[femmedyke]

I've had severe hearing issues all my life. Chronic and undiagnosed sinusitis with small Eustachian tubes lent itself to many ear surgeries as a child and into adulthood. When I was 12 I had surgery on my left ear to repair my perforated ear drum and since that surgery I've heard amazing in that ear! However, I have been somewhat screwed with my right ear. I developed mastoiditis several years ago and have had a couple of mastoidectomies. This last one was very expensive and rendered me deaf completely in my right ear as my ENT removed my incus bone with the notion that I would be able to have the second surgery to replace it rather quickly. Crappy insurance did not allow this to happen and two years after that surgery I'm still looking for a way to have this second surgery with implant. I saw someone wrote about cholestotomas -- I had two removed during that surgery as well,that was terribly painful!

I don't sign, I actually will read some lips but mostly depend on my left ear to compensate. Being hard of hearing has often put me in my own world. I get really tired of asking 'huh' or 'what' and kind of just shut down. *shrug*