Adjustment to late onset deafness

I've been here a lot, but having made major strides in the adjustment process I don't visit this thread as often as I should.

My daughter was trapped in the bathroom this morning (broken doorknob) and I couldn't hear her calling for help. My mother finally heard her after about 2 hours. Man did I feel terrible. I keep telling her not to close door all the way, but to just block it with a door stop that's in the bathroom, but she still slams the door. We can't replace the doorknob since MIL owns the house and wants me to spray it with WD-40. (it won't work even then) Daughter and I have now rigged a light so that if there is a problem, she pulls a cord and a light on my desk (3 feet from door) will come on.

She is doing better but has never liked enclosed spaces to begin with. She is now out on her bicycle to get some space and air.
 
Sorry to hear about that Kristina but don't take it hard. Accidents happen. The kids always take them better than the adults. Glad that she's out getting some fresh air now.

I'm dropping by AD every day. Just lots going on in real life at the moment. Looking forward to Spring Break with the kids.
 
KristinaB said:
I've been here a lot, but having made major strides in the adjustment process I don't visit this thread as often as I should.

My daughter was trapped in the bathroom this morning (broken doorknob) and I couldn't hear her calling for help. My mother finally heard her after about 2 hours. Man did I feel terrible. I keep telling her not to close door all the way, but to just block it with a door stop that's in the bathroom, but she still slams the door. We can't replace the doorknob since MIL owns the house and wants me to spray it with WD-40. (it won't work even then) Daughter and I have now rigged a light so that if there is a problem, she pulls a cord and a light on my desk (3 feet from door) will come on.

She is doing better but has never liked enclosed spaces to begin with. She is now out on her bicycle to get some space and air.
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hey, don't feel bad, just be glad she is ok. Rule of thumb I usually have for myself, If I don't see my kid anywhere within 30 minutes or less, something is up and time to check on them. I usually see them get up for bathroom, to snack, etc. And none of my inside doors have a lock for a reason (in fact, when I was growing up, none of our doors had a doorknobs). yeah, I have alot of energy, yet so tired.
 
Lighthouse77 said:
hey, don't feel bad, just be glad she is ok. Rule of thumb I usually have for myself, If I don't see my kid anywhere within 30 minutes or less, something is up and time to check on them. I usually see them get up for bathroom, to snack, etc. And none of my inside doors have a lock for a reason (in fact, when I was growing up, none of our doors had a doorknobs). yeah, I have alot of energy, yet so tired.
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That's my rule of thumb too. Must know where my kids are at all times in the house so I am always constantly checking on them knowing that I cant use my hearing to check on them.

Hugs Kristina!
 
Glad to see you all posting again. This last week has been both incredible and frustrating. My physics teacher invited me to take part in two projects, one of which is with NASA. I'm actually getting to do some hands on rocket science. I had hoped to get into something like this in grad school, so to have the chance as a sophomore is amazing.

On the down side, it's allergy time of year, so the congestion in my head includes my ears and my hearing made a pretty significant drop. I explained it to my kids and they're really making an effort to face me and speak clearly, but there's still a lot of me asking them to repeat themselves.
 
Hi, I'm new here and just posted an intro in the intro thread. I'm 38, just diagnosed with otosclerosis and conductive hearing loss, and tinnitus. I have very mild loss in my right ear, and significant loss (mid and low tone) and tinnitus in the left. My ENT recommended a hearing aid, and I actually had an assessment, but am having a hard time adjusting to the idea. And the $2700 cost :shock:. So I have not ordered it yet.

Sometimes I hear well and sometimes I miss hearing or mis-hear :laugh2: so I'm adjusting to that also-it was happening before but I might have been in denial a bit.

Anyhow, I'm reading and learning here at AllDeaf-this place is super!
 
Welcome, Springtime. I know what you mean about denial. I kept avoiding admitting that it was a problem until there was no longer any way to hide it.

This weekend I got frustrated and blew up at my mom. Rather than walk 15 feet to me when she wants to talk, she yells through the house until my dad lets me know she wants me to go to her. I've decided that if it's not important enough for her to walk 15 feet then it's not worth me walking 15 feet either. My poor ex, I took the kids over to his house tonight and I was dropping f-bombs in almost every sentence. It's just so irritating to find out that someone has been speaking to me or trying to get my attention and that I had no clue.

On the positive side though, I can now completely ignore her even when I can hear her and get away with it.
 
Babette said:
Welcome, Springtime. I know what you mean about denial. I kept avoiding admitting that it was a problem until there was no longer any way to hide it.

This weekend I got frustrated and blew up at my mom. Rather than walk 15 feet to me when she wants to talk, she yells through the house until my dad lets me know she wants me to go to her. I've decided that if it's not important enough for her to walk 15 feet then it's not worth me walking 15 feet either. My poor ex, I took the kids over to his house tonight and I was dropping f-bombs in almost every sentence. It's just so irritating to find out that someone has been speaking to me or trying to get my attention and that I had no clue.

On the positive side though, I can now completely ignore her even when I can hear her and get away with it.
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I know totally what you mean about mothers or any family member who tries to speak from another room. What I have to remember is that my mother is going through issues of her own, and she forgets and then I have no excuse to snip at her for not remembering that I am deaf. My problem is hubby. He tries and tries to talk to me at night without the lights. It's gotten so I sleep with a flashlight just to deal with it. :giggle:
 
I think I finally got through to my kids about how it is for me. I put headphones on them (the ones that cover the whole ear) and then spoke quietly to them. They really had to work to understand what I was saying. I'm sure they will still forget from time to time, but they now have a better idea of why I keep asking them to repeat themselves.
 
I keep having to remind the kids, one talk at a time! Because when there is backround noise, everything sounds to me like mmmrrrmrrrrrrrrmrrrrrrrrr. They need to learn to take turns talking anyways, lol!
 
Y'all seem a wee bit younger than me here but I'll do this anyway. I'm 62 and suddenly lost my hearing about 3 years ago. I don't lip read very well though am trying to learn, and I don't sign..have no one to practice with anyway. Before I lost my hearing , my husband and I retired to become campground hosts and volunteers in parks ( early retirement). That's impossible now because I am so off balance, I look drunk when I try to walk and can't communicate with the guests. I think the balance problem drives me crazier than anything at this point. Some days, I barely make it walking around the block even with a cane or my walking stick. I live in Montana and I can't get out in winter because I can't walk on the ice and snow! So am pretty well isolated. Would love to go back to work but between my age and balance and my hearing, no one is going to hire me. There ought to be SOMETHING I can do but I haven't found it yet. ANyone have any experience or suggestions for the balance problem? It makes me feel 100 years old@
 
I was born and raised by deaf grandparents, grew up with 2 deaf sisters and a whole pasture full of deaf relatives. I owned my hearing aid business for over 40 years - but none of this prepared me for the sudden hearing loss that my darling wife suffered. please read her story at Jwdudley
 
KristinaB said:
I've been here a lot, but having made major strides in the adjustment process I don't visit this thread as often as I should.

My daughter was trapped in the bathroom this morning (broken doorknob) and I couldn't hear her calling for help. My mother finally heard her after about 2 hours. Man did I feel terrible. I keep telling her not to close door all the way, but to just block it with a door stop that's in the bathroom, but she still slams the door. We can't replace the doorknob since MIL owns the house and wants me to spray it with WD-40. (it won't work even then) Daughter and I have now rigged a light so that if there is a problem, she pulls a cord and a light on my desk (3 feet from door) will come on.

She is doing better but has never liked enclosed spaces to begin with. She is now out on her bicycle to get some space and air.
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Wow. When my now 19 year old was about 12, some kids came and beat him up in the front yard. I was in the kitchen and didn't hear a damn thing. He was calling me, screaming for me to help him.

It was awful.
 
Adjusting to becoming deaf

Well, I don’t know if this is the right forum for me but I need some support from others going through what I am.

I have been suffering from some hearing loss for a few years and thought it was allergy related. Well, I definitely was way off. Apparently, I have a genetic disorder called large vestibular aqueduct syndrome causing both conductive and sensory loss. My left ear is severe and my right is moderate. I guess I have inadvertently learned to reading lips which has pulled me through.

I am a neonatal intensive care nurse and have been having a hard time localizing where the monitors alarms are coming from as well as using my stethoscope. Anyone have any advice on what to do about a stethoscope? I have two CIC phonax hearing aids. I have been using hearing aids for 3 weeks now but haven’t tested them at work yet. That is because I have been getting canceled due to low census. I don’t know how to tell my coworkers so any advice would be great. Nobody at work knows because I don’t want to be looked at as deferent and I can’t have a conversation without tons of tears. I am also afraid that they may say I am not safe to do my job. I have been a NICU nurse for over 10 yrs and that is all I know. I am worried how long I am going to be able to continue working since becoming deaf is my future.

How do you all cope? One day I am fine the next day I am completely depressed. I am married and have 2 children and don’t know if I should go ahead and try to learn ASL as well as my family. My husband is very supportive and said he will learn ASL. I don’t know of anyone else who is HOH or deaf so ASL would just be used for my family.

thanks
 
There are special stethoscopes here:

Amplified Stethoscopes for deaf and hard of hearing

Contact vocational rehabilitation for help getting your employer to provide the equipment that you need. ADA requires reasonable accommodation. There is no reason that you can't continue your job.

We have doctors and nurses on this forum. I recommend posting another thread asking for suggestions.
 
Willowloo-

As far as the depression goes - it takes time and patience. I had 42 years to deal with varying degrees of hearing loss starting from mild and progressing to severe/profound. At 42 I went totally deaf. I have run (and sometimes still do) a whole range of emotions. AllDeaf has helped me through a lot of the emotions. While no ONE particular person is the sole support, I take everyone with their varying emotions and types of comments. We have users who are very serious and those who just like a good time. We have some who can be extremely set in their ways, and others who while not veering off their beliefs, will be very helpful in letting you see both sides of whatever issue.

For me, it was take one day at a time, check in every so often, participate in discussions and fun and eventually, you will gain more of an understanding on what to expect and the depression will occur less and less.

As SallyLou mentioned, we have a few medical people here on AllDeaf who will be able to help you in that field.

Keep your chin up and love those babies in the NICU. My daughter spent time in the NICU at birth due to her size and dehydration at birth.
 
willowloo said:
Well, I don’t know if this is the right forum for me but I need some support from others going through what I am.

I have been suffering from some hearing loss for a few years and thought it was allergy related. Well, I definitely was way off. Apparently, I have a genetic disorder called large vestibular aqueduct syndrome causing both conductive and sensory loss. My left ear is severe and my right is moderate. I guess I have inadvertently learned to reading lips which has pulled me through.

I am a neonatal intensive care nurse and have been having a hard time localizing where the monitors alarms are coming from as well as using my stethoscope. Anyone have any advice on what to do about a stethoscope? I have two CIC phonax hearing aids. I have been using hearing aids for 3 weeks now but haven’t tested them at work yet. That is because I have been getting canceled due to low census. I don’t know how to tell my coworkers so any advice would be great. Nobody at work knows because I don’t want to be looked at as deferent and I can’t have a conversation without tons of tears. I am also afraid that they may say I am not safe to do my job. I have been a NICU nurse for over 10 yrs and that is all I know. I am worried how long I am going to be able to continue working since becoming deaf is my future.

How do you all cope? One day I am fine the next day I am completely depressed. I am married and have 2 children and don’t know if I should go ahead and try to learn ASL as well as my family. My husband is very supportive and said he will learn ASL. I don’t know of anyone else who is HOH or deaf so ASL would just be used for my family.

thanks
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Willow, I am an ICU nurse and I have more severe hearing loss than you stated you have. Trust me, you can be plenty successful at nursing with severe hearing loss. First thing I would do if I were you would be to take the CIC hearing aids back and request something that is both more powerfully capable and assistive stethescope compatable. I know things can work out for you and Im always happy to answer questions.
 
Mrs_Moose said:
Y'all seem a wee bit younger than me here but I'll do this anyway. I'm 62 and suddenly lost my hearing about 3 years ago. I don't lip read very well though am trying to learn, and I don't sign..have no one to practice with anyway. Before I lost my hearing , my husband and I retired to become campground hosts and volunteers in parks ( early retirement). That's impossible now because I am so off balance, I look drunk when I try to walk and can't communicate with the guests. I think the balance problem drives me crazier than anything at this point. Some days, I barely make it walking around the block even with a cane or my walking stick. I live in Montana and I can't get out in winter because I can't walk on the ice and snow! So am pretty well isolated. Would love to go back to work but between my age and balance and my hearing, no one is going to hire me. There ought to be SOMETHING I can do but I haven't found it yet. ANyone have any experience or suggestions for the balance problem? It makes me feel 100 years old@
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Have you checked with your doctor about the balance issues?
 
Hi everyone :wave: (I posted this in the HA forum too and copied here since I gotta run to work soon!)

I had posted that I was considering a HA and was going to Costco to price them-but those posts got eaten :shock:. I went on Thursday. They have the little soundproof booth plopped right down in the store by the tv's. lol. The audi was a nice younger lady, who is non-comminsioned, meaning she works for Costco, not the HA companies.

She did the testing, which came out exactly the same as at my ENT's-right ear is normal, left ear is moderate loss. She went over options, then I decided to test a Rexon Cobalt 16 BTE open fit. She put the test one on and programmed it and says, go walk around Costco for about half an hour and see how you feel.

Wow, it was wild! I could hear fans running, kids crying, someone scraping the floor, forklifts beeping-which is so different from the mmrmrrrrrmrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmrrrrrr sound that I was hearing when we got there (Costco is noisy and I was hearing it all together rather than individual noises). I could understand DH when we spoke to me while walking at my left side.

I ended up ordering one, it is $1300, included batteries, a dryer, and extended warranty. Costco also has 90 day try out period. She ordered me a brown unit, to match my hair. It will come in a week or so. It's the Rexton Cobalt 16, it has room for adjustment (as my loss progresses) and you can even order a more powerful receiver tube for $45, if needed in the future, so I should get long use out of it. I'm happy I decided to do this!
 
Mrs.Moose;

first I haven't read all the above posts which I probably should before I open my big mouth. you are not the oldest one here by a long shot. I'm a young 78 soon to be 79 and CI about two months ago. I'm sure there are a lot of places you could go but I highly recommend the Arizona hearing and balance center in Gilbert Arizona. I obviously don't know your problems but feel sure there is some answers out there. We have lived after retirement in a motor home or boat for 10 years and now finally settling down to a house again, So have a slight idea of what you are talking about. Come on down and enjoy the winter. I know it's getting warm down here now and if you are not in a hurry, this makes for a very nice place to get away from shoveling the weather :) Anyway, just wanted you to know that all are not kids on this site. :)
 
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