I am so hyped!

Moon-child

Moon-child

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My boyfriend and I are signed up to take intro to sign language at the end of the month. I took some some many years ago and taught my son some sign to augment our communication. I speak very well, not sure why or how! I did not know I was deaf until I was 19 years old, my boyfreind at the time asked me to go get my ears checked as he did not think I was hearing , I did go to an audiologist and she was shocked and in awe of me....I made it through 19 years without anyone realizing that I was deaf! she called me the master of deception because I guess I appeared to be hearing. I had a real shitty childhood, neglect, sexual abuse and crap , I was totally passive and in my own little world, I honestly thought I was an alien cause nothing made any sense, life was chaos. As a teen I started to get angry and rebel. I quit school, ended up on the street, was a bad ass punk rocker and then at 19 started putting the pieces of my puzzle together. I am super perceptive and very intutive, I now wear one hearing aid. It if turn it off I basically hear nothing.....i do love the silence. I cannot afford a hearing aid for my other ear, and think that it would drive me bonkers anyway. I am now 41 and am freaking soooo excited about learning sign. I also thought I was the only deaf chick who did not no sign language, this site is teaching me alot, thanks all!!! Hugs, Love moon-child
 
Congrats and hope your education on the signing will be a great experience for you. :)
 
Moon-child said:
My boyfriend and I are signed up to take intro to sign language at the end of the month. I took some some many years ago and taught my son some sign to augment our communication. I speak very well, not sure why or how! I did not know I was deaf until I was 19 years old, my boyfreind at the time asked me to go get my ears checked as he did not think I was hearing , I did go to an audiologist and she was shocked and in awe of me....I made it through 19 years without anyone realizing that I was deaf! she called me the master of deception because I guess I appeared to be hearing. I had a real shitty childhood, neglect, sexual abuse and crap , I was totally passive and in my own little world, I honestly thought I was an alien cause nothing made any sense, life was chaos. As a teen I started to get angry and rebel. I quit school, ended up on the street, was a bad ass punk rocker and then at 19 started putting the pieces of my puzzle together. I am super perceptive and very intutive, I now wear one hearing aid. It if turn it off I basically hear nothing.....i do love the silence. I cannot afford a hearing aid for my other ear, and think that it would drive me bonkers anyway. I am now 41 and am freaking soooo excited about learning sign. I also thought I was the only deaf chick who did not no sign language, this site is teaching me alot, thanks all!!! Hugs, Love moon-child
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Have you thought about getting your GED? You really do need it, then you need a college degree. But, no money? Go to the rehab agency in your state and get help, including new hearing aids and tell them you want to go to college, finish high school (or get your GED) and see what they say. Bet they'll help you!
 
Hey Pete, thanks for your reply....I did go to College as an adult student in my early twenties, I wanted to prove to myself that I was not stupid, like the teachers had told me over my younger years. Well, I got a Rehabilitation practitioner two year diploma, was on the Deans honour roll and loved my teachers. Because the field I was gearing up for was to work for people with mental handicaps, I found my classmates and teachers very in tune with my needs. I sat at the front of the class, my teachers were miked and a couple of the girls would share notes with me to double check my lip reading skills. So that is all good, but I thankyou for the advice and encouragement! Now, for a second hearing aid, I can barely stand one of them! I do not know how I could tolerate more input, do you hearing aid wearers all wear two?? I tried two once at my audiologists but it was too over stimulating for my brain, any thoughts or experiences to share??? Hugs!
 
Wow! That is sooo amazing that u made it thru without knowing that u are deaf. I am sure it was difficult for you but I am glad u are doing good now and excited about learning ASL. I grew up not knowing ASL until I was around 25 to 28 years old. I love using ASL.

Congrats and I admire u! Good luck! :hug:
 
Hey Shel, that is very sweet of you, your post made me grin ear to ear! My b/f wants to know if they will teach us naughty words too, lol. When you sign do you sign, what I think is called am-slang or do you sign every word?? I guess I will find out more when the course starts eh! cheers! hugs!
 
Moon-child said:
Hey Shel, that is very sweet of you, your post made me grin ear to ear! My b/f wants to know if they will teach us naughty words too, lol. When you sign do you sign, what I think is called am-slang or do you sign every word?? I guess I will find out more when the course starts eh! cheers! hugs!
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At first, I signed every word cuz I didnt understand that ASL's grammatical structure was totally different from English. As I interacted with more and more signers and my deaf brother explaining to me that I need to think in concepts or pictures when signing instead of in English, I finally "got" it. Now, I sign ASL..I cant sign word for word anymore even if I tried cuz it feels too awkward for me.

Learning the naughty words in ASL is the fun part! :giggle:
 
So, are you gonna teach me the naughty words?! Could be fun for my b/f and I to talk dirty while innocently watching our children at the playground!!! thanks for your explanation, that makes sense.
 
Wow, fantastic, you've done really well for yourself and your new journey sounds very exciting. Good luck!
 
Moon-child said:
. . . I tried two once at my audiologists but it was too over stimulating for my brain, any thoughts or experiences to share??? Hugs!
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I wear two bte hearing aids, others wear only one and it depends on the audiogram and its results. By the way, hearing aids are different for everyone, as if you google hearing aids, you'll find a whole slew of companies and manufacterers.

Hearing aids and ear molds also come in a variety of colors. My ear molds are clear, while my aids match the color of my hair. It used to be that hearing aids matched skin tone, but that is no more. Anything goes! :hug:
 
Thankyou for your response Pete, I had no idea they could come in different colors. I do know that my hearing loss is the same in both ears, and I do know that I did not want to buy a digital aid cause it was more expensive. I want a hot pink one, would look cool against my black hair, ha ha. I never did care if people noticed my h/a, actually makes it easier when they do. Lately, my h/a seems to be making my ear tender, and a clear crusty film coats my h/a when I take it out at the end of the day. No rubbing or sharp parts so I am not sure what or why...maybe you know?? I also tend to wear myh/a's way longer then they are supposed to last, in 22 years I have been wearing one, I am only on my third aid, and I still feel like flushing it almost daily.
 
Moon-child said:
Thankyou for your response Pete, I had no idea they could come in different colors. I do know that my hearing loss is the same in both ears, and I do know that I did not want to buy a digital aid cause it was more expensive. I want a hot pink one, would look cool against my black hair, ha ha. I never did care if people noticed my h/a, actually makes it easier when they do. Lately, my h/a seems to be making my ear tender, and a clear crusty film coats my h/a when I take it out at the end of the day. No rubbing or sharp parts so I am not sure what or why...maybe you know?? I also tend to wear myh/a's way longer then they are supposed to last, in 22 years I have been wearing one, I am only on my third aid, and I still feel like flushing it almost daily.
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Moon-child,

You may want to see your audiologist and see what the problem is with making your ear tender. You don't say what type of hearing aid you wear, but she/he will be able to help it fit to your ear and then wait another couple weeks for it to clear up or not. A clear crusty film sounds like it's rubbing somewhere, which doesn't mean a sharp object, just means something is rubbing. A few years ago, I replaced a hearing aid that was 18 years old, so, yes, they do last a long time if they're properly cared for. Let me know what your audiologist says.
 
Ugh, I hate appointments, but you are wise and correct of course, I have just been putting it off! Thanks for your nudge, I should get my hearing tested again too. Hugs!
 
That is an absolutely amazing story, moon-child! You have overcome so much! I wish you luck in your sign language class. I'm sure you will be very successful.
 
What a amazing story! In a sense, you're quite blessed despite all the bad events in your life.

Have a blast learning ASL! It's enjoyable, I can assure you. ;)
 
Thanks you guys, I woke up this morning feeling really nervous and apprehensive about the course, I generally am quite a social hermit...and then I remembered that this class is designed for the deaf and hard of hearing, so I need not worry about "hearing" my instructor...I will let you know how it goes.

I regret nothing in my life, I would not be the person I am if I did not go through every experience as I did, and I happen to like and be proud of who I am. Hugs!
 
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