7 Stories of Escaping a Desperate Life from Tinnitus to Hearing Impairment Registration

 

One day, from the sound of birds chirping, nothing could be heard—an incredible story of my sister who escaped a hopeless life from tinnitus, hearing loss, and deafness.

 

1. The onset and causes of tinnitus

One day, I heard a ringing sound in my ear and the sound of birds chirping.

Starting from the neighborhood clinic, the diagnosis result at the university hospital is tinnitus!

We did various tests, but there is no other treatment method.

I visited several university hospitals again, but the results were just the same echo.

 

The cause was diagnosed as stress or possibly because my older sister had an abortion surgery at that time after taking cold medicine, which may have affected her nerves.

Was the stress caused by the shock of losing his job, possibly due to the first and second rounds of layoffs during the IMF period, which included my brother-in-law working at a large corporation?

 

➋ [Home Remedies and Korean Medicine Clinic Treatments]

A traditional Korean medicine clinic that holds onto a faint hope and believes it's good

I even searched for and tried various home remedies.

It was just a false hope.

 

3. [Self-criticism and depression]

Since I can't communicate with people,

I pretended to understand roughly and continued communicating, but sometimes I insisted I hadn't said certain things, and the volume of the conversation increased.

Communication difficulties have caused conversations with my husband and son to disappear.

I felt so sorry for that sister.

Moreover, because he couldn't hear well, he often expressed feelings of self-pity and said he wanted to die from depression, which even reached me sitting nearby, making me feel depressed too and causing us to cry together.

4. [Registering for Disability and Receiving Government Support for Hearing Aids]

Abandoning the stereotypes about famous hospitals in Seoul, I decided to go to Ajou University Hospital nearby, and while continuously checking and receiving treatment, I recommended hearing aids, but my sister couldn't accept it. As time passed, I persuaded her, obtained a disability registration through a hospital diagnosis, and decided to get hearing aids.

When registered as a hearing-impaired person, government support for hearing aids could reduce the financial burden.

How to qualify for government support for hearing aids

Registration for the hearing-impaired and issuance of welfare cards are mandatory.

Must receive (mild or severe grade)

 

Sister has a severe diagnosis: it is when there is bilateral hearing loss of 80dB or more in each ear.

We have inter-floor noise standards.

Weekly 39dB / Night 34dB.

You understand how severe it is, right?

General health insurance subscribers can receive support up to 1,179,000 won, and if you submit it to the National Health Insurance Corporation after wearing it, you will get a refund.

*Note: Support can be provided differently for mild cases or adolescents, so please check and receive support accordingly.

 

➎ [Finding Hope After Wearing Hearing Aids]

I am now able to have disconnected conversations with my husband and son.

But since it's a machine, it also picks up loud surrounding noises, so it was very tiring.

As time passed and technology improved, I replaced my large hearing aids with smaller ones that are less visible in daily life.

However, there was a limit where even with that hearing aid, I couldn't hear the sound.

 

Cochlear implant surgery and costs

What is a cochlear implant: A device that replaces damaged auditory cells in the cochlea by converting sound into electrical signals and transmitting them to the auditory nerve.

Later, the hospital recommended the WOW surgery, but since it was large and inserted into the brain, I couldn't decide easily.

Moreover, after losing my job and struggling to make a living, the separate costs of about 25 million won for surgery and rehabilitation became a significant burden, so I couldn't afford them, and time just kept passing.

 

One day, I went on a trip with my sisters, and the eldest sister, who is deaf, realized even more how close she was. She offered to pay for the surgery costs and said, "You're still young, so what if you keep living like this?" which led us to go back to the hospital.

Should I say that the sky helped?

Fortunately, Professor, who is over 60 years old, conducted research on the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, and I was selected as a subject for the experiment (at one month past age 60). The surgery and hospitalization cost less than 6 million won.

They also provided almost full support for the costs of speech therapy needed for post-surgical hearing rehabilitation.

 

<Transition from hearing aids to cochlear implants>

Insert into the head and attach the device with a magnet

 

➏ [Communication Methods with Hearing Impaired Individuals]

Is it a relief that, despite hearing impairment after surgery, there is no abnormality in the brain, so there are no issues with speech therapy and communication can still be maintained?

 

I actively listen to my sister's words with empathetic listening to prevent causing any hurt.

 

We wait to allow thoughts and feelings to be expressed comfortably so that communication occurs through positive conversations.

 

We have a conversation where we speak slowly in a low voice, looking at the face and eyes, and observing the lip movements.

 

➐ [Recovered Hope]

Meanwhile, with the development of science, artificial cochlear devices have also improved and become smaller, making them a size that can be accepted.

After surgery, hospitalization, discharge, and rehabilitation, my sister has become much brighter, and since she is disabled, she receives a lot of support.

I exercise a lot and try not to get depressed by using the free disabled train alone, going on nearby outings to see flowers, visiting the zoo, and so on, and I am doing well.

Still, due to the limitations of machines, occasional communication failures are unavoidable.

A story of finding sound and escaping from a despairing life caused by hearing loss