Sunday, November 18, 2012

My Hearing Loss

            I have been over 75 percent deaf since the day I was born.   My mother had German measles when she was pregnant and she didn't know it.    That might be the reason why I was born deaf.   After I was born I didn't speak till after I was two years old, and the doctors told my parents that I could hear.     I wasn't diagnosed that I was deaf till I was over 2 years old.   That's when they got me hearing aids and I started to learn how to talk.      What does it sound like to me when I am not wearing the hearing aids?        Well, it's the same disappointing feeling as listening to your favorite song on the radio and having someone shut off when the song is not over and you wanted to hear the rest of it.  It goes silent and you don't hear any more of it.  And you want to keep listening to the song, but you can't, it's off, so you are feeling slightly disappointed.       When I am wearing the hearing aids, I can hear the t.v. but can't make out the words or conversation being said on it, I can hear music, but can't understand the words, I hear people talking, and can hear dogs barking if there are any dogs around, and can hear a lot of things which is good.        Once they are off, I really can't hear anything, the world sounds silent.  And if people are in the same room and talking, I won't hear any of it, unless I do a good job of lipreading the words.     If you were to be facing me in the same room, and wanted to talk to me, I would not hear your voice, just maybe a little bit echoing in the background.     The only way I would understand what you are saying is by lipreading the words,which I am a pro at.       The only way I'd be able to hear a little bit of your voice if you were to speak loudly right into my ears but barely.     I feel like I am missing out on what is going on around me in terms of sounds when my hearing aids are not on, so I am usually wearing them most of the time.    My hearing was always worst in my right ear than in my left, and there was no explanation for that either.     When I was born, I had close to a 75 % loss in my left ear, and over an 80% loss in my right ear.       According to my last most recent hearing test, I was told I had a 90 % hearing loss in both ears, as it has gotten worst I assume.     But I am not sure if that is accurate, I should go for another hearing test eventually to keep myself updated on that.

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