Data & Stuff // Neil Houston

A little while ago I mentioned about my deafness, and the associated consequence of not being able to hear (what a surprise), and some of the ways I learnt over the years to cope with it.

I’ve come across some advice, which covers both how some deaf people cope, and some general advice about what might work when talking to them – it’s a handy PDF, and well worth a gander. Somethings you might not know, or may surprise you.

Anyway, a week ago I got fitted with my ‘new ears’. Or Ears 2.0 as I like to call them. The are a pair of ear moulds with a behind the ear (BTE) aid. The fancy ‘Oticon Spirit Zest P/Mini’ or some catchy name like that. My first impression is that the actual unit is much smaller than when I last used a hearing aid.

So this hearing malarky. It’s a bit overrated right? Well not quite. but this was my first impression:

In general, this week has made be realise:

• The world is noisier than I thought.
• Somethings make sounds, that I never was aware of.

For the first point, I’m now much more aware of noises on my peripheray.  The only downside is that I’m obviously also hearing a lot more noise around me, that I need to get used to and tune out.

The second point is the funniest, my iPhone keypad makes noises when you dial a number.  I had never heard that, or had an inkling it did that.  I can hear the fan on my Macbook whirring away as I type, I can hear the sounds of me tapping away on keys!  I can listen to music on the Macbook without needing speakers or headphones, even if it’s only half way up (before I could never hear it).

As you can imagine it’s a bit of aural overload at the moment, but it has been great.  I’ve not needed to ‘blag’ a conversation at all; I can hold down a conversation without needing to focus all my efforts on the person talking to me – a success.

I’m learning day by day what ‘normal noises’ sound like.  Curtains screeching along a curtain poll, leafs crunched underfoot, that the toilet flush is a bloody loud noise. A lot of the time has been spent with me just listening, and looking to work out what is making the noise. Like when I heard a printer churning out pages slowly, 20m away!

So whilst it is early days. I’m looking forward to seeing what technology is out there to assist, and generally provide more functionality. I know bluetooth exists in some hearing aids! My current task is to workout the best way to listen to my iPhone/MP3s, and whether I get telecoil style earloops, or bluetooth neckloops, to use with the aids, or just remove them etc.

This is a post that I have wanted to write about for the past few weeks, and been open about for the past few years.

I’m deaf.

I said it.

Whilst it doesn’t sound like a big revelation, for me it has been. I always have been deaf. My hearing is worse in my right year, even having some surgery on it back 11 years ago. Since then it has felt that it has slowly declined, with my left which was never ‘normal’ declining too.

Previously, I had always been one to hide my deafness. After all, I could get on with my life and over many years I’ve learnt how to cope.

Whether it was by

• Keeping good eye contact with the person/people talking.
• Avoiding situations where I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear.
• Blagging the conversation (it’s easy after a while to know how a conversation ’should flow’, and what you should/are expected to say.)
• Placing myself near the front of discussion/meetings.
• Withdrawing from large groups, into smaller/one-to-one conversations.

The first point has probably become my most required need when having a conversation. If I can’t see your face, I most likely have no idea what you are saying to me. I might know that you are talking, but I may end up blagging that conversation.

Over many years, I’ve used some of the above to hide how bad my hearing actually is. I was in denial.

Eventually I got past the denial part, and I got back to living

(Quote courtesy of Lost).

More recently I’ve come to realise there was no point hiding/denying/avoiding my deafness.

So, I told the world.

After all, on Friday of this week coming I will be trying hearing aids for the second time in my life. It’s been many years since I ‘gave up’ using them. I think the last time I really used them was back towards college time. I never got on with it.

Hopefully that will change on Friday. I’ll be the recipient of two hearing aids. The start of my adventure back into the ‘proper hearing world’.

PS. This is obviously the rather abridged version, I could have talked about early memories of hearing tests in primary school. But i didn’t!

Update: The second part ‘Adjusting to Hearing’

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