# I need to brag **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 30, 2026, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194 "2026-01-30T10:50:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/1 "2026-01-30T10:50:44Z")
I had a physical over the winter break, and since I was just about to turn 59, and had just had an ear infection, so we were talking about my ears, my doctor suggested a baseline hearing test. There are some people with some significant age related hearing loss in my family, although my mother and maternal grandmother had notably good hearing, with my grandmother living to 98 and never needing a hearing aid. My last audiogram was at age 26, induction into the army, and I didn’t see that one. Before that, it was when I was 20, and at that point, my hearing was really good-- 0 in my right ear, and -5 in my right. That would have been normal for a 10-yr-old. A 20-yr-old should have been more like 5/5. The highest the chart goes in -10, and the lowest it goes is 90, although people known to be Deaf can get them going to 120. So, yesterday, I was about 10 across the audiogram, in both ears. Dropped to 15 a few places in the right, and was up to 5 a few places in the left, but on average, a 10 - 15dB loss _since I was 20_. That’s how much most people have lost by age 40 or so. At age 40, FWIW, I could still just faintly hear that [teenage buzz noise](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L86of9nDjIE). (I can’t anymore.) I also missed only one word on the word discrimination list, and when the tester came back and said I missed only one, I said “Was it ‘pole’?” he said “Yes.” I couldn’t tell if it was “pole,” or “pull,” and guessed. He said it was commonly missed-- but he said I did get the most commonly missed word: “mess.” He said my hearing is like someone between 35 & 40. I can live with that. Wish my vision were that good. I wear trifocals, and need new ones. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/2 "2026-01-30T12:22:59Z")
Hooray!! I know I don’t need to shout, but I will anyhow: HOORAY!! It’s sort of ironic given your line of work. Bravo for your combo of good genes and a lifetime of good noise hygiene to stay as hearing-healthy as you have. Wish I could say the same. But as somebody sliding down the scale towards functional deafness ahead of my age cohort I can tell you it sucketh mightily, aids or no. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/3 "2026-01-30T13:10:03Z")
Congrats, that’s great to hear! (heheh) I’ve taken online hearing tests fairly recently, and at 61, my hearing ability is also great for my age-- that of someone 20ish years younger. And that’s after going to my share of concerts when I was younger that left my ears ringing and my hearing muffled until the next day. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/4 "2026-01-30T15:10:13Z")
I was just happy to find out that my hearing is pretty much on track for where a normal 53 year old should be. I was pretty convinced that years of shooting, loud concerts and loud music would have given me significant hearing loss and that weird sound/sensation would be tinnitus, but apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/5 "2026-01-30T15:17:30Z")
You put me to shame. I had to get hearing aids at the tender age of 48. Like you, I was also in the armed forces. Much of my time was spent on a Marine airbase and was subjected to lots of loud jet engines every day all day for several years. It pretty much came at the expense of my hearing. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/6 "2026-01-30T15:41:19Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zUmbmssqHOY/maxresdefault.jpg "How Old Are Your Ears ? Hearing Test") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUmbmssqHOY&t=35) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/7 "2026-01-30T15:48:08Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I had a physical over the winter break, and since I was just about to turn 59, and had just had an ear infection, so we were talking about my ears, my doctor suggested a baseline hearing test. Not much to say about the hearing test, other than congratulations on great news–as a musician, hearing loss ranks up there on the list of “stuff I try not to think about”. But the cool thing for me is that we are probably only a few weeks apart in age–I’ll hit 59 in a week or two. Rock on! (with the demographic here, I suspect there are quite a few similar ages 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/8 "2026-01-30T18:26:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I know I don’t need to shout, but I will anyhow: HOORAY!! Ow! We’re not supposed to do that anymore! ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-brag/1027194/9 "2026-01-30T18:53:27Z")
WHAT? SPEAK UP!