Lipreading Mom, Shanna Groves, was recently interviewed by Motherhood Moment about coming to terms with her hearing loss and why it inspired her to start blogging.
“Grief is a common side effect of hearing loss,” said Groves. “I experienced denial at first, followed by shock, anger, depression, and eventual acceptance. Blogging about this kind of loss was therapeutic in that I wasn’t keeping these emotions bottled up. As I wrote, I processed my feelings and attempted to understand them.”
Why did you decide to get hearing aids after lipreading for so long?
“The first stage of hearing loss—denial—affected me for two years. I refused to get hearing aids at first because I didn’t want anyone to know I had a loss. The hearing aids weren’t attractive with my short hairstyle at the time, so I thought. I was also a working mom. If my boss saw the hearing aids, would my job be in jeopardy? Would I be judged for my inability to hear well?”
“The final straw was when I could no longer hear the doorbell or phone ring. I would be in a quiet house, and my two-year-old son at the time would have to alert me to these sounds. When the smoke alarm accidentally went off, I couldn’t hear its high-pitched blare. That scared me. Because I had learned that hearing aids could help in these vital situations, I finally purchased them after struggling so long without them.”
What is your favorite sound to hear?
“I love to hear my three children (ages 11, 8, and 5) laughing, especially if that sound is coming from another part of the house. For so long, I couldn’t hear my kids laugh, cry, or talk unless I was standing less than 10 feet away. My ReSound Verso hearing aids that I began wearing in 2012 allow me to hear more sounds from far away. What a gift it is to hear!”
2 thoughts on ““Grief Is A Side Effect of Hearing Loss””
Reblogged this on Accurate Hearing Centers.
Great article. There was a very good point about the dangers of not hearing a warning signal like a smoke alarm. It makes me think about the anxiety that can come with the loss right along with the grief. What an emotional journey. I just finished writing a blog on the topic of grieving hearing loss as well http://www.inmygoodear.com/grieving-your-hearing-loss/ .