This will sound more woe-is-me-ish than I intend it to, but bear in my that I am a generally optimistic, happy person who's pretty well adjusted to the great good and minor bad in my life.
A couple weeks ago, I went to the otolaryngologist for a checkup, April being two years since I first got my lovely hearing aids instruments. He did all the basic exam-room tests and quizzed me, just as my original doctor had, on my family and personal history (relatives with premature hearing loss, jobs which involved percussive noise, fondness for loud rock music, accidents, illnesses), but then threw a curve ball by asking whether I had been tested for "rare blood disorders" that can, in certain cases, lead to premature hearing loss - but that can also be treated, often resulting in the reversal of that hearing loss.
I refrained from going, "Whatcha say?"
I actually said, nope, never heard (ha!) of such a thing. So he sent me off to the lab, where the phlebotomist drew about a pint of blood and sent me home to wait to hear about the results. Honestly, I didn't expect to hear that, sho' nuff, I had some exotic illness that could be treated, restoring my hearing to whatever is "normal" for a 30-something guy. But - honestly - I kinda liked the idea of finding out that, in fact, I had some exotic illness that could be treated, restoring my hearing to whatever is "normal" for a 30-something guy. (I also wouldn't have missed not having to drop $10 every few weeks to buy eight tiny batteries that lose their charges even before you use them.)
Anyhow, yesterday the lab called. The tech said, "Mr. Tassava? Your test results came back and they are negative. Nothing unusual turned up."
Again, I refrained from going, "Whatcha say?"
Thanks, bye, I'm fine being a cyborg. It is kinda neat that my hearing requires microprocessors.