1 Year Later

I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post! Almost a year to the date of the last post, so I guess it's time I update on how things have been going! It's been a little over a year as well since I got my hearing aids.

I'll looked back at my last blog entry and I had mentioned getting some in the ear hearing aids, which I actually did do. However they drove me nuts and the way they were made it kept hitting the phone and often disconnecting me on the cordless. So I went back to my BTE's and have been with them since.

Life has changed a bit for me to say the least, I can tolerate louder noises now compared to a year ago. I love being in one room and being able to hear Hailey call out from the other one or the other side of the house for that fact. This is really nice since we moved into our new house in Oct of 08. Some days I feel like I am still adjusting, for instance if there is alot of noise around me, I still have a little trouble hearing. If the girls are playing with a loud toy and I am in the same room trying to have a conversation with someone, I need to be sitting near them so I can hear.

Another thing I have noticed is that I will say something and either I am speaking to low or not articulating enough, since I often have to repeat it. I think I am hearing myself be "loud" but I am not really being loud lol. I really can't say enough about how much having these hearing aids has changed my life. I can go out and enjoy conversation and friends without feeling like an outsider because I can't hear nor understand what they are saying. I feel like people are more open to talking to me now, since I can hear as I do think I was avoided before.

I'll try to keep updating here as life goes on, but so far so good, other than having to replace batteries about every week lol thankfully they are included in the price I paid!

Progress Check

Well tomorrow is my 2 week progress check on the hearing aids and I am a bit excited but still nervous and anxious as well. Not sure why, it's not like I am going to get my hearing checked for the first time or anything lol but nonetheless I am.

So life has been interesting the last 2 weeks to say the least. I have been trying to adjust to my new Bionic Ears and it's been a rough road in a few ways. I think first the hearing aids need to be readjusted a little to a lower volume since everything seems super duper amplified to me. I can't wear the hearing aids when I have the dishwasher going or running bath water etc because it drowns out everything else.

I have done better than I thought I would with the kids. They are loud especially Hailey at times but it's only bad when they have alot of noisy toys and are loud too. They do have a volume control on them but the dr wanted me to not use it right now to see if I really needed the adjustment or just get used to them.

The downside to my BTE's are that I am having a hard time with the phone. For those who have known me I am a talker and I used to be a phone person but since the hearing problem I avoid it. I had high hopes for my heairng aids and the phone but alas it's not what I had hoped for and perhaps it's the BTE's vs the in the ear hearing aids. The microphone is behind my ear so I have to hold the phone funny not on my ear and then I feel like the people can't hear me unless I talk up really loud.

A few other things are bugging me about the BTE's as well but nothing I couldn't live with if I had to but I am hoping to talk with them tomorrow and see what it would cost to get the in the ear ones. The phone is a lifeline and should I have to go back to work or want to I would have problems with the phone. I have worked customer service and that generally requires phone work and I need to be able to just pick up the phone and hear and not keep moving it around til it hits the right spot.

I know I have a 30 day trial on them , so I am hoping it'll not be an issue. I don't mind paying a little extra for the order thankfully tax money is coming in but I hope that'll it be nothing. I'll be sure to post tomorrow after I get back with the verdict.

All in all I am so happy to hear and be around people now without feeling bad because I couldn't hear them. Thanks to everyone for their support during the last few months it's been a hard road!

So AT & T Called

We have been getting this call from a place called Etech for months now, but I always ignore it thinking its a telemarketer. First of all since I have such bad hearing I don't like talking on the phone to family/friends so I definitely don't want to deal with telemarketers. Usually they have a strong accent and I don't understand them anyways or they talk to low or its their headsets.

Finally I decided to answer and see who the heck it was since they call so often. This is the conversation:

Me: Hello
Line: This is....... (can't hear them)
Me: I am sorry who?
Line: This is..... (still can't hear them)
Me: You'll have to speak up I have a hearing disorder
Line: This is .........from..... (still didn't hear them)
Me: I am sorry but if you don't speak up louder I can't hear you
Line: This is "name" calling with AT&T
Me: Oh well we are not interested in changing our phone service
Line: Well it's not about changing your service it's about upgrading
Me: Well we can't afford to upgrade as you can tell I can't hear and need the money for hearing aids
Me: Do you offer discounts to those who can only hear half the time on the phone? (me laughing)
Line: Sorry to bother you ma'am you have a good day.
Click

Ok I was laughing by the time I got off the phone. Seriously I'll upgrade and pay out the ass for a service I barely use now (cept for the net) and still can't hear anything going on. No thanks!

Laugh of the week.

Day 2 of Financing

Well finally hubby got in touch with his dad last night to see if he had gotten the emails in regards to calling us. Nope they had been out of town and just got it that day but hadn't had a chance to call etc. His answer was that he'll have to look at some stuff and see what he can do and he would get back to us today.

Last night I got an email from a friend saying I should check into a loan from a credit card because they tend to be unsecured and no collateral needed. So I start searching and think of Capital One since we already have 2 cards with them. I checked their site out and they do issue personal loans. So after hubby got home we looked at it and decided to apply and go for more so we can consolidate our bills down to 1 payment. That'll look good on our credit and the payments will be lower too. So after we finally apply it says oh it'll be 5 to 7 days. Just great, I was hoping for sooner so I could get my hearing aids, but noooooooooo we have to wait and see. This just sucks, the Hearing Center called this morning wanting to make an appointment this week since the doctor will be out all next week. Umm sorry unless you are gonna give them to me with no money down and know I'll pay ya soon no point.

So now it'll be after Christmas and heck possibly New Years before I get the hearing aids. That really frustrates me because all I wanted was to hear by Christmas. I am more mad at my hubby cause he's like let me ask my dad first before we apply for loans etc.. umm ok but it was over a week and half ago and just heard back. We could have applied for a loan the day I knew how much and possibly already had the money! ARGGHHHH that really irritates me.

The journey continues.

Hearing Aid Financing Update

Well I don't have good news to report, hubby called about 30 mins ago or so and told me we had been declined for the loan for the hearing aids. I am feel sick to my stomach, my head hurts and I can't keep the tears back. I can feel my blood pressure going up as I type this, I have been so stressed since Sept about this whole hearing loss thing.

We were hoping my FIL could help out but he's not emailed nor called us since we emailed him over a week ago. He was really my back up, I figured if he helped us out we could pay the loan off at the bank and then pay him back alot less interest that way. I think what makes me the most mad is we just refinanced the house in summer of 06 and have been up to date on bills etc and yet the bank still said no.

So my journey to getting funding continues.

They have arrived!

I am soo excited and happy! The hearing center called yesterday and my hearing aids are in at the office! Now I just have to set an appointment to go try them out and get them set for my ears and then I can hear again! Now to come up with the $4300.00 to pay for them, that's the hardest part. We are hoping that my FIL will help out but if not we'll head to the bank on Monday and see about getting a loan and pray they will give it to us.

Other than the money thing though I am super excited to start hearing again. The thought of being able to hear my kids without having them repeat themselves multiple times brings tears of joy to my eyes. I will be able to hear my hubby when he is beside me talking normally and not have him speak up. I'll be confident again and use the phone more. Since my hearing problem began I quit using the phone that much and anyone who knows me knows me, knows how much I like to talk lol.

I'll admit I have been depressed because of my hearing situation but it was really bad when my own family would laugh at say that I was deaf. They would carry on and on saying I needed a hearing aid and my ears checked etc. Why I didn't before Sept I am not sure, I guess I was hoping and praying it was really just sinus related or buildup. Alas it wasn't, so now I know and just have to go forward.

I just wanted to say thanks to those who have supported me and been there for me to vent and cry to about this situation and I don't think I could have made it thru without you.

Decisions on Hearing Loss Disorder~Oct 18

I have been thinking for a week or so now trying to decide what to do about my hearing situation. I have not had the appt with the surgeon yet, however I do not think that is the way I am going to go. I have been weighing out all the options I know of right now between the two choices, hearing aids or surgery. The hearing aids are definitely the front runner right now not only will it be an instant gratification of sorts, there is no risk involved.

I am just hesitant about the surgery because of the recovery time and the length of time it takes to find out if the my hearing will be correct. Up to 4 months before I would know from what I have been reading. Then of course there is the risk of losing my hearing completely in the ear they do the surgery on OR even having to have the surgery redone later in life.

I am still planning on going to the surgeon just to find out more about the surgery, however since the insurance doesn't cover it I am still leaning towards NOT doing it anyway. I'll be post when I know more but it will not be til after Nov 14th.

Hearing Disorder Support~Oct 11

I have been searching for a couple of days now for online support groups for adults with hearing disorders and to be honest there really isn't to many for those with disorders and not completely deaf. I came across many many groups for parents of deaf children, for adults that are deaf but I couldn't find one I truly felt like I could fit into.

My "disorder" is a progressive one called stapedial otosclerosis and from the House Clinic.com site states:

"Otosclerosis is an abnormal, microscopic growth of bone in the walls of the inner ear. This abnormal growth causes the stapes bone (also called the "stirrup") to become immobile or "fixed". Normally the stapes vibrates freely to allow the transmission of sound to the inner ear, but when it cannot move, it prevents sound waves from reaching the inner ear fluids, and hearing is impaired.

Otosclerotic bone sometimes involves other structures of the inner ear, thereby affecting the nerves of the inner ear. When this occurs it also causes a distortion or difficulty in understanding the speech of others, regardless of how loudly they talk.

Otosclerosis affects only the ears and usually involves both ears. It occurs in men and women with almost equal frequency and usually begins in the teens or early twenties. Although otosclerosis tends to run in families, there is no pattern to its heredity.

"Stapedial OtosclerosisUsually otosclerosis spreads to the stapes or stirrup bone, the final link in the middle ear transformer chain. This stapes rests in a small groove, the oval window, in intimate contact with the inner ear fluids. Anything that interferes with its motion results in a conductive hearing impairment. This type of impairment is called stapedial otosclerosis and is usually correctable by surgery.

The amount of hearing loss due to involvement of the stapes and the degree of nerve impairment present can be determined only by careful hearing tests."

You can read more at House Clinic about the two treatments that are available to those with my disorder. Hearing aids or surgery which is called a stapedectomy.

My ENT told me that it was a hereditary disorder so not sure what to think about that but my mother is hard of hearing in her left ear which is also my worst ear. Either way I am losing my hearing and honestly it's much worse than I had anticipated when I went to the ENT.




These 2 charts show a difference in hearing normally and below normal. The first chart shows db at 20 or less that is normal range of hearing. The second shows the db down to 50 this shows hearing loss.

My personal chart was in the 80's which is Severe Hearing Loss. That means I do not hear normal range of sound, if you are across the room and talking to me in a normal voice I will not hear you. In fact my range of hearing never got above below avg hearing mark even on the highest pitch sounds.

So those of you who know me and talk to me via phone or in person know that I am not ignoring you I really can not hear you. I hope this helps explain my hearing loss a bit better.

Welcome to My Hearing Loss Blog

Hi and welcome, my name is Frances and I am a hard of hearing adult who just found in Sept that I have severe hearing loss in both of my ears. My left ear more so than my right but they are both affected.

I am starting this blog to just vent, cry or scream about my situation and the things hard of hearing people go through. I am lucky enough that I can get hearing aids or surgery to correct my problem however not so lucky in the fact that insurance will cover neither.

I have another blog that I am going to copy some of my posts from and post here so you can see my updates as they came along and then I'll be able to update from there on out.