THOUGHTS ON BEING HEARING IMPAIRED AND BEING FAT
October 12, 2013
By Olivene Godfrey
When I was a young adult, it never crossed my mind that one day in the future I would be hearing impaired. It didn't occur to me either that I'd also be fat. I never thought of growing old, for that matter.
Several years ago, I started having some problems with my hearing. Finally, Barry insisted I make an appointment with an audiologist to have my hearing checked. The results showed I needed hearing aids. And, I've worn them since then. I hear sounds now that I hadn't heard in years. But, the aids aren't perfect.
Barry bought a phone for me that was supposed to be hearing impaired compatible. But, I still can't hear on the phone very well. And sometimes not at all. The problem is that not all voices sound alike to me. I don't have any problem hearing certain people. But soft voices are hard for me to try to figure out the words they are saying. Loud voices sound distorted on the phone. I have relatives and friends I'd like to talk to on the phone but I rarely do now.
Sometimes when I am in a room with another person, such as a doctor, I take Tam or Barry with me so they can interpret the doctor's words. There are other other times when I don't have an interpreter with me and I know I look blank when I don't understand the person's words. I have the feeling the person thinks I'm suffering from dementia. And, I try to avoid restaurants during rush hours as the voice's are a constant roar in my ears.
About being fat now. All of my childhood and young adulthood, I was tiny even though I ate like a horse. When we were young, my late husband, Ralph and I would eat a bag of krispy kreme doughnuts in one sitting. I would try to gain weight to no avail.
Finally, in my 50's I started gaining and my weight has been up and down since then. During my recent bout with pneumonia, I lost 20 pounds. Since then, I have been gaining it back. The doctor thinks that since I eat very little food now that I needed exercise. I've tried the exercises but it causes the arthritis in my knees to flare up which results in constant pain. I have been walking some with my walker and will continue to do that.
See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam)
By Olivene Godfrey
When I was a young adult, it never crossed my mind that one day in the future I would be hearing impaired. It didn't occur to me either that I'd also be fat. I never thought of growing old, for that matter.
Several years ago, I started having some problems with my hearing. Finally, Barry insisted I make an appointment with an audiologist to have my hearing checked. The results showed I needed hearing aids. And, I've worn them since then. I hear sounds now that I hadn't heard in years. But, the aids aren't perfect.
Barry bought a phone for me that was supposed to be hearing impaired compatible. But, I still can't hear on the phone very well. And sometimes not at all. The problem is that not all voices sound alike to me. I don't have any problem hearing certain people. But soft voices are hard for me to try to figure out the words they are saying. Loud voices sound distorted on the phone. I have relatives and friends I'd like to talk to on the phone but I rarely do now.
Sometimes when I am in a room with another person, such as a doctor, I take Tam or Barry with me so they can interpret the doctor's words. There are other other times when I don't have an interpreter with me and I know I look blank when I don't understand the person's words. I have the feeling the person thinks I'm suffering from dementia. And, I try to avoid restaurants during rush hours as the voice's are a constant roar in my ears.
About being fat now. All of my childhood and young adulthood, I was tiny even though I ate like a horse. When we were young, my late husband, Ralph and I would eat a bag of krispy kreme doughnuts in one sitting. I would try to gain weight to no avail.
Finally, in my 50's I started gaining and my weight has been up and down since then. During my recent bout with pneumonia, I lost 20 pounds. Since then, I have been gaining it back. The doctor thinks that since I eat very little food now that I needed exercise. I've tried the exercises but it causes the arthritis in my knees to flare up which results in constant pain. I have been walking some with my walker and will continue to do that.
See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam)
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