It has been three months with my cochlear implant. The CI was activated at the end of July. Pre-activation, my hearing accuracy without the implant was at seven percent proficiency. A month after my the activation, I tested at 94 percent accuracy using the same hearing test as before. This week, three months after activation … Continue reading
Tagged with health …
Introducing My Cochlear Implant
It has been five days since the CI was activated, and I’m hearing all kinds of sounds that were silent before: birds chirping, the clicking of the car’s turn signal, the sound of running water from a faucet, and more. Voices currently sound like a robotic Donald Duck with echoes after each word. This is … Continue reading
I Am Deaf: Part One
A week ago, I had cochlear implant surgery in my left ear. I can’t hear anything in that ear and won’t until the implant is activated later this month. I wear a hearing aid in my other ear, and it only amplifies noises. This means I am deaf. I received a diagnosis of progressive bilateral … Continue reading
Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions about Hearing Loss
“I’m not hard of hearing. I’m ignoring you.” I love this sign that hangs at home. When it comes to rude comments, I’m finding it can be a good thing to pretend I didn’t hear. Or I can turn off my ears by taking out my hearing aids. In all seriousness, I am wondering if … Continue reading
When All You Have Is Your Family…and Exhaustion
On Thanksgiving, I turned 40 years old. The next day, my five-year-old son and I began coughing. We coughed well into the night and the next day. When I couldn’t take it any more, Little Boy and I headed to an urgent care clinic. The “sleep and drink lots of fluids” recommendation didn’t settle with … Continue reading
You Are Not Alone: Amberley’s Story
This is the second post in a series about a common illness that affects at least 1 in 4 women in the United States…depression. As I shared in my first post on this topic, I have also experienced depression and have found help. Amberley, a friend of mine, is raising two children while living with … Continue reading
Why I Am Sharing About My Depression
It is no secret that being a mom is a ton of work. For all the blessings of raising a family, there are just as many sleepless nights, challenging days, and anxious thoughts. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing moms’ stories about a phenomenon that affects at least one in four women. … Continue reading
Why Lipreading Mom Can’t Have Her Cake and Eat It Too
For 40 days, I have kept my mouth from swallowing the following things: caffeine, white sugar, and meat. Have I become vegetarian just to say “Ah, look at healthy me”? Let’s start with Lipreading Mom’s lifelong addiction to all things sugary sweet. Candy and pre-sweetened cereal were my go-to foods since the time I could … Continue reading
Hearing Aids Are So Gosh, Darn Cool
Don’t you just love my “purty” cool headline and photo choice? (And don’t you just love Lipreading Mom’s penchant for Oklahoma twang?) I confess that I’m a sucker for happy endings. They bring out my inner Oklahoma Pollyanna. When I recently posted the hearing aid financial struggles of my friend “Abby” (not her real name … Continue reading
How Captions Allow Lipreading Mom to Worship
The sermon series was promoted for weeks before I finally sat through the first message. On a warm summer morning, my husband and I sat in our usual place: front row center in the church auditorium. The closer to the stage, the more likely I could lipread the pastor. That theory worked until the audience … Continue reading