Hello! I'm turned 40 last November and when I went in for my annual physical this year I asked for a referral to an ENT for a hearing test. I've noticed over the last couple of years that I've started to feel like I'm asking people to repeat themselves a lot. I've noticed that I frequently can't hear people when they're trying to talk in hushed tones, and I've become less and less able to process spoken input from two things at once. So, if a video is playing and someone is also trying to talk to me I can no focus on one and end up processing/understanding neither.

Last week I got tested, and I do, indeed, have mild - moderate hearing loss in both ears, but a bit worse in the left. I left that appointment so happy. Not because I'm glad I have hearing loss, but because it was so incredibly validating to be told that it was real. That all the times I've been frustrated at asking people to repeat themselves or told people that I can't hear, it was REAL. All the times I wondered why I couldn't hear things other people could, it was because I really couldn't.

After the appointment, I wasn't really considering getting a hearing aid because it's "just" mild loss at this point and isn't really affecting my life. But two things have happened since then. 1. I've realized that I DO in fact have almost-constant tinnitus in my left ear and just hadn't previously identified it as such. Now that I'm noticing it, it's bothering me a lot more and 2. I've read some articles that say it's better to start treating hearing loss early.

I guess I'm just looking for advice/experience about when to get hearing aids, and if I should just do it even thought it's "not that bad" at this point. The dr basically said it's up to me, and my insurance appears to cover one per ear per 5 year period, so it wouldn't be cost-prohibitive.