This has significantly affected Pamela’s life at every level and has meant missing out on things that we all take for granted: occasions such as family dinners and social gatherings where she had difficulty hearing and participating in conversations.
The most heartbreaking thing for Pamela was having to ask the younger children what they were saying multiple times and because of the associated embarrassment, finding herself withdrawing and participating even less in conversations. After a long time, Pamela courageously decided to get the help she needed. Describing her first appointment at The Hearing House, Pamela says, “after my first appointment with the Hearing House Audiologist, I felt there was finally hope. When I learned that a cochlear implant was granted to me, I was excited and not at all nervous as I knew I was going to have an improvement in my hearing”.
Pamela describes her experience right after having her cochlear implant surgery, “the day after the operation I felt like I had been ‘switched on’. At first, the people around me sounded like R2-D2 or Donald Duck, but that soon changed, and I was hearing their voices more naturally. The same day as my ‘switch on,’ I could hear sounds I hadn’t heard in a long time,” says Pamela.
Since having her cochlear implant surgery Pamela has seen a dramatic improvement in her quality of life. “I can now hear the birds, the insects, the waves swishing in on the beach, the wind in the trees, and the rain. These wonderful natural sounds of nature that I had been denied over the years”.
“I now find myself in any social environment engaging more fully in either a two-way conversation or group discussion. My ability to hear is no longer impaired by background noise. This transformation has allowed me to interact on a level that I would never have thought possible”.
Speaking about the support she has had from The Hearing House, Pamela says, “all of the people I interacted with at The Hearing House were caring and supportive through my hearing journey. I will always be grateful to modern science and to all the individuals who study and practice applying this wonderful technology to help people such as myself”.
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