Dr. Tanner Mackey is an audiologist in Elk Grove. Beyond testing his patients' hearing, he works day in and day out to reconnect people to everyday sounds.

"It takes effect on you, emotionally, socially. There's a lot of things we don't consider. It's not just hearing, it's a lot of things that go along with it," Dr. Mackey said.

It's a familiar battle. There's been a little-known silent struggle right here at CBS13. For the first time publicly, I am sharing my personal story of hearing loss.

"You're not hearing all sounds equally and the same. Otherwise, those lines would go straight across and they don't. They start to decline and go down as we approach higher and higher pitches," Dr. Mackey told me, going over results from an assessment.

I admit, I've struggled to hear people since I was a child, battling ear infections.

"After years getting embarrassed because I laughed at moments that weren't funny but played it off because I didn't hear what was said or was ashamed with people getting frustrated, raising their voices or even faking sign language at me, I'm hoping my story will make some people realize they're not alone and encourage them to get the help they need," I told Dr. Mackey.

"You came in and were socializing quite well, and you seemed quite competent in your ability to communicate with me. I wasn't picking up that there was a hearing loss, so obviously you've been dealing with this a long time," Dr. Mackey explained. "But once we did the assessment, there's actually quite a substantial hearing loss there."

So imagine in bustling newsrooms with police scanners, video editing, trying to read lips over cubicle walls. Emceeing events got challenging for me and even intimidating in echoing ballrooms.

"Especially in your job, you're having to interact with anybody and everybody. Your hearing is going to be essential," Dr. Mackey said.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 1 in 7 people has some degree of hearing loss. While more than 28 million people could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than 1 in 5 actually use them.

"You have to be courageous in taking that first step and that first step is always the hardest step, but it's worth it," said Dr. Rodney Diaz, professor of Otolaryngology at UC Davis Medical Center.

Dr. Diaz researches hearing loss solutions, but advancing treatment is only part of it. He said people with hearing loss need support and not just from close friends and family.

"There's a barrier. There's kind of an emotional and social barrier to using hearing aids and using devices, and we sort of as a society have to overcome that barrier," Dr. Diaz said.

That stigma often keeps people from getting critical help.

According to the National Institutes of Health, even after diagnosis, most wait nine years before getting a hearing aid.

Untreated hearing loss has been linked to depression and social isolation. It's even been associated with health issues, including diabetes and heart disease.

"I get this question a lot. If I get a hearing aid, do I have to get the really big one? No, we don't have to do that anymore," Dr. Mackey said.

The hearing aids I wear are less than two inches long and even the same color as my hair. They tuck behind my ear, so the only part that shows is a thin, clear wire. Those are pretty much the standard now.

"So when someone looks at you, it's not changing anything about your outward appearance. At least, that's the goal. We hope that when you put them on, you're still you, only now you're hearing a lot better and communicating a lot better," Dr. Mackey said.

They're so discreet, I wear them with the studio earpiece used to hear the producer during the newscast.

"Maybe the solution is hearing aids, maybe the solution is surgery, maybe the solution is something else.  But communication with family, friends, loved ones is so important," Dr. Diaz said.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned from hearing aids is that they don't just change how you listen, but how you live.