This reminds me of my hearing issues. I've been deaf/hard of hearing all my life and if I go more than a few days without my hearing aids, I usually have to get used to hearing all over again when I put the hearing aids back on. One time a while back, I went a month without wearing heating aids, and literally, everything sounded different. I felt like I was underwater, everything sounded muffled. It was weird and took a few days before getting my bearings again.