What is it like to be hearing? - Page 5

khar59 · 10-14-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissa

Depending on background noise I can't hear the oven alarm (especially if I'm upstairs with the TV on), but I think our particular model does have a more high-pitched tone than most ovens. The phone is high-pitched too, and only has daft ringtones that sound like bad computer game music, so I don't often hear that if I have the TV on.

With car alarms, it depends. I think I can hear most of them- they're always going off round here, and are a bloody nuisance! but some are especially high pitched and I just think I have tinnitus until someone else comments on it too

edit: I forgot- I can hear song lyrics, I just don't understand them unless it's a song with very little background music. I have to look them up then I can follow. Eg- Take That, Relight My Fire- when this came out I was 8-10ish (I'm 24 now) and remember hearing it on the car radio- I thought the lyrics were 'Reline...Maf...ia' and Take That were singing about the mafia, or something- it just didn't make sense.

khar59, when I first got my digital aids after not wearing any for years, it was horrible- it was like an assault on the senses, I could hear rustling, breathing, a constant humming that took me a while to figure out- my room is next to the hot water tank and it was the central heating system. Everything was loud, and there was more going on- I didn't realise how much I wasn't hearing until I got them. That scared me slightly. I can hear birds chirping and traffic and people talking, without my hearing aids, but with them there was so much more going on around me.

You explained my hearing loss better than me! Yeah, I have found these hearing aids hard because they emphasize the high pitches. My first ITC hearing aid was a Starkey that had lovely stereo sound, but was not good for me on the high frequencies. AN audiologist pointed that out to me when I went for a test. He said your hearing aids probably sound good but really if I turned the bass off you would have more clarity/hear certain sounds better.

I have Phonax Savia's and yeah, they sound tinny compared to my old Starkey but the clarity is better for me. Just used to get very tiring. I even find that my loop system is too loud but I can't turn it down any further. I went to my audi to ask her to lower the volume of my T-Coil. She said she turned them off, but I still hear. I just move the mat for my loop further away from me so the sounds are more muted!

Berry · 10-18-2009, 04:49 AM

There are a lot of things I enjoy hearing, but there are also a lot of times I would enjoy being able to turn it off.

Lissa · 10-18-2009, 06:32 AM

reposted what I said previously.... oops!

jupitersnymph · 11-19-2009, 12:30 AM

I am going to respond before I read the other responses... I don't want to get sidetracked. It is being subjective to what is going on around you. I imagine there are more opportunities for hearies to get distracted when they are trying to focus. Our concentration span is zilch. We are like puppies when you are trying to train them and they keep losing sight of what you are showing them. If smell were hearing then you would have hundreds of smells wafting in and out of your nose all day. Some would be really strong and impossible to ignore. Others would be so commonplace that you ignore them unless you want to bring them to mind and pick them out of all of the other smells. Some smells would evoke memories, some would give you something to communicate with other people about. And of course there is music...When you smell something new you put a lot of thought into comparing it to other smells so you can describe it to someone else. Music is like that because when you are listening to it, a lot of times you are thinking, this is a lot like ____ and I like it because of the similarity. Extra long sentences, yes, but I am trying to think and type and it happens. Oh but our concentration span is really bad when we hear a lot of noises, and that is why we keep looking away when we are speaking to you. Especially in a group setting. Sorry about that.

jupitersnymph · 11-19-2009, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafskeptic

Interesting thread... I remember asking my audi a similar question the last time I saw her. I noticed that if I'm not really paying attention to the radio that I can make out the many of the words but not always get what the topic is all about. I have to pay close attention to the radio to get the topic.

I wondered if hearing when they listen to the radio have to listen closely to it or if they can get most of what it says even if they're not paying attention.

I am a hearie and I work with a trusonic music system on the loudspeaker, I hear music 8 hours a day. Then I will be at home listening to the radio and a song will come on and I can mumble along but I don't know the words. So I can remember the tune, I don't know why, but no I rarely remember the actual words unless the song is really repetitive. There are hundreds of songs that I have never heard outside work. I never know what the songs are about or what the lyrics are but I know them anyway.

jupitersnymph · 11-19-2009, 12:59 AM

I read in an earlier response that people listen to music to relax and I thought I would elaborate on the difference between relaxing music and rock music. When you rock babies to sleep there is a rhythm that they adjust to. When I am having a hard time falling asleep, I tap my foot against the bed. It gives me something mindless to think about. When you listen to relaxing music, it is something that you keeps your attention. I listen for the next note to sound and I try to predict it. It is usually a slow beat. When I listen to rock, it gets my pulse going. Like the difference between someone caressing your shoulder and grabbing it and shaking you. Rock is constant bombarding, exhilarating... like strobe lights and disco balls.

lianne · 11-20-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jupitersnymph

... If smell were hearing then you would have hundreds of smells wafting in and out of your nose all day. Some would be really strong and impossible to ignore. Others would be so commonplace that you ignore them unless you want to bring them to mind and pick them out of all of the other smells. Some smells would evoke memories, some would give you something to communicate with other people about...

that is an excellent way to describe it!

Although just because we hear it, it doesn't mean we listen to it! hehe my boss can be blabbering on to me all day and although I know I SHOULD be listening, and Im watching her mouth move, I chose not to connect sound and meaning and am therefore left in blissful ignorance hehehe

I guess its like if someone is signing to you and you just watch the movements and think about what you want for dinner...mmmmmm....dinner ....

Em903 · 11-20-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jupitersnymph

I imagine there are more opportunities for hearies to get distracted when they are trying to focus. Our concentration span is zilch. We are like puppies when you are trying to train them and they keep losing sight of what you are showing them.

During my ASL class, sometimes there are noisy people out in the hallway (grr which there are signs stating, no talking, only sign!) and I have to mentally tell myself not to react to the sound, not turn around and look out the door. And my teacher can always tell when the other students are actively listening to what is going on outside. Then she goes and tells off the students in the hall! *cheers*

My deaf friend put it to me like this. While we were sitting at a starbucks, he kept on looking over at someone. I asked him what was up and he said, "That person over there is really big with their movements, it's annoying."

Later, I reacted to the loud noises the baristas were making while on bar. I told him what was up and he said, "Your ears are sharp like my eyes. You get bothered by noisy sound, I get bothered by noisy movement."

*waves to Lianne* hey girl! long time no see

10-18-2009, 04:49 AM	#122 (permalink)
Berry Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oroville, Ca. Posts: 711	There are a lot of things I enjoy hearing, but there are also a lot of times I would enjoy being able to turn it off. __________________ . Living life in the sandbox.

10-18-2009, 06:32 AM	#123 (permalink)
Lissa Just me....Lissa Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,135 Blog Entries: 3	reposted what I said previously.... oops! __________________ Proud to be deaf and a CI user!!

11-19-2009, 12:59 AM	#126 (permalink)
jupitersnymph Registered User Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 19	Relaxing to music. I read in an earlier response that people listen to music to relax and I thought I would elaborate on the difference between relaxing music and rock music. When you rock babies to sleep there is a rhythm that they adjust to. When I am having a hard time falling asleep, I tap my foot against the bed. It gives me something mindless to think about. When you listen to relaxing music, it is something that you keeps your attention. I listen for the next note to sound and I try to predict it. It is usually a slow beat. When I listen to rock, it gets my pulse going. Like the difference between someone caressing your shoulder and grabbing it and shaking you. Rock is constant bombarding, exhilarating... like strobe lights and disco balls.

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11-19-2009, 12:30 AM	#124 (permalink)
jupitersnymph Registered User Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 19	I am going to respond before I read the other responses... I don't want to get sidetracked. It is being subjective to what is going on around you. I imagine there are more opportunities for hearies to get distracted when they are trying to focus. Our concentration span is zilch. We are like puppies when you are trying to train them and they keep losing sight of what you are showing them. If smell were hearing then you would have hundreds of smells wafting in and out of your nose all day. Some would be really strong and impossible to ignore. Others would be so commonplace that you ignore them unless you want to bring them to mind and pick them out of all of the other smells. Some smells would evoke memories, some would give you something to communicate with other people about. And of course there is music...When you smell something new you put a lot of thought into comparing it to other smells so you can describe it to someone else. Music is like that because when you are listening to it, a lot of times you are thinking, this is a lot like ____ and I like it because of the similarity. Extra long sentences, yes, but I am trying to think and type and it happens. Oh but our concentration span is really bad when we hear a lot of noises, and that is why we keep looking away when we are speaking to you. Especially in a group setting. Sorry about that.