life with hearing loss – Page 2

Eternal student

Every Tuesday I wake up very early for my language class. It is an international class so people log in literally from all corners of the earth. It is still dark outside, cold and everyone else is still sleeping. Even the dog does not understand what I am doing up at this crazy time. And every Tuesday when the alarm goes off and I get dressed quietly in the dark so I will not wake my husband up, I ask myself – are you crazy, why on earth are you doing this? Go back to sleep.

And yet, after each class I am happy and I smile, as tired as I am, I really enjoy this class even though I am not really good in this class.

As an adult it is fun for me to learn new languages and just learn new skills. I find it really good for my soul as it brings me joy and probably helps combat dementia or alzheimer. Some tell me I am nuts for taking on new study areas. After I finally finished my MBA my husband looked at me and asked when I am going to get my PHD, I said never. But these days I am reconsidering.

We are never too old to learn and yes I finished my masters at 54, but who says I can’t get a PHD by 65, I am not in a hurry and I don’t mind being an old woman when I get my degree. This is part of the fun of doing new things when you are older and have the freedom to follow whatever your heart desires. Macrame, new language, or anything else that suits me at the time.

And if waking up in the dark, logging in to a class with people from all around the world makes me happy albeit tired, great. I shall continue, who knows maybe I did find my new calling as the eternal student.

Tales from the left ear January 2023

Just because some of us are different does not make us worse than someone else. There are stigmas for being hearing impaired, we are old, we are mentally challenged, we are not as intelligent and we have selective hearing and these are just some of them.

Hearing aids come in ugly colors, there are no fun ones probably because the manufacturers think that we want to hide them as well. My hairdresser asked if she needed to cut my hair so no one would see them. I don’t hide my hearing aids, I love my hearing aids as they allow me to function but I do wish they were blue or sparkly purple. I dont hide them at all and wear a ponytail most of the time. I don’t hide my hearing aid but it is not obvious to the general public as mine are small. So when I talk to new people I explain my hearing aids and that you need to look at me when you speak.

Sometimes people are weird, I had a person then go to my ear and yell straight in my ear, needless to say that this hurt like hell and most likely I will not interact willingly with that person again. The other response I usually get is how did I lose my hearing and when I explain that a virus attacked my ear, they seem to back away thinking this is infectious. Of course I have those who just tell me how sorry they are for me. Again people are weird. People tell me I am very well adjusted for someone with this loss, but then again I am an eternal optimist although even I have my good and bad days.

I am different, I am not better or worse, just different!

Hearing Aids Cost

My left ear has gotten a new hearing aid, I love the new aid. Everything is clearer, it is water proof so I don’t have to panic when I enter the shower or be afraid to walk in the rain anymore. Or even take them off at the beach or pool and not be able to communicate with others while at the beach.

My last couple of vacations were not as easy ever since I lost my hearing. At the beach or the pool, I took the hearing aids off and was disconnected from the world around me. When we went on a boat ride I was so worried they would get wet that I didn’t wear them at all and made sure to put them in a waterproof bag.

I am glad technology finally caught up and people with hearing loss can function better now in more situations, but the cost of this catching up is a lot. These hearing aids are expensive and insurance companies cover a fraction if they cover anything at all. We are talking between $3000 to $5000 and these aids need to be replaced every couple of years. This is not an expense that is trivial. A friend asked me a while ago what did my husband get me for our anniversary and my reply was new hearing aids.

Unfortunately those with moderate to severe hearing loss can not use the over the counter cheaper aids so that is not a solution. Costco has a nice selection of hearing aids but not from all the companies and not for all the devices available.

I believe that just like pre existing conditions were outlawed from being denied insurance coverage, there needs to be a movement to add hearing aid coverage to regular insurance.

Adding some fun

I didn’t watch the world cup games, the sports gene skipped me completely. If you asked me about my favorite sport I would reply with: drinking coffee, sadly there is no coffee drinking event in the olympics.The only sport I might watch is Curling. The broom sweeping has always been fascinating to me and I often wonder if using a roomba will have the same effect on that sliding stone as the sweeping of the broom. This really intrigues me, do these curling athletes practice at home by sweeping and mopping their floors? I know I am boring and a little weird.

We established that sports are not my thing. I don’t have a favorite sports team or a favorite event and I don’t think I ever stopped on one of the many sports channels on my TV.

For some reason I caught the Senegalese soccer team warming up before their soccer team and they were dancing, yes dancing. This looked like so much fun and I actually paid attention to the team, not to the soccer game. I am sure the team was nervous before the game as I understand the world cup is a big thing. They were having so much fun and had such big expressions of joy on their faces and I realized, dancing probably calmed their nerves.

There is more than one way to get ready for a major event, either sports, a final exam, a meeting or an important presentation – we don’t always have to be 100% serious. We can practice and prepare and then just dance to our hearts delight. I am not suggesting dancing in the office in front of everyone unless you really want to, but having a little fun does help with all the seriousness our life has and maybe we can burn a calorie or two as well in the process.

My support group

I had a fun day today, I finally had a fun day with my close friends. We drove to the big city, had a great brunch and had a great time all around. But the best time we had was not at brunch or sightseeing, it was actually when we were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours.

For two hours we spoke honestly and openly and it was great, most importantly we actually listened to each other without judgment. We figured out we haven’t had time together like this in a couple of years. Before the pandemic we traveled together and saw each other frequently, but somewhere during the pandemic we didn’t get together as much as we could and when we did it was with our spouses and families as this was our covid bubble.

I didn’t realize how much I needed our girl time until today. We tend to forget how much we need our close friends and the emotional support we provide them and they provide us. They say that those with close friends have healthier and better lives. These amazing women are the ones that when they see I can’t figure out what the conversation is around me (I have severe hearing loss) tell me what’s going on and make sure that with all my food allergies I have something to eat. These women were my support when I lost my hearing, broke my foot and were my support through all my other mishaps and I am happy they are in my life.

I came home with renewed energy and the feeling that with their support I can handle anything else the universe throws my way.

Trying New Things- Zumba Edition

Instead of waiting for next week, 2023, to start new things, I decided to start today. You hit the iron when it’s hot! So today I went with a friend to zumba. I have never done zumba before, didn’t want to try zumba before but my friend convinced me and I said fine, let’s see.

I woke up this morning ready, muscles were warm from walking the dog already and my Shakira hips were ready to shake. To those who don’t know, zumba is like a school playground. There are favorite spots and locations, you have those who like to be in the front next to the instructor, there are those who like to hide in the back because they are uncoordinated. But being in the back means everyone that goes down the stairs or is on the other side of the glass sees you shaking your ass coordinated or not. So choosing a spot is tricky. If you go to the front and you are new you are bound to get stared down, front rows apparently are saved for the regulars. However if you have no clue of what you are doing and you need to see the instructors movements you really need to be in the front, especially in busy crowded classes.

Some wear elaborate zumba outfits with full hair and make up done, some wear the necessary sweatshirt around the waist so no one actually sees your ass shaking. I was in my regular yoga and t-shirt gym outfit and was guided by my friend who is a regular and saved me a spot in the second row, talk about pressure! She was asked if she knows me and if I am her friend. I have to say that zumba is not easy, it requires coordination and rhythm. Luckily I have rhythm, coordination not so much. But we had fun, burned some calories and tried a different skill , my body hurts all over and I see a Costco size pain killer container in my future. But I will go again as I have to admit, it really was fun.

Being hearing impaired is not a choice, being a kind courteous person is!

I am a member of many hearing loss groups on facebook, when I lost my hearing they helped a lot with not feeling alone and finding someone who understood my struggle of dealing with losing my hearing overnight.

Most days I am good and I believe I have adapted mostly to my current situation, but we all have our bad days. Days when the ringing in the ear is so loud that it does not matter what setting your hearing aid is on , you can hear absolutely nothing. Days where you can not figure out what people are saying no matter what. These are very frustrating and depressing days and can throw you into a loop.

During the pandemic and even today in some places, there was masking all around & plastic barriers made it hard to hear for most humans but for those with hearing loss made it absolutely impossible, add to that the ability to read lips was gone as well and sometimes even the ability to read the facial expression was gone.

These days medical facilities still require a mask. I always make a point to tell the reception that I am hard of hearing and if they can make sure to let the people who will call me to either say my name louder or to approach me when it’s my appointment time. A lot of people are nice and say yes, sure. But when it comes to actuality, they all forget.

The weirdest place I had that issue was at the ENT/Audiologist office. You would think that in these surroundings they will be more accommodating or understanding. But no! Music was loud on the TV in the waiting room, no closed captions and receptionists with shields who talk to the computer instead of lifting their heads when they speak to you.

Who needs to adapt? The customer service industry or the hearing impaired person? For the hearing impaired there is not much adaptation, it’s not like you can wake up one morning and decide today I shall hear. Even with my very expensive aids, there are times that I have no clue what someone is saying and I am not going to hide under a rock just because I can’t hear anything.

Customer service industry needs to adapt and workplaces need more training on how to intercat and integrate people who have disabilities as they are part of society. Talking to people while facing them and not staring at your phone or computer should be taught early, this is a social skill that is important in any situation. If anyone asks you to repeat a sentence, repeat it and do not say “ oh, it doesn’t matter”.

Being hearing impaired is not a choice, being a kind courteous person is!