Where are the Hard of Hearing?

As I left my Hard of Hearing Association meeting last night I felt frustrated with the lack of young people involved with CHHA. At 30 years old, I am the youngest person actively participating in the association and I am starting to feel a little lonely in a group made up of mostly retirees. Where are all the young hard of hearing people in this area?

From my own personal experience, a group like this would have been incredibly beneficial to me when I first got my hearing aids. I was 19 and I felt like I had no one to relate to because all of my hard of hearing peers were adults or seniors. I know they exist and I know what they may be going through; I just need to find them.

I don't intend to leave CHHA, I'm simply just more motivated to search under every rock to find others like me, that are young adults or young professionals living in a hearing world. If you are, or know of people like me comment on this blog, tell me where you are and lets change the face of hard of hearing in Ontario.

Hooked on a Feeling

This morning I was ironing my shirt for work and as I was doing so I could feel the metal of the ironing board below the protecting fabric pad. I didn't have my hearing aids in but I could have sworn I heard the sound it was making and then it occurred to me, I'm not hearing it ... I'm feeling the sound.

I thought about this while I walked to work and I realized that I know what the sound should be because I've heard it 100 times before. So, even though I can't actually hear it, when the action happens I can hear the sound in my head as if I did. Now I'm wondering, how many other things like this happen to me on a day to day basis where I can see or feel an action and my brain processes a sound that should go along with it.

P.S. sorry about the blog title; I'm sure you have the song stuck in your head now.

Reclaiming your Indpendence

I have been struggling over the past few weeks to come up with something to blog about. I sometimes lose sight of the fact that so many things I do are different and a result of my hearing loss; I have a whole wealth of things to write about that I'm just not seeing! So, it is with renewed optimism that you will start to see more blogging from me on just day to day stuff.

Often when I am home alone I'll go about my day without my hearing aids in. More often than not I find this very comforting because I'm not distracted by the general noises that are happening outside my window or on different floors of my apartment building. However, every once and a while I realize just how scary this can potentially be. What if there was an emergency? I could easily miss a fire alarm, a break and enter or someone calling for help and I find that slightly unnerving. I've done some research on these issues and there a wealth of products out there that assist with this. Technology can be a great tool that helps your independence so that you can live your life to the fullest not having to compromise the simplest of life's pleasures. I am sure there are lots of people out there who struggle and live in fear sometimes because of their disadvantages. I urge you all to go out and seek help so that you too can restore and enjoy your independence.

Accepting Your Hearing Loss

I recently had a conversation with someone who was encouraged by their doctor to get a hearing aid after discovering a significant hearing loss. This discovery was several months ago and when I asked why they have delayed for so long I was surprised to hear that it was mostly superficial reasons. It's funny that in my 10 + years wearing hearing aids I sometimes forget what those first few days, weeks and months are like. When I first got my hearing aids I was self-conscious, scared and embarrassed. I chalked these feelings up to being an already self-conscious teenager but these feelings can be applied to people of any age who are initially dealing with their hearing loss. My advice to these people is ... yes, it's hard at first but it will subside over time when you begin to realize all of the positives that come from using hearing aids. You may not notice at first but soon you will find that your ability to communicate with others will improve dramatically. Conversations one-on-one, in a group and even in noisy situations will become easier. So, even though it can be difficult to admit that one needs a hearing aid, all experience shows that the use of hearing aids can improve one's life significantly.

Hearing Aid Subsidies

I encourage all my HOH friends/contacts to stay educated on the various Hearing Aid subsidies that are available to you. We all know that hearing devices can be very expensive so any help is always appreciated. Check out this link for information in Ontario.

Adaptations

I recently found an article about talk-show host Rush Limbaugh who lost his hearing at an astonishing rate thanks to autoimmune inner-ear disease (AIED). AIED is an inflammatory condition of the inner ear. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks cells in the inner ear that are mistaken for a virus or bacteria. AIED is a rare disease, occurring in less than 1 percent of the 28 million Americans with hearing loss. It usually begins with a sudden loss of hearing in one ear, which progresses rapidly to the second.

This must have been very traumatic for a man whose livelihood depends on his ability to speak, hear and communicate. Thanks to the use of his new CI Rush has been able to adapt to his loss and continue to do what he loves. I think we can all be guilty sometimes of letting our short comings get in the way of what we love to do ... sometimes we just have to find a different route to get there.

Firsts

I have been reading a lot lately about people's experiences post CI surgery and it made me think back to when I wore my hearing aids for the first time. As an 18 year old I was absolutely mortified at first that this was going to be a part of my life and who I was. However, this quickly lead to a feeling of astonishment at what I was actually able to hear; there was an entire world of sounds that I had never heard before.

So, I empathize with those who are going through this experience. Imagine the thrill you would feel by hearing your child for the first time, being able to understand the lyrics to your favorite song or waking up to the sounds of birds chirping outside of your window. These are all experiences we sometimes take for granted that aren't true for everyone.

Thank you to those who are sharing their experiences with the world. Your openness allows others to see life in a different light.