ANA Discussion Forum
AN Community => AN Community => Topic started by: ppearl214 on July 10, 2009, 05:08:19 am
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Every now and then, my AN reminds me that it has affected my life and something silly or such will occur due to it..... like....
when my balance is off.. and I'm at home, walking ... and bump into the wall... and.... I end up apologizing to the wall... I look at the wall and say "Oh, I'm sorry....".... like it really cares. :)
Anything comical in life happen to you due to you having an AN?
Phyl
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Good idea, Phyl! I still have challenges keeping food in my mouth which turns out to be hilarious sometimes. Recently, I had lunch with a friend and somehow a piece of squash just came flying out of my mouth, hit my chest and bounced to the floor. After a moment of stunned silence, we both doubled over with laughter. That same night, an edamame bean came flying out of my mouth and nearly took out Willie's eye! And, I have to admit, these are really funny moments.
And recently, I went to hug someone and lost my balance and ended up clinging to the other person trying desperately not to land both of us on the floor. :D
None of this stuff is serious or life-threatening and, let's be honest, it IS really pretty comical!
Debbi
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Sue and I were laughing the other night. I said I can't feel my face...only it came out like Robin Williams in his standup routine..."I can peel my pace". If you've seen the routine you'll understand why we started laughing so hard... ;) ::)
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Thanks Phly for thinking of all of us!
As an offshoot to once having an AN, I'm ssd. I'll share this baha tester true-story, one which I promised Jan, Lori & Mike I'd get a round tuit ;) sooner or later.
Couple months ago, I had the baha testers for a couple weeks in succession. One night Suzanne and I had dinner with friends at a great Irish restaurant near Annapolis. As the friends had not yet seen or heard of the baha, I was showing and explaining the what, when and how of the tester, since I had just gotten it from the audiologist that morning. But before the baha lesson, we all ordered drinks. So I ordered what many guys get at an Irish restaurant .... a nice tall glass of Irish beer .... the first couple swigs were delish, and I was looking forward to finishing it!
Well, the drinks came before the baha lesson .... and as I was un-snapping the tester from the band to show it more closely, it flew outta my hand and .... yep .... right into my beer glass .... still probably 90% full!!
My mind went wild .... thinking OMG ....I drowned it! Will my insurance cover it? Will my audiologist banish me for life?!?! What to do ?!?!?! I shot up and ran for a sink ..... any sink where I could pour out the beer. I frantically asked a waiter to pour it out but be sure to save the electronic device at the bottom!!! With quizzical looks from him and others, he disappeared for ten seconds and returned and handed me the wet baha ..... I immediately started blowing on it, as if that might help .... HA! More quizzical looks! ::)
I got back to the table and, still a bit frantic, tried to think straight .... while continuing to blow on it! How stupid I must have looked, huh!
In hindsight, I should have fished it out with a fork or spoon right then and there for two reasons .... it was already wet and time was not on my side at all (DUH!) .... and, perhaps the worst part, I wasted damn good beer!!!
Well, sad stories sometimes have good endings .... and this one is very good! Even though I had to pay for another beer, later that night I realized that, lo and behold, the baha tester was still working ..... OMG again! :o
WOW .... did I sleep good that night!
Warning .... don't try this at home ..... drowning your baha, that is!
Keep ;D-ing .... Greg
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Funny story, Greg, and Debbi and great idea for a thread Phyl. ;)
We all need a good laugh :D
Being SSD, I've started actually writing down the funnies about what I hear vs. what was actually said! Tinnitus distorts too.
The only one I recall is:
Husband "It has helped me with a lot of childhood memories." (can't remember what he was referring to).
What I heard "It has helped me with a lot of pornography." Good to know honey!
Guys will be guys. Oh yea, but that's not what he said......
Maureen
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Greg,
That's definitely a tough call.....beer or the BAHA.....I'm not sure which one I would have attempted to save! :D
Phyl, I apologize to walls too. Sad part is, it's always the same wall - still in the same place it's always been, but I still manage to walk into it on a daily basis. ???
Every day I find something AN related to laugh at - dropping my BAHA into the bottom of the freezer and having to climb in to save it...knocking my two little ones over like dominoes when I start to fall over sideways...the nice dinners with my husband and me with a straw in my wine...the random words that pop out of my mouth that have nothing to do with what I'm trying to say...hanging up on people who call because I put the phone to my deaf ear and figure there's no one on the other end...the list goes on.
Lori
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Good thread ...... if we can't laugh at ourselves .......
Somewhat related ..... when I was diagnosed and the surgery scheduled, our son was trying to explain to his then three-year-old daughter what was going on with Grandma. He told her Grandma had something growing in her head that didn't belong there and the doctors were going to take it out. Her response was "Well, we can just plant it in the garden then!" Needless to say that gave us all a good laugh.
I also have a favorite wall that I regularly say, "I'm sorry ......" to.
Clarice
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"Humor is mankind's greatest blessing" - Mark Twain
One of the slightly humorous aspects to having had an acoustic neuroma is in the effects of being SSD. In this case, the inability to determine the directionality of sound. I first started encountering this some time ago, when, while shopping in a mall or inside any large store, I would inevitably become separated from my wife. Eventually, we would seek each other out. She would usually find me first, often some distance from her. Naturally, she would call my name. I would hear her call but have absolutely no idea where she was. This would usually have me executing a flat-footed pirouette as I searched for my wife. I would usually spot her somewhere through my second turn. She has told me that it was very amusing (for her) to watch me do this 360 degree turn with a strained look on my face as I searched for her. I had to admit that it was funny and we both got a few laughs out of it.
Lately, we've decided to bring our respective cell phones with us in these big stores or malls and when she finishes her shopping, she calls me and tells me where to meet her. This eliminates the calling and searching routine. However, I don't always hear my cell phone ring (I have it on the maximum volume) but I've gotten better at keeping it in a shirt pocket where I can hear it. I think this will be another effective workaround...the kind some of us SSD folks routinely do.
Jim
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OMG, Greg!
The BAHA/beer story is a howler! :D
I can't believe the demo still worked after getting soaked :o The AN angels must have been looking out for you that day!
Jan
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Great stories! And, Jim, I'm totally with you on the flow pirouette! And, why is it that the person who's voice you are hearing is never visible until you've done nearly the entire 360 d of the pirouette? LOL.
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And, why is it that the person who's voice you are hearing is never visible until you've done nearly the entire 360 d of the pirouette?
Corollary 3 of Murphy's Law. ;D
Steve
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Hi All,
I would have to say that my chest (without getting into too much detail) save me the other day. My balance of course is off and I have an island in the middle of my kitchen and yes use your imagination, yep that's right BANG!! right smack into it. Anyways all's I can say is thank god I'm big there, yes it did hurt, but I think I would have broken something if they were not.
After the pain went away, I thanked them!!!
LisaP ::)
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um, Lisa... as long as "they" helped ease you from further injury....
::)
LOL! :)
Phyl
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just acouple months ago i went into the bathroom instead of my bedroom it was dark so i could not see anything i was looking on the wrong wall even for the light switch....then i discovered the bath tub..ooops......then there was when i am on the phone discussing forgetfullnee w/ sis n sat the phone down mid convo......emptied the garbadge took it out n came back in only to remeber i was on the phone....sis was still there babbleing about memory loss!
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The other day I got out of the car at the hardware store and walked toward the door. Somehow I started listing to the left which
has become fairly predictable. This time however I couldn't get straightened out and ended up making a huge circle in the parking lot, fighting with myself to get straight. I was laughing so hard at myself I was crying!
Once I got back to where I started, no problem and I walked straight in. Fortunately nobody else was in the parking lot. Nothing that exreme has ever happened before nor since.
Something I think is fascinating...maybe not "ha ha" funny is that I drive up a very winding road to get to my home. When I first
started experiencing dizziness, I thought I would never be able to drive again. Now, I am actually more comfortable in the car on the curves than I am when walking around. I feel "normal" while on that road....is this the brain compensating to the max because I'm terrorizing it by continuing to drive? Who knows?
You just gotta keep laughing.
Helen
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Helen .....
Maybe this is the same phenomenon as my no longer getting car sick on windy roads ..... weird, isn't it??
Clarice
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geesh! So, I'm not alone! :)
Was walking outside my office today.. trying to take a breather from a hectic day at work.. sunny, hot, humid.... I was walking through the parking lot in front of our office building.... looking straight ahead to where I was going.. one foot in front of another... however... my body completely veered off to the right at a 90 degree angle... headed straight for parked cars. A few folks walking by looked at me funny... yeah, a summer Friday afternoon when everyone tends to dip out early... there faces were reflecting that "what has that girl been dipping into, walking like that?" And to think... I was utterly sober. Go figure...... :-X
Phyl
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Glad to know that I not the only one falling over myself!!!!
LisaP ;D
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DonnaLyn
I can relate to the fax machine...I'm in bed laying on my good ear. All of a sudden a darn misquito buzzes around my deaf ear...I sit up cursing that critter for interupting my dozing off...Funny thing is, there wasnt a msquisto in the house...Wires must have been crosses somehow during surgery as I swear I hear noises ...I relate it to those who lose a limb and have fathom itches etc....I hear fathom noises...like the clicking of the signal light but its not on!!! ::) But I think the worse of this fathom hearin is hearin voices when no one is around....I cant make out words but I swear there is a conversation taking place. Now if my cat is trying to mess me up by being a ventriquolist (spelling)...she is a genious....
JO ;D
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JO .....
Oh, the fun of having tinnitus ...... buzzing noises, triangles clanging, swirling almost speech-like sounds. I think I posted somewhere else that when I am really bored or having trouble falling asleep, I try to analyze how many different things I am "hearing." Fortunately I can ignore the sounds most of the time.
Clarice
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Clarice,
funny thing is that after surgery, my tinnitus went poof..gone...no sounds ringing in ear....keeping my fingers crosses that it stays away.
JO ;D
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Oh, Jo! I hope that your tinnitus is gone for good. What a miracle.
Sue in Vancouver USA
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Thought I'd add my thoughts on this and also a humorous song for you all. I've put this on here a good while ago, and I can't find it, so it may be gone.
I get cobwebs that I brush away from my face. And I have the whispering hiss of constant tinnitus. Sometimes my brain decides to make some sense of the noise it is making (stupid brain!) and I hear distant radios, distant conversations of whispers, unidentified noises and also:
I have heard doorbells...usually as I am waking up in the morning. It's a nice solid Ding Dong. This has happened several times, but there is no one at the door. I know this is just in my head because when our son moved in, he came with a dog, and the dog never heard that noise. Believe me, we would have known if the door bell rang! So, one morning after this happened, this old song, sung as a duet, entered my head and the changed words just were there for me. So here it is for you. I ended the verse with "sail out to sea" mostly because I didn't have anything else, and to reference my Pirate friends. I highly suggest two singers do this at the Convention. It'll be a hit!! Go here to see the real lyrics and hear the music.
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/hearsinging.htm
I HEAR DOORBELLS dedicated to my fellow ANer's.
I hear doorbells and there's no one there,
I hear music but I know not where,
All day long there's buzzing in the air,
I wonder why? I wonder why?
I hear noises in my head all day,
And what's more, it doesn't go away,
Sounds that used to never bother me
They sound so loud to me, I wonder why?
You don't need analyzin'
It is not so surprisin'
That you hear everything you hear,
Your brain hears pitter-patter,
I know just what's the matter,
Because I've been there, too, my dear,
In your head you've got a tumor,
Yes it's real, it's not a rumor,
Those AN's bring on a symphony,
There is nothing you can take
You might as well commiserate,
And then, by gosh, we'll sail out to sea!
;D ;D ;D ;D
Sue in Vancouver, hearing doorbells
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Sue .....
Love it!!! That says it right on target!
Clarice
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Thanks Clarice. Yeah, that about sums it up I think!
Sue in Vancouver, USA
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Just popped in so that I could have a laugh!
Seems like we are all fooled - and foiled - by ringing devices! I was lunching with a colleague on Friday, heard a cell phone ringing, was convinced that it was the one in my purse, fumbled like a crazy women, upended the entire contents of my purse on the restaurant floor ... only to realize that the ringing was coming from the table next to me. ;D I tried to appear as if the whole thing was part of my master plan for world domination...
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I'm with you on the radio noises! My family got a lot of laughs out of my frequent questions about strange radio tunes. My brain settled on that explanation for what it was hearing, so it kept telling me it was a tune instead of tones. You gotta laugh at yourself...
Priscilla
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The only problem is that I've been singing that tune all day. Before this I had Michael Jackson tunes going on in my head all day and all night. Once something gets in there, it just won't go away!!!
Glad I brought a smile or a giggle for somebody today. My work here is done. Except if you are adding to this thread but didn't read the first page, you have to go back and read my song. ::)
Sue in Vancouver, USA
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Great thread, Phyl! I don't have any specific stories to add, but there have definitely been many funny moments in my life since my surgery...mainly related to SSD, but a number of drunken sailor moves as well. My husband just delights in teasing me about my issues and I have no problem with him (or anyone else) having a laugh at my expense...especially since I fnd much of it very funny myself!
Cindy
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OK, here is my story... As I was leaving our community pool with my family and we were walking toward our car in the parking lot it turned 6pm. The community sounds a siren everyday at that time and the siren is near the lot. As it happened my kids and wife put their fingers in there ears as it was very loud and annoying. I just put a finger in my good ear as it doesn't bother my SSD ear. When my kids saw this they just broke up laughing. I never thought it might appear funny but we all had a good laugh over that.
;D
Neal
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here Greg is your beer one. ;D
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I teach kindergarten and my students were so loving and understanding when I returned to work. It was October (4 months post op) and picture day and man was I dreading it but I put on my brave face (paralysis and all) and got my students ready to go to the gym. I sat in the rocking chair looked at them and said "Okay when we go to get our pictures taken I want you to smile nicely like this (remember I can't smile so I held up my paralyzed side with my hand).
We get to the gym and the photographer says "Smile" and my whole class is using their hands to hold up half of their face to smile. The photographer looked so perplexed until I explained it to her and we both laughed. They were just doing exactly what I had asked. I looked at the photographer and said "Can you please show them how to smile?". ;D ::)
Michelle ;D
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Michelle ~
Your story is both poignant and humorous - and demonstrates the innocence of young children who obviously are very attentive to their teacher. Thanks! :D
Jim
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Michelle .....
What a neat, heart-warming story ...... oh that adults could be as innocent and unassuming!
Clarice