were you ever embarrassed being deaf or HoH?

J

JillyBean.MI

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I was born with moderate/profound hearing loss and wore hearing aids since age 2. At home, only my mother knew a little sign language. I was raised as if I was a child that could hear completely well in my family. Hearing aids can help a great deal but NOT a cure. I just couldn't tell people about being hearing impaired, not even when I was in school or out trying to make friends once I was an adult. I felt like talking about my hearing loss=attention seeking. I was raised in a family where we didn't discuss our problems or what was going on in our lives. Everyone was emotionally distant from each other. I was forced to attend Catholic Church and Sunday school where there was no interpreter. :(
 
Maybe when I had to wear a body style hearing aid and one of my ex brother
friend talked right into my hearing aid like an asshole. He was a real jerk just like my ex brother.
 
As a kid, I was embarrassed. Back then, there were no Facebook ASL groups to encourage people to learn ASL. I did have some kids across the street from me who were interested in learning ASL when I moved to a new residence at age of 9. I wish I had kept in touch with them.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
Maybe when I had to wear a body style hearing aid and one of my ex brother
friend talked right into my hearing aid like an asshole. He was a real jerk just like my ex brother.
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they were awful things to wear thankfully never did had friend at school who had one she had tough time many deaf kids did in them days with body aid..i have had embrassing moments but not always aware until get home and think about it then cringe
 
I wore hearing aid. But went deaf in my late 30s. :( I did beautifully with hearing aid. Good communication. But when i went deaf its very hard to communicate and socialize with people.
 
Jillybean, that's what my mother has like you (she is moderate/profound)

me? nope! and I will have new green earmolds next month and a new hearing aid for my right side too :)
 
I gained confidence as I got older. Had too, it beats being miserable. Still gots long ways to go. I've met amazing friends along the way
 
I did not have a hearing aid when I was young in the early 1950. My mother and I took a bus in the city and I was sitting by the window. Anyway, there was a woman who put her hand on my shoulder and I looked up at her thinking she wanted my attention and she seemed to close her eyes and was muttered her words (I did not know there were making words or sounds from her back then). Anyway, I was embarrassed that she had to put her hand on my shoulder as she was a stranger to me in front of all the people on the bus. I don't know what my mother was thinking back then. It bothered me a great deal. I did not like that.

Later in the years, my mother told me that the woman who put on my shoulder and started closing her eyes and muttered was praying for me to get heal with hoping for me to hear, not deaf. I think my mother must have told her or the woman must have asked her and my mother responded to her about me. There is no miracle. So what! I am glad that I am deaf as I was born with it. I would not want to change from deaf to hearing. **shaking my head** :roll:
 
I guess others are more on top of the action than I. My hearing aids do not cause me embarrassment just some of the occasional situations that result from the fact that with them on I still do not hear. I have them set up to get the most out of conversational and fairly close face to face communication. When that limited scenario is not what is happening hell yah I make mistakes of understanding. Not wanting to be left out of the loop I am right in there trying to get it right. So yeah I get attention and am embarrassed by that on the inside; especially as I am causing a backup in the free flow of action. For some reason it bothers me to explain about limitations of the ha's. I envy the ones among us who carry it all off smoothly.
 
My story is very close to yours. Some days I am and some days I am not embarrassed. For a very long time til recently I never had any issues with embarrassment. Now, I do at 46 years old and realizing just how profound my hearing loss is despite my excellent speech. I don't know if it's midlife crisis/new hearing aids costing a load of money and other personal changes in my life has altered how I see myself as a person. I hope that I can regain what I had all my life as a confident hard of hearing person with use of very little ASL a sense of pride/happiness in all my accomplishments as a mom of three and a wonderful hard working retired AF Lieutenant Col. husband. My thoughts for you is to not be embarrassed but know that you are doing your best in what we have to do to survive.
 
caz12 said:
I think you deal with hand you got
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I am one of those recovering impatient people. I had lots as a young man and then as the years went by started getting less patient as life called for more... am not alone in this sure. So now when I am the culprit ... the one my younger self would have been going "oh sweet suffering...". I couldn't hear for beans then either. I have no shortage of things to be embarrassed about. It is all about soldiering on; life is short.
 
goodonya said:
I am one of those recovering impatient people. I had lots as a young man and then as the years went by started getting less patient as life called for more... am not alone in this sure. So now when I am the culprit ... the one my younger self would have been going "oh sweet suffering...". I couldn't hear for beans then either. I have no shortage of things to be embarrassed about. It is all about soldiering on; life is short.
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very true,i been impatient most of life think I don't suffer fools lightly my deafness not embrassed me that much had me moments though..soldiering on is all you can do no put time back what done is done I learn lesson make this end of life enjoyable fruitfull and no regrets...just wish learn that lesson 30years ago..i followed all limitations people put on me due to hearing when should say stuff it go live fulfilling life do everything I longed to do and don't worry if look fool at times ,we all do
 
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