What is Random Effective Deafness?
Randomly experiencing sound as a meaningless cacophony lasting for randomly long durations whereupon one is rendered effectively profoundly deaf
What is the definition of random used here?
Same as anywhere else, a random event has no causal relation with any prior event - totally unpredictable therefore.?
What do you mean by effectively profoundly deaf?
Being unable to meaningfully interpret and act upon sound/auditory input - that's effectively being profoundly deaf - except that it 'comes and goes' randomly (and lasts randomly long)?
What functions of normal hearing do you not have?
(1) Discrimination - choosing what one wishes to hear from several inputs (2) Differentiation - separating out background sound to make sense of speech (3) Localisation - knowing where sounds originate from.?
Do you always have to use a hearing aid??
I use a hearing aid for my induction loop at home and for cinema or theatres that have induction loops installed. It's an absolute loss of hearing so there ain't nuttin' to aid but a new digital aid would probably help in terms of improved discrimination/differentiation.?
Is Unilateral Hearing Loss the same as my Ol' Gramps has??
Nope - age related loss is more like an overall deterioration rather than loss of functional hearing?
Can you use the phone??
I always ask for email instead because I can't hear it in another room. Multiple phones are difficult to locate/guess which one is actually ringing and, in general, people do tend to overtalk each other as the pace quickens, causing me to lose the thread. For me phones=stress.?
Are there dangers from not knowing where sound is coming from?
Unwittingly stepping out to cross the road in front of cars, for example. Bumping into people and maybe spilling hot drinks over them or whatever - Not being able to navigate an escape away from potential dangers such as fire or falling objects, etc. Another indication comes from the fact that it's the same as the illegal form of torture known as sensory deprivation where bags are put over people's heads. Also known euphemistically as 'the glass cell' because people outside 'the cell' cannot see the 'bars' but I sure know they're there!?
What psychological effects are there?
Silence deprivation and, at the other extreme, 'noise recruitment' (sensory overwhelm) and a suppression of the flight or flee instinct due to the localisation problem.
What's good about Profound Unilateral Hearing Loss?
Getting my assistance dog from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
What caused your Profound Unilatera Hearing Loss?
Ruptured Cochlea
Are you now more dependant on sight?
Yes, absolutely, especially for balance due to the damage to the cochlea but even without that consideration one must use sight to compensate for the loss of localisation to avoid wandering into dangerous situations.
What is your coping strategy?
People understand that one generally cannot listen and speak simultaneously, so based on that, my coping strategy is to _*speak*_ (which therefore temporarily relieves me of the social obligation to _*listen*_ For example, friends with sight problems tell me that in order to avoid giving PERSONAL offence by failing to notice a friend/colleague then sight impaired people tend to walk with their heads down so that it is obvious that they miss everybody in general and nobody in particular thereby avoiding the charge of deliberately slighting any particular individual. This is the same strategy that I employ but with deafness it can be more difficult if somebody tries to call me from the other side of the street or to peep and wave from a car..I just have NO IDEA where it is coming from.
What is most annoying about Profound Unilateral Hearing Loss?
Definitely the sound of one's own internal processes (eating/breathing) which dominates and works against meaninful hearing - it's not dangerous or anything - but annoying at times". can't engage in repartee need have a very formalised and listen regime where people agree to speak over me because if they do I simply cannot comprehend the message. this is not good for spontaneity!