July 13: Senses: Hearing
Featured Bloggers for WQW #25: Obstacles to Fitness
Thank you to those who linked.
- KEEP IT ALIVE
- LADY LEE
- LOVING LIFE – RECOMMENDS BOOK ON FITNESS – More than a Body: Your body is an instrument, not an ornament by Lindsay and Lexie Kite
- SECOND WIND LEISURE
IT’S EASY TO PLAY ALONG WITH #WQW
This weekly writing challenge runs from Wednesday through Tuesday at noon. All you need is a quote to go with your post. Write a poem, story, or memoir. Share photos and a story or no story. Just have fun with it and let the quote or quotes lead the way.
Topics for the year (subject to change) are listed on the WQW Page. Feel free to post weekly, or drop in from time to time – All are welcome.
For More Ideas about Hearing
- YOUR BLOG POST GOES NEXT
- BEACH WALK REFLECTIONS Fun song about sound on his blogpost. You’ve got to listen to it and share it with your kids and grandkids. 🙂
- KEEP IT ALIVE
- LADY LEE
- LOVING LIFE
- NEW 2 WRITING
- WIDE EYED WONDERINGS
Definition of Hearing
“Hearing is a mechanical sense. It turns physical movement into the electrical signals that make up the language of the brain, translating these vibrations into what we experience as the world of sound. The diversity of sounds we can hear typically ranges from 20Hz (cycles/second) to 20,000Hz..”
Dana Foundation
“Hearing is essential for maintaining relationships and connections with friends and family, fully participating in team and community activities, and experiencing life events. Hearing makes it possible to engage, listen, laugh, and enjoy many of the things that help shape your quality of life.”
Hearing Center of Excellence
Hearing loss and deafness can result from sound exposure, heredity, ototoxic drugs, accidents, and disease or infection.
National Library of Medicine
Causes of Hearing Loss
Here is a brief summary of a part of the lengthy article from the National Library of Medicine
- Noise exposure – “too long, too loud, to close” Too much noise exposure causes inner ear hair loss. Hairs do not refurbish themselves. “An estimated 10 million Americans have suffered irreversible hearing damage due to noise exposure. Another 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise every day.” This is avoidable.
- Aging – loss results from noise exposure, injuries, heredity, illness, and circulatory problems
- Ototoxic drugs – antibiotics and long-term use of aspirin can cause tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
- Bacterial infections that cause a buildup of fluid in the ear which can lead to meningitis – mostly seen in children.
- Ostersclerosis – bone damage in the middle ear
- Ménière’s disease – affects the inner ear and balance
- Heredity – “the number of identified auditory genes was over 60. Scientists have also pinpointed over 100 chromosomal regions believed to harbor genes affecting the hearing pathway.” This research is hoped to lead to replacing bad genes with good ones to cure some hearing losses.
My Experiences with Hearing Loss
- Living with someone with hearing loss is frustrating, and can cause yelling, and misunderstandings.
- Some people enjoy hearing loss. They can plead ignorance, avoid annoying chit-chat, and tune out background noises.
- Hearing aids can be uncomfortable. For some women, the first things they take off when they get home are their shoes or bra. For mom, it was her hearing aides.
- My brother has Ménière’s disease. He develops motion sickness on planes, boats, and cars and gets very sick when jostled by any of the above (like curvy roads and wavy boats). Always travel with Dramamine.
What About Your Experiences?
Do you have some hearing issues or expertise? In your journey to get healthy, what have you discovered? Do you have a poignant story about a pet who has hearing problems or saved the day with his or her sharp hearing?
Ongoing on Always Write
- On July 5th Story Chat proudly announced a new story, “Not a Proper Job” by another new (to us) author, Philip Cumberland AKA Fenlandphil’s Blog It’s had lots of likes so far but not too much chatter. Don’t be shy. Come on by.
- PPAC #54 Prescott Courthouse Square – (Photographing Public Art Challenge) Your choice of art – no theme! Two more days to link.
- Upcoming topics for WQW
- July 20: Animals: Pets or Not
- July 27: Sun/ or Writer’s Choice/ or YOUR WOTY Review
- August 3: Water: Rivers
- August 10: Water: Lakes
- August 17: Earth: Mountains, Rocks
- For a list of past WQW posts visit my WQW Page
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
50 responses to “WQW #26: Hearing”
Hi Marsha – good theme and wanted to add that Maureen Kennedy Salaman had some great books in the 1980s – not sure if you heard of her – I didn’t agree with all of her views but she presented me with so much info – my mother was a big fan and had a lot of Salaman’s books –
Anyhow – she had a TV show too and in one episode she talked about how parasite infections are often connected to hearing problems and vertigo
But our culture is so dismissive of parasite infections and I meet so many folks (many of them board certified doctors) who think parasites are not a problem for first world countries
But they sure can be – anyhow – Salaman noted that some very small parasites might get into the ears and I believe her.
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I hadn’t ever thought of that, Yvette. I’m sure anyone whose ever suffered from Lyme Disease or had to have their dog or cat dewormed would understand the huge issue of parasites. Thanks for sharing!
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Yes / and I had a seafood parasite (and others) and might have had it since the Bahamas in the late 80s (I got sick on that trip and well- we never really know and so just wonder) but I still cannot really enjoy fish ever again – I might sample some bites of well cooked entrees but prefer red meat – oh and no sushi – ever – not for me
Hope your week is going well
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I would agree with you about sushi even without a parasite. And well-cooked works for me, too! 🙂 I got super sick from airport food that hadn’t been cooked enough. It lasted for about five days into my vacay/business trip to Boston. Miserable!
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Hi Marsha, here’s my post;
http://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/07/18/am-i-hearing-that-correctly/
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[…] Written for;WQW #26: Hearing, hosted by Marsha […]
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[…] Inspired by Marsha’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Sense of Hearing […]
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Cool pictures. I was I was there. 🙂
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[…] #26 (Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays) – “Hearing” The only rule is to have at least one quote in your post about the topic. Remember a song […]
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[…] WQW #26: Hearing […]
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Perfect story for this week, KL.
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Such a great post, Marsha. My little boy’s baby class taught sign language as part of baby development and then when he moved up to nursery he attended sing and sign on a Friday which he also loved. It would be so wonderful if society could adopt it (or at least the basics) into education for a more inclusive future. KL ❤
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I think so too, KL. If chimps can learn it we should be able to learn it, too.
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♥️ absolutely.
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These are great Marsha. I really liked the one that talked about connection and relationships…it’s so true and sometimes it can be easy to “ignore” those who maybe have a bit of trouble with hearing. I know sometimes my MIL struggles in groups. I know some people need you to look at them or talk toward the ear they hear better with. Some people can hear certain voices better than others. My MIL has a hard time hearing deeper voices.
Here’s my link for the week.https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2022/07/wqwtheme-senseshearing.html
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Hmmm. Now, wherever did you find the clever copper bugle man? Such talent shows here.
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Yes, that was a great photographic experience. I found a gold/copper mine at Wicky-up. 🙂
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great post, Marsha 🙂
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2022/07/14/hearing-quotes/
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Honestly, this is such a great post and as our society ages, more folks are dealing with hearing loss, Marsha. As you know I got hearing aids 3 years ago. I got mine through Costco and they are also Bluetooth enabled to my phone. Most loss is in my left ear, which has been ongoing for years. Even a recent MRI couldn’t find a structural reason. So I wear them happily and am grateful. Now I notice that Hans asks me “huh”? a lot lately….hmm, maybe he needs his checked. I’ve joked before that I’m down to 1 of the 5 senses left, touch/feel. 🤣
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You compensate well with the help of the technology that is available to us. If we live long enough, most of us will need hearing aides. Vince’s bad hearing cost him 4,000 chips in his last poker game because he misunderstood what another player said. He said, “I’m going to start wearing my hearing aides when I play poker.” That’s a start! 🙂 Costco has amazing hearing aides for a great price from what I’ve heard from our neighbor and other friends. I’m glad yours work so well.
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I’m happy to wear them. Hopefully Vince will get used to them and wear them more often.
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That’s my prayer. 🙂
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Lots of misunderstandings. If it’s important, these days, I ALWAYS ask if he really heard me and didn’t just nod. It saves a lot of expensive misunderstandings.
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I do the same. I’ll even ask him to repeat what I said because he usually says that he heard me. But that doesn’t mean that he heard correctly. Sometimes it’s funny. But not cartoon funny. 🙂 thanks for sharing, Marilyn Wish I had a way to motivate him to wear his hearing aides. 🙂
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I have dealt with hearing loss in one ear for over 15 years due to otosclerosis (check your spelling). I had surgery a long time ago that fixed it for a while but no more. Now I have constant tinnitus in addition to not being able to hear certain ranges. Fun stuff! The good news is that I’ve learned to ignore the ringing in my ear for the most part and, if an outside noise is disturbing my sleep, I just turn over so my “good ear” is buried in the pillow. I also wear wireless headphones when I watch TV which really helps.
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Those are good tips. Tinnitus is so annoying. I have it when I’m quiet, like right now. Most of the time it is not debilitating. It interferes greatly with friend of mine even when she’s in conversation with people. She’s an attorney, so it’s a real handicap. I checked the spelling, BTW, Ostersclerosis is the correct spelling according to the article and spell check. It is a new word to me. I spelled the word asprin, wrong, as I usually do, though. My spelling and typing is atrocious, so I’m super grateful for spell check – instant delete, cut and paste and all the technology that makes it possible for us to be successful. Even with all that, and proofreading it twice or more, I make a ton of errors. Trust me , I did a very bad job as a professional proofreader. Once I missed the word BRAIN in huge letters when it was supposed to say BRIAN. I almost lost my job over that one. The company transferred me to another department. 🙂
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Interesting. My diagnosis was “otosclerosis” and, when I typed “ostersclerosis” to see if it’s another diagnosis, my spell check and dictionary says nope. Either way, it’s not fun to live with but, given what others have to deal with, I can’t complain too much.
Funny story about your proofreading days (although I imagine not so funny for you at the time). I would have been fired (or fried 🙂 ) the first day.
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I was so upset about it that I got hysterical and had to leave work. I had never been so severely repriminded at a job and I was trying my best. It was disheartening. I was mortified to even go back to work. It was seasonal work and I worked the season, then I never went back. It happened one other time and I was blamed for someone who signed their initial exactly as I did who was new and making mistakes. The supervisor threatened to fire me if I didn’t shape up until I pointed out that I didn’t work the same shift. Whew! It was not a wonderful place to work.
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Love the first photo Marsha 🙂 Tinnitus is my wow. Working in a factory as a teen and on the farm without hearing protection which was almost unheard of in those days
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That’s a nasty one. It never lets up. I don’t notice it so much when I’m with people or listening to something, but alone, it keeps me company. 🙂
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It’s not too bad but is always there. It’s worse when I mention it 😂
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LOL! Don’t mention it again! bzzzzz. My ears are doing it now in sympathy. 🙂
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My wife is afflicted with severe and constant tinnitus, she has vestibular schwannoma, A non-cancerous tumour on the vestibulocochlear nerve, the main nerve which connects the inner ear and brain.
Sleep gives her the only respite from it.
I occasionally suffer from tinnitus but nothing too intrusive.
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That sounds like a very serious issue, Phil. I’m so sorry she has to suffer with something like that. It doesn’t sound like it is operable. I’ll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.
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Thanks, Marsha. The tumour is monitored annually with a MRI scan and as long as it doesn’t grow any bigger they won’t operate. If it is removed my wife will lose the hearing completely in that ear but not rid her of the Tinnitus. It involves a long stay in hospital and it will affect her balance.
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That’s awful, Phil. I would avoid surgery as long as possible, in that case. I’ll be thinking and praying for her.
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Hearing is a great topic, Marsha. Here’s a beach walk about it. Hope all is well with you. Did Janet pass along my hello to you the last time you saw her?
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OOps …. https://beachwalkreflections.wordpress.com/2021/04/08/61-hearing/
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Fantastic post, Frank!
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Thank you … and I invite your readers to stop by …. I won’t bite!
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lol
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She did and a big hello right back to you. Isn’t she a sweetheart? It was like we had known each other for years instead of just a few blogposts. 🙂
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Great …. She seems to enjoy interaction with fellow WP bloggers in your area.
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We’ve met three times now and had a great time each time.
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[…] Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays – Hearing […]
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I like your two bits of metal art, Marsha. This is the sentence that resonated with me: Living with someone with hearing loss is frustrating, and can cause yelling, and misunderstandings. My dad really could have used a hearing aid but he refused to get one which would have been fine if it only impacted him. But my mom and the rest of us got so frustrated because he often couldn’t hear us and then he’d get annoyed, etc. A hearing aid might be uncomfortable but the dynamics of not using one when you really need it can be more uncomfortable in a different way.
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Yes, yes, and yes. Vince had a poker incident this week that may have impacted his thinking. He bet wrong because he heard wrong. Hmmm Thanks for the comments about my friend’s copper art. He made all those little critters himself. They called me today when they saw them on my blog. 🙂
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That should be can not CNN.
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I have noise-induced hearing loss, caused by a working life using angle grinders and other noisy machinery.
I CNN hear vowels okay it is consenants that are tricky if for example, someone says “Peach”, it could be Beach, Teach, Reach, Leach or any other word ending each when I hear it. Usually, if I think about the bits of the sentence I can understand, I can work it out but not always
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That sounds like my husband. He misses most of what I say because he’s lost the upper end of his hearing spectrum.
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