Thanks Scott.

I have not yet gone to see that doctor. To be honest, I'm still on the 'watch' this guy close list. In fact, my potential last visit is today. (I've been on a monthly rotation of oncologists, today is the Radiation guy. I've ongoing pain clinic visits but those don't count eh?

So I already know, I'm kicked to the curb today, so to speak.

We don't plan on a lot of gigs. I do have a celtic show we've been messing with, but it's a full blown a/v thing with images of Scotland and a projector.

Today is a milestone of sorts. I was not going to worry about my hearing if I wasn't cancer free, they told me any more chemo and I might be totally deaf. I asked them pointedly, how often does someone face the decision to have chemo to gain a month or two, even if it makes them deaf, and they told me at that clinic, once a week at least. What a tough one that is.

So, we are talking frequencies I can hear. My hearing aids really only kick in at 2200 or something. Over 3 is GONE. In between some notes don't sound right, even amplified. 2700 is dicey, it starts to crack. From there up a few notes they are flat or sharp, broken and faded.

Here's a real world example for me. I had my hearing aids on the regular setting and it started to rain. I was driving. The sound of the tires in the rain on the road was louder than the average rock band to me. I tried all 3 settings. The regular one pitch shifts stuff for sibilance over 2700, so I can try and hear the letter S etc. The next one is for music with no pitch shifting. (I had to beg for that, they didn't understand at all what I was on about, but you can't take a D and drop it so that is 7 or 8 notes lower and listen to any music). The 3rd setting is 'comfort in noise.' Right.

I can now name a host of stuff you don't want to hear. The only thing wearing hearing aids does in a mall is make all the air movement, fans, hissing 100 times louder. I can't hear it, wait turn them on, I can't hear you. Winner...silence. The same for traffic, shopping carts that bang, etc. Heck, even regular sounds without hearing aids are too loud. If the neighbours slam the car door I can come out of my chair, even with the doors and windows closed.

As stupid as that 'sounds' (good pun eh?), I'm stuck so to speak.

John Conley
Musica est vita