Patrick Scala¡¯s hearing loss was impacting on his life so much, it even prompted his children to give him a nickname.
¡°The kids were telling me for ages, ¡®you are going deaf Dad¡¯ and they used to call me ¡®Hey¡¯ because that¡¯s what I said all of the time,¡± Patrick said.
The after a decade of noticing the hearing in his left ear was deteriorating, the 55-year-old took action.
¡°I was walking past a hearing testing place and a lady asked me if I wanted a test and I said ¡®why not¡¯ and it started from there,¡± he said.
¡°The man testing me said I had a problem and I needed to go and get it fixed.¡±
An ear, nose and throat specialist discovered a growth blocking Patrick¡¯s right ear drum. It was operated on at Gold Coast University Hospital in December. Patrick¡¯s hearing
has now returned.
The Surfer¡¯s Paradise resident said regaining his hearing had made a huge impact on his quality of life.
¡°Just to be able to listen to the grandkids when we are on Facetime, it¡¯s made a big difference,¡± he said.
¡°Before, when I was in a group, I couldn¡¯t understand what people were saying. I was lip-reading and trying to gauge what they were saying.
¡°The TV was going up, the radio was going up but it wasn¡¯t until my wife reminded me to ring my granddaughter for her birthday and I didn¡¯t hear her that things clicked.
"My granddaughter had to ring me and say, ¡®Pop, you didn¡¯t call me for my birthday¡¯.¡±
In Australia, almost 4 million people have some form of hearing loss. This continues to grow as our population ages.
This Hearing Awareness Week (1-7 March), Patrick is encouraging others who have noticed hearing loss to get tested.
¡°You think it¡¯ll come back but it doesn¡¯t, it just gets worse,¡± he said.
Gold Coast Health advanced audiologist Jennifer Eakin said people should consult with their GP or health professional if they noticed changes in their hearing.
¡°There are some medical treatments for hearing loss that are time sensitive,¡± she said.
¡°If you do need to consider a hearing aid to help with communication, the longer you leave it, the harder it can be for your hearing system to adapt to the amplified
²õ´Ç³Ü²Ô»å.¡±
Patrick says he can¡¯t thank doctors enough for giving him back his hearing even if there is one small downside.
¡°I can¡¯t say to the wife now, ¡®I didn¡¯t hear you¡¯. That¡¯s gone out the window.¡±