What They Don’t Tell You About Getting Hearing Aids

Sometimes I forget that I spent the majority of my deaf life without hearing aids and communicating accordingly so now when I do do things that require communication, I end up getting very anxious because I don’t have my hearing aids.⁣
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Girlie, you don’t need your hearing aids all the time. You did things before without them and you still can and do now! ⁣
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[@rikkipoynter]

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[@jamespascali8763]

Ugh, the struggle is real! I empathize. I have days where I am burnt out and don’t want to wear them, but quickly get annoyed trying to navigate the world without them. 😂 and if I’m at work or in an environment where I need to communicate a lot, not having them is not an option.

[@ellerj641]

Meanwhile, HAs don't work for me anymore and I'm not deaf enough for CIs. I was originally fighting to get BAHAS the past couple years, but after finding a doctor that knows what they're doing, I discovered that BAHAS are the same thing as HAs. I don't wear HAs anymore because at this point, I can only hear high pitch noises. I have always been very sensitive to high pitches which trigger headaches to migraines. HAs only amplify those high pitches leaving me miserable and suffering. BAHAS which do the same thing are clearly not going to work. Yet, the doctor is pushing really hard for them and says I should see my primary care physician to get meds for my headaches when I wear them. No. I'm not popping pills just to wear something for a few hours. Yes it is a struggle being deaf, but not because of my deafness. But because of the ableism in this world.

[@gregc.9313]

Imagine wearing hearing aids since you were 3 and suddenly one day out of the blue 30 years later your ear gets so clogged that it doesn’t even work (the aid) anymore and then you can’t get into get your ears cleaned for a whole month so you just have to sit in the painful silence of screeching tinnitus for 30+ days straight.

[@rikkipoynter]

noooooooooo

[@rikkipoynter]

please tell me your ears have been cleaned and there's no more 30+ days straight of screeching tinnitus now

[@saraquill]

That's horrifying

[@gregc.9313]

Yeah I’m all good now, thanks for asking. It happened 3 years ago but I’ll never forget that. Longest month of my life.

[@trevorzzealley2670]

Thanks for raising this very relevant point Rikki . I have often wondered how a person in a courtroom situation would fare . Especially if there is a time constraint . Justice vs ???

[@rikkipoynter]

I mean, get me an interpreter or I'm out, byeeeee

[@plnkfloydian7814]

Hearing aids have come such a long way you should see what my grandpas looked like.

[@henrywood2000]

Good to see you are using them and have adjusted to them. We do become dependent on them once we get used to using them and maybe that is not such a bad thing

[@josephinemcmahon7286]

I feel the same way 😊

[@Keovar]

It does seem like it would be more convenient to have them. Maybe part of why it bothered you is that the bank is an uncomfortable environment and doing things the old way means being there longer? I have seen discussions about the newer AirPods functioning like hearing aids, and while they aren't cheap, they could be more economical because they're rechargeable. Maybe the manufacturers of actual hearing aids could improve them in that way? Having a charging case seems handy.

[@michaellmikeyymike]

I’m experiencing similar

[@liamodonovan6610]

So good to see you rikki you are an amazing woman

[@rikkipoynter]

Thanks for watching, Liam.

[@anthonybohemier3882]

i feel this all too well. I got my hearing aids a little over a year ago and now if i go out in public i feel naked without them. I actually will start to panic at times (cars are too quiet sometimes) and have a bit of an anxiety attack. :(

[@misstoasty1]

I wish they would emphasize it wasnt 100% improvement. Why i thought that was going to be the be all end all. Also hearing exhaustion is a thing, i was exhausted for so long hanging with my friends trying to focus and lip read but now its the opposite just too much for my brain to get used to after 20 yrs of not hearing properly.

[@kaylasmusic]

I started out with the lyric which is a 24/7 hearing aid.. i can’t stand the digital ones now. Lyric is analog so its better. Which devices do you have?

[@andromedaiscoming185]

I do everything on the app, I never go to the bank.

[@rikkipoynter]

Can't deposit foreign cash with the app.

[@harveyabel1354]

@@rikkipoynter In that case, just send it my way, thanks 😆