Hearing tech talk

Listening to a car mechanic speaking double-time and in "car lingo" language overwhelmed me today.  In these circumstances it is easy to lose confidence in this new hearing ability.  Getting upset tends to make my hearing even worse.  But talking with a different mechanic made me realize that "hearing folks" have troubles understanding certain people also.  It is one of those times it is important to focus on the moments when communication (without lip-reading) is possible with my cochlear implant.

After thinking about my struggle with the car mechanic, it dawned on me that perhaps the volume was too low...and it was.  It wouldn't have completely cleared up the difficulty in understanding the fast-speaking car mechanic spouting different lingo than normal conversation, but it would have helped matters a bit.  Being uptight or nervous really interferes with my comprehension...hard to remember that too.  Am I disappointed in those moments...some...but it is not a setback, just a clue to how complex hearing can be.  I'm still not too different from someone trying to learn English, the words crowd the brain (I must have a small one! just kidding), and it can't keep up with the newness of it all.

Now the best thing to do?  Never take my hearing for granted...