The diagnosis of my deafness - part one

I've had some good news and recently recieved a email and letter for my operation date - but forgive me for not telling you the exact date yet, all I'm going to say is its in July - I don't want to jinx it ha ha! Im soo excited cant believe its finally happening at last!! 

Meanwhile I thought id tell you the story how i my hearing loss was diagnosed.

Today most baby's on average are tested at 6 weeks old - usually whilst they are feeding and tiny leads are attached to the head to look at brain patterns sounds make- this would be identified via a computer screen- I only know this as my daughter was tested from birth - she passed with flying colours! We didn't know if my hearing loss was genetic?!

In my case and 70s era we didn't have the technology for this - so it was identified by a health visitor in a milestones record card in which a series of simple tests were done on regular intervals- i think a majority of babies then had a rattle shaken by them as one test. I was one of those that simply wasn't picked up.

I do remember living in naval quarters - a maisonette on top floor - which had a landing and running up and down it screaming at the top of my voice because i could not hear my voice and i suppose it was my only was of expressing myself - i must of drove my parents insane!! - I never spoke then - only two words 'Orange' and 'Mummy'. My mother was quite concerned and on taking me to the doctors - was told I was simply 'Slow- shes an only child may grow out of it' . At this point my brother was born and I regularly went to pre school/nursery.

It was there that a vigilant nursery worker 'Marion'  who had hearing difficulties herself (she had a perforated ear drum from playing her trumpet!) started to notice something wasn't quite right and identified my deafness.

She called my mother aside when she collected me and asked her to observe the last game of the very next day. The next day she gave each child a  noisy toy eg drum, rattle stick xylophone - lined us up facing  the wall  - and asked us to use the toy to repeat the sound she made and turn around. On two accounts - i never responded and on the third attempt - i think my Mother must of showed signs of relief. She quickly made a doctor appointment who then referred me to a hearing assessment clinic.

I remember sitting down in a room with lady looking through a window and being  told to remove a marble of a solitaire board

 I remember this so well as the colour of the marbles intrigued me -  i wanted to keep them afterwards !!

continued part 2