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Page 8, Viewpointe May 2021
Step Right Up And ‘Hear’ All About It
By Judy Goldstein about to wait that long. I immediately was fitted with a battery-operated mom. They were extremely supportive
pair of high-quality hearing aids and it changed my life of my choice to help myself. And, many years later when
Approxim a te l y 30 for the better. I also discovered that inserting them into my grandson was just a toddler, he first saw my hearing
million Americans have my ears wasn’t much different from putting on a pair of aids sitting on a dresser. I taught him not to touch them
a hearing problem* and I earrings each day. and to respect them. To this day, he still does.
am one of them. I am not Whenever I went on a date, or following several dates A loss in hearing is an individual experience, and
alone, and I have never with the same person, I would tell him I had a hearing everyone must find his/her way to cope. Although
been embarrassed to talk or loss. I wanted to be honest, and I wanted to see if an my bilateral, high-frequency, sensory-neural hearing
write about my limitations. inherent flaw in me would be acceptable. Only once did loss progressively worsened over time (and especially
I have addressed them I come upon a man who was not understanding of my following menopause), it didn’t just sneak up on me. I
in articles previously circumstance. Engaged for a time, my fiancé would blast was already acclimated and realized my limitations. Other
published in the Fort music over his car stereo. When I asked him to please people may not have that amount of time to adjust. As a
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, the Orlando Sentinel, and lower the volume, he became annoyed and wouldn’t result, they oftentimes feel anxious, frustrated, depressed,
Hearing Health Magazine. I embrace my impairment abide. This happened again and again. He was surely not tired or isolated. Their self-confidence may also become
because it is a part of me. marriage material, at least for me. (When we broke up, diminished.
In addition, I have never succumbed to the still- he did, however, tell me to keep the ring. Go figure!) Please hear this: If you suffer from a hearing disability,
existent stigma that having a hearing loss means I am I knew it couldn’t be easy to live with someone who you are not alone. While not a cure, hearing aids do help
“old.” In fact, my hearing problem first surfaced when I was hearing impaired. My sister-in-law was married to most people with reduced hearing abilities. So don’t feel
was 24, just after the birth of my first child. At the time, my brother for many years before he, too, developed a sorry for yourself. Help yourself. Due to technological
my infant had received a wind-up stuffed animal that reduction in his hearing. From the onset, she joked about advances, there are many more assistive devices on
played music. I couldn’t hear it. I thought it was broken, how he went around muttering “huh?” from morning till the market today, from Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids
but after mentioning this to my (then) husband, he told night. Fortunately, he bought hearing aids a few years and headsets to telephones that translate voice into text
me it worked just fine. I also couldn’t hear our home later. (captions).
telephone ring unless I was directly next to it. Interestingly, many people in our family appeared to I am not deaf, and I can see. Hearing loss is a condition,
It became obvious that something was wrong with my be predisposed to having a hearing problem – my paternal not a disease. Surely that is a lot to be grateful for.
hearing, and I immediately sought help even though I was grandfather, aunts, and some of my cousins in that same *Source: The National Institute on Deafness and Other
young and frightened. (Would I never hear my child’s heritage line now also wear hearing aids. Hearing Disorders.
first spoken word?) I underwent a series of hearing tests, My children, who were in college when I bought my
brain and neurological tests. Although no specialist could first pair of hearing aids, thought it was cool to have a Judy Goldstein is a professional writer living in La Paz.
determine the cause, I had indeed developed a hearing
loss. Then, as my daughter began to grow, my hearing
ability seemed to miraculously improve, returning to How to help someone to hear better
normal within a matter of months.
After a decade, my hearing impairment returned. But
this time it was intermittent and tied into my menstrual If you have a spouse, significant other, family him/her. (I usually have to watch the lips of the
cycle. I was able to predict the days of each month member, friend or associate with a hearing loss, person speaking to me; this has become more
when my hearing would be good, as well as the days here are some things to help you understand their difficult when someone wears a mask due to the
my hearing loss would return. So, what was a girl to do? circumstance, and to help them as well: COVID-19 pandemic.)
The only thing that made sense to me: I set up a dialog • Being hearing impaired doesn’t mean that • Practice patience and don’t become annoyed.
between my audiologist and my gynecologist. I was the person hears nothing. Many of us hear noise There is frustration on both sides. You might think
sure that hormones were affecting my hearing ability. inside of our ears or head that has nothing to that raising your voice a gazillion decibels might
Giving birth surely shakes up a woman’s hormones, just do with speech, music or our surroundings. I help, but it usually doesn’t. Instead, rephrase
as menstruation does. (However, following the birth of oftentimes hear the sounds of a TV test pattern, what you wish to communicate. Using other words
my second daughter, my hearing was okay.) Neither of or the familiar Snap, Crackle & Pop of my favorite could make a world of difference. (That works for
these specialists had heard of hormonal-related hearing childhood cereal. Others hear ringing. And those me because I have difficulty with consonants – a
loss. Nevertheless, together they put me on a low-dose interior sounds can drown out exterior sounds. T sounds like a V; an S sounds the same as an
progesterone birth control pill regimen that returned my • Adapt to using closed captions. (I cannot F, and so forth.)
hearing to normal levels for approximately eight years. understand most spoken words on TV or on my • Be compassionate. We didn’t ask for our
After that period (no pun intended), the treatment iPad without them.) Putting the volume on higher hearing problems! And, who knows…you may
became ineffective. By then I was in my early forties, doesn’t usually help. develop a hearing impairment of your own
divorced, and in the working world where clear • Don’t speak to someone with a hearing some day and will want your loved ones to be
communication was paramount to doing my job. I had loss if they are in another room. Be close to compassionate over your condition, too.
the needs of co-workers, clients, vendors and the media
to address. Initially, I did the best I could, but it became
apparent I required help. I stopped being as “out front”
as I always had been and avoided challenges I normally
welcomed, preferring to blend into the background
whenever I could. And, socially, I started to withdraw.
I was tired of asking “What?” a dozen times during a
conversation. I was certain people didn’t like repeating
themselves. At times I would respond and, from the looks
on their faces, I had heard them incorrectly. Consequently,
I believed that I appeared stupid in their eyes.
After returning to my regular physician and audiologist,
I told them I was ready to wear hearing aids. Surprisingly,
they told me I should wait because I was still young. Even
they recognized the stigma involved.
Many people are in denial that they have a problem,
or they simply are too vain to admit it, go to a doctor
for testing, and then purchase hearing aids. They are
concerned that they will be perceived as “old” if they
need these devices. This longtime stigma prevails because
aging is the strongest predicator of hearing loss among
adults. I read somewhere that it takes an average of seven
years for someone to seek medical guidance. But I wasn’t
Attention Dog Owners
It is your responsibility to
pick up after your dog. It’s
the law. Some of you have
been negligent in doing so.
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Boca Pointe community
beautiful!