Attitude of Gratitude for 2017 – December 10, 2017 – For the Love of Titanium
My hearing improved dramatically with a new titanium implant in my middle ear.
In February I had a reconstructive ear surgery to fix a collapsed ear canal. I had a surgery 27 years earlier to fix a congenital defect that had eaten away the bones in my middle ear. The repair had failed and I was suffering from a six month chronic ear infection. I never heard very well after that first surgery- even with hearing aids. I got used to reading lips, and nodding and laughing a lot – even though I had no clue what people were saying. It is no wonder I much prefer texting and emailing to talking on the phone.
I did not know going into that ear surgery that they even had a titanium implant that could replace the middle ear bones I had lost 27 years earlier. I guess they just came out with this two years ago. When my daughter talked with the doctor after my ear surgery, he said that my hearing might be improved. I’m glad he did not tell me ahead of time as I had gotten used to my quiet world and may have declined it.
It’s been very interesting learning how to hear again. Sometimes life is way way way too loud – I hear all types of things I had not heard in a very long time. I do very much like though hearing the rain on the metal roof. With certain sounds, it seems like I’m listening to a cheap speaker with major reverberation. This happens especially when I am talking too loud. I still need people to be in the same room when they are talking to me – but at least now I can hear they are even talking to me. I just can’t make out what it is they are saying.
