Bone Anchored Hearing Device

I have now been living with single-sided deafness for over 10 months.  With spring coming and our schedule getting busier, I decided it was time to check on the possibility of getting a Bone Anchored Hearing Device.  It is a titanium piece that is drilled in to the skull bone.  When it heals, about 2-4 months later, a sound processor is snapped on to it.  The sound travels through the skull, so it can be heard.

I called and left a message on the answering machine of the Lippy Group, explaining that I was ready for them to check my insurance to see if it was a covered procedure.  They quickly got back to me that it is a covered procedure.  From there, the insurance had to approve the prodedure.  They deemed that it was "medically necessary."

Scheduling came next.  I was surprised that they had a time available on March 17th.  So that's when it is.  I am very excited.  They called today to ask me what color a want my processor to be.  I will also be getting a packet of papers to fill out, including some papers for my regular doctor to fill out to make sure I'm in good health for the surgery.

This will be a busy two weeks.  I am tired, rather complacent, and have an underlying anxiousness all at the same time.  There's a lot I should do before surgery.  Now I just have to convince myself to do at least some of it.

Potter's Hand

I like to write an end of the year post, summing up the year gone by, especially if I am inspired.  Thinking back over the songs from church today I thought that using one of them to help me sum up my year would be a good idea.  We sang many of my favorites today, but "Potter's Hand" is the one I decided to use.

2010 was a good, solid year.  In the summer/fall of 2009 in knew that my incoming second grade class was going to be a challenge.  In October 2009, I broke down and prayed for something I've always been afraid to ask for... patience.  (They say that if you pray for patience, God will give you circumstances where you will have to practice patience.  I was already smack dab in the middle of those circumstances, so I had faith it would all work out!)

God answered those prayers.  I was able to deal with my class with patience and love.  They taught me lots about God, not even knowing that they did.  I hope I did the same for them.  The winter and spring of 2010 was a time of strengthening.  I knew God put me here for a purpose and I knew I was doing what he wanted done.

In April, I lost my hearing in my left ear.  What I thought was seasonal allergies, turned out to be sudden deafness.  Losing my hearing was scary, but the questions that came along with it were scary too - the main question being, "What if I pray for God to heal me and he doesn't?"

I went to one of our ministers to discuss the matter.  I told him I didn't know if I should pray for it to come back or not. I told him that maybe God had something else for me, involving the hearing loss. He asked if I wanted my hearing back and of course I said yes. He told me to pray for it.  Of course that's when I needed to know, "What if?"
That's when he reminded me of the story about the three in the firey furnace.
Daniel 3:17" If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

That was my answer.  God will give me back my hearing, BUT IF NOT, he will still be my God.  He will give me what I need to serve Him.

That's my 2010.  I feel stronger and so grateful to God for all that he has given me.  My hearing has not returned, but God has showed me the strength He can give.  I did not throw my hands up and say, "I can't do my job."  "I can't go out in public because I misunderstand people or can't hear with background noise."  I returned for the 2010 school year and have made appropriate adaptations for my hearing loss.  I have continued to live, hopefully with the zeal and spiritual fervor mentioned in Romans 12:11.

Here are the words to "Potter's Hand."  I hope you can see how this song applies to my 2010 and how it applies to your life as well.
 
Beautiful Lord, Wonderful savior
I know for sure all of my days are held in your hands
Crafted into your perfect plans

You gently called me into your presence
Guiding me by Your Holy Spirit
Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life
Through your eyes

I'm captured by your holy calling
Set me apart. I know you're drawing me to yourself
lead me, Lord. I pray

Oh Take me, mold me, use me, fill me
I give my life to the potter's hand

Oh Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me
I give my life to the potter's hand



October and November '10

I should be going to bed, but I've decided to post an update about the last couple of months.

October was extremely busy.  It included a one day trip to Pittsburgh, a camp-out with Girl Scouts, lots of soccer, report cards, parent teacher conferences, and a weekend women's retreat.  The retreat was wonderful, but the busyness of life hit me square in the face as soon as I got home.  By the end of the month, I desperately needed a weekend at home.

November has been slower and easier to deal with.  That even includes our weekend away in New York City.  What an adventure that was!  We got on a bus at 9:00 on a Friday night and were driven to NYC.  By 8:30 in the morning we were looking at the Statue of Liberty and had a full day of experiences very unlike those we have at home.  We got back on the bus at 9:00 pm and were driven back to Ohio.  We were home by 6:00 Sunday morning.

So, how am I dealing with my hearing loss?  Well, basically I'm so busy I don't think about it much.  I adapt when I need to adapt.  I get frustrated once in a while, but not a lot.  I see that I am capable of just about anything still.  I know that I do miss my hearing and wish that it was easier.  One of my most difficult days was at my last ENT appointment.  Because of a scheduling mix up, I did not have a hearing test.  The doctor asked how I was doing and if I thought that I would want something to help me with my hearing loss.  I feel like I'm adapting well, but really think life would be easier, especially in the classroom with some hearing help.  Being the pleaser that I am, I wanted to do what the doctor thinks I should do.  If he thinks I can live without hearing aids or surgery, then I wanted to live without those things.  But here's the thing... the doctor is not hard of hearing and I am an... adult.  This is MY decision to make.  He can't know how easy or difficult things are for me.  He can't make this decision for me.  I was quite anxious for a day or so, while I worked through these issues.

Well, that sums up the last couple of months.  On to the last month and a half of 2010!

Sudden Deafness - Week 7

This is actually the beginning of week 9 of my sudden deafness, but I had a doctor's appointment in the middle of week 7.  A friend from work highly suggest that I see Dr. Lippy from the Lippy Group in Warren, OH to get a second opinion on my hearing loss.  I went through all the hearing tests again and his opinion was the same as my doctor in this area - sudden deafness, 50/50 chance of regaining hearing in my left ear.

My doctor in this area told me that if I didn't get my hearing back that hearing aids were not an option, but there were other things we could do to help me.  He didn't discuss it with me at that point because I'm pretty sure he wanted me to focus on the steroid treatments and having a positive attitude about all that.  Perhaps he didn't want to scare me.  Anyway, the chief of audiology at Dr. Lippy's told me what that option is - a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA).

Simply put, a titanium piece would be drilled into my skull and then a sound processor would be attached to that.  The sounds from my right ear would be conducted through my skull to my left side.  I would still have problems telling where sound was coming from, but I could definitely hear better.  That way, when a waiter comes to my left side and starts talking to me, I don't have to have the person across the table tell me that someone is talking to me!  (That happened yesterday.  It was kind of funny.)

The chief of audiology also suggested that I may get used to just hearing from my right side.  I can see how that could happen, but with being a teacher I feel that the BAHA would help me out immensely.  At times with good hearing, it is difficult to understand students with speech problems and who like to talk softly.  I think a BAHA would help reduce frustration on my part, as well as for the students.

I know that it is possible for me to get my hearing back.  God is amazing and He will work in my life - if not in one way, then in another.  I appreciate the prayers that are being said for me!

Sudden Deafness - Week 4

Sunday, May 16 - Wednesday, May 19 - Most of the week, I was pretty grossed out about the idea of having a hole in my eardrum.  At the same time, I was praying that it wouldn't close up so that the doctor would not need to numb and re-lance my eardrum.  As the week wore on, it didn't gross me out as much... or I just got busy and didn't think about it as much.


Thursday, May 20 - Since Jason worked this Thursday, my friend said that she would drive me to my  appointment and then take me to a geocache event afterwards.  The hole was still in my eardrum, so the doctor just need to remove the scar tissue and inject the steroids.  He said everything went as it should.  I will go back in 4-6 weeks to have a check-up and a hearing test.  I missed most of the geocache event, but got there in enough time to say hi to everybody.  Mikayla, my friend, and I still enjoyed a good meal at Beef O'Brady's.


Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22 - Jason, Mikayla, and I did a "Missions Marathon" at church.  Not being able to hear from one ear has made listening and communication more difficult.  It brings up a lot of questions like... How many times should I have someone repeat themselves when I don't understand them?  When should I just smile and pretend I heard them?  Should I mention my hearing loss?  Is a hearing loss a big deal, or am I making too much of this?  What can I be doing to make all this easier?


Because my next appointment will not be for a month, I won't be doing weekly updates on my hearing loss.  In the meantime, if I am so inspired to blog about my hearing loss, I will.

Sudden Deafness - Week 3

This is a summary of what happened this week.

Monday, May 10 - The nurse from the medical center scheduled my appointment for the audiologist and specialist.  I was able to get in Monday evening!  Wouldn't you know there was a wreck, making me half an hour late for my appointment.  My hearing test came back that I have a 60-70 decibel hearing loss in my left ear.  I scored 100% on my word recognition test for my right ear and only 36% for my left ear.  The quality and quantity of hearing is not good, so at this point I am not a good candidate for a hearing aid.  It was confirmed that I have a 50/50 chance of getting my hearing back.  I was told I could continue oral steroids or get steroid injections into my ear.  I opted for the injections.  The specialist said that having been on oral steroids already and the amount of my hearing loss, that he thought that would be the best as well.  The injection was scheduled for Thursday at 6:00.

Tuesday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 12 - Waiting and praying.  Went to the church Wednesday evening to talk over all that was happening with one of our preachers.

Thursday, May 13 - Jason took me to the hospital for the injection.  The first thing I had to do was have numbing gel applied to my eardrum.  I wasn't really expecting the application of the numbing gel to hurt at all, but then I've never had my eardrum touched before.  Learned something new I guess.  After it had time to numb, the doctor began the procedure where he lanced my eardrum and inserted the steroids through a needle into my ear.  Because of the numbing gel, I felt very little.  I concentrated on being very still, so that things would go exactly as they should.  The steroids were cooler than body temperature and I could feel that, but it was not really that uncomfortable.  After the injection, I had to stay very still and not swallow for about 20 minutes, so the steroids would go where they were supposed to.  When I was able to get up, I felt a bit dizzy, but nothing too major.  This next week, if my eardrum does NOT heal, they will be able to go in through the same hole as this week and I will be able to skip the numbing step.

Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15 - My next injection was scheduled for Thursday, May 20th at 5:00.  I can honestly say that I'm still kind of grossed out by the injection.  The whole idea of having a hole in my eardrum freaks me out, although I'm definitely praying that it does NOT heal by this coming Thursday. 

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me!

Sudden Deafness - Week 1 and 2

This week, I was diagnosed with sudden deafness in my left ear.  I have a 50/50 chance of getting my hearing back.  I think it is interesting to read other people's experiences, to see how things happened for them.  There are not many accounts of people with sudden deafness out there, so I've decided to write about my experiences - in case someone who's dealing with the same thing is wondering how things have gone for me.  I'm just going to throw it in with the blog I'm already writing, because who has time to keep up with two blogs!

Sunday, April 25 - My ear is plugged up again!  Oh well, I'll go to bed and wake up hearing like I did a couple weeks ago!

Monday, April 26 - Oops!  Hearing didn't come back.  I'll go to work and make an afternoon appointment.  A few antibiotics should knock this out of me.  (Saw nurse practitioner and she prescribed antibiotics.)

Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 28 - I'll stay home from work.  I can get some rest and be ready to go when my hearing comes back.

Thursday, April 29 - My hearing isn't back.  Not sure when it's coming back.  I better get back to work.

Friday, April 30 - Still no hearing.  I'll call the doctor's office and see what they say.  (Low dose steroids were prescribed, along with a new antibiotic.)

Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 - This is annoying.  Hope my hearing comes back soon.

Monday, May 3 - Still no hearing.  I'll make one of those afternoon appointments again.  (Doctor prescribed 40 mg of steroids a day and said to call Wednesday if my hearing was still not back, to have an MRI scheduled.)  Monday night, I did it.  I googled my symptoms.  Yep.  That made me nervous.

Tuesday, May 4 - Called the doctor's office in the morning and said I wanted the MRI scheduled sooner.  Hospital called later in the day and said, "Thursday."  I asked for "Wednesday."  They said yes.

Wednesday, May 5 - MRI - Not claustrophobic, but Ouch!  Contrast was shot between my vein and skin.

Thursday, May 6 - Waiting.

Friday, May 7 - Day 12 without hearing in left ear.  Called doctor's office.  I still have no hearing.  If the MRI shows something, I need to see a SPECIALIST!  If the MRI is clear, I need to see a SPECIALIST!  Do you hear me?  Nurse tried to schedule the specialist appointment, with the result of June 4th.  Doctor said it was unacceptable.  Nurse promised to get an earlier appointment first thing Monday morning.  (MRI came back clear!)

Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9 - Waiting.

May Mini-Goals

About half way through the month... time to post some goals, huh?  I truly wasn't sure what to make my goals until yesterday.  May is always a busy month, with the end of school at hand.  This May started out with a strange glitch though.  Several days before May started, I woke up not being able to hear from my left ear.

I quickly made an appointment with the nurse practitioner and started antibiotics.  A few days later, she called in a prescription for an antihistamine and a couple days after that a new antibiotic and a steroid.  A week later... still no hearing.  I saw my family doctor and he prescribed a higher dose of steroids and said if my hearing wasn't back, I should call them to schedule and MRI.  MRI was scheduled and came back clear.  Exactly two weeks from my initial hearing loss, the ear specialist was wonderful and scheduled and appointment for me QUICKLY!

The audiologist gave me a hearing test and it showed that I had a severe loss of hearing in my left ear.  The specialist said that I have "Sudden Deafness" and I have a 50/50 chance of getting my hearing back.  Yep.  Just like that.  I could hear from my left ear and then not the next.

I'm doing pretty well right now, since I know the immediate course of action, which is a steroid injection in my ear on Thursday.  But at times it can be emotional.  So, back to my goals for the month...

I want to strengthen myself against attacks of depression and negative thoughts.  Hopefully my goals will help me with that.

Goal #1 - Instead of a status on Facebook each day, I would like to post a Bible verse through the month of May (starting on the 11th).  Anything else I want to say, I can add a comment BELOW the verse.

Goal #2 - Write out and post 31 verses around the house.

There it is -  May goals!