An Hearing Person Comes Up To You And Say "What's that?" OR "Is that a hearing aid?"

I just had my CI surgery at the end of May, and my hearing grandmother came up here to visit shortly after my recovery. she brought up that recently, at this show or something she went to, she spotted a little boy who was wearing these peculiar "things" on his ears that "looked like hearing aids" but had these little round "discs" attached to strings attached to the hearing aids on the sides of his head. she was pretty embarrassed when i explained that they were CI's, especially since she told me previously she'd researched cochlear implants.
 
I say "I am a cyborg" and stare at them intensely until they get weirded out and walk away.

just kidding. I never really tire of trying to explain to people what a cochlear implant is (and the same with when I had hearing aids). I think it needs to become a sort of common knowledge, because there are so many people in the world with CI's and HA's. Its not something the media usually discusses so the only way to create awareness is to patiently explain to people (no matter how they approach the question, whether it be with curiosity or disgust or genuine interest) what it is and what its used for, and how it is nothing new in the technology and medicine field. I think if we all do this, one day people will regard HA's and CI's as a common sighting as wheelchairs or eye-glasses.

you can approach it in different ways- i tend to take the humorous, light-hearted approach- because its the best way to make people feel comfortable (and i honestly dont blame people for feeling weird about it... because there's not enough awareness). sometimes at a party or something, and people ask how the disk stays to my head. I take a beer cap and stick it on my magnet. and simply say "there's a magnet implanted in my head". I've always had a positive reaction from that. Its how I met my first boyfriend, hahaha.
 
How do you guys like your CI? I am hearing and don't need one but it is information I like having because you never know when you will need that information.
 
I've had a deaf girl behind me at Starbucks ask me if it was a BAHA, I explained it was a CI.
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Hahahahaha....that's funny. A lot of people with my syndrome have gotten BAHA. Usually people are WTF is a BAHA?
 
I used to hide my hearing aids as a kid. For some reason, I got more attention to them when I was a kid. When I grew up, I started to wear my hair up, and people didn't seem to notice much. Sometimes I did get people looking into my ears to see if there is an earmold when I had to ask for repetition.

When I got my CI, it was a different feel, so I wasn't comfortable at first to wear my hair up. I now don't care, but if I want privacy from others or don't want people to act different if they see it, then I hide it. When I do this, it depends on the situation.

I found overtime that it's just easier to say hearing aid or hearing device than cochlear implant. Sometimes I say it's a cochlear implant, but it depends on the person.

There are still people out there that don't know what a cochlear implant is.
 
No!! Check this, this will kill you on the floor laughing...

Last two or three weekends ago, my friend and i were working at macy's. Ofc we re deaf. But a man actually walks up to her and tap on her shoulder bec she didn't hear him calling her. And he asked and ACTUALLY assumed it was today trendy gadgets. So he wanted to know what she was wearing on her ear which it was CI. How Ironic! He thought it was ipod!!! i cracked my butt up really hard.. After she explained what had happened to her.

That is just off the wall random statements, i ever heard!

i roflmdao at that.
:rofl:
 
SCBassist said:
Mine was once confused for a bluetooth/cell phone device! LOL
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Yeah, I had one or two say the same thing. So, I played along ;)

Usually, I tell 'em that it is a bionic ear...and I that I recalibrate it now and then listening to the whales in the ocean :laugh2:
 
Same here. It was same my feeling. I hide my hearing aids from everyone in my family cousins. I don't know why. I was being a shy to wear them. My husband think it's silly to be shy. LoL He said it's same as glasses wearer. I really want to have a style for my new HA. I am comfort to wear a mini instead of bulky. My fiance said I look fine with them. Whatever!

I would like to get a CI. But I want to wait until next decade. I want to get a mini BTE for CI instead of bulky. I have a small ears not really smaller. Just a regular small. I am shorter too.

When I was 5 years old. I went to the zoo with my school. The teenager girl asked me what is that with my ears when I wore a ponytail. My mom told her it's hearing aids to hear. I was shy and hide from her. I wouldn't speak.


ClearSky said:
I used to hide my hearing aids as a kid. For some reason, I got more attention to them when I was a kid. When I grew up, I started to wear my hair up, and people didn't seem to notice much. Sometimes I did get people looking into my ears to see if there is an earmold when I had to ask for repetition.

When I got my CI, it was a different feel, so I wasn't comfortable at first to wear my hair up. I now don't care, but if I want privacy from others or don't want people to act different if they see it, then I hide it. When I do this, it depends on the situation.

I found overtime that it's just easier to say hearing aid or hearing device than cochlear implant. Sometimes I say it's a cochlear implant, but it depends on the person.

There are still people out there that don't know what a cochlear implant is.
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Pinky678 said:
My husband think it's silly to be shy. LoL He said it's same as glasses wearer. I really want to have a style for my new HA. I am comfort to wear a mini instead of bulky. My fiance said I look fine with them. Whatever!

.
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Are you meaning both of them to be fiance or husband? I am confused how you can have both.
 
Celticty said:
Are you meaning both of them to be fiance or husband? I am confused how you can have both.
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I am sorry for confusing you. My husband is hearing. He don't care if I am deaf. He accepted me. I am wearing 2 ha. I was shy to wear them in public. I always cover my hair down. He think it's silly to be shy.
 
One time I was interpreting and a person asked me if my HA's were special interpreter devices. I said no, I am HOH, they are just regular hearing aids! It was pretty amusing...I was trying to think what special interpreter devices they could make someday for this purpose.
 
I was in a small, family run movie theater a couple months ago with my daughter, who wears a Harmony with the Firefly activated, so it flashes green when it detects sound (which is all the time). In the darkened movie theater you could see the light flashing, and the owner creeps up to her and says,

"Honey, your earrings are flashing!"

I guess she wanted her to turn them off! I laughed and explained what they were, and she slunk away embarrassed, I think.
 
I haven't had anyone ask me what my CI is yet. Prolly because I have the coil and BTE hidden among my curls but if they ask, I will simply tell them that this is a device that helps me hear better.
 
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