tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49901725680711248032024-03-05T00:24:16.466-08:00World of SilenceWhat the world is like through a person who is deaf.Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-27846137513920653342023-06-19T15:29:00.000-07:002023-06-19T15:29:24.304-07:00Deaf Teacher Happy As a Clam<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBf9uQcmwTaPtqgGrBUZuHqG9P4ine9mmhUiHumqZMHfQi-aWu8VP38p6L30dXZibNMqqkeOLpYQfSa8EfeusK1Lotwx26T4CBLdDuoDuMvY5intBiQvvN8TSe_HvWH_IKTcRhB9fA-i5HF43Fj-tWXbk1IToV3V1n_4UMmGHjTKlp7fyT6OVwz_QIhTzX" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1140" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBf9uQcmwTaPtqgGrBUZuHqG9P4ine9mmhUiHumqZMHfQi-aWu8VP38p6L30dXZibNMqqkeOLpYQfSa8EfeusK1Lotwx26T4CBLdDuoDuMvY5intBiQvvN8TSe_HvWH_IKTcRhB9fA-i5HF43Fj-tWXbk1IToV3V1n_4UMmGHjTKlp7fyT6OVwz_QIhTzX" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 24px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">When I first started teaching, there weren't many resources available for deaf teachers. I had to learn how to use sign language on my own, and I often felt like I was the only one who understood what it was like to be deaf in a hearing world.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 24px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">But things have changed a lot in the past decade. There are now more deaf teachers than ever before, and there are a lot of resources available to help them succeed. I'm grateful for the progress that has been made, and I'm proud to be a part of it.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 24px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">I've learned a lot about myself and about deaf education over the years. I've learned that I'm capable of anything I set my mind to, and I've learned that deaf children can achieve anything they want.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 24px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">I've also learned that cochlear implants are a wonderful tool, but they're not a cure for deafness. They can help me hear, but they can't give me perfect hearing. I still have to rely on sign language and other forms of communication to get by.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 24px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">But I'm not complaining. I'm grateful for the cochlear implant, and I'm grateful for the opportunities it has given me. I'm able to teach my students, and I'm able to communicate with my family and friends. I'm living a full and rewarding life, and I wouldn't change it for anything.</p>Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-25599682356495640082016-06-24T10:03:00.001-07:002016-06-24T10:03:12.306-07:00A Millon Thanks To AB <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday was amazing- a technological miracle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They say, "Art is worth a thousand words", but what about a video. I am a technological miracle. I was able to video tape my special moment to share with you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But first let me take you back five or so years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Five years ago, I woke up with sudden hearing loss. I didn't have any sound in my left ear and barely anything in my right. The reason was an infection. Although, the doctors are not complete sure what the infection was since I was on some strong antibiotics. I had to learn sign language and adjust job responsilibies to my job and family environment. I tried hearing aids for about one year which were great but my hearing got worse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You may read more about my story here. </span><a href="http://myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/2012/11/who-is-this-guy-with-two-pillows.html"><span style="font-size: large;">World of Silence - My Story</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to medical science Advanced Bionics gave me hearing back again in my left ear. Watch this amazing first video.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Several years later I found the funds to implant and activate my right ear. I know have two working ears. Here are the videos from yesterday. I am so blessed to have the support of my family and friends. For those who are not sure cochlear implants are the best route I hope this inspires you.</span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-33546744432513449082016-06-16T17:27:00.000-07:002016-06-16T17:27:33.326-07:0010 Percent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-2fc7552e-5bbb-e1e6-faf3-c8ad06308d91" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Ten, 10, Percent, Statistic," height="206" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VHndadkCcsZwMOoYS3B1eyJkcJGHsnAWQp_KKdN6Dhctnxx5v_VXaSRb9i5CPO2xoE2mb0yUqiWuFKdb0P3vSrJ2HDkvsbuRVaXuJK8Bt5fhEDf8aS8A314vxNO2DQorCuyWFnf-" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="342" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.66px; font-variant: normal;"></span><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.66px; font-variant: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Prior to surgery, I had about 10 percent of hearing left in my right ear. My left cochlea was already dead from my 1st cochlear implant surgery, do to hear I must turn on my hearing device. But, it was not easy hearing with one ear at 90 percent and other ear with only 10 percent. I am amazed how well I did with just that amount. Now, I am completely without sound in both ears when I don’t wear my left ear implant. I will hear from both ears in a few weeks. The only thing I was able to do better with the 10 percent was understand people’s lips. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.66px; font-variant: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was not easy saying goodbye to the 10 percent. I was not sure what it would be like with </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.66px; font-variant: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">absolutely no sound at all. I know it will get better with time. This causes some challenges for my family and friends. One, if I am not wearing my devices you will have to write out on paper what you want to say or learn sign language. Two, be patient with me because this deaf world is still new to me since I have only been deaf for five years. Finally, practice makes perfect so I need conversation. I can’t wait to have hearing with my new bionic ears. </span></span><b></b></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-47677369793755074842014-06-15T10:53:00.001-07:002014-06-15T10:54:28.800-07:00Fatherhood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How should we define fatherhood? We live in a world where some fathers are not around emotionally or physically. We have families where children have two mother’s. Do those type of families lack something? I guess it depends on your convictions and how you define family. For me, I am progressive in my thinking and believe relationships based upon love and encouragement are more important than the gender of the parents. The male child of a singl mom can still develop into being a successful adult. I don’t want to diminish the male figure but want to recognize there are many ways to have a healthy family. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I want to talk about the traditional family unit, when a father and mother and children. I want to define what I believe makes a father and child experience healthy. Let me first say, that if you have a poor father image you need to seek healthy relationships to develop your character. DONT PUT IT OFF. There are organizations to help you learn what it means to be a “man”. Also, this is my interpretation of manhood. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fatherhood, like motherhood, take courage, the courage to set aside our own agenda and spend time with our children. Courage to to continue to evolve into a better person. Courage sets apart those men who are healthy fathers from those who are mediocre fathers. What does courage look like? As a father I am continually presented with opportunities to stop bad habits in the ways I interact with my children. Courage says, “I am going to share my thoughts and feelings with my children so they know I am not perfect.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another characteristic of good fathering is encouragement. We live in a negative world. We hear horrible stories of death and destruction in books, TV, and movies. Sometimes the bad seem to outweigh the positive stories. But encouragement is deeper than positive talk. Webster’s defines encouragement as, “the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen”. I believe a father can’t encourage unless he sets aside his own agenda or thinking to focus on his son or daughter. Encouragement is telling your child(ren) that they need to pursue their passion even even if those interests are not what you would have chosen for them. Even if your child is thinking of going into a career field that sounds crazy, or changes her religious or political convictions, you will still be there to encourage and support her. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I saved the most important fatherly trait for last. Can you guess what it is? Well if you guessed comfort you are right. If not, listen up. Affection is very important. Children want to be held and hugged. They want to know that affection will always be there. You drop everything and offer your arms, hands, ears, and sometimes tears to be sympathetic. Your job, as a father, is for your children to be able to say when you die, “He loved and bonded with me.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am a proud father, but more importantly I want to continue to grow as a father. It’s a never-ending process.</span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-6428823943674848562014-04-19T09:02:00.001-07:002014-04-19T09:02:26.525-07:00HAPPY ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY TO ME<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Aharoni;">“Silence is still golden.”</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago from this month I woke up and
sound was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lost my hearing
permanently and without reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only
thing the doctors can think of was multiple ear infections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped asking the questions “Why me? What
now? How?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After wasted hours trying to
find answers to those questions, I concluded that being deaf is not the worst situation
I could face and that I needed to live with my soundless world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned a lot about deafness from talking
with my new online friends, reading other blogs, and reading books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of stories similar to mine,
and some that are much worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had my
hearing for forty years, and I’m thankful for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I missed the sound of rain, even the sound of
the toilet flushing, and the whisper of my wife’s voice in bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We take sound for granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so busy talking or busy with our
electronic devices that we block out the sounds of the larger world around us.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hearing aids are a deaf person’s best friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The newer, smaller hearing aids are amazing,
allowing you to stream wireless devices directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hearing aids are available to those with
slight to severe hearing loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wore
hearing aids for four months, until my hearing loss grew worse and their
effectiveness declined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks be to God for the next best thing – cochlear
Implants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was implanted on November 1,
2013, and three weeks later my electrode, the device inside your cochlea, was
turned on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difference was incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I adapted quickly to the new technology and
now have hearing that is as close to normal as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I do have a few advantages over hearing people:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a loud environment hearing people struggle to
block out sounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My implant allows me
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have to put in earplugs to block out loud,
annoying sounds like a dog barking, loud music, or crying babies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just take off my cochlear implant and
silence is back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have to put something in your ears to hear
music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just Bluetooth my music to my
ear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Convenient. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> I</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> don’t need to argue with my wife and kids
anymore because I can unplug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am fortunate to have been without hearing for a short
period of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thankful I found
Advanced Bionics, who manufactured my cochlear implant, as well as a
trustworthy doctor.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-50134160208568545082014-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:002014-01-24T14:09:20.328-08:00Listening to Stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Being out of work for several months and with money running thin, I started driving for </span><a href="https://www.uber.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Uber.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. The job is easy and offers good money. The company gives me a phone to accept rides from clients, I set my own hours, and I get paid weekly. I don’t mind driving. I like hearing stories, seeing where people like going, and listening to music. Once a ride is over the customer rates my service. I don’t think I would have a high customer service rating if I couldn’t hear and communicate with the client. The clients are well-mannered and I find most of them talkative. I can’t imagine driving people around without being able to hear. Even when the radio is on high and customers ask me questions I can hear them. That would not be possible with my hearing aids nor any other device than </span><a href="http://www.advancedbionics.com/us" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Advanced Bionics</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Naida. I have my hearing back.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I start my student teaching soon. The test of my hearing will be if I can hear the 5th graders, since they talk so softly. I expect great things from my cochlear implant while I’m in the classroom. </span></b> </div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-51426277883784004092013-11-26T17:11:00.003-08:002013-11-26T17:11:52.377-08:00Jeff Implant Activation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i8-Ltp09QYI" width="480"></iframe><br />
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YEP! That is me hearing sounds for the first time in two years. My cochlear implant surgery was November 1, 2013. The surgery was a big success with really no issues at all. I had to wait for three weeks to get activated, which is when the audiologist turned on the electrode inside my head. Here is a quick video to explain:<br />
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I had high expectations of hearing something on November 22 when my cochlear implant was activated. Everyone told me, "Keep your expectations low but hope for the best." I knew that many people don't hear anything DAY 1. The brain needs to learn sounds that one might not have heard at all or for some time. I am lucky that I have only been without sound for two years, but never did I expect to hear words and sound so quickly. <br />
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DAY 4 - My hearing of sounds was tested at normal hearing person level. People still sound like robots and monotone but I know that will improve over time and with practice. <br />
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I am so thankful for Edie Gibson who referred me to an amazing doctor in South Carolina. It's funny, you don't need to go to the number one place to have surgery. Just find a doctor who takes you seriously and has done a lot of successful implants. I want to give thanks to Dr. Erin at the Auditory-Verbal Center in Atlanta, GA, who has worked patiently with me answering all my questions; and to my mom, who travelled from Arizona to Atlanta to take care of me during recovery so my wife could continue to work. My mom didn't have too difficult a time since I slept a lot. Finally, thank you Advanced Bionics for having the technology available. I can't imagine going with another brand, having experienced all the support I have received just days after activation. <br />
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I hope to be an inspiration to others who have reached the point of considering an implant. I am still deaf because I can take off my device and the world is silence, but now I can choose to enter the world of sound.</div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-61136484601528971742013-11-12T13:01:00.001-08:002013-11-13T10:41:03.621-08:00New Adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November 1st, 2013 - Cochlear Implant</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have been deaf for two years. I lost my hearing suddenly as the result of a massive infection following years of sporadic ear infections. I never got my hearing back and after using hearing aids for a short time they became useless. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nobody plans to go deaf but things happen. I accepted my deafness and decided to be positive. I did whatever I could to learn about my deafness and welcomed new ways to communicate. When I lost my job and had to consider the prospects of new employment with a severe hearing loss while my hearing aids became less and less usable, I decided it was time for cochlear implant. I wanted to hear my family’s voices, listen to music, and be more employable. I am friends with many deaf people and they live happy lives without cochlear implants. I have to say that its available but not for everyone. Getting a cochlear implant is a big step and a personal one. Even though I have a cochlear implant now, I am still deaf. I can switch off my device anytime I want and have the world go silent or turn it on and listen to everything. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is DAY 4 after surgery and as you can tell I am feeling better. But here are my thoughts:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. “It feels weird having metal in my head.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. “This tinnitus is driving me crazy.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. “Nobody told me about drainage.” BTW, I don’t like fluids.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. “I thought it would hurt more”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. “I am so tired. I feel like sleeping all day.” I am glad I didn’t plan school or other activities during this recovery time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. “I am so ugly.” Yes, I am vain. I didn’t expect my head to be shaved quite so extensively so that my 8-10 stitches are highly visible. I want my body back together like before. My daughter thinks I look like the characters in the movie Coraline who’ve had new eyes stitched on with thread.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span id="docs-internal-guid-71e21eda-4e1b-0d04-7053-17f489e7c3bc" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think she was being kind in calling me a stitched-up person. I feel more like a:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn1vf3-ogb8IOWWwXRu3a_jM-nV8aDmGWnl1ysJR2xD7mk_82PJstzR2eH9ZfdRbaoLSBqYlolFP5luAED6yl4kGgaFP8pTUsrFDbPY7xy3STJphN0ydceCYUKiXhFZtOiVLMB38cidn2/s1600/untitled+(3).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn1vf3-ogb8IOWWwXRu3a_jM-nV8aDmGWnl1ysJR2xD7mk_82PJstzR2eH9ZfdRbaoLSBqYlolFP5luAED6yl4kGgaFP8pTUsrFDbPY7xy3STJphN0ydceCYUKiXhFZtOiVLMB38cidn2/s320/untitled+(3).png" height="320" width="284" /></a> Dalek from "Dr. Who" TV series.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-71e21eda-4e1c-5718-31f6-f896b1d6d7fb" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can see I am in good spirits. I am glad to have my mom here from Arizona to help out while my wife goes to work and takes care of the kids. I go back to see the doctor on November 15th to have these stitches removed. The exciting day will be November 22nd at 3pm (EST). </span></span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-72275687809089900432013-10-25T12:38:00.001-07:002013-10-25T12:38:38.893-07:00Recovery - What Should I Watch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I will be home from cochlear implant surgery November 2nd. My surgery is November 1st but I am staying the night at the hospital. The surgery is in South Carolina, which is four hours away so instead of sitting in the car for four hours after surgery the doctor wants me to stay. </div>
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Cochlear Implant recipients say it's about one week recovery but everyone is different. Right now, I am done with my two graduate courses and it will not start again until 2nd week of November. I need suggestions on what to watch on Netflix or Hulu.</div>
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<u>Recent favorites</u></div>
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Teen Wolf</div>
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Dr. Who</div>
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I need some ideas. Tell me what are you watching. I'll try it.</div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-76736890200176849882013-10-21T08:25:00.002-07:002013-10-21T08:25:38.942-07:00T-Minus 9 Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Anticipating Great Things, Anxious at times, and Amazed!<br />
It is going to be an amazing experience - get my hearing back. The days are flying by and soon I will be in the car driving to South Carolina getting ready for surgery. You can read about it here why I have to go out of state for surgery - <a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/15/post/2013/08/ci.html">http://www.deaf-insight.com/15/post/2013/08/ci.html</a>. I have read some amazing stories of Facebook friends who received their cochlear implant and they are hearing words.<br />
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Two of my friends have been encouraging during this time period. <a href="http://lisashearingblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lisa J.</a> and <strong><a href="http://ozyrick.t15.org/?p=412" target="_blank">Rick S.</a></strong><br />
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-81245081754307784022013-10-15T17:53:00.001-07:002013-10-15T17:53:59.230-07:00Cochlear Implant - Family Thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black;">KAREN'S </span>THOUGHTS ON JEFF GETTING A CI</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"From the moment he went deaf, Jeff has been researching cochlear implants. By now <br /> he’s an expert. He’s done a great job without them. For a while the hearing aids worked well, and it took some of the stress off at his job. But then his hearing started going downhill again. We learned sign language together, and we can communicate to a certain extent. But I will never be that fluent - not enough to share my deepest thoughts and concerns. I can ask what he wants to eat, if he’s tired, what he wants to do. It’s utilitarian. But it is not my first language of emotional and intellectual communication. I will be very glad to be able to just talk. <br /><br /><span></span>Before he went deaf, we had been to a few music concerts, something we had not done before. We were listening to new music together. I’ve missed that, and I know he has, too. Recently I started listening to a podcast and I though, oh, Jeff would enjoy this. But of course he can’t listen to it. <br /><span></span><br />There are many small things that come up - trying to talk on the phone, making sure that I fill in if someone asks him a question he doesn’t notice, remembering to not turn away when speaking or call out from another part of the house. And I really hate that in the dark both sign language and speech is useless. Lately I’m the only one who hears the ominous sound of the cats throwing up at night. That won’t change, of course, since he will always be able to switch off whenever he likes. <br /><span></span><br />My greatest hope, though, is that the CI will allow him to pursue the career he wants - teaching. I also hope that he will continue to sign and be part of Deaf culture, because I know that’s important to him, and I think he has a lot to offer both hearing and Deaf cultures."</span><br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Lizzie </span>(13 year old daughter) writes:<br />"I am extremely excited for my dad getting a cochlear implant. I’m worried that something might go wrong, but other than that, I’m thrilled. Once he’s able to hear, he can’t just turn away when he doesn’t want to listen. I won’t have to tap on his arm every time I want to speak. I think this will bring our family closer since it will be easier to communicate. I hope the cochlear implant will live up to his expectations, since I know it won’t be the same as before."<br /><span></span>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><span></span>Abby (11 year old daughter) writes:<br /><span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">"I want Dad to hear me laugh and I also want him to be able to hear Dito (our cat) say <br />“meow” all the time, because it’s very annoying and I wish he could make it stop. I want him to hear me play the clarinet. And also so he can watch a movie without captioning. I will be able to talk to him without having to repeat myself all the time."</span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-9733192645918171402013-10-15T11:29:00.000-07:002013-10-15T11:29:01.668-07:00Cochlear Implant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I want to hear!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can’t stand my hearing aids. I have reached the point where I can’t hear anything but static even with the multiple adjustments I have received. My wife and I went out to dinner the other night and I wore my hearing aids so she wouldn’t have to sign all night long. She gets tired signing and at times I do too. But I had to keep asking her to repeat what she said. I was so pissed that I ripped my hearing aids out and put them in my pocket. It is so much easier for me to lipread with no hearing aids or sound at all. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My ENT said it is time to consider a CI (cochlear implant). By the time this gets posted I will have had my CI evaluation, which is the determining factor. I didn’t qualify at the last evaluation because the audiologist wasn’t thorough and the doctor simply didn’t want me as a patient. I just learned a new hearing term called </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_fatigue" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">auditory fatigue</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. My hearing gets really bad as the day progresses, so having a CI evaluation at 3 pm rather than in the morning makes more sense. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even after I get a CI, I will still consider myself deaf. Please understand that a CI doesn’t fix me. I will not hear the way a hearing person does. I want to continue signing and participating in Deaf culture. But the CI is a better device than my hearing aids if I want to participate in hearing culture. Here are the reasons I want a CI:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. I want to hear my daughters’ voices, especially before they graduate. Fine! - my wife’s voice, too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Having a CI will open up more options as I change careers. (BTW, my next blog post will be about my career move and hearing).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. I miss music.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is some contentious conversation in deaf cyberchat about whether deaf people should have CI’s. I have had mixed feelings, but with the progressive deterioration of my hearing over the past six months and my recent layoff, I’ve had time to reflect on my future. Getting a CI is a personal choice based on what each person needs to follow his or her particular path. The deaf community should not look down on or shun a CI recipient. People with CI’s should in turn be accepting of those who don’t want to wear anything at all. Keep signing and learning about Deaf culture. We all have to remember that once you lose your hearing it is gone. You are deaf. The only difference is that some people - for any number of reasons - want to use devices that will help them hear sounds. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We are all on the same boat.</span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-85439695548565886112013-10-08T13:17:00.000-07:002013-10-08T13:17:00.184-07:00CI on Saint's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0066cc;"></span><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3f2c2f79-99af-7681-10bb-7917e0620872" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3f2c2f79-99b2-dc39-4030-9e591e4cac17" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After visiting all the doctors and several audiologists here in Georgia and not being pleased with most of them I decided to go out of state to visit a doctor that came highly recommended. I made a good choice. The doctor was knowledgeable, experienced, and answered all my questions. The good thing is I can keep the CI audiologist here in Georgia, which was really important to me. My audiologist, Dr. Erin Rellinger from </span><a href="http://www.avchears.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Auditory-Verbal Center</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, has been so patient and helpful. It was important to me to have the right device from </span><a href="http://www.advancedbionics.com/us/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Advanced Bionics</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and my new friend Edie Gibson, from Advanced Bionics, helped me find an out of state physician. I am pleased to say my surgery is scheduled for </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints'_Day" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ALL SAINTS DAY</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I hope I am blessed, that God looks down from Heaven and there are no issues with surgery. Now that I have the hospital, the doctor, and the audiologist on board I can rest and wait.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I miss the ability to understand what people are saying. Reading lips is hard work. My wife and kids are probably tired of me saying, “Please repeat”. I don’t make them sign enough but with the cochlear implant technology and </span><a href="http://www.advancedbionics.com/com/en/products/sound_processing/clearvoice.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ClearVoice</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to improve my poor speech recognition I will be able to hold a conversation with anyone in the hearing community. But, there is something my family and friends (offline and online) need to understand. A cochlear implant is an assistive device; it doesn’t make me a hearing person. When I put on my device each morning it will help me enter the hearing world, but that is not the same thing as being a hearing person. I will be deaf the rest of my life and I accepted that a long time ago. But, here are some of the things I am looking forward to when I get activated, meaning when my device gets turned on by the audiologist:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Understanding what people are saying around me or one-on-one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Music - I still listen to music now with my hearing aids but I miss the words. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Cellphone - to hear a phone call on my cellphone and stop telling people to call my Caption Call phone. Texting on my cellphone is great but I want to dial and hit the send button.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Hear my family. I hear sounds but I really struggle with my daughters’ voices. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. My cats - to hear them meow when I walk into the house.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Look at what cool color I picked for my CI. </span></span> </div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-78767437755506539122013-10-03T11:38:00.001-07:002013-10-03T11:38:22.126-07:00DEFINE: EXPECT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Expectations, we all have them. We may not like knowing we have them but we do. We expect our alarm clock to go off at a certain hour so we can jump into the shower. We expect our children to behave a certain way during dinner when you have guests. We expect our pets to not bark or bite visitors. We expect our bed to be comfortable with big fluffy pillows so we can drift into dreamland in under five.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ex·pect</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ikˈspekt/</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">verb: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">expect</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; 3rd person present: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">expects</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; past tense: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">expected</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; past participle: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">expected</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; gerund or present participle: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">expecting</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.regard (something) as likely to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2."we expect the best"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My expectations on September 16, 2013, walking into the CI surgeon’s office were that my surgery would be scheduled and I would be out of the office in less than 45 minutes flat. I added the extra 15 minutes since it was on the 9th floor. No, my expectations got the best of me and I ended up snared in hospital politics with an audiologist that didn’t know much other than why I should not like the product I was wanting to implant. I thought the position of an audiologist was to help a deaf person restore hearing using the best technology to meet his or her needs, not to have a product debate. I had to pull in more powerful people than me to help me get what I want. Now I have expectations of Advanced Bionics. If they don’t come through for me here in Georgia or I will have to go somewhere out of state for surgery. I made my phone calls to Advanced Bionics and I will find out next week what happens over at Emory Hospital Midtown. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My final thought is this - hope more, expect less.</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-3793237037952764752013-08-18T17:28:00.001-07:002013-08-18T17:28:55.772-07:00Choices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Choices”, a powerful word. When I was working at my previous employer I saw many paths but ignored them. I made a choice not to go - to play it safe. Maybe there are voices in your head or there are some people out there saying “you are crazy to think of doing XYZ,” but in your heart you see a path. We all have this amazing gift called “choice”. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I lost my hearing I made the choice not to panic and investigate how to cope, how to get support, and how to find the best technology to get some sound back. I am not really talking about the small choices we make daily (though I don’t minimize those because for some getting out of bed is not easy), but the big ones like changing career paths or getting married. When we face an important decision, we need supportive friends to help us make the right choice. In the popular film and book series, Harry Potter had to make some difficult choices. Did he make those choices alone? Do you think it was easier for him to chose which path to take having his supportive friends there with him? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Last Thursday morning I received a text message from my manager asking when I would be coming into work. I thought it an odd message since she knows my schedule. Moments after I arrived at work my position was terminated. I was one of many laid off that day. Now, I could get really upset and put up a fight. I could say they didn’t give me sufficient accommodations. But when I look at the whole picture my company gave me a lot, and I am thankful for that. When we chose to see more than one path we gain so much more clarity about our present state of mind and sometimes our future. I feel sad when I hear people bad mouthing past companies or even relationships - just move on.</span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-58241816081309046472013-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:002013-05-07T05:00:00.047-07:00Karen, My Wife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hi, I’m Karen Swartz, Jeff’s wife. He asked me to write about my experiences living with a suddenly deaf person. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jeff and I have been married for nearly 14 years and we have experienced many health challenges over the course of our marriage, including the preterm delivery of our second child and her diagnosis with an incurable genetic condition, my brush with breast cancer, his interstitial cystitis, our late diagnosis with celiac disease. We have a lot of experience in dealing with the unexpected. When Jeff became increasingly ill last spring and finally ended up in the hospital with a bone infection and sudden deafness, I did what I usually do in the midst of crisis - focus on getting from point A to point B. I tell myself I can always fall apart later, and sometimes when later arrives, I’m past the point of falling apart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m amazed and impressed by how quickly Jeff has adjusted to being deaf. There were hard days in the hospital, when nurses would try to speak to him over the intercom, despite my repeated instructions that he would not be able to hear them to respond. And in the first months deafness sometimes came with the additional cost of severe pain and noise sensitivity. That was a terrible time, because there was nothing that helped - no pain medication gave relief and no matter how quiet the girls and I tried to be, sometimes we would drop a dish or accidentally slam a door and bring on a new crisis. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the beginning the most frustrating part for me was not knowing the source of this sudden catastrophe. No doctor, no specialist knew why he developed such a severe infection, why that resulted in deafness, and why there was such unrelenting pain. I was more concerned that he might have to endure life-long pain than that he was deaf. Deafness seemed far preferable to me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jeff is not the sort of person to give in to despair or hopelessness. When he was sufficiently well enough to focus, he started doing research and found online support groups. I went with him to visit doctors, specialists, and audiologists. I was greatly relieved when he found out that hearing aids would help, at least in the short-term. Otherwise I wasn’t sure how he would keep his job or how we would support ourselves financially if he had to take time off to get a cochlear implant. The potential financial impact was always at the back of my mind, and it continues to this day. If his hearing deteriorates further, he will almost certainly have to get a cochlear implant if he wants to continue in his current or a similar job. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">But I’ve been part of so many positive developments as well. I love seeing Jeff immersed in anything that interests him, and he is very interested in deaf issues and deaf culture. I love that he wants to help others in similar situations. His blog has given him an avenue to express himself through writing, which he has always wanted to do. Before we found ourselves in this situation, I had never given a moment’s thought the deaf world, had never met anyone deaf, really, or thought about the sorts of challenges deaf people would face. I had no idea there was a deaf culture, or that there were so many sensitive issues related to what it means to be deaf, or that you could view deafness as something besides a disability. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are some daily challenges. No more chats as we drift off to sleep, not even via sign language. I often forget to make sure I’m looking at him when I speak if he isn’t wearing his aides, and sometimes I forget that I don’t have to face my kids for them to hear me. I worry about him not being able to hear alarms, sirens, oven timers, or calls for help. I worry about job security and discrimination. I worry that I will never master sign language. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">But for the most part, I feel good about things.</span></span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-83611224670494898932013-04-23T05:00:00.000-07:002013-05-06T18:35:19.725-07:00SOUND Relationships<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Relationships, we need them. Our lives depend on these connections. We help each other grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Without relationships we eventually break and fall apart. One of the most important parts of developing a SOUND RELATIONSHIP is communication. But what if one or both of you or both have hearing loss? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I want to first talk about personality, which is also called temperament. Knowing your temperament will give you a better understand of yourself, what you want, and need, and it will give you insight into how you related to others. Knowing your communication style as well as that of your partner will improve your communication. There is a scientific approach to analyzing temperament but for now I will give you a general understanding.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Temperaments</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are the four temperaments?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sanguine</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sanguine temperament is fundamentally sociable and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are impulsive and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and romantic. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence. Sanguine people are warm-hearted, pleasant, lively and optimistic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Choleric</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The choleric temperament is fundamentally ambiguous and leader-like. They have a lot of aggression, energy, and/or passion, and try to instill that in others. They are task oriented people and are focused on getting a job done efficiently; their motto is usually "do it now." They can dominate people of other temperaments with their strong wills, especially phlegmatic types, and can become dictatorial or tyrannical. Many great charismatic military and political figures were cholerics. They like to be in charge of everything and are good at planning, as they often can immediately see a practical solution to a problem. However, they can quickly fall into deep depression or moodiness when failures or setbacks befall them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Melancholic</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The melancholic temperament is fundamentally introverted and is given to thought. Melancholic people often are perceived as very (or overly) pondering and are both considerate and very cautious. They are organized and schedule oriented, often planning extensively. Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry, art, and invention - and are sensitive to others. Because of this sensitivity and their thoughtfulness they can become preoccupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world and are susceptible to depression and moodiness. Often they are perfectionists. Their desire for perfection often results in a high degree of personal excellence but also causes them to be highly conscientious and difficult to relate to because others often cannot please them. They are self-reliant and independent, preferring to do things themselves in order to meet their standards. One negative part of being a melancholic is that they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of other issues. Their caution enables them to prevent problems that the more impulsive sanguine runs into, but can also cause them to procrastinate and remain in the planning stage of a project for very long periods.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Phlegmatic</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The phlegmatic temperament is fundamentally relaxed and quiet, ranging from warmly attentive to lazily sluggish. Phlegmatics tend to be content with themselves and are kind. Phlegmatics are consistent, they can be relied upon to be steady and faithful friends. They are accepting and affectionate, making friends easily. They tend to be good diplomats because their tendency not to judge and affable nature makes reconciling differing groups easy for them. Phlegmatics prefer to observe and to think on the world around them while not getting involved. They may try to inspire others to do the things which they themselves think about doing. They may be shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. Their fear of change (and of work) can make them susceptible to stagnation or laziness, or even stubbornness. They are consistent, relaxed, calm, rational, curious, and observant, qualities that make them good administrators. They can also be passive-aggressive.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now you might be asking yourself, “What am I” or “I can see myself being a melancholic at times but not all the time.” Please remember we tend to conceal our true nature from another person until we trust him, and sometimes not at all. You might be melancholic in social relationships but really desire to be sanguine but can’t because of hurt and distrust.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now let’s look at these four temperaments in the context of hearing. Here is an example of a possible mess:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EXAMPLE 1:</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">WIFE - SANGUINE - Hearing</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUSBAND - melancholic - Deaf</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EXAMPLE 2:</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">WIFE - Phlegmatic - Hearing</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Husband - Choleric - Deaf</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EXAMPLE 3:</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">WIFE - SANGUINE - DEAF</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUSBAND - Phlegmatic - Hard of Hearing</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Relationships at any stage have challenges but hearing loss can add additional stress. I believe once we understand how we communicate -- our temperament -- we have a better chance of making a relationship last. Here are some ideas to think about:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. What temperament am I? If you want to read more about temperament, I recommend reading a book called </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Please-Understand-Me-Character-Temperament/dp/0960695400/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1366487434&sr=8-7&keywords=temperament" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Please Understand Me</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. You can also contact me and I will send you a test booklet for a fee that will also include marital counseling session with me. WARNING: Do not assume your partner is a particular temperament based upon situation. A true temperament is a personality you are born with - your true self - the self that is sometimes scared to come out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. How can I explain to my partner how I best communicate and when? And how does my partner best communicate with me? Note: a melancholic person may need time to think so don’t rush the conversation. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Communication takes practice. Practice means you will make mistakes. We hope our partners will forgive us and that we will not repeat our mistakes. Take time to love and forgive.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><img height="176" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l9GFnmEi7o7ijfba7Qlro9B6SDBsyPyvithPHLhRz5Y3qSiP0GggDyVY8sWHc1Hca9cBUtk1T0weFOkRn8NxS2i-NJgjpwJCz2kb2G6bB0Ql6bQBcYc4kf0f1Q" width="235" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is my wife Karen Swartz. We have been married for almost 14 years. She is amazing. I guess any old dude would say that still being married that long. But, we have been through a lot as a family with many illnesses, deaths, job loss, and much more than one family should go through. Here are our results:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeff - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Choleric/Sanguine - Deaf</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Karen - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Phlegmatic - Hearing</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I guess you can say we have an interesting household. Making sure both parties are understood is important. I have had to learn to silence myself and let Karen talk, but being deaf I don’t always know when she is done talking, and because she is Phlegmatic, she isn’t likely to be insistent. I am so fortunate to have learned lipreading, otherwise our marriage would be in trouble. We are now taking ASL classes to learn how to speak with our hands, another way for Karen to express herself and for me to know when she needs to speak. The Sanguine in me wants her to communicate because the sanguine wants to feel connected. Interesting!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What temperaments are at play in your relationships, whether romantic or platonic?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SPECIAL BLOG NEXT TIME - STAY TUNED</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-69820783850786400762013-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:002013-04-09T11:00:05.372-07:001 Year Anniversary - Diving in Deep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAi0-tRDjl_8SjhjbD0DMxF7d9XDPFQtrGBaT_RGIfTHj5RuFEQEZXTy1LN8kOOQDHSF6xwg7odo7bwHXaruAt0SzeCYKw4sLPdALnq_jUcADWMnQtibL2FuJC1bToTEu1QIYJdAvjlcc/s1600/Jeff+Kid+Photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAi0-tRDjl_8SjhjbD0DMxF7d9XDPFQtrGBaT_RGIfTHj5RuFEQEZXTy1LN8kOOQDHSF6xwg7odo7bwHXaruAt0SzeCYKw4sLPdALnq_jUcADWMnQtibL2FuJC1bToTEu1QIYJdAvjlcc/s400/Jeff+Kid+Photo.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Two
feet in and full speed ahead” with my deafness. I am not sure if my
family is ready to handle me embracing ASL and deaf culture and my
acceptance of progressive hearing loss. NO, I don’t want to rush into
surgery and plug another device (a cochlear implant) into my head. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
month will mark my one-year anniversary of going deaf. I didn’t have a
difficult experience until severe ear pain landed me in a hospital bed
for 10 days. I had mastoiditis - a bone infection - which doesn’t
necessarily cause deafness but can be quite dangerous. I did not get my
hearing back. The doctors are still not sure why. You can read more
about my experience in my blog post </span><a href="http://www.myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/2012/11/who-is-this-guy-with-two-pillows.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Guy With Two Pillows Between His Ears</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I have accomplished a lot in the past year:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. My Facebook friends went from 300 to 500.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. I started my “World of Silence” blog. I wrote 62 blogs and received 50K pageviews. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. ReSound has used two of my “World of Silence” blogs to help others in need.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. I was invited to start a weekly blog at </span><a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Deaf-Insight</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I guess Monica Hood fell in love with my writing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. I’ve never missed a Deaf Chat</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. I am learning ASL so I can communicate with others. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">7. I was finally able to see a movie using the SONY captioning glasses.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">8. I got a CaptionCall phone to communicate with my family.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">9. I got the </span><a href="http://www.resound.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ReSound Technology</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Alera 962TSG, PhoneClip+, and MIniMic (a.k.a Wife Mic).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">10. I’ve met some amazing people online - Dan Schwartz, Monica Hood, Shanna Bartlett Groves, Cynthia Dixon, SayWhatClub, </span><a href="http://www.deafandhoh.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">DeafandHoH.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and many others.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">11. On my blog I ran a fun deaf-insight contest; 10 people won Dave Ramsey </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Total Money Makeover</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> books and 1 person won a Deaf-Insight T-Shirt. You can read the story here: </span><a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/15/post/2013/02/hearing-aids-are-expensive.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Hearing Aids Are Expensive</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can see my list is long. In fact, I have a separate thank you list here: </span><a href="http://www.myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-thank-yous.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank You</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.
I am not poetic nor a research writer but I write with my heart. I
write with the intention to bring people into my world so they can learn
to appreciate silence and know deafness is not the end of the world. I
get so upset when I tell people I am deaf or becoming deafer and they
say, “I’m sorry.” My response is usually, “I’m sorry you hear. I’m
sorry you can’t experience a moment of silence in a world where there is
so much noise and nowhere you can go to find quiet.” </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Question and Answer Time</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. What is going on with Jeff - I Year Later</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
hearing is getting worse. I go for another hearing test in a week and
hopefully the audiologist will be able to make some adjustment. My last
hearing test showed that my hearing loss is severe and now I have
difficulty hearing even with my hearing aids. Although hearing aids are a
wonderful resource and I’m thankful ReSound has amazing technology,
there are not a perfect solution. It can be annoying to stick something
in my ear just to hear annoying people and sounds. I am finally able to
function at work with my hearing aids and devices and listen to
conversations on telephone, but it took a long time to get to that
point.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Where do you feel at peace?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
feel at peace when I am writing my blog, when I can pull out my hearing
aids, when I am with my family, and being myself. I am at peace being
deaf. I don’t like when people say, “I am sorry for your loss”. I
don’t see my deafness as a loss but more of a gain where I can chose to
block out noise just by pulling out these two little things in my ears.
But, I also believe God and my wife gave me strength to work through my
fear and find peace.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. What will Jeff do next?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
was my goal at the end of 2012 to find offline deaf people and connect
with them. It’s not easy to find people in my area who sign or admit
they are deaf - I DON’T KNOW WHY. For me, I wear my deaf t-shirt
everywhere I am not ashamed to tell the whole world I am deaf. Most of
the time people don’t care. Well, I am meeting deaf people offline. I
joined an ASL Meetup. I am taking an ASL course at the University of
Georgia so I can properly communicate with my family in the evening and
weekend when my hearing aids come out. Finally, I want to start a
support group for married couples struggling with hearing loss. I know
there are organizations but with my professional background as a
marriage counselor and growing knowledge of deaf culture, I can help
others in need.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“In conclusion” . . . Sorry but conclusions only happen when you die, and I have only just started living in this wonderful </span><a href="http://www.myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/2012/11/who-is-this-guy-with-two-pillows.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">World of Silence</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-34395205469609974192013-03-26T17:52:00.001-07:002013-03-26T17:52:43.035-07:00SuperJeff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7UtS8VEtfIq5LlBNSvpeDRX-t8YX-JwRiLYXks39b6yt3zhYi0bv_xC92sdQrbIzx9Fxp2C_LISrsRXDR8U1rAGtUocZeWMPQH_LPVILMHmHzDYjNpYTAqYjKe2VFF902PN3HHVos8Ci/s1600/superheroes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7UtS8VEtfIq5LlBNSvpeDRX-t8YX-JwRiLYXks39b6yt3zhYi0bv_xC92sdQrbIzx9Fxp2C_LISrsRXDR8U1rAGtUocZeWMPQH_LPVILMHmHzDYjNpYTAqYjKe2VFF902PN3HHVos8Ci/s320/superheroes2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">LOOK VERY CLOSELY. DO YOU SEE ME IN HERE? <br /><span></span><br /><span></span><br />RIGHT . . . YOU WON’T!<br /><span></span><br /><span></span><br />I
have had my hearing aids almost seven months now. I’m happy with them
most of the time. When I bought them seven months ago, I was really
excited to be able to hear sounds like my kids playing, my wife’s kiss,
my cats meowing, and the phone ringing. But, even with hearing aids, I
still struggle. It feels like it takes me 100 times more effort than a
hearing person to get through a day. <br /><span></span><br /><span></span><br />The
people I speak with have no idea how much effort it takes me to listen
to them, to concentrate on each word and make sure I understand what
they are saying before I respond. I find myself either putting my foot
in my mouth or asking a lot of questions, which can be frustrating to
everyone. I have high quality ReSound hearing aids and assistive
technology but even they have their limitations. I don’t regret having
hearing aids, but people seem to think that with them my hearing is
back to normal. My first method of understanding what people are saying
is lipreading and watching body language, then I call upon my hearing
aids. It doesn’t work the other way around - most hearing people don’t
understand that. I have to read lips, use my hearing aids to listen to
sound, and draw upon all my learned skills during the day, whereas a
hearing person just has to listen. Hearing aids are not like corrective
lenses - you don’t get “20/20” hearing. Sorry, but the technology is
not there yet.<br /><span></span><br /><span></span><br />There
are some nights after working an eight to nine hour day taking
multiple phone calls, that I can’t wait to get in the the car and pull
out my hearing aids so that I can enjoy the World of Silence the rest
of the evening. I guess I need to lower my own expectations. I want
to make my wife, my kids, myself, my company, and parents proud, but
given how new I am at being deaf I need to re-examine my <a href="http://myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/2012/08/expectations.html">expectations</a> and clearly communicate my <a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/15/post/2012/10/a-parents-favorite-word.html">boundaries</a>.
It will take time to adjust to being deaf after 41 years of hearing,
and it will take time to adjust not only to using hearing aids and
communication devices, but also to compensating for their limitations.</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-66781604673318504382013-03-12T19:49:00.001-07:002013-03-12T19:49:59.434-07:00AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPhz1cx34GLlwnlTXi3EIvtyKLVSIjPb3yCb97Lj2U1fR-psn-EFRTmTzr38S3bARGDUny3QQ28FucNjLOvuPM4NaphmpQOjuOa9rXX-TDUjnE1A6362C5iS-8W_QDyBqTKnnFAbU0e6U/s1600/Winners.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPhz1cx34GLlwnlTXi3EIvtyKLVSIjPb3yCb97Lj2U1fR-psn-EFRTmTzr38S3bARGDUny3QQ28FucNjLOvuPM4NaphmpQOjuOa9rXX-TDUjnE1A6362C5iS-8W_QDyBqTKnnFAbU0e6U/s320/Winners.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Drum Roll please . . . . . !<br /><br />After several
sleepless nights and numerous instant messages back and forth between
Monica Hood and me, we finally came to a decision. But before I
announce the winner let me first say a few works in review of your
comments on my post <a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/15/post/2013/02/hearing-aids-are-expensive.html">Hearing Aids Are Expensive</a>. <br /><br />In
my post I mention how expensive hearing aids can be, and for many of
you having to pay out of pocket can make it impossible to buy what you
want or get the type of service your ears deserve. <br /><br />We are
fortunate to live in a country that offers hearing aids, organizations
that help people with hearing loss, ASL classes, educational access for
the deaf, and the internet to keep us connected. There are so many
countries that have so much less. I believe we can agree that we are
blessed.<br /><br />Our personal debt did not accumulate overnight and my
wife and I both knew that it would take time to to dig ourselves out of
our mess. Once we received the Dave Ramsey book Total Money Makeover,
my wife and I got on the same page and our relationship changed - it
got better. We started working together and developed a plan to get out
of debt and stay out of debt. My prayer is that you also will develop
a plan, not just for saving up for hearing aid devices, but for peace
of mind. <br /><br />I want to thank Monica Hood for allowing me to host this contest on <a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/">Deaf-Insight</a>. I look forward to hosting others in the future. <br /><br />Now I have to admit I had to bend the rules a little bit because the entries were really, really good. So the book winners are:<br /><br /><strong>Michelle
Trzecinski, Britt Hastings, Chazz Griffith, Pearl Feder, Jessica
Congdon, Kathy Patrick, Kristina Bow, Amanda Donaldson, Tracy Downs,
Cynthia Dixon </strong><br /><br />Congratulations! You all really put
forth a lot of effort in writing your responses, and I appreciate your
honesty. You will receive an email shortly requesting a mailing
address so that I can ship you your book.<br /><br />There is one story that really stood out above the rest and she will receive a Deaf-Insight T-Shirt. And that person is:<br /><br />Drum Roll please . . . <br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Kathy Patrick</span></strong><br /><span></span><br /><span></span><br /><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">One
of Kathy’s comments was, “Hearing aids bring back a special ‘quality
of life’, with being able to hear what you couldn't, but the price is
just too expensive for many people.” </span></em><br /><br />Again, thank you for everyone who read my blog and participated in the contest. I had so much fun</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-48421136434331746092013-02-20T07:37:00.000-08:002013-02-20T07:37:15.882-08:00 Ears Infections - Tinnitus - Stomach Acid - Drugs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWV_Iqpvr_xa0FMOElixPSpnSm8giblKmEVUF57tgzjhZBhBjtn609hO9ARmVoXC9rMTWdkMRXsHnBP8j3p4cfmNfnPb2gub-3TfT5SK-8CQIk_lVOp-oT0_-oz88MSRVGgfamAZGUtmk/s1600/acid_reflux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWV_Iqpvr_xa0FMOElixPSpnSm8giblKmEVUF57tgzjhZBhBjtn609hO9ARmVoXC9rMTWdkMRXsHnBP8j3p4cfmNfnPb2gub-3TfT5SK-8CQIk_lVOp-oT0_-oz88MSRVGgfamAZGUtmk/s400/acid_reflux.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What do ear infections, tinnitus, stomach acid, and drugs all have in common? First you have to read my tinnitus story here <a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/15/post/2012/10/my-wife-is-going-to-kill-me.html">My Wife is Going to Kill Me</a>.
As you can see, I have had tinnitus most of my life and it got worse
when I became deaf. Also I have always been plagued with ear and sinus
infections as far back as I can remember, which I think played a role
in me going deaf. You can read more about my story at <a href="http://myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/2012/11/who-is-this-guy-with-two-pillows.html">World of Silence</a> to get an idea of what I have been through. <br /><br />Within
the last three months I have had two sinus infections.. I get really
scared when I start taking antibiotics and steroids, not because I am
against them, but because I don’t want to end up with my body getting so
used to them that they become ineffective. Several months ago I had
to use a <a href="http://myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/search?q=PICC">PICC</a>
line because oral antibiotics were not sufficient to get rid of my
infection. For the past few weeks my tinnitus has been so bad it has
disturbed my sleep. I tried everything I knew: nasal washes, cutting
out caffeine, resting, and so forth. No improvement. This week I went
to the ENT and he told me that I have a sinus infection again and when I
lie down the mucus is going up into my ears, aggravating my tinnitus.
He suspects I have acid reflux, and I will have to undergo a test to
confirm that.<br /><br />I am mentioning this in a blog because if you
have had similar symptoms of sinusitis and tinnitus, you may want to
ask your doctor about acid reflux. These are are some of the symptoms
of acid reflux::<br /><br />1. Hoarseness, especially in the morning<br />2. Chronic throat clearing or persistent cough<br />3. Chronic sore throat<br />4. A feeling of something caught in the throat<br />5. Excessive mucous/post nasal drip<br />6. Difficulty swallowing<br />7. Restless sleep<br /><br />Can you answer “YES” to any of these? I know I can. The diagnostic test for <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001311/">acid reflux</a> is the <a href="http://www.restech-corp.com/Products.aspx">Dx-pH Test</a>
. Now comes the interesting part:I did some research online and found
that most of the common over-the-counter medications for acid reflux
are ototoxic. I have read different opinions regarding what ototoxic
class acid reducers should be in, but I think each person will need to
evaluate this for him or herself. For example, I had to stop one of
the medications I took prior to my deafness because it was ototoxic,
and eliminating it helped reduce my tinnitus. But, if the possibly
ototoxic acid blocker prevents future sinus infections, that could also
reduce my tinnitus, and it would definitely improve my overall health. I
have to weigh the costs and benefits</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-28778460554617787902012-12-30T07:43:00.001-08:002012-12-30T07:43:28.410-08:00My Thank You's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7UGruoYQAW8cudSb1oojmOxVBg5ToUSXkbZbrin0c0qA1zN5owyHpf57w6w2X_gRU5PUfkuvA_LS873TRS15uhkyaeQf5UssMZY5ZHiWuGwrrSjDYKjBmThh8mqUseLhXqGE44p6vqnc/s1600/Thank-you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7UGruoYQAW8cudSb1oojmOxVBg5ToUSXkbZbrin0c0qA1zN5owyHpf57w6w2X_gRU5PUfkuvA_LS873TRS15uhkyaeQf5UssMZY5ZHiWuGwrrSjDYKjBmThh8mqUseLhXqGE44p6vqnc/s320/Thank-you.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Saying
the words, “Thank You,” is probably the best gift you can give to
someone - sometimes even better than the gift itself. I believe there
is something magical in those two words. But, of course, you have to
have good intentions when saying it and not because your parents or
someone else told you to say it. In ending 2012, I was thinking about
adding previous blog links from World of Silence where I would talk
about how far I have come from being suddenly deaf to learning how to be
at peace with deafness. In this blog, I am going to recognize
individuals in my life I want to say, “Thank You,” to. There are so
many out there who have helped me accept my deafness, but these people
really made a difference.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><img height="157px;" id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/1c7JTnD3MvGtyK0xPRQKudKgC_KQxjQAo_GzoLv2Vfn4r546fRbOhG3GPP8GsvsnZVc5EFb6Xf1MgH6HHCgPOoP2eE4OF8mzH5F2t2xVO7AP7RSNIFqD" width="117px;" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Monica Hood - Owner of </span><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.deaf-insight.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Deaf-Insight</span></span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.
Monica saw my blog on World of Silence, and I think I also found her
website through searching information about deaf culture when I became
deaf. I submitted one of my stories to see if she would post it on her
Deaf-Insight, not thinking she would, but she did. Actually, she
approached me and asked if I wanted to be a weekly blogger on her
website. When Monica invited me to write I didn’t believe her at first
being new to the deaf world. I still today have to take a step back and
say, “Boy, I am such a novice at this deaf thing. The other bloggers
have been deaf forever compared to me. How can I compete?” Monica,
keeps reassuring me I hold my own. Monica, “THANK YOU.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><img height="176" id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VfnLVJ4-CQoVFSF60yPXjSVjYU8zRR2nlSyCDftoY6dBmRq6l46I4IijtE_QBu4xc4OJEtIg_WAYNO_hMIqQO9zAApBViv0gytTST_NlKTnMS2uPKqg1" width="200" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cynthia Dixon - owner of </span><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.4ears4eyes.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">4 Ears, 4 Eyes</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.
Cynthia makes me laugh. She is the one person I feel very comfortable
going to and asking questions about deafness. I met her on Facebook
when I became deaf. Cynthia, I love your writing.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>You are amazing.
THANK YOU for being there for me when I needed someone to listen.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><img height="200" id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/98cnbZvKZ7FIZY_MAANXA22c5xnG41QdiCnMV5aljNqBk3aZ5N3RJxWS80Jwei4lELA0HpS3YhDnxyC-mDGfZVtdiC_8-M2RggA6ddJWPNTgkFAegQI8" width="154" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Judy
Swartz (a.k.a “Mom”) - Sorry she doesn’t have a blog nor a website. Oh
well! Parents never wish their kids to have to have any illnesses or
disabilities, but my mom’s son did - deafness. She was stressed out
3000 miles away in Arizona when I ended up in the hospital for 10 days.
I couldn’t talk to her on the phone for a long time because of my
hearing recruitment or the cool technology I have today like my </span><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://captioncallphone.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">CaptionCall</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> phone or </span><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.gnresound.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ReSound Alera 962TSG</span></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
hearing aids. The only way she could speak with me was through my wife
and even that was difficult because the sound of the cellphone was
loud. But, when I started my blog, my mom read my post and sought to
understand. She understood that hearing aids were not going to create
the perfect picture but just an aid. Mom, THANK YOU for being there
from the beginning of my hearing loss adventure.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="400" id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RtxrnTtec9Ly6JBqw2NLz3wjj8ICzEuv8eMRTSMcNoKUCdaFBnJSujtCgKgohTw7mtwF1LTQ5qy2XUczrHPwcz_Tm2daq0Ln_GYpIQUvFQ5nXlEFRgN0" width="300" /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.31705529280972755" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Karen
Swartz (a.k.a. Wife) - Should I have mentioned my wife first or saved
the best for last? August 28, 1999, we said to each other, “I do,”
regardless of what happens. But nobody anticipates waking up one
morning to find your husband can’t hear your voice. I know there are
many out there that lose their hearing suddenly like me and some who
lose it progressively. If I had a choice I would not chose it to occur
suddenly,so it would allow Karen time to adjust to my hearing loss until
it was completely gone. We have been married for 13 years and have
been through too much over this period of time and to add a deaf
husband. Karen has been so brave, taken care of me and the kids while I
couldn’t since I was in the hospital, and being sensitive when I needed
quiet time. Karen, with all my heart and soul, and not just because
you are my wife - THANK YOU!</span><br /> </span></span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-79241246230721328072012-12-19T07:11:00.000-08:002012-12-19T07:11:28.647-08:00 Lizzie's Story About Dad's Hearing Loss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u5_8aoIx7OFNPea84izqueUZ1QuP0xyzxg47Hesl9_U5CXP55DWhEmHv5E_Yo_Cm85qKiijGd0e1jBJMrm-nwKS7zzHhNFClImnPL7-q6iB4df16oqIfxAukwChxSDTLNeRk1txBxE0m/s1600/QueenOfLaughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u5_8aoIx7OFNPea84izqueUZ1QuP0xyzxg47Hesl9_U5CXP55DWhEmHv5E_Yo_Cm85qKiijGd0e1jBJMrm-nwKS7zzHhNFClImnPL7-q6iB4df16oqIfxAukwChxSDTLNeRk1txBxE0m/s400/QueenOfLaughter.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My daughter, Elizabeth at a very young age started
writing some amazing stories. Elizabeth has seen her family go through a
lot of health issues and has used these moments of crisis <span style="font-size: small;">in writing abou<span style="font-size: small;">t them. </span></span> Her teachers<span style="font-size: small;"> since 4th grade have commented about how </span>amaz<span style="font-size: small;">ing</span> her writing is. <span style="font-size: small;">S</span>he is not only a great writer, but she is also beautiful, smart, witty, and h<span style="font-size: small;">ilarious.</span><br /><span>Elizabeth recently ha<span style="font-size: small;">d</span>
to write a story about an obstacle someone in her family had to face
and how they overcame it, called a wall. She doesn't have a Facebook
page so please leave comments here so I can read them. Here is her
short wall story of me:</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><strong> </strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><u><strong>Dad's Wall</strong></u></span><br /><span></span><span style="font-size: small;">Imagine
awaking one morning to discover that you cannot hear anything. This
occurred to my father this past April. In June, he had to go to the
hospital because he had a really awful ear infection. Fortunately, my
dad’s ear infection cleared up, but he was left with permanent hearing
loss. This was a very stressful time for all of us because it was
difficult to communicate with him. Before he was able to obtain hearing
aids, he depended on reading people’s lips. Our family even learned a
little ASL, American Sign Language, to make it easier for him. The
hearing aids he did purchase are highly sophisticated and can be
adjusted for various environments. They have assisted him a lot, but he
can’t wear them all the time because of ear pain. Even though this wall
may perhaps never be completely overcome, some positive things have come
out of this troublesome situation. New connections have been formed.
Our family has come closer together, and my dad is writing a blog about
his daily struggles with being deaf. He has in addition made many
friends in the deaf community and has been coping better with losing his
hearing.</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-56843921763802321332012-12-05T14:30:00.000-08:002012-12-05T14:30:29.994-08:00I'm A Dreamer!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-QtIkMB5bvJb-UAPFKdQP1wrUCgo3itUU7HnwiaJoImw9gMOQ8LUoeJfGeGvycDELotWWU8CuiXQ-RR9C7p6S0bWTMG9O9omBBshyp_205u11Z5pHz1bBn54LZI7d1wawy4VB8Vo4TPL/s1600/36-pursue-your-dreams-by-jenny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-QtIkMB5bvJb-UAPFKdQP1wrUCgo3itUU7HnwiaJoImw9gMOQ8LUoeJfGeGvycDELotWWU8CuiXQ-RR9C7p6S0bWTMG9O9omBBshyp_205u11Z5pHz1bBn54LZI7d1wawy4VB8Vo4TPL/s400/36-pursue-your-dreams-by-jenny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.6613045703199336" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
December begins, the year draws to a close . During this time I tend
to think about what has happened and what I want to happen in the coming
year. I know there are some people who sit down each year and write
out their goals and aspirations while others just go with the flow. I
am a planner. My wife is a non-planner. God put us together for a
reason - to learn when to plan and when to let things be. I have
learned from her that sometimes it’s okay to not plan. But in this blog
I want to share with you my future plans - or should I say dreams.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
dream is to be a highly recognized blogger. I want to share with the world the
story of how I lost my hearing and the struggle I went through coming to
terms with it. I know ReSound and some other deaf community websites
(Deaf-Insight.com, SayWhatClub, DeafandHOH, etc) have recognized me and I
am thankful for them, but I want to reach out to the hearing world and
share my stories. I have too many hearing friends and family who need
to hear my story, because it could make a difference in someones life
down the road, especially with the rise in hearing loss around the
world.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So,
I have a question for everyone. Please go back and read some of my
posts, critique my writing, and give me some ideas for what I should do
next year to become a better writer and a better known blogger.</span></div>
Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4990172568071124803.post-69144244386653478252012-11-30T18:09:00.001-08:002012-11-30T18:09:05.995-08:00Black or Red Ear "Friday"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv9oXwsnP9lFYZiango-Gtsi0DQmG3TMYFmHiGfyh2wyTOnzqAoQfsBs_N5ylybK90DfYMvVWP4XSrigcifS6o6qJ3wQ_bqREwrF5HJG9zap9rWWko5oeofmrJONXJ2y9hUGUYOXIOu2K/s1600/breathing_treatments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv9oXwsnP9lFYZiango-Gtsi0DQmG3TMYFmHiGfyh2wyTOnzqAoQfsBs_N5ylybK90DfYMvVWP4XSrigcifS6o6qJ3wQ_bqREwrF5HJG9zap9rWWko5oeofmrJONXJ2y9hUGUYOXIOu2K/s400/breathing_treatments.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.308021655638403" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
beginning of my week was really terrible. My youngest daughter was sick
and I had to take her to the hospital because she was having problems
breathing. I had to sit in the emergency room for several hours early
in the morning listening to a very loud breathing machine, alarms and
intercoms. I actually read an article this week that some hospitals can
get up to 80-90 dBs, which is counterproductive for patients trying to
heal. I have problems with loud noises because of hearing recruitment.
You are welcome to read more about it on my main blog at </span><a href="http://www.myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.myworldofsilence.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
-- just search for the keyword “hearing recruitment”. My mastoid is
still healing from a massive infection I had in June, and as a result my
ears get irritated quickly - at least the left ear does. On Wednesday,
the day before Thanksgiving, I was still recovering from both work and
the hospital visit, but at least I had the day off work and could wear
my earplugs. But I also had rush to get things organized for
Thanksgiving to serve dinner for my family and my in-laws. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> For
the most of Thanksgiving I didn’t wear my hearing aids. I didn’t wear
them for a few reasons. We had music in the background and my kids and
wife have high pitched voices, which sometimes bother my ears. I had to
rely mostly on lipreading, although wearing hearing aids has made me
lazy. We had a friend of the family over who is from a different
country. He speaks English very well but his dialect made it difficult
for me to follow the conversation. I also wanted to wear my earplugs
because my oldest daughter decided we were going to do something new
that night. . . .</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93ya9g08krO76qeGjzU-nFUFeUpEUzXoBqSmm5NvdAM-d_ccTSN8k-t_9aMt0R0MIcboiHZganD-GgANrDgH0NNY1d9CkWOY5oQMmY5fEyU1FbtzOlB6fge__2PWUEpiHbp_HfeHbpTBt/s1600/black-friday-590x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93ya9g08krO76qeGjzU-nFUFeUpEUzXoBqSmm5NvdAM-d_ccTSN8k-t_9aMt0R0MIcboiHZganD-GgANrDgH0NNY1d9CkWOY5oQMmY5fEyU1FbtzOlB6fge__2PWUEpiHbp_HfeHbpTBt/s640/black-friday-590x373.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were going to experience Black Friday. We already did our
Christmas shopping but wanted to be a spectator and see what other
people do during the mad rush. We chose to go to a mall rather than an
individual store, in the hope of avoiding the worst of the insanity. I
have never seen so many people in one place at one time. It is sort of
like going to Disneyland and waiting in line for every ride for at least
an hour. I couldn’t even get any coffee. We only went to two stores
and then came home. Elizabeth, my daughter, got a good deal on a Harry
Potter shirt and I got a nice dress shirt at Macy’s. The mall was
really loud but it was a good thing my ears were in the BLACK for BLACK
FRIDAY.</span></div>
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Professor Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10875517056843937269noreply@blogger.com0