Can you hear me now... How they know my hearing loss is from a birth defect....

Today I got to learn how they knew that my hearing loss was a birth defect and not from something that happened to me in my life.


When I went in last week, they made sure that I did not have any visible damage to any of my hearing structure. They made it very clear that my ears were very healthy. 

During the testing they did what is called a speech discrimination test. After they gathered what I could not hear, they brought the decibels to what I could hear, and they tested my speech. I had to repeat what they said word for word. That meant, I was hearing word for word what they were saying, at the level that my ears needed me to hear. 

What does that mean when I get hearing aids? 

It means I should be able to hear, with the amplification and new technology, exactly what is being said. 

When they saw this result, they knew right then and there, this was not from damage, but likely from a birth defect. That this was how I was born. If it was from damage, nerves would have been damaged, and I have absolutely no nerve damage. So I have no damage to any of the structure, and no damage to my nerves. Those two points, along with my significant hearing loss, all point to the fact that I was born this way. I know nothing different. 

We discussed how often it happens that someone comes in, and did not know they had a significant hearing loss. She said it is very rare. She had a lot of questions for me. 

I had as many questions for her. 

Every day I learn more. 

I am supposed to get my hearing aids by Friday. For the first time in my life, I will hear like everyone else. And if my discriminations tests are accurate, I will hear 96% in one ear, and 100% in the other ear. I believe I won't hear that day one, as they need to scale it up. Holy moly, I am super curious what my world will sound like. 

In less that 4 days, I will start that journey. I am ready. 


This entry was posted on Monday, June 6, 2016. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

One Response to “Can you hear me now... How they know my hearing loss is from a birth defect....”

  1. Wow! Super cool, Diane! Bill has wore hearing aides for ten years now and it changed his life for the better. All his children and I love them too! :) I had no idea that you had a hearing loss. Blessings!

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