I Can't Hear You if I Can't See Your Lips

For my 28th birthday -- eons ago -- my husband and I met some friends for dinner.  We had a great time, and a great meal, and before we left, I opened the small gifts and cards I had been given.  I don't remember any of the gifts I got, except one: inside the entertaining birthday card was a piece of paper with instructions on how to clean out your ears.

I was quite taken aback by the audacity of my friend.  I didn't know what to say.

My hearing is pretty bad.  But did my friend truly believe my hearing issues were simply a result of bad personal hygiene?  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or punch him in his big, fat nose.  When my bugged-out eyes made their way back into their sockets, he attempted to play it off, and actually said, "Oh! How did that get in there...?!"  It was all I thought about for the rest of the night.  I was so embarrassed.  Is my hearing that bad?  Do my friends discuss the fact that they have to repeat everything they say to me?  Or was this my friend's way of making a joke?  A bad one.

When I was in first grade, I received speech services.  And about a year ago, my mom told me that while I was getting speech therapy, the nurse told her I had issues with my hearing that may be related to the speech problems.  I guess my mom didn't think it was that bad -- and maybe it wasn't at the time -- because I never received any services for my hearing.

As I got older, it became clear that my hearing was getting worse.  I had to keep telling my husband that he didn't have to yell at me; that I simply needed to see his lips when he talked so that I could match what he was saying to what I thought I was hearing.  I've pretty much mastered the art of lip-reading.

About two years ago, I had some audio testing done, and the results I got were albeit expected;  nonetheless shocking.  I don't have "profound" hearing loss, but it's pretty close.  We looked into getting hearing aids, but our move to the northeast interfered with that plan, and I haven't yet pursued a new audiologist.

I don't mean to sound like a Sensitive Sally, but making jokes about my hearing has just become hurtful and rude.  My mom even told me recently that she wants to start keeping a list of all the things she says, compared to what I think she says, "just because it's so funny!"  HA.