The Scary Hearing Aid Experience - Guest Post by Tara Chevrestt

I remember my first set of hearing aids. I was eleven and I was both ashamed and excited.

I was ashamed because I knew it would add just another reason for the kids in school to make fun of me. I worried people would see them and laugh at me. I tried to cover them with my hair.

I was excited because for the first time since I was four, I would hear some things I could never hear before.

At first, even the crackling of paper hurt my ears. My eardrums were super sensitive.

I remember the afternoon I first got the aids. My dad had taken the afternoon off work and I’d been pulled out of school for the day. After my appointment, my parents took advantage of Dad’s afternoon off to get some errands done. On the list was the hardware store.

In A Healing Love, Kimberly has her first breakdown in the hardware store, as she’s completely overwhelmed and shocked into a flashback by the noise around her.

It really does feel like that at first. Incredibly loud and scary. Sensitive, unused eardrums just thumping in your ears. Unlike Kimberly, my eleven-year-old self had never been in a war zone so I just covered my ears, fiddled with my volume knobs and complained to my parents about the noise. For Kimberly it’s worse as it brings back memories.

It’s both a frightening and exciting experience. And like Kimberly, it took time for me to admit I needed the hearing aids. I want to say, it should always be a choice. Friends and family members of hard-of-hearing people, I want to say something specifically to you.

You mean well and you want the best for your loved one, but hearing aids and cochlear implants are a personal decision. Sometimes the person may actually be happy in a soundless world. Baby cries, we don’t’ hear it. Dogs bark incessantly, no problem. Respect their decision, no matter what it is. And make sure you aren’t suggesting aids or implants just to make your life easier.

Kimberly and I both chose hearing aids. Her experience in the book with getting molds is my very own: the feeling of pressure, the coldness, the drooling around the mouthpiece. It really is quite mortifying. Here’s a blurb:

Just as Kimberly was about to jump up and gesture to Jasmine she’d changed her mind, the doctor transferred the blue mixture to a giant plastic syringe and with gentle hands, pushed her hair away from her ear and began filling it with the thick goo. Kimberly almost jumped in surprise. The pressure building up in her ear hurt, like the pressure build-up when on an airplane, and the stuff was cold, but she struggled to be still. She didn’t want to have to do it again.

When the audiologist had filled both ears, he handed her a paper towel and smiled. “For the drool,” he said and turned to leave the room.

Oh my God! How degrading! Kimberly immediately placed the napkin to her open mouth and knew her eyes were wide with horror, because Jasmine was laughing uproariously, her head thrown back and her mouth open.

Kimberly continued wiping her chin, feeling disgusting, while her sister-in-law appeared to be getting more amused with each passing moment. Finally, the other woman got herself under control enough to speak. “If you could see how funny you look. I’m not being mean, but the look on your face is priceless.”

Kimberly reached for her pad and pen, placing the paper towel in front of her mouth.

This better be worth it!

I promise, for those of you who want them, it is worth it. You can even hook these things up to the TV and for the first time ever, I’m able to hear doors slamming and footsteps on the floor...I only like sound during TV though, not the rest of the day. LOL

And for those of you shamed, don’t be. Tuck that hair behind it! Let it show. Never be ashamed of who you are. It’s no different than wearing glasses or braces.

Thank you for letting me talk about this.

Blurb:

Kimberly Rogers vowed to fight a tragic past the only way she knew how: she joined the Army and became strong. No man would hurt her again. But a war wound sends her to her brother's in Cripple Creek, WY, with vision and hearing impairments.

Whereas glasses can help her see and hearing aids can help her hear, nothing can force her to talk again. Is she really unable to speak, or is she hiding behind her disability to protect herself, her pride, and her heart? Regulated to the most menial of jobs, her world in shambles, Kimberly is finally convinced to seek medical assistance.

Carlos Medina is Jackson Hole's best therapist. If anyone can make Kimberly speak again, it's him. But Kimberly has to meet him halfway, and Carlos has his own past tragedy that the young, mute woman threatens to force him to conquer.

They both have wounds…and sometimes wounds must be reopened before they can heal. Can they open up to each other? Can Kimberly find her voice again and open her heart? Can love heal them both?

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Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, dog mom, writer, and editor. You’ll never see her without her Kindle or a book within reach. As a child, she would often take a flashlight under the covers to finish the recent Nancy Drew novel when she was supposed to be sleeping.

Tara is addicted to Law & Order: SVU, has a crush on Cary Grant, laughs at her own jokes, and is constantly modifying recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. Her theme is Strong is Sexy. She writes about strong women facing obstacles—in the military, with their handicaps, or just learning to accept themselves. Her heroines can stand alone and take care of themselves, but they often find love in the process.

You can connect with her on Facebook or follow her blog.

Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, dog mom, writer, and editor. You’ll never see her without her Kindle or a book within reach. As a child, she would often take a flashlight under the covers to finish the recent Nancy Drew novel when she was supposed to be sleeping.

Tara is addicted to Law & Order: SVU, has a crush on Cary Grant, laughs at her own jokes, and is constantly modifying recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. Her theme is Strong is Sexy. She writes about strong women facing obstacles—in the military, with their handicaps, or just learning to accept themselves. Her heroines can stand alone and take care of themselves, but they often find love in the process.

You can connect with her on Facebook or follow her blog.