Well - most of you know my story, but I will try to make it a little more clear than I have before. I have my "file" next to me for this. I have a massive file that have all of my audiograms and letters from Speech and hearing centers, school board and ENT's. It also has my papers for SSDI and all of my CapTel paperwork.
I was born with what the doctors called a calcium deposit on my eardrums. Mother says I had a happy childhood as a baby, but most times did not respond to sound unless it was real loud. I never started talking or uttered my first word until I was 3. At 7 I had a massive ear infection involving both the middle and inner ear. I was referred to a clinic with ENT's that my father was referred to by the VA after we moved to Florida. I was then referred for a hearing test and we found that I had a moderate loss "to the levels of 30-35 decibels through speech frequencies. I got a HA for my right ear as it was worse than the left ear. It was replaced 3 times by the time I was 10 and then I did not have a HA as the school janitor did not know what it was and threw it away. Next audiogram was at age 14 and I was listed with "hearing threshold levels in the decibel range of 40-50". That test was done by the school board and they did not suggest HA's, but preferential seating in school (center, front row). At 16. the school board did another test as my grades began to drop dramatically. Threshold levels were 50-60. At 22, I had another audiogram by the ENT from church and was found to have threshold levels of 60-80 and was then referred to DVR for financial assistance for HA's. Was denied as I already had a job and insurance. Insurance did not cover HA's, therefore I did not get any. Next audiogram was at 37. Threshold levels at 70-90. That's when we found that my children also had the same SNL (they were 5 & 6). At 39, the levels were a little more, 80-95. That's when VR in Missouri got me my OtoSonic ITE HA's for both ears. At 43, I had an audiogram that showed threshold levels of 95-100. HA's were adjusted. One year later the levels went to 100-110. In May of 2008 I lost all hearing due to the calcium spreading and destroying my eardrums. SSI sent me to a place in St. Louis for testing and I was tested by 4 different people and the results all said that I was total deaf, no hope of regaining and not a candidate of a CI or HA's due to the issues regarding my loss. My most recent audiogram was just this past January (age 46) and the threshold levels are 110-120 with arrows pointing downwards. The audiologist mentions that I have "a progressive hearing loss that resulted in complete deafness in both ears."
I have been told that I am late-deafened since I did learn to talk and that I did have some sort of hearing even though it was very bad from an early age. The doctors are thinking that my problems learning speech as a toddler was due to hearing loss and that not enough was done early on.