HOH mom looking for others like me.

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dotchianni

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Hi. I am Dotchi. I am HOH and wear hearing aids. I hate them. I think people know I wear them and assume that my hearing is perfect now. It's not. I still have trouble hearing. I've had fluctuating deafness since I was very young but my hearing is going now.

I have a feeling that in this small town, when I lose all my hearing, I will be very lonely. I am only HOH now and I already feel very lonely. I am learning ASL, although I am not really seeing the point since only one child of mine is willing to learn it and my friends want to learn but don't want to take the time to learn. Instead, they just yell really loud.

I am a bit disheartened this week. I stay at home most of the time so I don't see the reason why I should wear hearing aids all the time just so I can hear myself typing, the traffic driving by and not much more. But my audi says I need to wear them all the time. I half wish I could just be deaf, I prefer the quiet.

Not trying to sound like a downer... my life is pretty wonderful overall... but I feel like there is no one in the world going through what I am going through. I know this isn't true LOL But I just wish I had a community I could turn to.

I found this site googling "I hate my hearing aids" LOL. Anyway, I hope to find some inspiration and support on here. Maybe some advice or thoughts.
 
Who is your Mom? Just because an audiologist says you have to wear them all the times don't mean you have to.

It's your life. No one can run it personally or personally.
 
That was my line of thinking LOL. Plus, after about an hour or so they really start itching and I can't stand it anymore and have to take them out for awhile. I just get so annoyed when my friends yell at me to put my hearing aids in so they can talk to me. Why not just learn ASL? In fact, the other day I was in a foul mood and yelled back "LEARN ASL!" I have two friends learning ASL. One is doing okay with it. The other wants to sign SEE style and it's really disconcerting to me. But I try b/c she is trying too.
 
Nobody likes wearing a hearing aid at first and it does take some getting used to, but, other than not being used to the sounds, they shouldn't be uncomfortable. Tell your audiologist the issues you are having and if that person can't fix them go to another audiologist.

As far as ASL goes, nobody will stop you from learning it. It's a good fix for communicating with the deaf people, but it's not a big help in the world in general. You need to use all the tools you can get to have the best advantage.

We've all been there..
 
VacationGuy234 said:
Nobody likes wearing a hearing aid at first and it does take some getting used to, but, other than not being used to the sounds, they shouldn't be uncomfortable. Tell your audiologist the issues you are having and if that person can't fix them go to another audiologist.

As far as ASL goes, nobody will stop you from learning it. It's a good fix for communicating with the deaf people, but it's not a big help in the world in general. You need to use all the tools you can get to have the best advantage.

We've all been there..
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what do you mean by that?

Im an ASL user. So I may not see your point but try to see your point. :aw:
 
Frisky Feline said:
what do you mean by that?

Im an ASL user. So I may not see your point but try to see your point. :aw:
Click to expand...

I think he meant how many people uses or know ASL in general world? Outside Deaf World, that is. The sad thing is that in many cases, if you don't run into deaf people, then no reason to learn ASL. Not telling people that they should not learn ASL, but sometimes, people just don't see motivation to learn ASL.
 
Welcome! Glad you joined us.

Must be hard coming from having hearing then to HOH or deafness. You used to hear before and now not as well or nothing at all, I imagine is difficult than for those who were born deaf or HOH.

I was born deaf so I don't know what I'm missing therefore I can't complain. But yes I do complain that it is difficult to live in a hearing world where we are the minority. I tell myself life could be worse.

Having support is very important for your well-being. You'll find out in this forum there are many people like you here. You are not alone. :)
 
wow It is interesting

Sound look likes isolate.. limit communicated isolated

should be suppotive communicaticated deaf communicated access it is pretty look likes access
I notice sign language limit not enough. lost on motivated supportive on friends/ cause

need to ASL worth
 
Living out in the wilds of Montana, you may find a hard time expanding your friends circle to ASL users.

Maybe moving is an option?
 
how far away are you from Great Falls? That's where the deaf school is....and yeah Montana is so rural that there's still tiny one room schoolhouses there!
 
Have your friends watch any episodes of "Switched at Birth" lately to get a small understanding about being Deaf? If that'd maybe help them see it from a different perspective?
 
Yes, thank you, Derek. In most places, you don't run into deaf people that often unless you are part of a group. Although, you will probably run into an interpreter now and then.

That is not to say there are not other uses such video relay, talking over video as well as anything that is interpreted. It can be and is very useful.

However, even in major cities(never mind the suburbs), it's not usual to see people talking in sign.

It's good to know and you should use it, but it doesn't solve all problems.
 
Wirelessly posted

I am HOH living outside the deaf world in a tiny rural area. It helps if you can find a deaf club near your area. closest one to me is about an hour or so away. I work among hearing people, in a very busy enviroment. Believe me...when I get in my car to go home both hearing aids are taken out! Its like taking a bra off. Releif! LOL
 
VacationGuy234 said:
Nobody likes wearing a hearing aid at first and it does take some getting used to, but, other than not being used to the sounds, they shouldn't be uncomfortable. Tell your audiologist the issues you are having and if that person can't fix them go to another audiologist.

As far as ASL goes, nobody will stop you from learning it. It's a good fix for communicating with the deaf people, but it's not a big help in the world in general. You need to use all the tools you can get to have the best advantage.

We've all been there..
Click to expand...

I've been to NYC... Rochester... Florida.... Toronto.... DC.... Boston.... Seattle.... Paris.... etc... many business establishments do know some ASL and are familiar with it... even in my own hometown like Starbucks, public library, and pharmacy.

my colleague knows Arabic sign language and some ASL...

I would tell a person to focus on strength, not weakness, in order to have the best advantage.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
Yes, thank you, Derek. In most places, you don't run into deaf people that often unless you are part of a group. Although, you will probably run into an interpreter now and then.

That is not to say there are not other uses such video relay, talking over video as well as anything that is interpreted. It can be and is very useful.
Click to expand...
many deaf people are not always part of "groups"...

VacationGuy234 said:
However, even in major cities(never mind the suburbs), it's not usual to see people talking in sign.
Click to expand...
how do you "talk" in sign? lol

VacationGuy234 said:
It's good to know and you should use it, but it doesn't solve all problems.
Click to expand...
neither does hearing aids.
 
I understand you exactly...
I got my first HA in second grade (1975?) and it didnt help me, picked up more noise than what I needed, so after being bullied and all I quit wearing them. I didnt get new ones til 2008 because my boss said I needed them for my job, I didnt realize how much I missed out on... BUT, I hated wearing them...they itched, I sweat like a pig, they short out and so on... took time to get used to them, I didnt like the BTE because I had short hair and they were exsposed and I felt like I was wearing 2 blinking lights in public.... I got used to them, but it took a few years, I went to the ITC aids but back to the BTE because I needed the power to hear. Now my aids are out of service as well as out dated for me and I cant afford new ones so I am in a world of silence now. I took ASL but have no one to practice with and dont know anyone else deaf, yet. A good friend of mine wants to learn so we can continue to communicate and I have been showing him stuff. My soon to be ex wife took ASL with me but she doesnt really use it and pisses me off with not talking to me because in her words " Its frustrating to talk to you" but my son who will be 3 on the 27th is picking it up from me fairly fast and I will be 45 on the 14th... so, soon to be single, single dad/father living in my own house trying to make new friends since I really dont know anyone here in this town and all the friends Ive had in the past are moved away , married or not really friends anymore. I myself love the quiet, but I do miss my son and my older daughters voice, either I have HA or not, in a few years I will be totally deaf. I have thought the CI may be the next route for me... but just dont know much about them and its something to look into in the future. HA are a wonderful invention but they will only do so much, Listening is an art and some people dont have that art, no matter how hard they try to listen, they still dont understand. No matter how hard we listen, we CANT understand everything, and ignorant people will just be ignorant, nothing we can do for them. Hold your head up high there is someone out there like us in a simular situation...see....
 
HOH Mom

Hi,
My name is Katyana, and I read your note here. I know exactly what you are going through. Although my kids are grown up, I have no one to talk to. I am also learning sign language, but I use it to instruct my dogs. It gets very lonely not being able to talk to anyone. I am also HOH, and can not use phones. I know what you mean about the hearing aids not helping. I have the same problem.

I live by myself, and am stuck in the house, as I do not have ramps to get outside easily. I live in a very rural area, and have lived here close to 3 years, but still do not know my neighbours. I feel embarrassed as well about the hearing aids, so I usually do not talk to anyone, trying to stay invisible in my small town. I go to town only when necessary, which is about once a month for provisions. The rest of the time I am home alone in my house, (non humans), with my 3 dogs.

If you would like a friend, or feel comfortable about conversing back and forth, I would be agreeable.

I await your response.

Katyana
 
Hearing Aids Out Most of the Time

dereksbicycles said:
Who is your Mom? Just because an audiologist says you have to wear them all the times don't mean you have to.

It's your life. No one can run it personally or personally.
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Hi, I know. I don't wear mine unless I leave the house. I live in Canada in a very rural area high up in Northern Ontario. I find hearing aids ineffective when I do wear them, everyone sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher, and phones are worse, hense I dont have one.

Glad to know there are others who feel the same way about their hearing aids.

Katyana
 
Frisky Feline said:
what do you mean by that?

Im an ASL user. So I may not see your point but try to see your point. :aw:
Click to expand...

He properly means that 99% of the people in the world, do not sign. Simply going to post a parcel would be harder if you only used ASL. Yes people can lipread or write thing down for you but again its much harder. For me who lipreads, speaks and signs, I personally find it a lot easier. (I am aware that some people have NO hearing at all and only can only sign. A person round the corner from me is, 100% Deaf)

I have found that people who only sign, are more isolated from the hearing world. Another argument would be, why can't hearing people learn to sign?! But then hearing people's argument would be, why can't deaf people who have residual hearing or CI just learn to hear and not use ASL all the time?!
 
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