The Things We Can’t Hear…And Those We Can!

Silence may be golden, but being deaf is not for the faint of heart. Lately, I’ve been struggling with my hearing, unsure if it will ever return to the level it was before I had that little tumor in my right ear removed. Now I know that my hearing is improving. For one thing, I no longer jump every time Jeff appears. That’s good. There’s nothing worse than reacting to your loved one as if they are a stranger who just broke into your home. And though I still can’t hear him perfectly, it must be better. I’m no longer constantly saying what every time he speaks. Perhaps I’ve just begun to fill in the blanks. After thirty-four years together, what could he say that I haven’t already heard before? Not much, I hope. Or maybe, I’ve given up. After all, when you live with someone, sometimes they’re just muttering to themselves, commenting on the weather, or something innocuous. And if you could hear them, you’d probably let most of that slide on by. Let’s hope if the house was on fire, or something equally catastrophic, he’d be more animated trudging past me in the morning.

Am I Disabled?

Being deaf in my left ear since I was a child, I wasn’t raised with the notion that I was disabled. After all, I heard perfectly well with my good ear as long as you were standing within earshot and I knew you were talking to me. But now with the diminished hearing in that one good ear, life has changed, and I guess that is how it eventually goes for all of us. Live long enough and the parts may not work as well. For some, it might be a knee, hip, disc, or even the eyes. For others, it might be a battle with cancer. For me, it’s an ear. And I’m certainly not alone. Lately, I’ve been counting hearing aids. A lot of adults wear them. So this disability is fixable. Still, I can’t say I feel good about the experience. Is it the hearing or the fact of getting older? Ahh. Another topic for another blog.

Hearing Aids

Up until now, Jeff has been my main hearing aid. Doctor visits have required his presence. Even an ENT’s office is amazingly unaware that deaf patients are struggling to hear. It’s not uncommon for a medical assistant to look away when talking to you. Or for a doctor to fail to raise his voice. Fortunately, Jeff can hear it all. That’s been a blessing. And I’m back to lip reading. I’m not great at it, but I’m practicing. Oh. And I just got a hearing aid. That’s been a lifesaver. I can’t understand why some people refuse to wear it. That said, I must admit that my ear can sometimes hurt after a few hours of wearing it. Men! We’re made of spit and polish.

Other Noises

Funny enough, despite my diminished hearing, there are still some sounds that I can hear quite well. Like that jiggling noise coming from my car’s dashboard. What the hell is it? A marble rolling around? A loose screw? And why can’t a mechanic find and fix it? And I can hear the beeping of the dishwasher when it’s finished. And that is a few rooms away. That darn beeping continues until someone gets up and turns the dishwasher off. So far, it’s been a battle of wills in our house. Because whoever turns the dishwasher off has to empty it. And no one wants that job!

Now for Something a Little Extra!

This month, we’re participating in an Emotional Connections in Women’s Fiction promotion. It’s a great opportunity to grab a free ebook of my second novel After the Fall and check out the works of over thirty other authors. I hope you’ll take a moment to review the promotion. Until we meet again, have a great September!