OP
OP
dogwheels
post-grad
United KingdomHi everyone @DogLoverx3 @Ellejay @Jozilla @TexasTee @zlady @cafecortado @hopefaith - thank you all so much for your very kind words and support yesterday.
As you rightly say @cafecortado, Mums feel the pain worst of all. I would have back to back Knee replacements tomorrow if it would repair her hearing.
We were all a bit shocked, and when my daughter arrived back from the hospital yesterday she looked as though she had been kicked hard in the stomach and had all the stuffing knocked out of her. Still, we chatted about it and she went home to change and then travelled straight up to London for a round of business meetings! Her biggest fear currently, is that the hearing she has will degenerate quickly. If it is merely damage that will remain in its damaged state, she is fine with it. She says that what you don't have you don't miss, and as she has managed this long with no problem she can continue doing so. She is also grateful that it explains a lot of things - her extreme tiredness when she is working flat out - and the fact that when she is extremely busy, and then relaxing, she sometimes appears to not listen - her brain is actually recovering then from the strain of lip reading and 'tuning in' so she effectively 'switches off'.
Any form of hearing aid she needs will be dictated by her particular problem - but we have already looked at options: a disposable one that is left in for 4 months and then replaced, and one of the invisible deep ear canal options that are completely invisible. You are right @TexasTee, advances in this area are spectacular. Plus as you say, she is dynamic and achieved so much already, goodness knows what will happen when she is firing on all cylinders!
As soon as our friends get back with recommendations of top specialists, she can have the MRI, be seen and become better informed.
It saddens me @Ellejay that if she couldn't afford to pay for these state of the art unobtrusive devices - the NHS would only provide external hearing aids. She is also mightily miffed that she will now have to inform any prospective employer about her 'disability' - whereas no one asks if someone has poor eyesight and wears contacts. Typically, my husband was saying how these hearing aids are undetectable and come in a variety of flesh tones - but daughter said 'If I have to have the things I will have them in a wicked colour!
Poor kid - just to make the day 100 times worse, she got home to find Gilbert the rat in a very poor way, lying in a pool of bloody urine. I knew she'd need some support after everything that had happened, so I went and picked them both up for the trip to the Emergency vets. They have given him pain killer and antibiotic shots but he doesn't seem to be rallying very quickly. Back to her own vets tonight after work - I am taking him and meeting her there, but the prognosis doesn't look good at all. He is very old and I don't think he has much fight left. As if she hasn't got enough to deal with .....
No matter how strong and grown up they are - you just want to absorb all their pain and worry yourself.
Will keep you posted, but I think it will be a rather sad few days.
Take care everyone - and thanks again for the support, it means so much to have such caring friends.
XXX
As you rightly say @cafecortado, Mums feel the pain worst of all. I would have back to back Knee replacements tomorrow if it would repair her hearing.
We were all a bit shocked, and when my daughter arrived back from the hospital yesterday she looked as though she had been kicked hard in the stomach and had all the stuffing knocked out of her. Still, we chatted about it and she went home to change and then travelled straight up to London for a round of business meetings! Her biggest fear currently, is that the hearing she has will degenerate quickly. If it is merely damage that will remain in its damaged state, she is fine with it. She says that what you don't have you don't miss, and as she has managed this long with no problem she can continue doing so. She is also grateful that it explains a lot of things - her extreme tiredness when she is working flat out - and the fact that when she is extremely busy, and then relaxing, she sometimes appears to not listen - her brain is actually recovering then from the strain of lip reading and 'tuning in' so she effectively 'switches off'.
Any form of hearing aid she needs will be dictated by her particular problem - but we have already looked at options: a disposable one that is left in for 4 months and then replaced, and one of the invisible deep ear canal options that are completely invisible. You are right @TexasTee, advances in this area are spectacular. Plus as you say, she is dynamic and achieved so much already, goodness knows what will happen when she is firing on all cylinders!
As soon as our friends get back with recommendations of top specialists, she can have the MRI, be seen and become better informed.
It saddens me @Ellejay that if she couldn't afford to pay for these state of the art unobtrusive devices - the NHS would only provide external hearing aids. She is also mightily miffed that she will now have to inform any prospective employer about her 'disability' - whereas no one asks if someone has poor eyesight and wears contacts. Typically, my husband was saying how these hearing aids are undetectable and come in a variety of flesh tones - but daughter said 'If I have to have the things I will have them in a wicked colour!
Poor kid - just to make the day 100 times worse, she got home to find Gilbert the rat in a very poor way, lying in a pool of bloody urine. I knew she'd need some support after everything that had happened, so I went and picked them both up for the trip to the Emergency vets. They have given him pain killer and antibiotic shots but he doesn't seem to be rallying very quickly. Back to her own vets tonight after work - I am taking him and meeting her there, but the prognosis doesn't look good at all. He is very old and I don't think he has much fight left. As if she hasn't got enough to deal with .....
No matter how strong and grown up they are - you just want to absorb all their pain and worry yourself.
Will keep you posted, but I think it will be a rather sad few days.
Take care everyone - and thanks again for the support, it means so much to have such caring friends.
XXX
I'm so sorry Chris. When it rains, it pours, huh? My thoughts are still with you and your daughter. And now with Gilbert as well 
and you are blessed to have doctor friends for advice and direction. We never new that our daughter had a vision problem until she was in high school and I'll never forget when she walked out of the opthamologists office with contacts in and said "Wow --that's how the mountains look". I thought "How did I miss it!" It explained why she was not interesting in reading and math issues. She cannot tolerate contacts and looks fabulous in glasses. 
Probably explains why I enjoy being by the ocean as it neutralizes the sounds. I know your daughter will have the best of care.
