don’t listen to others’ bad stories about hearing aids because everyone’s hearing problems are different. What works for one person won’t work for another. I knew that my hearing instrument wouldn’t work for her, but knew that Dr. Weiner would find something to help Joan - and she did.” Mrs. Sincerbox explained, “It is something that you don’t have to hide or be ashamed of. I now know how important it is to be fit with the correct hearing aids I am overwhelmed at what I was missing…the little things, like hearing birds sing. Why go around and suffer when you don’t have to?”