I love music, it has always been a part of my life. I also play keyboards, in fact, still play it live at church, on a weekly basis, for the best part of the last 19 years. I have also been a fan of rock and roll, in addition to car racing. So that explains part of the reason why my right ear's hearing has decayed.
I suppose that is so, although doctors insist the problem might be genetic. I don`t know, I remember having more than my share of ear infections when i was little, and that my performance in school would decrease the farther I sat down in the classroom. I reckon I had been kind of deaf since my early age, but since I did not know better, and nobody probed...
Notwithstanding, tests reveal (at the least the last one) that my hearing loss is not throughout the entire frequency spectrum. I have trouble with mid range, which is basically the speech frequency. Very high and very low I hear OK, which explains why I can spot a wrong note played by an instrument.
The funny thing I am referring to is that my hearing decays, I take more pleasure in listening to music at low volume, rather than loud volume. In fact, very loud music somewhat irritates me these days. At my office, I tend to put my ipod at a low volume, and I enjoy it for hours. Funny how things develop.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
How I discovered I was going hard of hearing
My deafness discovery was as funny as when I found out I was going bald.
On the second case, I was in business trip overseas. I went to take a shower, and the bathroom of the hotel had mirror all over the place. Suddenly, I was able to check just how bald I was on the back of my head. I still entertained the idea that I lacked hair only on the front.
I immediately called my wife, overseas, mind you, to give her the news. She obviously replied, "I have known this for a long time".
As for finding out my hearing was going to the dumps...
I was in bed, just about waking up. It was raining outside, and I just thought to myself, "I don't want to get out of bed, the sound of the rain falling is sooooooooooooooo nice". Then I shifted around in bed. Before, I had my left ear unimpeded, and I heard the rain. When the right one was left to do the work, the rain stopped!
Just like I called my wife to let her know I was going bald, I actually believed, for a second that the rain had stopped. Fact was, I could not hear the rain drops, only with my right ear uncovered.
This must have been some fifteen years ago.
On the second case, I was in business trip overseas. I went to take a shower, and the bathroom of the hotel had mirror all over the place. Suddenly, I was able to check just how bald I was on the back of my head. I still entertained the idea that I lacked hair only on the front.
I immediately called my wife, overseas, mind you, to give her the news. She obviously replied, "I have known this for a long time".
As for finding out my hearing was going to the dumps...
I was in bed, just about waking up. It was raining outside, and I just thought to myself, "I don't want to get out of bed, the sound of the rain falling is sooooooooooooooo nice". Then I shifted around in bed. Before, I had my left ear unimpeded, and I heard the rain. When the right one was left to do the work, the rain stopped!
Just like I called my wife to let her know I was going bald, I actually believed, for a second that the rain had stopped. Fact was, I could not hear the rain drops, only with my right ear uncovered.
This must have been some fifteen years ago.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Bad hearing, bad eyes
Before I start, let me say that I am not complaining.
I suppose I have worked my eyes hard, and my ears as well, during the entire life. I am a compulsive reader, write for a living, and as my pass time, build and collect miniatures. I am a musician and play live with a very loud band, and like car racing, both very loud endeavors. So I am quite aware that a lot of my woes might be self inflicted.
I am 52 now. My eyesight is not bad with glasses, of course, and the eyes are basically healthy, albeit weak. My eyeglasses are as thick as Saddam Hussein's bunkers, however, new technology makes wearing them easy, I don't need a counterweight on the back of my head to ensure my head does not drop frontward.
There is a feeling, a not very nice feeling, I admit, that I am slowly losing communication with the world. Sure, with the aid of eyeglasses and hearing aids I can still function rather well, thank you very much. But I am not too old yet, and I keep on thinking, in what shape will I be when (if) I am 80?
There are advantages of course. I don't hear my cat meowing outside my bedroom door at all hours of night - my poor wife does. However, I am ever in a building where there is a fire, and I have the wrong ear uncovered, I might be doomed.
It might seem I take the whole deal very lightly. I believe laughing a bit about it helps overcome some of the anxiety related to losing senses.
But I trust God will keep just enough of it going.
I suppose I have worked my eyes hard, and my ears as well, during the entire life. I am a compulsive reader, write for a living, and as my pass time, build and collect miniatures. I am a musician and play live with a very loud band, and like car racing, both very loud endeavors. So I am quite aware that a lot of my woes might be self inflicted.
I am 52 now. My eyesight is not bad with glasses, of course, and the eyes are basically healthy, albeit weak. My eyeglasses are as thick as Saddam Hussein's bunkers, however, new technology makes wearing them easy, I don't need a counterweight on the back of my head to ensure my head does not drop frontward.
There is a feeling, a not very nice feeling, I admit, that I am slowly losing communication with the world. Sure, with the aid of eyeglasses and hearing aids I can still function rather well, thank you very much. But I am not too old yet, and I keep on thinking, in what shape will I be when (if) I am 80?
There are advantages of course. I don't hear my cat meowing outside my bedroom door at all hours of night - my poor wife does. However, I am ever in a building where there is a fire, and I have the wrong ear uncovered, I might be doomed.
It might seem I take the whole deal very lightly. I believe laughing a bit about it helps overcome some of the anxiety related to losing senses.
But I trust God will keep just enough of it going.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Are you deaf?
Let me start by saying that the expression "are you deaf?" is very offensive to a person who is hard of hearing. Few people use "are you a retard?", "are you disabled?", "are you am amputee?" although I have heard people saying "are you blind?" with more frequency than I would like. Especially in traffic.
The fact is, that although some people might think twice about calling somebody disabled, retard or blind, to jokingly call somebody's attention to something, using "are you deaf" is rather common.
It offends somebody who has lost some of his hearing, because it demeans us, it makes us feel subpersons. I am not going deaf because I want or enjoy it. And I take strong exception to people using deafness almost as a curse word.
So, next time you are about to say, "are you deaf?", when somebody does not acknowledge something you have said, for whatever reason, think twice.
Losing one's hearing is not a piece of cake, and in fact, it can occur to anybody. Including you!
The fact is, that although some people might think twice about calling somebody disabled, retard or blind, to jokingly call somebody's attention to something, using "are you deaf" is rather common.
It offends somebody who has lost some of his hearing, because it demeans us, it makes us feel subpersons. I am not going deaf because I want or enjoy it. And I take strong exception to people using deafness almost as a curse word.
So, next time you are about to say, "are you deaf?", when somebody does not acknowledge something you have said, for whatever reason, think twice.
Losing one's hearing is not a piece of cake, and in fact, it can occur to anybody. Including you!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The first post
The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences as somebody who is little by little losing his hearing in one of the ears. At times, I might take things lightly, and I hope no one gets offended. It is my view that self-deprecating humor is a healthy thing.
At other times, I might sound down. Which is perfectly normal. Hearing loss is not an easy thing, it is a disability, and it can affect you personally and professionally, as most disabilities do. Most telling, though, a lot of people treat you as if you are either dummy or a person without manners, for it is very difficult to detect a person who has a hearing impairment, as opposed to a blind or wheelchair bound individual. In other words, we do not get much sympathy.
I hope it helps those who are going through the same problem, and enlightens those who do not have the problem
At other times, I might sound down. Which is perfectly normal. Hearing loss is not an easy thing, it is a disability, and it can affect you personally and professionally, as most disabilities do. Most telling, though, a lot of people treat you as if you are either dummy or a person without manners, for it is very difficult to detect a person who has a hearing impairment, as opposed to a blind or wheelchair bound individual. In other words, we do not get much sympathy.
I hope it helps those who are going through the same problem, and enlightens those who do not have the problem
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