World Hearing Day is observed annually on March 3. This year’s theme is “From Communities to Classrooms: Hearing Care for Every Child.” According to the World Health Organization, around 90 million children ages 5-19 years live with hearing loss. Sixty percent of childhood hearing loss is preventable through early identification, preventative care, and cost-effective health … Continue reading
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
