If you or someone you love has started to experience hearing loss, than you know firsthand what a great loss hearing loss actually is. As a physician's assistant, I get to work with people all the time who are dealing with the beginning stages of hearing loss. If you're anything like me, then your hearing is something that you definitely take for granted. You don't think too much about the privilege of being able to hear everything around you because it has simply always been that way. You grow up hearing the voices of the ones you love, the music that you love, and all the other fabulous (and annoying) sounds in the world. Think about all of the smallest sounds that make up the sounds of your day: your turn signal blinking in the car, the keys of your keyboard as you type an email, the coffee pot as it creates your pick-me-up brew, or the sink as the water gets hot. All of these sounds, and so many more, make up the small details of our worlds. Can you imagine dealing with hearing loss and not being able to hear these ordinary things? We've probably all experienced the temporary hearing loss that comes from having water in our ears or from having a really bad cold. There is nothing like not being able to hear the people around you. Hearing loss, no matter how small or severe, makes communication with people really difficult and frustrating. We rely on our abilities to talk and to hear in every significant relationship in our lives. Or take your job for example. Regardless of what you do, isn't the ability to hear quite significant to your work? How would you sit through a board meeting or teach a class or make a phone call if you had hearing loss? Once you start to really think about the role of hearing in our lives, you can never deny the privilege and the blessing it really is. In today's age, there are many ways to battle against hearing loss and to use techonology to restore hearing loss. So if you or someone you know is struggling with the beginning stages of hearing loss, then make an appointment to see your doctor today and see what you can be done to keep your hearing intact. You won't know how valuable hearing is until you lose it, so do what you can do preserve your hearing starting today.