Author Archive for
Linda Bilodeau
I’ve grappled with hearing loss since 1978. Through it all, I’ve faced periods of denial, acceptance, curiosity, trust and hope. But more often than not, I’ve felt annoyed, angry and frightened. I’ve encountered despair, loneliness and envy. I’ve experienced panic attacks. I’ve met understanding people, kind souls who helped me a great deal and others who thought I had nothing short of an invisible plague.
As a way of coming to terms with my hearing loss, I’ve decided to put my feelings about my disability down on paper. My hope is to better understand myself and perhaps you’ll find a little something in my meanderings that will help you, too.
All About Tinnitus
By Linda Bilodeau | | Coping, Featured Contributors, Health & Wellness, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories, Tinnitus
Meandering Through A Hearing World All About Tinnitus Is a ringing, roaring, hissing, or buzzing sound in your ears driving you crazy? If so, chances are you are among the 10% of people in the United States suffering from Tinnitus, a symptom of underlying disease or hearing loss that occurs equally in men, women,…
Read More Should Your Pandemic Puppy Be A Hearing Dog
By Linda Bilodeau | | Coping, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Featured Contributors, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories
Meandering Through A Hearing World Coping with the threat of coronavirus isn’t easy, and to help manage the stress of these uncertain days, many people welcomed a new dog into their lives. If you suffer from hearing loss and if you are thinking of getting a dog, you might want to consider a hearing…
Read More THE ADA AND YOU
By Linda Bilodeau | | ADA, ADA Disability Without Abuse, Featured Contributors, Personal Stories, Technology
Meandering Through A Hearing World THE ADA AND YOU If you suffer from hearing loss, you might wonder how the law protects you. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, making it illegal to discriminate against anyone with a disability. Initially the law only protected those who were deaf, but in 2008,…
Read More Are Hearing and Emotions Connected?
By Linda Bilodeau | | Coping, Featured Contributors, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories, Technology
Meandering Through A Hearing World Scientists are studying the emotional wellbeing of those with hearing loss for good reason. It is possible to lose the ability to hear the underlying emotional meaning of sounds. This may sound odd, because if you hear normally, you automatically pick up the emotional aspect of sound. Think of…
Read More Your Hearing Potential
By Linda Bilodeau | | ADA, Featured Contributors, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories, Technology
How important is it to treat a hearing problem? This question often comes up with those newly diagnosed with hearing loss, particularly if the hearing loss is mild. Some refuse a hearing aid or cochlear implant, saying they are getting by without intervention. In fact, it usually takes seven years after the initial diagnosis of…
Read More Hearing Sounds Once Again
By Linda Bilodeau | | Featured Contributors, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories, Technology
In January, and at my audiologist’s suggestion, I began a thirty-day, free trial of a pair of hearing aids with artificial intelligence. By months end, I was hooked on this new technology and traded in my Oticon OPN aids for the OPN S aids. Those of us suffering from sensorineural hearing loss have difficulty hearing…
Read More The Relunctant Hearing Device Wearers
By Linda Bilodeau | | ADA, Featured Contributors, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Medicare, Personal Stories, Technology
When I meet a new person with hearing loss, we generally end up talking about our mutual problems, how it is hard to hear in noise, how we miss too many words, the difficulties we face when conversing. We might say that living a hermit’s life is not so bad. In the end, we decide…
Read More Overcoming Hearing Frustrations
By Linda Bilodeau | | Featured Contributors, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories, Technology
I’ve watched my husband converse with our friends and noticed their conversations flowing from one topic to the next, without a hearing incident. It seems he catches every word, even in noise. My dear man answers questions or throws in a comment or opinion, without worrying about being off topic. Like most people with normal…
Read More Exiting The Hearing Shell
By Linda Bilodeau | | Coping, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Featured Contributors, Florida Chapter News & Events, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories
I’ve had interesting conversations with friends and acquaintances regarding hearing loss and sheltering. Most of us have stayed home for a number of weeks and adopted a lone-wolf lifestyle, family and roommates only. Some are saying that they prefer solitary living, even though everything around them is opening up. My sheltered arrangement included only my…
Read More What Does Hearing Loss Look Like
By Linda Bilodeau | | Featured Contributors, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss, Personal Stories, Technology
We all know what hearing loss is, but what does it look like? I’m often asked how I feel about my hearing loss, how I treat it, and how I cope. Truthfully, I ignore the fact that I don’t hear normally, slap in my hearing aids, and hope for the best. Yet, there are days…
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