Monday June 23rd 2013, first trip into Temple.

This was going to be my first trip into Temple with my new hearing aids. Something else to make me nervous and anxious. I was going to finish up my last movie for the Latin class. I was meeting my describer at 10am.

My FIL picked me up at 8:20am; it was already very very warm, and sunny. It was predicted to be stormy in the afternoon, so I wanted to get down there and back before this all happened. I wore shorts and a pink t-shirt, but it was so warm, I sweated most of the way there.

At the train station pup and I waited like normal. When the train was getting close, the street crossing bells, started going off. At first I didn’t recognize this sound, as it sounded totally different than I had been hearing before. The train pulled up, and I asked pup to find the door. While making my way to the door, a train conductor came up and started talking to me. He identified himself as a conductor. I could hear that much, he did say more but I could not understand him. I settled down on the train for an hour. While on the train I used my IPhone through the streamer into my hearing aids, to check emails and text messages. I could also hear the announcements and other people around me. Granted I could not always understand what they were saying I could hear them. The conductor’s announcements were clear and sometimes understandable, but I am not sure if this was because of my new hearing aids, because of the announcement system, or the conductor had a clearer voice.

When we arrived at our stop I debarked the train and went on my way. My first big challenge, not that just riding the train isn’t, is crossing the street just outside of the train station. So I approach the corner, no one is around, at least that I can hear, I wait, listening. Thinking maybe do I hear a car, or a truck. Should I go? Waiting for perhaps a person to come by. But no one comes. I say a little prayer and go. I didn’t hear any cars, or what I thought were cars. I safely got across the street. Okay well maybe not safely, but I arrived at the corner in one piece. The next two crossings were just the same as the first. Wait, should I go? Is it safe? Are there cars? Wait some more, then say a prayer, and go. Pup would have told me if I was going to encounter a car, at least I hope.

We arrived on to campus in one piece, with no accidents from pup, and on our way to our movie. The one thing I did notice about the campus was there were in fact birds. I also was able to hear the amount of construction going on, everywhere I turned, there was some sort of big machine making some horrible noise doing something.

The movie was “Farmingville”, about immigrants coming here for a better life. And how residents turned against the Mexicans. It was more of a documentary type movie, the shortest one we have watched yet. In all one moment it made me mad, it saddened me. I can see the issue from both angles.

I did notice while watching the movie, I could hear it better; I could hear my describer better. But with that said there were something’s I did miss that were said in the movie. Once done with our movie I headed over to the disability office of the university. I had wanted to see if the coordinator for deaf and hard of hearing students was in. He has a similar streaming system, so I wanted to ask some technology questions. 

If I had thought it was hot earlier in the morning, nope it was even hotter when I walked from the library one block over to the disability office. Poor pup was lethargic and panting so hard. But she kept on working. Poor pup is all black, in the heat of the sun, I am sure gets hot. Once I found out that person wasn’t in the office, I made an appointment, and headed back to the train.

On the way pup pooped twice on route, not happy about this. We got to the train, and I had no clue what time it was. I took the elevator up, and a train was on the normal track that my train usually comes on. I quickly asked what train it was. I quickly jumped on, once I thought I knew which it was. I just got the train by the skin of my teeth. By this time I was extremely warm, and poor pup was panting hard. Thank goodness the train has A/C.

While on the train, I called my FIL using my streamer and aids. It worked but again I could barely hear him. I called hubby too and it was the same. So much train noise, not enough of the IPhone coming through my aids. It was more of an experiment more than to have a long conversation.

I did arrive home in all one piece, safely, tired but there. It took about an hour for me to cool down all the way. I just relaxed and read the rest of the afternoon.

The one thing over the day I noticed is that the world is very very noisy. Way more noisy than I had ever known before. Sometimes I would hear a sound, and I wasn’t sure of what I was hearing. The aids do allow me to hear lots of traffic, but I can’t still hear the direction that traffic is going in. I cannot hear one car, with lots of other noise around, on normal roads. I can hear cars on the main street outside of our home, as it’s got gravel down, with little other noise around. I can hear people actually speaking to me now, just not completely sure what they say all of the time.

By the time we went to bed, again I had auditory overload and very dizzy. Not sure why I am so dizzy all of a sudden again. I actually truly don’t remember going to bed, but hubby must have put me to bed.

Tuesday June 25th 2013, Shopping:

For the last few weeks I have had a good girlfriend go shopping with me. She is a fellow social worker at a really great Christian agency; she also attends our church and is in our life group. She has Tuesday mornings open as she usually goes into the office later. Last Tuesday, we just went to the store, and later I suppose to go to school, but my describer cancelled, plus it rained cats and dogs. So this Tuesday, we went to the craft store to buy more yarn. I could spend so so so much time in that store. My friend also needed to pick up some things for a bridal shower she was hosting. So I found 10 rolls of yarn, 2 green, 2 yellow, 2 off white, 2 pink, 1 cream, and 1 lilac. I hope this will keep me in business for a while. So many many babies being born at my church don’t drink the water! LOL

After we did our shopping at the craft store we headed to the grocery store. Normal food shopping. Last week the grocery store was fairly empty, today Oh My goodness there were so many kids. Kids screaming at the top of their lungs.

The really good thing is that unlike last week when I had to struggle to hear my firmed, I could hear her a lot better this time with my new aids. I could hear her in the car way way better. But I have also noticed that when there is a lot of noise, it confuses me, it’s just noise, and there is no way for my brain to figure it out. Like in the store, when the kids were screaming, the sound was over whelming.

The rest of the day I read and crocheted. I cooked dinner for hubby. We had been hoping that I would be able to hear the sounds of hamburger meat cooking in the skillet. But I was not, maybe a little. Like when the meat was done browning, I had to put the seasoning package in and some water. The directions say let simmer until water is gone. I could not hear the water, nor could I tell when the water was gone. Hubby made rice on the burner next to where I was browning the meat, and nor could I hear the water boiling. I didn’t burn the food, and the meal was awesome.

So in the end, I can hear speech better. I can hear some sounds better, but hearing environmental sounds is still not fixed. I know these hearing aids still have some adjusting to have yet.

Ok, so that is all for now…..more later!