Forever Starts Now

Karmacat

It sounds like you had a lovely time, starnac, I'm very pleased for you - and blimey, it sounds like you were in hospital just after you moved in?  Are you fit to be MFWing?  Well, it seems like it's going swimmingly at the moment, so hopefully you are!

savingholmes

Welcome back. I used to post on one of your old diaries. 🐔 Sounds fun

starnac

Karmacat said:

It sounds like you had a lovely time, starnac, I'm very pleased for you - and blimey, it sounds like you were in hospital just after you moved in?  Are you fit to be MFWing?  Well, it seems like it's going swimmingly at the moment, so hopefully you are!

Yes. It's typical that it all happens at once isn't it?

We were supposed to move in the summer. We organised the new school as we were moving to a different Local Authority, and we arranged for the kids to start in September. Then the move got pushed back so we were living surrounded by boxes, having to drive 30-45mins at rush hour twice a day to take the kids back and forth to school. It wasn't the best but it was necessary. 

Then we finally moved and got most things sorted and my work was starting to pick back up, when I got a phone call from the hospital. Now bare in mind, I have been waiting for this operation since January, they rang and said "we can fit you in next week" So it was a rush to get things ready. I had to have a PCR test and isolate. I had to find cover for all the school sessions I had booked for work, DH had to change his working pattern so he could take the kids to school etc. But it had to be done. 

Thank you for asking but I am fine to be MFWing. I had BAHA surgery. It's a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. I've been hard of hearing all my life and numerous operations to try and "fix" it hasn't worked. Now the inside of my ears are not "normal" lol! so the sound doesn't travel down them the way it should, meaning my hearing is getting worse and normal hearing aids are not really doing what they should anymore. The surgery I had involved the surgeon screwing a kind of metal screw to my skull, behind my ear. It will stick out of my skin slightly with an attachment that looks like a popper you get on baby clothes. Once it's healed I'll get a processor (a small box like thing) that will click on and off to the screw. That will receive the sound and transmit it through the screw to my skull. The vibrations will go through my skull directly to the cochlear where sound is processed. The sound will miss out all the middle ear (which either doesn't work or doesn't exist in my case). The trial I had last Christmas (on a headband) meant I heard sounds I haven't heard for years. 

The plan is to get the processor in January but it's not healing as well as it should at the moment so that could get pushed back. But once I get it my life will be so much louder   

savingholmes

Will be exciting to hear normal sounds again.

starnac

savingholmes said:

Will be exciting to hear normal sounds again.

Yes, but a bit daunting too. I've never known any different really. I'm afraid it's going to be too overwhelming. 

savingholmes

I'm sure it will be overwhelming initially but then it should settle.

Karmacat

starnac, thanks for explaining that - it sounds a wonderful opportunity, but I can totally understand you're concerned about being overwhelmed - loud days can completely exhaust me, though I'm just "hazy" of hearing, not hard of.  Hopefully people around you will cooperate, though of course it's not just people.  

Roll on that processor!

starnac

Funnily enough, DH has only this year started to be a bit more mindful about my hearing. I've always just worn my hearing aids day in day out so he's never really had to adjust, except to maybe repeat himself a bit louder and make sure he's facing me when talking to me. Lockdown changed that. Actively listening all day is exhausting so while we were at home, I started wearing my hearing aids less. My family adapted and no big issue. Then the world starting opening up and I had to start wearing them again as people (in general) are not as accommodating as they think they are. 

Like I said, it is exhausting so I was coming home and taking them out for some respite. A friend likened it to taking her contacts out at the end of the day. However, she replaces those with her glasses so not quite the same. Anyway, long rambly way of saying, DH has started learning BSL to make it easier to communicate with me when I am tired or having a lazy day. It's been great. Obviously he's only just starting to learn but the fact that he is making that effort is great for me. Especially as my hearing will likely get worse as I get older. 

starnac

Yesterday DH and I spent most of the day out in the garden. While clearing a corner of the garden before Christmas we found an empty compost bin. The weather has been too bad to do anything with it but yesterday was dry most of the day so we set about moving it. Well nothing is straightforward in the house. So to make a space in the place I would like it to live, DH had to take down a brick BBQ. Surprisingly we found a lovely flat area underneath making it perfect for the compost bin. 

While DH was doing that, I started tackling some of the weeds and ivy that were growing over the wall into the lane. While doing that I also cut down and pulled up some weeds growing in what will be the chicken run, and found a path! I cleared it and it looks lovely. I'm not sure the chickens will appreciate the effort I went to rediscovering it though!  

Cheery_Daff

In my experience chickens rarely appreciate anything except treats 😂😂

Glad DH has started learning sign language! I can well imagine people aren't as accommodating as they think they are. 

New house sounds glorious! 😊😊