I have so much to write about!! This summer has been amazing, mostly thanks to my Esteem. I still haven't found a way to put into words how much easier it makes my life. I do not have enough time for a big update tonight, but I DO want to share some really, really exciting news!
Most of you know me in person. VERY few of you have ever been around me without hearing aids. It ain't pretty. Before my Esteem, I was a WRECK if my right hearing aid was broken. Even with a hearing aid, my left ear was pretty much useless. I do not function like a deaf person, which made me COMPLETELY dependent on my hearing aids. If the right one broke, I panicked. I cried the drop of a hat, didn't want to be around people, had panic attacks, etc. It was awful. As always, I don't say that to complain, just to be honest and to show how incredible the Esteem really is!
Last month, I was on vacation for three weeks, starting in Long Beach. While I was in Long Beach, my right hearing aid broke beyond repair. Three months ago, that would have been AWFUL. I would ahve been a wreck and my vacation plans would have been ruined. But this time, it was no big deal. I actually did BETTER with just my Esteem than I ever did with two hearing aids. My trip was fun and relaxed and I was in LOTS of different situations but heard well in all of them. It was fantastic.
Once I got home, I ordered a new hearing aid with the wonderful Megan (audiologist who makes my steem work so well!) and I picked it up on Wednesday. It sounds awful...but that's a whole other post. While I was there, I asked Megan if she would do a word recognition test on my Esteem because thought I was understanding speech better after a month with no hearing aid. You see, the Esteem and a hearing aid sound completely different. I was used to the way speech sounded with hearing aids and had to learn how to understand with my Esteem. When I had that hearing aid, I was kind of using it as a crutch because it was a familiar sound. When I was forced to go without it, I learned how to listen and understand speech with my Esteem. The word recognition test (aka speech discrimination) requires me to repeat one syllable words that are played at 50 dB (conversation level). One syllable words are the worst for deaf people because we really do have to hear every sound. In a multisyllabic word, we can use other syllables to figure out the word if we miss sounds. So this test has always been the worst for me. Before surgery, with a hearing aid, I got 0%. That means that, even with my hearing aid, I could not understand speech in my left ear. At activation, I got 56%, which is fantastic! At my adjustment 4 weeks after activation, I got 68% - even better! But...after a month with JUST my Esteem, I got 92%!!! During the test, I kept thinking, "OH!! That's what that word is!" I've had this test dozens of times but never knew what some of those words were...haha!
There's a lot of negative press about the Esteem right now. While I am truly, truly sorry for people who are not getting great results, I am SO THANKFUL for this miracle - and that's what it is.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. What amazing results! Anyone who has hearing loss can identify with your struggles, especially in social situations. And to have that degree of success is so awesome. I am still waiting and reading as many personal Esteem stories as possible. So thanks again.
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