naked ears?
Recently I've had this external ear infection (swimmer's ear), and seeing as how we're in between insurance companies, I can't quite get to the doctor yet. This means that I've been doing OTC stuff and home remedies. Now, I had one last week, my left ear, and left my hearing aid out for a few days. That seemed to work. The pain was completely gone and my ear was no longer swollen. Two days later it comes back, worse than ever. Last night, my other ear started hurting in just the same way. This means...no hearing aids whatsoever for the time being.
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I have naked ears. It feels weird to go about my day without having something in my ear. This is natural to me, since I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 9 months old, or a year old, somewhere around there. Then I realize....this is "normal" if you will, to have naked ears. It's normal to feel the wind go in your ear canal. it's normal to have hair fall into your ear area and make it itch. it's normal for it to feel...empty.
I came to this realization about a week ago while I only had my left ear hurting. I had gone through the drive through at Wendy's (yes, Bryan, I bought myself a lunch one day, I'm completely guilty for it). I go through this drive through because I never have a problem with them, and I can see what I ordered on the big screen. I've never had an issue with them. However, this time, as I approached the speaker....I started realizing my naked ear was the closest to the speaker! Shoot! So I get there, and give them my order. Anytime the person would talk, I would turn my head so that I was basically looking backwards, out the window in order to hear what was going on with just my right ear. I hope people didn't think I was too crazy, and I felt so self-conscious about this that as I drove up to the window to pay, I was prepping myself to apologize for not wearing my hearing aid today. I open the window, and the guy acts like everything is normal. I found myself thinking "why isn't he asking me about me not wearing my hearing aid today?" Duh. It's not normal to wear hearing aids! Why WOULD he ask me about my hearing aids? he doesn't know I'm deaf....for some reason I found this a bit...unsettling. That's not quite the right word, but it'll have to do. It just felt weird to know that....I totally looked like a normal person to that guy that day. I looked like a person who didn't have a hearing loss, because, well....I had a a naked ear. And now, today, I have two naked ears. I feel very self-conscious about it.
Not having them in, made me realize how much i do rely on my hearing aids. Ever since Kiernan was born, I've worn my hearing aids 24/7, with the exception of being in the shower. This is not normal, I used to take them out every night before going to bed. Boy ,I miss those days ,but I'm too paranoid to take them out at night now that Kiernan is in his own room. Last night, I had to bring him into our bedroom because I just couldn't handle wearing one hearing aid at all, it hurt too much. It's not just Kiernan though, it's things that fall, hearing if Bryan called my name, hearing him snore to know if he's really asleep (which I never experienced before), hearing how loudly or quietly I talk. That last part, I'm definitely self-conscious about that. I know I have a tendency to talk a lot quieter with my hearing aids out because I'm paranoid about talking too loudly.
I definitely prefer to have my fully clothed ears, and can't wait to put my hearing aids back in again. I don't know how you all deal with naked ears with the empty space, wind blown, hair itching happening in there.
cut for length
I have naked ears. It feels weird to go about my day without having something in my ear. This is natural to me, since I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 9 months old, or a year old, somewhere around there. Then I realize....this is "normal" if you will, to have naked ears. It's normal to feel the wind go in your ear canal. it's normal to have hair fall into your ear area and make it itch. it's normal for it to feel...empty.
I came to this realization about a week ago while I only had my left ear hurting. I had gone through the drive through at Wendy's (yes, Bryan, I bought myself a lunch one day, I'm completely guilty for it). I go through this drive through because I never have a problem with them, and I can see what I ordered on the big screen. I've never had an issue with them. However, this time, as I approached the speaker....I started realizing my naked ear was the closest to the speaker! Shoot! So I get there, and give them my order. Anytime the person would talk, I would turn my head so that I was basically looking backwards, out the window in order to hear what was going on with just my right ear. I hope people didn't think I was too crazy, and I felt so self-conscious about this that as I drove up to the window to pay, I was prepping myself to apologize for not wearing my hearing aid today. I open the window, and the guy acts like everything is normal. I found myself thinking "why isn't he asking me about me not wearing my hearing aid today?" Duh. It's not normal to wear hearing aids! Why WOULD he ask me about my hearing aids? he doesn't know I'm deaf....for some reason I found this a bit...unsettling. That's not quite the right word, but it'll have to do. It just felt weird to know that....I totally looked like a normal person to that guy that day. I looked like a person who didn't have a hearing loss, because, well....I had a a naked ear. And now, today, I have two naked ears. I feel very self-conscious about it.
Not having them in, made me realize how much i do rely on my hearing aids. Ever since Kiernan was born, I've worn my hearing aids 24/7, with the exception of being in the shower. This is not normal, I used to take them out every night before going to bed. Boy ,I miss those days ,but I'm too paranoid to take them out at night now that Kiernan is in his own room. Last night, I had to bring him into our bedroom because I just couldn't handle wearing one hearing aid at all, it hurt too much. It's not just Kiernan though, it's things that fall, hearing if Bryan called my name, hearing him snore to know if he's really asleep (which I never experienced before), hearing how loudly or quietly I talk. That last part, I'm definitely self-conscious about that. I know I have a tendency to talk a lot quieter with my hearing aids out because I'm paranoid about talking too loudly.
I definitely prefer to have my fully clothed ears, and can't wait to put my hearing aids back in again. I don't know how you all deal with naked ears with the empty space, wind blown, hair itching happening in there.