tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6539554326917632247.post8163964211935685853..comments2016-09-05T09:53:26.562-07:00Comments on RevRows! The musings of a priest and rower: Sudden Hearing Loss- a first postAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14590857900419179227noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6539554326917632247.post-20120343929088286622014-03-30T14:59:09.126-07:002014-03-30T14:59:09.126-07:00Janet, thanks for this...I had no idea! I think it...Janet, thanks for this...I had no idea! I think it is interesting what we learn to cope with...either "born" to it, or learned later on. For me, it has been a life-changing experience and one which has opened me up in compassion. And, I truly love that my friends say "STACE! TURN UP THAT HEARING AID!" Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14590857900419179227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6539554326917632247.post-88558941859176990802014-03-30T02:59:35.242-07:002014-03-30T02:59:35.242-07:00I was born not hearing at all in my left ear. Bein...I was born not hearing at all in my left ear. Being partially deaf has not included feelings of shame for me as much as frustration, but because it's a condition I've had all my life, I have what are, for me, unconscious coping mechanisms. For example, I'll always walk on your left or sit on the left side of a room so I can hear in my right ear. In a restaurant, depending on the acoustics, I'll either sit on the left side of the table or I'll sit next to the wall so sound can bounce and I can hear. Either way, I know there's a lot I miss -- including hearing in stereo, which I've never had so I can only imagine what it's like to lose that ability -- but there's also a lot I appreciate and enjoy. For example: peace and quiet. The ability to sleep on my good ear and not be awoken by random sounds in the middle of the night (that can also be a curse, because I'll hear things after the fact and can't identify what they were or where the sound came from.) <br /><br />Regardless, hearing loss is no small deal. In the end, though, I'm grateful for what little I have and even more grateful that this is the least of my disabilities. To be truthful, I think I'd far rather lose my hearing than my sight. Janet M Kincaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15927469354253835774noreply@blogger.com