for oral people: When your HA/CI battery runs out

naisho

naisho

Forum Disorders M.D.,Ph.D
Joined
Nov 6, 2006
Messages
6,433
Reaction score
11
For deafs who had oral:
Let's say you don't have a backup battery and your HA or CI battery runs out.

Did you ever suddenly feel like using oral totally sucks?

I have this happen to me before. When my batteries die and instead of having to explain to hearing people why I went voice off, I feel like just saying "I don't feel like talking right now."
 
Sometimes, yes.

But, when I'm at work and don't have new batteries with me, I just take my HAs out and tell my co-workers "I'm DEAF for the day!" They're really good about accommodating me when that happens (but they're always good anyway.)
 
naisho said:
For deafs who had oral:
Let's say you don't have a backup battery and your HA or CI battery runs out.

Did you ever suddenly feel like using oral totally sucks?

I have this happen to me before. When my batteries die and instead of having to explain to hearing people why I went voice off, I feel like just saying "I don't feel like talking right now."
Click to expand...

I always keep extra batteries with me (I use hearing aids). It is rare that I'm totally out of batteries. I have two hearing aids, so if I don't have extra batteries, I rely on the other aid to carry me me through the event, maybe even moving the good battery from my "bad" ear to my "good" ear's hearing aid.

I have had both batteries go dead in the middle of a conversation, so I just explain to the other person that my hearing aid batteries went dead and I can't hear them and please wait while I change the batteries.

Sometimes people seem weirded out by the sight of someone taking out their hearing aid and putting new batteries in, but who cares? :roll: If they want to talk to me, they'll just have to live with it.
 
I am HOH, not Deaf at this point. However, I always change my hearing aid batteries on the same day every week (Fridays :P). That way I don't have the gradual loss of functioning without noticing it (or rationalizing it's the environment, etc., etc.) as I can't hear the warning tones my aids make. If I forget, I don't get more than an inadequate day anyway, so I just change them regularly rather than worry about the batteries dying when I'm out somewhere. Works for me. :hmm:
 
DeafBadger said:
Sometimes people seem weirded out by the sight of someone taking out their hearing aid and putting new batteries in, but who cares? :roll: If they want to talk to me, they'll just have to live with it.
Click to expand...

I've had that happen too, and same as you, I don't care what they think. If it disgusts them, then they're not worth talking to, IMO.
 
I am much like DeafBadger and GrayEagle although I only wear one aid (the left is too far gone for it to help). I do have two different aids that I use in different purposes that take different size batteries. I keep a pack of both sizes in my purse but only change the one on a time basis without testing (my aid is too old to beep at me when the battery goes down). My change day is Sunday rather than Friday like Gray Eagle.

On a side note that came in handy for another gal one time. I was sitting at dinner with a group and the wife of a guy that is a member of the same organization that I am said "sorry I didn't get that my hearing aid battery died" or words to the effect. It turned out one of mine was the right size. She wanted to pay me for it but I had no idea what the cost of one would work out to be. Then at another event she surprised me with one in exchange!
 
naisho said:
For deafs who had oral:
Click to expand...

Oh, yes, I've had plenty of 'oral'. ......:naughty:

Did you ever suddenly feel like using oral totally sucks?
Click to expand...

The speaking part does not affect me, but the listening part does. My speech is toned from years of practice, so I speak the same whether I can hear myself or not.

But, yes, it requires a lot more concentration, especially in the workplace environment. To make matters worse, I've become so used to my CI's that my lipreading skills are not as sharp as they used to be.

It is also a good way to get people to stop blabbing their mouths off...telling them that my batteries are dead and will have to wait until later.
 
This has happen to me once or twice in my life but I'm usually careful about having a spare battery. When it happens, I just depend on lip-reading that much more because I have only have live aid. I'm profoundedly deaf and have top-of-the-line aids.
One of the biggest problems with my aids, during my many years at USPS, was sweat. My position required me to deal with the public, upward of 40 drivers of 18-wheelers, and loading/unloading these trucks was not done in A/C. So my aids came off in order for them not to be destroyed by sweat, Houston is hell hot. The drivers understood and face-to-face communication got me through the day.
 
I don't think I've ever had my batteries die and not had more, I have then stashed at my house , in my car and in my purse. BUT almost every time it's died the last couple years I've been in the middle of a massage, and since the batteries aren't in the room with me so I can't change them until I'm done. I just tell the person what happened and that I'm well and truly deaf right now. They don't usually want to talk to me anyway though ;) The worst part is listening to the stupid beeping for forever.

But as far as thinking just being oral in that situation sucking......meh. Doesn't really matter, I only actually know 2 people that know ASL, the chances of my client knowing ASL is pretty much 0 so it's not like it would be helpful anyway. Now that I think about it in the over 2 years I've been a massage therapist I've only massaged one person with hearing aids......he was so excited to have a deaf therapist!!! He was on vacation but came back a few days later and asked to have me again.
 
naisho said:
For deafs who had oral:
Let's say you don't have a backup battery and your HA or CI battery runs out.

Did you ever suddenly feel like using oral totally sucks?

I have this happen to me before. When my batteries die and instead of having to explain to hearing people why I went voice off, I feel like just saying "I don't feel like talking right now."
Click to expand...

Never felt that way. I always talked. I just tell them that my hearing aid needs a new battery. It rarely happens when I don't have a spare on me. With or without it, I still talk. I'm totally comfortable talking.
 
For any lurkers...........the OP (origional post) is exactly the reason why an exclusive auditory-verbal and even an auditory oral approach is not a good idea. Those approaches cause complete and utter dependancy on a piece of technology. Kids cannot function without hearing. How sad is THAT?
I can get along very well without hearing. I just speechread. Matter of fact, I did my entire senior year of high school without a hearing aid at ALL.
 
kokonut said:
Never felt that way. I always talked. I just tell them that my hearing aid needs a new battery. It rarely happens when I don't have a spare on me. With or without it, I still talk. I'm totally comfortable talking.
Click to expand...

I remember sometime ago that you mentioned somewhere your loss is very minimal unaided or have very minor speech discrimination, could you clarify on that?

If you can hear well and communicate unaided, that's great for you.

deafdyke said:
I can get along very well without hearing. I just speechread. Matter of fact, I did my entire senior year of high school without a hearing aid at ALL.
Click to expand...
That's good for you, you should be happy you did it.
 
Totally a deafie, never wore a hearing aid, don't have a CI....but my "motor mouth" never, ever stops running....If I'm not "talking" people wonder if I'm sick or depressed or whatever.....
 
rockin'robin said:
Totally a deafie, never wore a hearing aid, don't have a CI....but my "motor mouth" never, ever stops running....If I'm not "talking" people wonder if I'm sick or depressed or whatever.....
Click to expand...

This is why I strongly feel that I want to continue using ASL even though I just got my CI. I am oral and am starting to hear sounds. However, I really love that I can turn it off. I have accepted and like the deaf person I am. So dead batteries or not, I feel ASL and lipreading is a must. Just my opinion tho.
 
naisho said:
I remember sometime ago that you mentioned somewhere your loss is very minimal unaided or have very minor speech discrimination, could you clarify on that?

If you can hear well and communicate unaided, that's great for you.
Click to expand...

I have a moderate-severe hearing loss in the right ear. I still require the use of my hearing aid to listen and communicate effectively. Left ear is no good. Speech discrimination is in the mid to upper 90 percent.
 
not sure? oh i see I have back up battery HA battery, i have issues cover hearing aid :) I don't have need it pay instead on especially cover battery!
 
I normally have extra batteries with me, but in the rare case both of them go dead at once and I have no spares.. I just tell the person I can not hear them and I try my best at lip reading or I explain that they may need to write down what they want to tell me. If they really want to get their message across they do.
 
Grendel: I am sure Naisho is referring to being in a hearing only (no ASL users) environment and suddenly losing battery power.
 
Being without batteries is just not an option. I keep them on hand 24/7 in case they run out and need to be replaced. I'm glad to say there's only being one day in my life while working that I ran out and had to wait until I got home. Thankfully, no one knows I'm hearing impaired so I do a good job at hiding it. Those few that do know, are good about it when the hearing aid stops working to due to wax getting into the system.
 
Back
Top