BETTER HEARING AND SPEECH MONTH
Hi everyone, as some of you know I am partially deaf in my right ear.
I was diagnosed last year but have been living with this substantial hearing loss for they reckon five years or more.
I was born with glue ear which is when you have fluid behind the ear drum. It was treated but what commonly happens is due to the trail of ear infections glue ear tends to leave, you will likely lose hearing in at least one ear.
Unfortunately for me, my trouble with hearing was often put down to me “not listening” or me being “intellectually challenged” or me being “a very nervous person.”
However, last year I met with an audiologist who figured out that I had spent most of my life filling in the gaps of speech like you would with a crossword puzzle. I would get little hints of words and use my knowledge of social context to figure out what the person was saying.
When the audiologist took away the context and just gave me single words, the drop was apparently the worst she had ever seen. I had gone from “pretty good” to “flat out terrible.”
Since using hearing aids, my energy levels have improved massively. I am no longer having to work so hard to hear and understand. I am enjoying watching programmes without feeling like running a marathon. I can interact better in groups and I am slowly realising that I am not stupid, I just have a disability that makes it harder to hear.
I’m sharing my story because I feel many of us are falling through the cracks of the current health system because we have learnt to “cope” and “problem solve.” What happens however is that we begin to feel that we are stupid because we have to work harder to meet societal expectations without any recognition or help for our disadvantages.
By telling my story I hope that this helps raise awareness for those of us who have been let down by the current health system. You are not alone and you are most certainly not stupid.
Happy Better Hearing and Speech Month! 💖 Also yes, that’s my simself XD
