totally off topic: a hearing aid at 30 yrs old

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

well - i've had hearing / ear issues since i was 7 (constant ear-aches, tubes in ears, etc...)

i am having surgery on my right ear this year to get rid of all of the scar tissue inside and to fix the ear drum...

i talked to the audiologist about a hearing aid and I'm going to be fitted for one at my next appointment. i'm turning 30 this year and to me, 30 is NOT old - 80 is old - but i have the hearing OF a 70 year old.

ugh. on one hand i'm very excited that i'll be able to have normal conversations and actually HEAR people - but on the other hand it makes me mad that i'm almost 30 years old and my hearing is this bad.

in fact, i know that people think i'm anti-social because i don't talk to a lot of people - and it's BECAUSE when i'm trying to have a conversation - i can't physically keep up because i can't hear them.

my fiance and i have had many conversations about me being "anti-social" and it's been hard to get him to understand my actual issue (although i think he's finally realizing with all of this)

one of my objectives at work this year is actually to take communication classes because my boss's boss doesn't think i'm a "people person"...again - i don't talk to people because i can't hear them.

ugh.
sorry - i just wanted to talk - at least i KNOW what people are saying on these boards cuz i don't literally have to worry about missing 9/10ths of the conversation! lol

thanks for letting me post.

[Lisa]

Re: totally off topic: a hearing aid at 30 yrs old

Gosh, I missed this post!

How and when is your surgery? It's a HUGE step in helping you being part of the hearing world, I'm sure. And will make leaps and bounds in all that you do.

for all that you're going through. I have a GOOD feeling things will be fantastic!

[odirish]

Re: totally off topic: a hearing aid at 30 yrs old

I lost about 70% of my hearing because I had a tumor on my acoustic nerve. My only option is to have a trans cranial hearing aid. my insurance won't pay for it. I understand about people thinking you are anti social. I can't tell you how many times I have been called a snob because I don't hear what others say. Sometimes that's a good thing

Mary Ann

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: totally off topic: a hearing aid at 30 yrs old

Gosh, I missed this post!

How and when is your surgery? It's a HUGE step in helping you being part of the hearing world, I'm sure. And will make leaps and bounds in all that you do.

for all that you're going through. I have a GOOD feeling things will be fantastic!

awww. thanks!!

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Re: totally off topic: a hearing aid at 30 yrs old

I lost about 70% of my hearing because I had a tumor on my acoustic nerve. My only option is to have a trans cranial hearing aid. my insurance won't pay for it. I understand about people thinking you are anti social. I can't tell you how many times I have been called a snob because I don't hear what others say. Sometimes that's a good thing

Mary Ann

Yeah - it's sometimes easy to use it AS an excuse when i don't WANT to listen! lol - but at the same time - it really does suck because my work AND relationships suffer because of it.

my fiance, however, FINALLY realizes that it's not that i'm NOT listening to him - it's the fact that i honest to god can't HEAR him...

my best friend - who really doesn't know that much about my ear issues - i was telling her last week about the surgery and she was all, "ohmgod, really? so is this why when i try to talk to you you ignore me sometimes - especially when i'm behind you? that's really good to know you weren't just being rude now"...yeah exactly! i'm NOT trying to be rude - it SUCKS that i can't hear people and most of the time I have to put my hand up to my ear and ask them to repeat themselves at least 2 or three times.

BUT hopefully the hearing aid will help a lot and the surgery should do a lot too.

I'm sorry your insurance won't pay - I specifically downloaded something from my insurance's website (cigna) to take with me because I already called to make sure that they DO pay for it...and there is a clause that says, "if you have cognitive hearing loss that surgery is/was unable to fix" they will pay for it - and it's like 90% i pay 10% (and that's huge when it's an $1800 hearing aid!

but - i've had surgery on the left ear too - last year I had my tube taken out for good outta that ear and it didn't help the hearing AT ALL - my right ear hasn't had a tube in it for a very long time but instead has a HUGE hole and a whole bunch of scar tissue on the ear drum - which is what's getting fixed with the surgery.