From The Funny Bone - Humour for the hearing impaired ... true story ...

It has been said that losing your hearing is painless and invisible but let me tell you about an experience that a dear old friend of mine, who is also an Audiologist, shared with one of his patients.

This friend of mine was a communications officer and Audiologist in the U.S. Navy. A great big guy! And for years he had been testing the hearing of other great big guys who were also marines in the Navy. These military men are very rough and tough, including my friend, this is just the nature of the job ... Push a guy (patient) down into a chair ... shove a set of big bulky headphones down onto his head ... test his hearing ... then walk over and quickly (and quite literally) YANK the set of headphones, straight upwards, off the guys head, and throw the next guy into the hot seat! Can you picture it? ... an assembly line of pain and torture!

After my friend finished his distinguished service with the Navy he entered into private practice and set up his own Audiology clinic. The first couple of weeks went great but after about three weeks his first woman patient walked through his doors. He had never once, in all that time with the Navy, tested the hearing of a woman but he didn't let this phase him one bit! ... He pushed her down into a chair ... shoved a set of big bulky headphones down onto her head ... tested her hearing ... then walked over and literally YANKED the set of headphones, straight upwards, tearing the wig which she was wearing right off of her head along with the headphones. He came close to pulling her ears right off in the process! He thought he had almost killed her but once he explained his actions to her she thought it was pretty humerous too (luckily for him)!

I'm glad to say that he has become a much gentler person since his experience with his first woman patient. It's a good thing!

Written by
Ms. Ears

• click here to go back to the Newsletter Section