My Journey With Hearing Loss
- Caitlin
- Mar 24, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 3, 2020
This is my final post about explaining my disabilities in a detailed form. I will however post new posts and updates as I get older to help others my age. Now, my hearing loss story is unique to me and no one would share the same way I lost my hearing. Hearing can by lost by many reasons: infections, viruses, not having protection, born with it, and others. Some can be deaf from birth to anytime, and can be treated at any age. However, the deaf and hearing loss community is a strong one that supports everyone and inclusive no matter how much you have or don't have.
In my case, my hearing loss is kind of a medical mystery. I am not sure when in my life this happens, but I do know that my memory doesn't have the idea what life with normal hearing was like. All that doctors really know about what happened is basically a brain virus happened and the outcome is nerve damaged that caused my left ear to become deaf.
There is no treatments at this time that can improve my hearing in that time. However there were tools I used in school that helped me. A big one was the Echo System. A black dot is installed in the ceiling and the educator would wear a microphone. This system would allow me to hear in any spot in the room without issues not matter where I was sitting in the classroom. There is also a mobile system that i can carry around. But, I will say that this wasn't the most effective tool and was troublesome to use.
My next step is how my hearing will change as I get older. I currently have precautions in place by medical staff in the past in terms of hearing protection. That list follows:
Try to visit an Audiologist as you can to update you hearing ability
NO INDOOR concerts or in arenas (told this at 14 which broke my heart)
No headphone use for over 2 hours
Try to watch any environment with loud dB (otherwise known as decibel)
I am personally taking the challenge to relearn the sign language to be fluent. I learned a lot while i was young but since i am considered a mainstream verbal person.
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