Good-morning to youThese bright nasturtiums reminded me of this little song my mom used to sing when waking me in the morning. Isn't it funny how that happens. We see, smell or hear something and can be transported back to another time, and things long forgotten become so fresh it seems like just yesterday.
I'm very late with supper tonight. I have some meat and veggies in the toaster oven but was too hungry to wait so I was nibbling on some woven wheat crackers and I annoyed myself tremendously. Ordinarily I wouldn't even notice my chewing, but I was recently fitted with hearing aids and believe me, when I'm chewing something crunchy I sound like a horse chomping on some very tough oats! I didn't expect to have this problem and because I have always been very conscious of manners and eating quietly, I am absolutely horrified at myself.
I went to lunch with my girls and asked if they could hear me chew. They said they couldn't. Thank Heaven!! After all the years I spent teaching them table manners I would be so humiliated if I were noisy. It took about a week before I figured out the reason my mouth sounds are so loud to me is because my ears are plugged, (thats where the hearing aids go) duh! Also these little ear gadgets have microphones! One day I burped and it sounded like rolling thunder! I won't go into detail concering other body noises. The technician said she could adjust the hearing aids so my mouth sounds won't be so noisy. She will do that next week. In the meantime, I'm eating soup, stew, pudding, anything quiet, and non gassy!
The up-side of my new hearing aids: The day I got them I drove straight to the bay, which is only about five minutes from my house. I sat on a big rock for about half an hour and listened to the waves. I hadn't heard them for a long-long time. SundayI went to a birthday party and was able to hear and understand everyone. It delighted me to hear the birthday boy giggle as he opened his presents. I learned that plastic wrap has a sound, and water pouring into a glass, and leaves in the wind, and my little dog doesn't just groan, he snores! I've heard several bird songs that I don't remember. I feel like the world has opened up and let me in. There is so much to hear. My brain is having a little trouble processing all the new and or forgotten sounds and I was told it will take at least six weeks before that begins to happen. I am constantly searching for 'what made that noise.'
Hearing loss can be cause by any number of things. My hearing was not good even when I was a child but I believe that the worst damage was caused from a virus I had about sixteen years ago which also caused nerve damage as well as vertigo which disabled me. My hearing slowly deteriorated so I didn't really notice it at first.
Over the past few years I was really having a hard time understanding what was being said, often asking people to repeat themselves, sometimes more than once. It was embarassing to say the least so I stayed home a lot, and basically avoided those situations.
My daughter encouraged me to check into hearing aids. I was reluctant because I didn't think my hearing loss was that bad. Oh, my poor kids!!!LOL
I guess if there was one thing that gave me that 'push' I would have to say it was the day my great granddaughter, who was around five at the time, came up beside me and quietly said, "I love you MiMi." And I didn't hear her. My daughter told me what she had said but it broke my heart that I couldn't hear it myself and respond with a hug and tell her that I love her too.
If you suspect that you may have a hearing loss, do something about it now. You won't be sorry.
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