Hi Everyone!
Well, according to what I'm reading, this is the place for introductions to the forums- so that's what I'm here to do
My name is Laura, and for the majority of my life, nothing was wrong with my hearing-and I lived quite contently within the hearing culture and world. So, I sincerely apologize if I get a term wrong or say something offensive- I'm still learning my way around my new world.
About eight years ago, I started to lose my hearing- at first I shrugged it off as no big deal. After all, I worked construction, so some minor hearing loss was to be expected, wasn't it? Then it started to get progressively worse- I began to learn how to read peoples lips-since their words became more and more distant and jumbled in my ears. Doorbells and knocks at the door became unnoticable to me, and people around me were constantly turning down the volume of the TV and radio. Telephone conversations quickly became exercises in immense concentration, and the feeling of frustration became quite intense. I found myself withdrawing from friends and family simply because I didn't know what was going on, or what to do about it.
So, over the past year, my hearing has gotten progressively worse- I can no longer hear the higher frequencies- and according to the last test I've got about 30% of normal hearing left in my right ear and my left ear is down to around 40%. So far, no doctor has been able to tell me what exactly is going on, and my lack of health insurance is making getting quality medical care quite an adventure.
So, I am in the process of learning ASL, honing my lip reading skill, and learning to accept the fact that I will always be at least hard of hearing, and perhaps completely deaf in the very near future. Surprisingly, I am fairly calm and accepting about the situation, and I am beginning to learn that the world doesn't end when your hearing does.
So hi everyone! Hope to talk to you soon!
LauraBeth
Well, according to what I'm reading, this is the place for introductions to the forums- so that's what I'm here to do
My name is Laura, and for the majority of my life, nothing was wrong with my hearing-and I lived quite contently within the hearing culture and world. So, I sincerely apologize if I get a term wrong or say something offensive- I'm still learning my way around my new world.
About eight years ago, I started to lose my hearing- at first I shrugged it off as no big deal. After all, I worked construction, so some minor hearing loss was to be expected, wasn't it? Then it started to get progressively worse- I began to learn how to read peoples lips-since their words became more and more distant and jumbled in my ears. Doorbells and knocks at the door became unnoticable to me, and people around me were constantly turning down the volume of the TV and radio. Telephone conversations quickly became exercises in immense concentration, and the feeling of frustration became quite intense. I found myself withdrawing from friends and family simply because I didn't know what was going on, or what to do about it.
So, over the past year, my hearing has gotten progressively worse- I can no longer hear the higher frequencies- and according to the last test I've got about 30% of normal hearing left in my right ear and my left ear is down to around 40%. So far, no doctor has been able to tell me what exactly is going on, and my lack of health insurance is making getting quality medical care quite an adventure.
So, I am in the process of learning ASL, honing my lip reading skill, and learning to accept the fact that I will always be at least hard of hearing, and perhaps completely deaf in the very near future. Surprisingly, I am fairly calm and accepting about the situation, and I am beginning to learn that the world doesn't end when your hearing does.
So hi everyone! Hope to talk to you soon!
LauraBeth
to AD and love your attitude! Very positive! However, if u have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask us. 
