Adjusting to life with Hearing Aids

Today is the 4-week anniversary of Daniel getting his hearing aids!


How has he adjusted????


Well, he's handling it like he's handled every other big (and little) adjustment in his life:

Amazingly well!

This boy just "flabbergasts my mind out!" (to quote our sweet little friend, Eli)



I have had quite an internal battle for the past few months, wanting to kick myself: WHY did it take us so long to realize that Daniel really and truly did have hearing loss...and he really and truly did need hearing aids?!?!

It took over two and half years, two different Otolaryngologists, 6 different audiologists, surgery for "tubes" (myringotomy), and 8 hearing tests to finally get the definitive word: Daniel has bilateral conductive hearing loss, they believe caused by Congenital Stapes Footplate Fixation.

The first full day that Daniel wore his aids, we were walking outside and Daniel said,"Wait... stop...do you hear that?"

It took a little talking back and forth between us for me to realize what he was referring to...

His footsteps.

He had apparently never heard his footsteps before.

I wanted to cry...

But after taking yet another hearing test - this one with his aids - Daniel now hears all but the very lowest frequencies in the normal range.

We are so thankful for this!

Alot of times he remembers to put the aids in in the morning himself...but sometimes I have to remind him.

And alot of times he remembers to take them out before he gets in the bath/shower...but sometimes I have to remind him.

But sometimes...neither one of us remembers - OOPS! And his hearing aids have taken a couple of dips - YIKES!

Two days into wearing his new accessories, Daniel's observation was:

"It's a good thing I'm wearing these...so bugs won't fly in my ears!"

And that is how you see the world Daniel-style: the glass is always half-full!