Ok, not sure to post this here, or in the “hearing or HoH” forum. Since most of my issues have been discussed here, I picked this posting.
A really fast recap so people don’t have to go jumping back to catch up. A few months ago (thinking about 4 now), I woke up with no hearing for about an hour or two (seemed like days.. but that is another issue). I got my hearing back so I just blew it off (I know, I know.. stupid, but hay) and hearing loss runs in my family. Since then I have had random losses of sound that will vary from a slight muffling, to complete loss of sound, each time with tinnitus that fades away. With lack of any medical coverage, I have skipped going to see my doctor or to an ENT tell my insurance at my new job kicks in (about 2 months from now) but I did go see a audiologist since they are not covered anyways. He tested my hearing and said that I am borderline between hearing and mild hearing loss (everything is in the mild except really high tones), and that since I still have great speech recognition, that hearing aids will not help me. He said to come back in one to three years, depending on if I start to not understand what people say. I told him that in a quiet room, I can track what is mostly said, but in a group or most public places, I find myself reading lips to “cross check” things. He said that HA’ s can’t help with this issue. After much forum reading and discussion here at AD, I had decided to learn ASL anyways in case things get worse and have enrolled in a sign class last week. I am still keeping this on the down low from work in fear that it will cost me my job since I am still a contractor and have not converted to full time employee. When asked about the sign or the AD forum reading at lunch, I just say it is for the class at school. After all, I answer the phones for tech support where I work, and fear this will be viewed as “not HoH or deaf compatible” by my bosses. My boss has yet to say anything about why I tend to ask people to repeat when given a string of random numbers (they have a use, but I cannot post why). I get maybe 30% wrong when told over the phone and often ask 2-3 times. I have already turned up the volume and that helped, but I have to turn it back down on some folks depending on the pitch of the voice.
Ok, now back to why I wanted to post this today. Yesterday I was at a store and practicing some grammar to myself when a guy flagged me down and asked why I was learning sign since I was hearing (first off, I was happy with myself that I knew what he was singing, and secondly It was the first signer I met without going to a signing gathering). I told him that I had found out about my hearing problem and that I was learning sign before I lose any more. He asked me where my HA’s are, and I told him what the audiologist said as well as I could (still learning and all). He then replied in voice and it was instant that he was really upset. He told me I am not hard of hearing since I do not need HA’s and that I should never claim to be HoH when I can hear without devices. Then he turned and stormed away.
To say I was embarrassed is an understatement, and very confused. I was not sure if I miss-signed something, or that he understood and was right, and that since I have most of my speech recognition that I should not by saying that I am HoH. I figured I would post this and see what you all think.
