Deaf Teenager

[Beccacolvin]

I am 19 years old and have a profound loss in my left ear and a moderate to severe loss in my right. I wear two hearing aids (my left on is the CROS hearing aid). I have always been deaf but only got hearing aids when I was 16 and I'm still hearing new things every day! Moving on into adult life has been difficult especially in college like and social events as the majority of the time i have no clue whats going on or being said! I get really frustrated sometimes and so does everyone around me. I get really tired throughout the day due to the pure effort to understand whats been said (lipreading, background noise) and most days I just need a break so I'll take my hearing aids out and it's the most satisfying thing to do! I never wish I'm not deaf, it does have many advantages such as getting away with ignoring people and being able to sleep anywhere , being deaf is who I am. I'm looking to find new friends (hearing and deaf) as sometimes I do feel alone as I don't know anyone else who is deaf. I'm very open and will answer any question.

[jayfer]

Hi, thank you for your post. My mum is profoundly deaf and has cochlear implant. She also uses the ignoring people, especially when trying to tell her she's wrong, so annoying lol. I have very low hearing with high frequency noise. I went to lip reading classes but found it so hard especially as I had spent years turning my head to the side to hear what people were saying. Mum lip reads too and can text but not hear on phones. Do you have a social worker to help you get any aids smoke alarm/ alarm clock etc. Welcome to the site

[Beccacolvin in reply to jayfer]

hi, no i can hear the smoke alarm, its pretty loud, unless if I'm sleeping. I can't hear my alarm clock but my boyfriend will just wake me up. You can't get a social worker here to help, it would be the local council but they wont help because we have bought the house I live in so all the modification we have made have came out of my own pocket such as a flashing door bell and an alarm on the front door which makes a sound when it opens. I feel like theirs still along way to go until local councils really help the deaf!

[GRboyRiches]

Hello buddy, ya very difficult for you, as I understand you feel quite isolated, which is very understandable, you can hardly hear or not hear, which plants you slap in the middle of the hearing community and deaf community, I understand you wear Cros Aids, probably from the NHS, in which they will be Phonak, I take it they are Wireless and not wired( a cord goes from one side to the other), and yes they serve a great purpose, but you may feel conscious of these, you could explore the In The Ear (ITE) cros systems, which may be more cosmetically exceptable, but obviously they do come at a price, as they are not supplied on the NHS, sadly people are not that tolerant of deaf or hard of hearing people, because they can't see it, and if you wear hearing aids they think you can hear as well as them. The deaf community can be great and they are fun, but they tend to shy away from hearing people, for lots of reasons, and keep themselves to themselves, so, I really think you have some soul searching to do, explore better more cosmetically and better hearing aids, tell everyone what wearing hearing aids is like, they except it, them who can't say sod the rest and move on with your friends, maybe think about moving in on the deaf community, it might be tricky but they are great when you get to know them....hard time buddy but feel free to contact me if you want any advice.

[Beccacolvin in reply to GRboyRiches]

thank you!, I'm just tired of people assuming that just because I have hearing aids doesn't mean that my hearing problems are solved !

[Riley_008]

Your story is exactly the same as mine,my left ear is my worst ear,profoundly deaf and my right is moderately severe. My parents discovered I was deaf when I was one...way back in 1966,and because I was such a quiet baby..docs figured I was born deaf. I've worn hearing aids all through my school and college years...but sadly decided to rebel and follow an unconventional life...now I'm 51,a carer for an epileptic partner with mental disabilities, so much of my past 20 years has been consumed gaining knowledge about my partners disabilities, but now I'd like to know more about my deafness....all I know is,it is sensorial neural.

[Beccacolvin in reply to Riley_008]

Hi, I also have a sensorial loss as the hairs inside my inner ear are damaged. Of course your reason may be different from mine but i could give you as much information as I can.

[helloimbeth]

Hi Becca I'm 23 and hearing but both of my parents are deaf so I'm a 'CODA'. I agree with you and hate to see that you sometimes get frustrated in social situations. It angers me to see the barriers that deaf people face daily and wish all hearing people had deaf awareness, it would make life so much easier and better for everyone! I'm not deaf but can fill the role of friend, although I'm not sure if you will still be checking this message after a month x

[Beccacolvin in reply to helloimbeth]

Hello, yes deaf people do face lots of barriers in daily life even in places that claim to be deaf friendly!, I'm glad that you are so supportive of your parents. I have a younger sister and a older brother, none of them are deaf and also get angry when hearing people don't know how to talk to me. I think everyone should be taught some deaf awareness !