Good afternoon.............not like I have been here long, on this forum, but I JUST found this thread. From what I am reading, wow, I thought I was the only one feeling these things. Not special, or anything like it, but just how my situation worked out.
I will tell you how I became deaf, I truly apologize if I do not say things correctly, do not capitalize the correct words, seem to be an Audist (if I do ???), any of it. I am still learning.
Ok..........here goes. Not real warm and fuzzy with this, but ok.
Where to start ? I worked in heavy industry, got my degree in hydraulics. I was the shop foreman, ran the service crew for all of the NW, did all the scheduling. I had the "go to" crew, the really ugly jobs, yeah, we did them. Long hours in extreme weather, any place, any time, you break it, I would have a crew onsite and fix it. We did all forms of hydraulics, both mobile and stationary, some agricultural, logging was huge, as was mining.
Which bring me to the deafness, MSHA had red tagged a piece of mining equipment from one of the hydro-static drives not having proper tension on the deadman brake. The brake is designed that when you lose pressure or if the operator lets go of the controls, the machine stops. This is done with a HUGE thick beveled washer. I had a 10 ton (20,000lb) three jaw hydraulic gear puller pushing down on the washer housing as I removed the 16" dia snap ring that held it in place. I had my face over the gear puller when one of the legs snapped in two. I was struck in the face with the gear puller, brake, and just about everything else. When I came too I was in a pool of blood. I could feel the bones in my face though all the soft tissue damage. I went to the hospital, they sewed me up, did some rather "rudimentary" tests, I guess they did anyway. Pretty much they just dealt with the lacerations and facial damage. (leaving allot of boring details out)
Ok, Fast forward about a week, I am dizzy, not feeling well, vision is off. Dr tells me I had a concussion from the impact............mmmmm.....ok. A couple more weeks, it is worse. A few other symptoms had jumped on the band wagon also.
Then the vertigo hit. Actually, it had been there all the time I think, but I had my first severe attack.
I just deleted like four paragraphs of unnecessary information.
7-8 weeks after this happened my hearing was gone........ profound deaf, bilateral, period.
I had sustain a severe closed head traumatic brain injury, severe vestibular concussion, spinal damage and lost a percentage of vision in my right eye, the impact side. It took well over a year for them to find all of this.
So that is how I became deaf. But the vertigo removed me from the world. I had worked my entire life, been in more than a few bar room brawls, ya know, livin' the life. I could master this. So I pushed it, the harder I pushed, the more it proved me wrong, I was not in control. The facial scarring is an issue for some, I know. But the truth is, my world sort of evaporated. Friends ? Huh....yeah, well, what friends ? I know they did not get it, but I was alone in a crowded room more so than when I was actually ALONE. I have become reclusive. I do not wish to be at social functions, the pub, really, much of any of it. This happened a little ove five years ago. Sorta like I am living one life then..........I'm exactly the same person, but my life, my world is from another planet.
I came on here, this site, to try and break that very cycle of seclusion. I do not know the right words, I suck at ASL, I have my Audio dog who has kept me somewhat sane.
I have just started to write and be me. The me I am now, not who I was then. I know that person, that world is gone. Please recognize, not all of this is do to deafness. The vertigo is my worst enemy. I try to have hobbies/life/friends............but it does not work out really. Reading here helps me understand more, if that make sense.
That's it I guess...........If I can answer questions I will. I hope what I wrote is ok and in theme with this thread.
, here.
