Go to your doctor first and rule out a medical problem such as ear wax buildup or an infection. Tell him exactly what’s bothering you and how long it’s been happening. Perhaps you shoot guns without ear protection or listen to music too loudly? Get checked out. If the doc can’t fix it, ask him to explain why. Get a second opinion. Eventually he will refer you to an ear specialist called an audiologist. The audiologist will test your hearing and your level of speech understanding and will try to match a hearing aid to your loss in order to get you hearing as much as possible in the speech ranges. You get what you pay for – cheap hearing aids suck – so don’t be miserly. Hearing aids also amplify the sounds we don’t like hearing like farting or dogs barking all night so you’ll have to learn to ignore that while still listening for the good stuff like your kids laughing or your spouse calling your name out during sex. Be patient, it’s a process.

If you have an HMO, you must first see your primary care provider (the gatekeeper). Then you must be referred to an audiologist for testing. If you have PPO, you can refer to your provider directory (and we all get them whether HMO or PPO). If you’ve misplaced yours, contact customer service and ask for an audiologist.

Ask your doctor for a recommendation. Or find an ear, nose and throat specialist and see them.