(Ch. 32 of my story of my journey into Deafhood…)

Photo by: Stephen Poff

During the last several days of my recovery, it was clearly evident that I could not hear. People and doctors were talking to me, but I wasn’t able to answer them when they expected me to do so. I remember the day the Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose and Throat doctor - ENT) came in to talk with me and ask me questions about my hearing. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t follow.

I kept looking at Mama for clues. Finally, Mama said, “She can’t hear what you’re telling her.” I read her lips, as she asked him, “Is this hearing loss permanent or temporary?” The doctor said he didn’t know and that he would have to do some tests. He arranged to have my hearing checked.

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Deaf, Deafhood, Family, Grief, Health, Hearing Loss, Late-Deaf, Miscellaneous, My Story, Support | 8 Comments »

(Ch. 32 of my story of my journey into Deafhood…)

Photo by: Peter Davis

One of the symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome is the sunburn-like rash that covers the body, especially on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. The skin on these areas generally peels about 1-2 weeks later. My skin-defoliating friend, Terry, was the first to notice the huge pieces of calloused epidermis that were peeling off my feet in layers, leaving them tender, wrinkled, and pink, like a newborn’s soles.

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Deaf, Deafhood, Health, Hearing Loss, Late-Deaf, Meaning, Miscellaneous, My Story, Support | 5 Comments »

(Ch. 31 of my story of my journey into Deafhood…)

Photo by: Richard Alexander Caraballo

Toward the end of my hospital stay, I finally got to see my little sister, whom we affectionately call “Tootsie.” Tootsie, who was then 7, had not seen me since the morning I left for the hospital nearly two weeks earlier. Though she had been in the waiting rooms, the hospital had strict rules about having children in the patient’s rooms, which she and others thought was absurd! I guess hospital staff think that children touch everything and they might play with buttons and dials in hospital rooms, which could be hazardous to the patient. But my little sister was not the kind of kid who would mess with hospital equipment. All she wanted to see and touch was me!

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Deaf, Deafhood, Family, Grief, Health, Hearing Loss, Late-Deaf, Love, Meaning, Miscellaneous, My Story, Support | 3 Comments »