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Temporary Deafness Cuts Me Off from the World
By Carol Fisher
As I write this, I'm in a cocoon of silence. In fact, I've been in this cocoon for three days now and it's not pleasant. I developed a very bad cold last weekend which has resulted in my ears blocking up. I have very narrow canals in my ears and this has happened to me before, not often but often enough for me to know what to do. I have to put drops in my ears and then be patient - easier said than done. Unless you lose your hearing, you can't imagine how hard it is when you move around silently. I have to check the kettle is switched on because I can't hear it, the same with the microwave and other gadgets that usually make some kind of sound. When my partner talks to me, he has to be in front for me to even know that he's speaking and then he has to talk very loud. Can you imagine how this reduces the amount of conversation we have? It's hard work for him to keep shouting and it's hard work for me to try to hear what he's saying. I can't listen to music nor watch television normally. After a day and a half of having to choose between driving the neighbours crazy or not being able to hear what was being said on TV, I finally remembered nowadays they have sub titles. Duh! At least I can follow what's being said now. I'm also getting some fun out of the live interviews where they must use voice recognition software for the sub titles. This leads to some interesting and occasionally amusing phonetic spelling but, hey, I'm not complaining. This is a good lesson for me. It reminds me what it would be like to have permanent hearing loss. Much as family and friends would want to include me in conversation and activities, it would become more difficult for them. I remember a deaf person once said, "Nobody passes a casual remark to somebody who is profoundly deaf." I think that's probably true. |
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People
| The National Association of the Deaf
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Well written, Carol. Your story conveys both your frustration and the opportunities that can come with the loss of normal body function if you maintain mental clarity and a sense of humor.
Interesting. You've confirmed something I suspected. I've always thought the "isolation" of being deaf would be the hardest to accept. I've noticed my husband's grandmother sits through most gatherings with nothing to do or say because people seldom bother to communicate with her. (she's always been deaf) I find her to be a very humorous and intelligent person and it's sad that all of the hearing people avoid casual conversation with her.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
The other thing about being deaf is that it's embarrassing having to keep asking form something to be repeated. It's easier just to smile and nod even though you haven't a clue what you've just agreed to - hopefully it's not doing some horrible household chore for the next 6 months.
My Mom was deaf from age 35 on. I'm not sure as to the cause, because in the 1950's we didn't have the knowledge or equipment that we have today.
Your struggle is heartfelt and thank you for sharing, Carol.
Keep up the good work.
Best wishes.
Frederick
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This intel was contributed by stazjia
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May, 2012
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