Looking for Single Sided Deaf (SSD) people to chat with about sound localization

M

malus handle

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Hi all, Me personally, I would almost rather be Deaf from birth.
To not know where a sound is coming from, instantly, creates a form of dementia I think.
It is most isolating.
 
I have SSD and not being able to localize sound Does not bother Me at all. It’s all I’ve ever known so it’s never felt weird
 
I did not become SSD over time, I was in a real bad accident, where I got a sever TBI, and when I woke up in the hospital I had only one (inner) ear. The people in the room were talking to me but unless I could see the person or people, eye ball to eyeball, I could not decipher all the words, one or two words from this person and one or two words from another, and it was almost impossible to understand them in conversations. If someone was talking to me, and turned their head away from me for a moment (which people do), I would lose those words, and have to ask them to look at me , so I could understand all their words, The volume in my good ear was now much higher, to the point that a louder sound like a door slamming, 'froze' me and made me "jump out of my shoes". The sounds and voices seemed to be coming from all around me, and all trying to cram into my good ear all at once. Somebody off to my right or left or behind me would say, "hey Craig, how are you doing?", and I would not be able to turn towards them right away unless I turned my head like a radar dish and finally locate them. I'm not much good in a conversation now, not being able to cipher ALL the words, and out in public is kinda freeky because of all the sounds all the time. I'm constantly being 'frozen' by louder sounds, or people talking to me and I can't turn to face them right away, and I hesitate allot now, which puts me 'a click' behind everyone else.
Besides SSD, my TBI left me with a loud, screeching 'Tinnitus' and mild case of vertigo, and it was driving me crazy, until a friend hooked me up with a "Wireless Bone Conduction Headphone", and paired it up to my android phone and a Kindle Fire Tablet, and re-introduced me to music and listening in general. I have adapted to my new SSD world now, because of this "technology", and I can be "hands free", and nothing "In" my good ear. Good music therapy has lessoned the affects of the Tinnitus and the vertigo to a point where my confidence levels are better. I can now sleep much better because low music is 'on' my good ear, whenever I want it. I can hear the 'overtones' and 'harmonies' much better now, and In fact it's kinda interesting to listen to music by pressing the bone conduction headphone, anywhere on my head. The bass is less, but I can still hear it.
Does your SSD 'inhibit' you in conversations? I always turn my good ear towards people now, and look them 'square in the eye' and they get it. I can listen to my music on low and at the same time be talking to someone, and be washing dishes. Being "Hands free", is a confidence builder.
 
I definitely struggle in conversations. If in a store or somewhere where there’s background noise and someone tries to talk to me, I don’t even notice. It does sometimes make me feel isolated but I’m used to it.

I understand what you mean about turning your good ear towards people to understand them. Sometimes as people turn their head or walk in a different direction, I’m following them with my ear tilted towards them. I’m sure it looks a bit weird, but I don’t mind doing it with people I know.
 
In the "Hunting" world, you use all your senses to track your prey, but the sense of smell and the hearing are most important. With no sense of smell, and SSD, (maybe connected to inner ear being destroyed), I feel like bait when I'm out and about in public, but I have adjusted to this new world and my "vision" , and tactile senses have greatly increased. I see things other people can't see, and my peripheral vision is greatly enhanced. I can juggle three balls now pretty well.
When I'm talking to someone now, I watch the corners of their eyes, and the corners of their mouth, and I can tell if they are "Joshing" me.
Cats have an amazing ability with their noses in that they can "localize" different smells and turn their heads towards them.
Watching my cat Jake, who is 15, use his ears and eyes and smell , but independent of each other, is amazing. Each side of his nose is independently 'searching', his ears are independent and 'searching', and his eyes are constantly 'searching', all at the same time. They seem to have perrrfect sense of their environment. I've learned a lot from him. (he is also a poser).
.Jake 11.jpgOnce, I put "Dark Side of the Moon" on my conduction phones, and placed them around his neck, and he was purring, and his eyes 'squinted' at me like he enjoyed it.
I mean, what's not to like, with Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons? ha. shows my age.
 
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