Woke up not being able to hear 5 days ago

Valorrian said:
Getting a CI is a big deal. If you want one you really have to make a commitment (time and money) to work with it. If you are willing to do all the work that it requires then it would be worth it in the long run if it helps you. A month of waiting or even a year isn't long compared to a life of deafness. There are many pros and cons to getting one. How much residential hearing do you have left? First step if you are serious is to be evaluated and then you can actually decide.

Yeah, dating concerns me too. What kind of work do you do? Do you need hearing to do your job or can your job be modified?
Click to expand...

My right ear (good ear) now has a 80-100 decibel loss but it used to be 50-80 decibels, virtually unchanged since I was first tested at age 3 twenty-two years ago. With my hearing aid in, I could understand about 90% of spoken words in a quiet room. Now I can't understand speech at all unless I am reading the person's lips. I can "hear" voices but it all sounds like a garbled vibration. Recent hearing tests I had this last week showed word discrimination in my right ear has shot down to 0 percent from around 60 percent.

My left ear has always been severe to profound in loss and couldn't ever hear speech out of that ear so I never bothered with wearing an aid in that ear. I have considered getting cochlear implants in both ears. My right ear has gotten almost as bad as my left ear.

I work as a bagger at a grocery store but also do other stuff around the store like cleaning, directing customers, taking out groceries to their car, etc. There's a lot of verbal communication going on and small talk with my co workers.
 
Do not let your hearing become your barrier. I know it feels like you are on the outside looking in at first. Even that is not a truly accurate description on how one feels when this first happens to them. It is very hard to describe to someone else how it feels. I can relate. However, you cannot let it become the reason why you stop functioning and start withdrawing. I made that mistake. I may not have though if we had the internet back then and I could have found others like me telling me it wasn't the end of the world. No one in my family knew anyone who was deaf. We didn't know about hearing aids, sign language, deaf schools and etc. The doctors sure didn't offer that information up.

I work as a cashier. There is a lot of hearing involved in a job such as this. I do not hesitate to let my customers know that I am deaf and that they may need to write for me and they are always willing to do so. My hearing has NEVER been an issue in my chosen job field.

As for dating, I wouldn't worry about that until you came to grasps with your new reality. Dating is the same whether if you are deaf or hearing. If your partner really likes you then they will make the effort to learn to sign for you if they are hearing. I am married to a deaf man and I have two children. We lead very productive lives. When I say we, I mean Deaf/deaf people in general. We have jobs, our careers vary. There are Deaf doctors, nurses, CDL holders, I've heard rumors of deaf cops but never seen one myself, executives, factory workers, fast food workers, Walmart workers, and etc. Nothing stops us except our attitudes, if we think we can't then we won't. We have families, children, husbands, grandchildren....We have friends and very active social lives. Many of us have met each other from on here as well as from other sites. The only thing that will stop you from accomplishing anything is you. Have a positive attitude about this and think that everything will turn out right and it will. Good luck
 
floridadude said:
My right ear (good ear) now has a 80-100 decibel loss but it used to be 50-80 decibels, virtually unchanged since I was first tested at age 3 twenty-two years ago. With my hearing aid in, I could understand about 90% of spoken words in a quiet room. Now I can't understand speech at all unless I am reading the person's lips. I can "hear" voices but it all sounds like a garbled vibration. Recent hearing tests I had this last week showed word discrimination in my right ear has shot down to 0 percent from around 60 percent.

My left ear has always been severe to profound in loss and couldn't ever hear speech out of that ear so I never bothered with wearing an aid in that ear. I have considered getting cochlear implants in both ears. My right ear has gotten almost as bad as my left ear.

I work as a bagger at a grocery store but also do other stuff around the store like cleaning, directing customers, taking out groceries to their car, etc. There's a lot of verbal communication going on and small talk with my co workers.
Click to expand...

It seems from your jobs in store that you can continue working just fine. That is a good thing. No where do I see one of your responsibilities talking on the phone. That is another good thing. Sure, you'll have to modify some things, but you can do it! You can still bag, clean, direct customers, and take groceries to cars. Please, focus on what you can do. I focused for a long time on what I couldn't do and it doesn't help. Bring a pad of paper with you, if someone needs something they can write it down and you still can direct them to where they need to go. It might be a different way to communicate but it is doable. I wish you all the best.

Let us know what you decide on the CI and if you get evaluated. We are here to support you whatever you decide.
 
floridadude......you said......

"I have considered getting cochlear implants if my hearing doesn't get better. I'm concerned about destroying the residual hearing that I do have left. After the surgery, you have to wait a month before getting the implants activated. That's a long time and what if things don't go as well as planned? I read it can take up to a year to fully customize yourself with it, which means it may be a long and drawn out process. It's frightening and overwhelming not knowing what is going to happen. "

Regarding residual hearing.....I had a tiny amount of hearing in my implanted ear. Couldn't really understand speech with it, but I could hear a bit of noise. When I woke up from cochlear implant surgery, I could still hear in that ear, but a few hours later, the ear was completely deaf. I imagine that was due to the swelling that was beginning after surgery. About a month or so later, the residual hearing began coming back, and it is all back now. So mine was not destroyed.

Cochlear implants have greatly improved over time, and I believe it is beginning to be easier now for surgeons to save the residual hearing. Just wanted to let you know my experience. I have the Cochlear Americas Nucleus 7, if you decide to read up on cochlear implants then you might wish to check that one out.

As for "what if things don't go as well as planned?"......well, we have no guarantees in life. Many things may not go as well as we plan, that is just life. We just move on, pray and put our faith in God (if you are a Christian, as I am) and live with HOPE. You have a new door to walk into, face it with courage like the rest of us who have lost our hearing, and move on with HOPE. Carry a pad and pen around, and take advantage of all the great things that are available to us, as others above have suggested.

As for taking up to a year to customize yourself with a cochlear implant, mine is doing great things after only 4 months of activation. Each person is different.

Yes, getting a CI is frightening and overwhelming. I went through all of that. But I sure am glad I took the jump, mine is a tremendous blessing to me. If you believe in God, then pray about it. He will lead you.

In the meanwhile, get that pad and pencil, be proactive and get going, don't lose hope. Others above have told you, don't give in to depression and isolation. Grief is natural.....I am still deaf when I take my cochlear implant processor off each night, and I will probably always grieve the loss of my hearing until I die. That is okay. We have lost a part of us.

We are here for you. Hang in there. :)
 
Hopefully it isn't permanent, but I know how you feel? If it's viral or immune related they give antibiotics and steroids, They did for my sister who acquired sudden hearing loss when she was travelling to a Nurses conference, she got antibiotics immediately but it took several weeks for her hearing to return. She did get it back, and hopefully you will as well. Every Fall my hearing loss progresses and I wonder if it has anything to do with sinuses or allergies but when I go in to get my ears checked, they are always clean and dry meanwhile I feel like I have a nasal cold?.
 
Ahh. 25.

10 years ago I broke my neck and am now in a wheelchair. Since then my hearing has gotten so much worse i can only converse with my new HAs in quiet rooms with one, or maybe 2 people. Physical changes are scary because we identify with our bodies. I can tell you from knowing people in chairs that if friends disappear they were not worth keeping.

You face a big challenge but anyone who successfully navigates life faces big challenges, and how you face it strengthens your character. Face 2 or 3 of them and you become a truly formidable individual.
 
Hello and Welcome! Sorry to hear you are losing your hearing and feeling suicidal. Stay around as their is light at the end of the tunnel. It may not seem that way but their is. I should know as I have acquired deaf-blindness. I was almost totally Blind and profoundly deaf at one stage although I'm glad some of my vision was restored. It makes my life a lot easier the way things are now.

Also I have several com guides who are Deaf themselves. They all drive and Martin who was born profoundly deaf communicates with his mobile phone. Typing messages into his phone and showing them to people.

I wish you luck coming to terms with your new disability. Their are so many things out there to help the deaf. Learn sign language, get subtitles on your TV, Get people to write notes to you if they can't sign. As I said before it's tough losing two or even one sense but once you come to terms with your loss there is light at the end of the tunnel. You just might not be able to see it right now.
 
Back
Top