The Joy of Hearing

I've noticed some outside interest in my post where I mentioned my new hearing aids. Here's more of the story.
As a young adult, I abused my ears at concerts, in bars with live bands, with head phones, etc. We loved our music in the 70s and we loved it loud. (I don't think that has changed much.)
Over the past several years I began to notice that it was becoming more and more difficult to hear at work, whenever we ate in a restaurant with more than 2 people and I was turning the volume higher and higher on the both the radio and TV. I found myself sitting back and just accepting it, trying not to care about what I was missing during group settings. My father has had significant hearing loss from mill work since I was a teen. So I've had an opportunity to see first hand how hearing aids can make a big difference in a person's life. What was I waiting for?
Four years ago, I made an appointment with an audiologist. He was able to show me exactly what types of sounds I had lost; mainly in the range of children's and women's voices. BUT the cost of the hearing aids was more than we could afford, especially since both insurance policies only covered a small fraction of the cost. Another two years went by and I made another appointment with Costco. The cost was much less, but still more than we could afford. Two years after THAT N's insurance had changed to pay up to $4000 for hearing aids! I decided summer would be the best time. That would give me an opportunity to get used to them before entering the often noisy environment at work.
I'm now the proud owner of a set of Rexton Reveras, made by Siemen's. I can hear so much better! And after only one week, I feel naked without them. Granted, there are noises I'd rather NOT hear, but that's a fact of life. The good definitely outweighs the bad - no contest.