Recently, I've felt so great physically, and even mentally, that I've been counting the days since I've last visited the E.R. So far the streak is going well. I hope to not attend the E.R. for a long time! On Sunday, I told one of my friends, that I take in all the happy things during these days of healthy bliss. It's hard to explain...
Imagine holding a jar, and scooping up some smooth, warm beach sand in the jar; every time a water droplet enters, the sand becomes hardened and turns to mud. The sand is represented as our body, and the water is represented as those unhealthy germs and bad symptoms that begin to plague within ourselves. Don't worry though, mud eventually dries up, and becomes sand again. However, the sand will always be a bit darker, leaving us memorable scars from those hard times we experienced...
*I hope my analogy made sense*
Being healthy isn't always easy. Have you ever been on a diet, or tried to run a mile at a decent time without stopping for a breath? Washing your hands before and after we eat, or after we use the bathroom. Touching stuff in public and washing your hands when you reach home. Let's face it, there are germs everywhere, but don't let them scare you. Having good hygiene helps keep the bad germs away. I'm one of those people who've always struggled with keeping good hygiene, but in different terms.
I have a temporal bone implant located behind my right ear, once the Baha device is equipped, I can hear the world around me, and the best part about having hearing loss, is being able to have selective hearing.
Example: One day at an art museum in Provo, Dad and I took off in different directions to explore the art piece we were interested in. Later on in the evening, a little toddler of the age of 3...? Had begun screaming with joy. I had a hard time concentrating on the art descriptions, and so I pushed the button on my device to turn it all the way off. It was magical! Sure I couldn't hear as well, but I was able to focus on what I was reading again. When the toddler left, I turned the Baha back on, smiling as I did so, since I always giggled with joy whenever I could choose with what I want to hear.
Some of my friends and family are jealous. I'm jealous of them because they have perfect hearing! The scar tissue in my right ear also stings whenever pool water reaches it, or when I dunk my head under water several times. Since I was a little girl, I have had to wear an orange, puddy-like ear plug in my right ear. I would occasionally catch kids in the pool glancing at it, and their looks always made me feel out of place. Today, I either don't wear it when I swim, (knowing that I won't go under water as much), or wear it if I am swimming with a partner or friend. If you've ever had a broken bone, you'd know the feeling of dread whenever someone asks you what happened, or how did you end up getting the cast, over and over again, making you wish you can put a sign on yourself saying, "This is what happened, now ask me about something else. Thank you." Something like that. 😏
When I want to hear:
- When I shop.
- When I am playing music.
- When I am at a doctors office.
- Basically whenever I"m in public that requires you to hear someone you're with. If you're like me, and have many friends that talk soft, than you're in luck, get your hearing tested and see if you need a hearing aide.
When I don't need to hear:
- At the Hospital (too many sounds).
- At the Movie Theaters.
- At home, unless I'm watching a movie at night, and dad can hear it from upstairs.
- Big group parties, (but I always keep it with me in my purse).
- So, you probably found a common pattern.
Loud places = No Hearing Aide.
Soft places with minimum noise = Hearing Aide.
The hearing aide I have, and many others that are not like mine, cost a lot of money, but you never place a price on helping someone hear more. At least, that's what I think. Our insurance company had a hard time accepting it at first. I'm just blessed to be able to hear when I want or need to. I've never taken it for granted, because I know that many can't afford a hearing aide. The hygiene part is that I need to clean the post of that my device is clipped onto. I use a soft toothbrush in the shower and gently scrub around it to keep the dead skin off. Another thing that is annoying about this hearing aide, is being able to keep up with the batteries, and knowing when you need to change the battery. For me, I change it once every 2 weeks.
There are 3 programs on my hearing aide.
1. Max Hearing. Focused on people.
2. Music. It's primarily focused on music.
3. Not Max Hearing. So I can change it lower whenever something is louder than what I'm comfortable with. Example: Dad watches the T.V. and the volume is up quite a ways, so I just switch it to program 3, and I'm fine.
Each program beeps when I press the big button, helping me to know which program it is currently on. If you take out the battery and replace it, it completely resets it to the 'happy-medium' volume. The volume control is on the side of the device, allowing me to scroll it up high, or low. If the volume is at it's max, it beeps 3 times, if it is at the 'happy-medium', it beeps once.
I urge you to be thankful for what you have. We are thankful to live where we live, and if something is bothering you in your life, find a way to improve that problem. Thanks for reading this post!
How cool would it be if everyone could control their hearing without a hearing device? That would be weird. It's weird to imagine anyhow. Haha.
Shelby
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