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[sonocativo]

Because back in the 1980s, I wasn't picking up any sounds or hearing anything... Parents didn't noticed it until I was 2 years old when they're wondering why I wasn't talking or picking up any sounds. So at 2 years old I was fitted a hearing aids. (I was born as preemie baby, so I would have been Deaf when I was born.) Back in those days there wasn't a hearing test right after you were born in hospital... They're different times. Like in year 2000s yes there's hearing test right after the baby is born in hospital..

I understand that as I was a premie also in the late 60's although HOH to the extremes I still wasn't Deaf, just severely hoh and it only got worst as time went. Doctors never said what cause the extreme pains and infections I had or any diagnostics. So, Yeah... It wasn't something doctors knew a lot about early on, but I remember the ear infections, the severe pain, all the testing I went through ( basically a genia pig for them ) I wouldn't be surprised if my picture isn't in a medical book somewhere..lol But I remember being so aggravated with all the pain and testing I wanted to stick firecrackers in my ears and end it, it was that bad. I outgrew the pain and infections in my late teen but whatever damages were already done, and so I just went about life mainstreamed as the doctors and my parents really had no clue nor given any resources at the time... the 70's were terrible.

 

[AlleyCat]

I think a good deal of the confusion comes from the fact that there are places/times where/when deaf is defined as not hearing at all. With that definition of deaf you would not be able to use a hearing aid. I know that is the definition I grew up with.

Look at where I said deaf and then Deaf.

 

[Jane B.]

Look at where I said deaf and then Deaf.

I am aware of the difference between Deaf and deaf as defined by those that use both terms. But, I was referring to the background that people bring to this forum. I was not up on the use of the two terms before I came to this forum in 2011 and it appears that I am not alone in having such a background.

 

[sonocativo]

I am aware of the difference between Deaf and deaf as defined by those that use both terms. But, I was referring to the background that people bring to this forum. I was not up on the use of the two terms before I came to this forum in 2011 and it appears that I am not alone in having such a background.

True.
Big differences between cant hear at all and can hear some. That's where a lot of confusion comes from, so are they truly Deaf of using deaf as a benefit? I wasn't truly Deaf until 2004 when HA no longer worked and I was thrushed into a world of silence and by silence I mean not able to hear anything no mater how loud it was.

 

[LoveBlue]

True.
Big differences between cant hear at all and can hear some. That's where a lot of confusion comes from, so are they truly Deaf of using deaf as a benefit? I wasn't truly Deaf until 2004 when HA no longer worked and I was thrushed into a world of silence and by silence I mean not able to hear anything no mater how loud it was.

Sono, are you truly Deaf or jus deaf? Do you hang out with other Deaf people? Do you use ASL?

 

[sonocativo]

Sono, are you truly Deaf or jus deaf? Do you hang out with other Deaf people? Do you use ASL?

Late deafened, hoh since birth. I was deaf... Really DEAF since 2004 if anyone recalls when my son was born in 2010 my wife wondered how I was going to care for our son being I couldn't hear the baby cry. the vibrating and lighted monitors helped but didn't look into CIs until my son didn't want to talk to me anymore because I couldn't hear him ( yet he was too young to understand I was deaf ) although we knew basic ASL and I took a couple college courses on ASL which we taught him basics as well. I'm not fluent in ASL but would like to become better, hard to do when everyone you know is a hearie and I am verbal. Again, where all the smart remarks come from " you don't look/act deaf" comes from.
Most everybody I know, even close friends didn't know I was deaf all these years as lip reading was second nature to me, but they all had suspections because I would answer with off the wall comments.

I don't hang out with other deafs no, I did go to a few deaf socials and their total attitudes were a turn off because I was late deafened and not born deaf... we are all in the same boat but these people at a couple different places were total azzholios ! a shame how they treat others.

 

[AlleyCat]

There's a misunderstanding here, I think. I think most of us identify as being deaf, if not just hard of hearing. The Deaf (with the capital D) is a cultural thing. That's why I didn't identify as being Deaf until I was older. It is not really something a child grasps until they get older.

 

[LoveBlue]

Late deafened, hoh since birth. I was deaf... Really DEAF since 2004 if anyone recalls when my son was born in 2010 my wife wondered how I was going to care for our son being I couldn't hear the baby cry. the vibrating and lighted monitors helped but didn't look into CIs until my son didn't want to talk to me anymore because I couldn't hear him ( yet he was too young to understand I was deaf ) although we knew basic ASL and I took a couple college courses on ASL which we taught him basics as well. I'm not fluent in ASL but would like to become better, hard to do when everyone you know is a hearie and I am verbal. Again, where all the smart remarks come from " you don't look/act deaf" comes from.
Most everybody I know, even close friends didn't know I was deaf all these years as lip reading was second nature to me, but they all had suspections because I would answer with off the wall comments.

I don't hang out with other deafs no, I did go to a few deaf socials and their total attitudes were a turn off because I was late deafened and not born deaf... we are all in the same boat but these people at a couple different places were total azzholios ! a shame how they treat others.

Well, you kept using upper case D to identify your self and I wanted to clarify that. Lower case deaf can mean any degree of hearing loss, though most won't say they're deaf until they get in the severe-to-profound range.

 

[sonocativo]

Well, you kept using upper case D to identify your self and I wanted to clarify that. Lower case deaf can mean any degree of hearing loss, though most won't say they're deaf until they get in the severe-to-profound range.

No I didn't, Ive always said I was late deafened. from the time Ive joined til this day.

 

[cdmeggers]

Because back in the 1980s, I wasn't picking up any sounds or hearing anything... Parents didn't noticed it until I was 2 years old when they're wondering why I wasn't talking or picking up any sounds. So at 2 years old I was fitted a hearing aids. (I was born as preemie baby, so I would have been Deaf when I was born.) Back in those days there wasn't a hearing test right after you were born in hospital... They're different times. Like in year 2000s yes there's hearing test right after the baby is born in hospital..

adding to this. I lost my hearing at age 2, in 1987. It took quite some time before my parents could find an audiologist that could properly assess my hearing loss levels in such a young child. I was almost 3 when I finally got my first set of hearing aids. There was a lot of driving around to different towns and audiologists/clinics before finally the Audiology Center at the University of Wyoming tested me and determined the severity of my hearing loss. Technology plays a big part in this. Now, technology is readily available for testing and immediate fitting of hearing aids; back then not so. My parents knew I wasn't hearing, my speech was diminishing (I was able to speak in full sentences before becoming ill with meningitis and going deaf from that), and they had a hell of a time finding someone who could help and work with us.

I am going by what teacherofthedeaf said, and say I was peri-lingually deaf. I was in the process of learning language when I went deaf and my language started vanishing after the fact. Peri-lingual makes the most sense for me, and didn't even know this term existed. I knew of pre- and post-, but neither one applies to me. I NEVER considered myself late-deafened, as I feel that term is more for those who grew up with hearing and then became deaf as an adult.

Also adding onto DeafDucky's last post - I was 100% profoundly deaf in my left ear after the meningitis (severe-profound range for right ear). I wore hearing aids in both ears, but never benefitted from having one in the left ear. So I only had the little residual hearing in my right ear + hearing aid to get by all this time. Around 4th grade, I was allowed to stop wearing the left hearing aid after I made my case (I can't hear anything with the left hearing aid, why continue wearing it and wasting money on maintenance of left hearing aid when it's not useful?). Little did I know the school district audiologist REALLY wanted me to keep the hearing aid on to keep stimulating whatever in that ear, in case I should take advantage of newer technology in the future (i.e. cochlear implants). From 4th grade and on, I only wore 1 hearing aid.

Even now as an adult, and both ears being 100% profoundly deaf (CI surgery in right ear destroyed what little hearing I had left), I still consider myself 'deaf', not 'Deaf'. My choice on how I identify myself.

 

[sonocativo]

adding to this. I lost my hearing at age 2, in 1987. It took quite some time before my parents could find an audiologist that could properly assess my hearing loss levels in such a young child. I was almost 3 when I finally got my first set of hearing aids. There was a lot of driving around to different towns and audiologists/clinics before finally the Audiology Center at the University of Wyoming tested me and determined the severity of my hearing loss. Technology plays a big part in this. Now, technology is readily available for testing and immediate fitting of hearing aids; back then not so. My parents knew I wasn't hearing, my speech was diminishing (I was able to speak in full sentences before becoming ill with meningitis and going deaf from that), and they had a hell of a time finding someone who could help and work with us.

I am going by what teacherofthedeaf said, and say I was peri-lingually deaf. I was in the process of learning language when I went deaf and my language started vanishing after the fact. Peri-lingual makes the most sense for me, and didn't even know this term existed. I knew of pre- and post-, but neither one applies to me. I NEVER considered myself late-deafened, as I feel that term is more for those who grew up with hearing and then became deaf as an adult.

Also adding onto DeafDucky's last post - I was 100% profoundly deaf in my left ear after the meningitis (severe-profound range for right ear). I wore hearing aids in both ears, but never benefitted from having one in the left ear. So I only had the little residual hearing in my right ear + hearing aid to get by all this time. Around 4th grade, I was allowed to stop wearing the left hearing aid after I made my case (I can't hear anything with the left hearing aid, why continue wearing it and wasting money on maintenance of left hearing aid when it's not useful?). Little did I know the school district audiologist REALLY wanted me to keep the hearing aid on to keep stimulating whatever in that ear, in case I should take advantage of newer technology in the future (i.e. cochlear implants). From 4th grade and on, I only wore 1 hearing aid.

Even now as an adult, and both ears being 100% profoundly deaf (CI surgery in right ear destroyed what little hearing I had left), I still consider myself 'deaf', not 'Deaf'. My choice on how I identify myself.

Agree, no one is telling anyone they are or aren't, just how wide of a range and un-informed others are of the differences. I pretty much rode the same boat as you only our choices of doctors were limited but mainly due to technology that wasn't here yet. I remember well being a lab rat to them, sitting and getting hundreds of shots just under the skin to see what I was allergic to (everything in that case) but I was exposed to everything and had no issues ( such as cats and dogs, even household dust ) lol Looking back on it all, it was a total joke to my sufferings. Even now as an adult, no doctor can truly say what was the cause of my hearing loss, the cause of the extreme pains and ear infections.

 

[rockin'robin]

I understand that as I was a premie also in the late 60's although HOH to the extremes I still wasn't Deaf, just severely hoh and it only got worst as time went. Doctors never said what cause the extreme pains and infections I had or any diagnostics. So, Yeah... It wasn't something doctors knew a lot about early on, but I remember the ear infections, the severe pain, all the testing I went through ( basically a genia pig for them ) I wouldn't be surprised if my picture isn't in a medical book somewhere..lol But I remember being so aggravated with all the pain and testing I wanted to stick firecrackers in my ears and end it, it was that bad. I outgrew the pain and infections in my late teen but whatever damages were already done, and so I just went about life mainstreamed as the doctors and my parents really had no clue nor given any resources at the time... the 70's were terrible.

You think the 70's were bad?...try the 60's...I do, suffered from infections (both ears), the pain and drainage smelling awful...and living in the backwoods with no doctors?...my grandmother poured Sweet Oil in my ears (old tyme remedy)...Didn't see a doctor until I was 14...and he was a quack!. I also struggled in public school with 60/40 hearing without any HA....One teacher realized I was not hearing anything sitting in back of the class, moved me to the front...and I excelled....I'm totally DEAF now for 50 years or so. No HA or a CI is gonna help me after so many surgeries...But Hey!...that's OK!.....

 

[rockin'robin]

As for the "d" and the "D"...LOL...I get them mixed up and can't remember which is which...but I am DEAF, not hearing anything at all with no ear drums and nerves are dead, 10 surgeries also. Balance issues too.

 

[AlleyCat]

The lowercase is just the medical term for hearing loss, the uppercase is cultural. Wish there was an easier way to help you remember. Post a note on your bathroom mirror!

As a side note, about your balance issues, I have noticed a little bit of that myself lately - I think it might be related to the couple of falls I've had in the past year. 3 of them. (One I confess to running away from a spider - you know all about that one LOL) so I might've brought THAT one on myself.

 

[sonocativo]

You think the 70's were bad?...try the 60's...I do, suffered from infections (both ears), the pain and drainage smelling awful...and living in the backwoods with no doctors?...my grandmother poured Sweet Oil in my ears (old tyme remedy)...Didn't see a doctor until I was 14...and he was a quack!. I also struggled in public school with 60/40 hearing without any HA....One teacher realized I was not hearing anything sitting in back of the class, moved me to the front...and I excelled....I'm totally DEAF now for 50 years or so. No HA or a CI is gonna help me after so many surgeries...But Hey!...that's OK!.....

Have you checked into a CI with the doc? You don't need ear drums just a good cochlea to tap into if it works as far as the nerves go.

 

[Tousi]

I don't get the impression RR wants to do anything like that at this stage of her life.....just butting in here, lol.....

 

[sonocativo]

I don't get the impression RR wants to do anything like that at this stage of her life.....just butting in here, lol.....

amazing there are 70 and 80 yo getting it done lately... guess its never too late to try. But again its their decisions what they want to do with their bodies. Just like tattoos, some do some don't, some will some wont....I might....lol

 

[Mieke]

Sono, what do hearing people who stick Around here pick? Interesting discussion

 

[DeafDucky]

amazing there are 70 and 80 yo getting it done lately... guess its never too late to try. But again its their decisions what they want to do with their bodies. Just like tattoos, some do some don't, some will some wont....I might....lol

Not a matter of age... I don't think RR wants to go through yet ANOTHER surgery- from what I can remember/gather she has had many on her ears. Plus it's been 50 years for her so she's happy where she is.

I'm the same way with my eyeballs... hesitant to have to do any more on eyes I've had so many but yes when push comes to shove- I'll think about it.

 

[rockin'robin]

Yeah...toooo many surgeries...and Yes, I did check for a CI. But after the last surgery, they ENT specialist had to close off the left ear, which was the "good" ear...He did say that the ear disease I had was only the 2nd case he had ever seen and it was chronic...ahh...Sure, I would love to "hear"...but I know that's not gonna happen. And to top it all off, after 1 surgery I acquired a Bacterial Infection that put me in the hospital for 2 weeks. Not a happy camper...LOL....and another time...the infection built up behind the ear. I was very sick and the doctor had to numb the ear (numerous shots) in his office and do the surgery there....the pain was horrid....The Interpretor left the room...she was in shock (believe it or not)....got it all out and again admitted me back into the Hospital....Good thing they got it out in time or I would be dead he said...doing fine now.