An Insight On Hearing Loss

I am a freshman at Lucy Beckham who suffers from hearing loss. Hearing loss is an overlooked issue. I am 14 years old and have lived in Mount Pleasant my whole life. I love to draw and hang out with my friends on the weekends. I was 11 years old and in sixth grade when I lost my hearing. It was on New Year’s Day and happened at a polar plunge. I lost almost all of my hearing in my left ear. I still have about 1% of my hearing in that ear, but because of still having that little bit of hearing, I also have tinnitus. Tinnitus is ringing in your ears. It can also be other sounds like buzzing, static, humming, etc. For most people, it goes away. However, if it doesn’t stop after a year or two, it is most likely permanent. My tinnitus hasn’t stopped in three years. It feels stressful and overstimulating having to constantly deal with it especially because it’s not going to go away. I deal with it by trying to ignore it. The hearing loss and tinnitus had affected my ability to hear and concentrate. It also resulted in me developing a speech impediment and I had balancing issues and trouble walking for a while. It is a mystery as to why I lost my hearing. My hearing could have been saved if my doctor looked at my ears like he was supposed to. I guess it’s protocols for the emergency room, but that’s a whole different story. I’ve been to many doctors, but none of them could figure out what happened to me. That is an insight into what it’s like being a high schooler with hearing loss.