When it gets right down to it, I’m the one who thought he didn’t need hearing protection all the time. Just when it was going to be louder than normal, right? Certainly not while waiting my turn on the rifle or pistol range. Certainly not while walking through the shop – not if I wasn’t the one operating the tools, right?

When it gets right down to it, it’s my own fault that the tinnitus is SO FREAKIN’ LOUD that I can’t even get to sleep because of it …

Well, I get to serve as a bad example. I could tour factories and military posts and say “Boys and girls, use your hearing protection. If you don’t, you will grow up to be just like me. Deaf, tired, and grumpy because you look back and realize you could have avoided the same fate.”

grump, grump, grump …

It’s quiet today.

Too quiet …

Actually, that’s my life for now. The Ear Nose Throat specialists, when told that I could not hear anything, decided that an audiologist would run a comparative test on me, using my February visit as the baseline.

The audiologist was very snippy when, after being told by TMBWitW that I couldn’t hear anything, I was not responding to the testing. The only thing that happened was 1) I felt a slight vibration while she was testing the bone transmission, and 2) I saw her frantically waving to get my attention so I could try to read her (very fast and compressed) lips through the observation window. Tough to do, but I figured out she was asking if I heard anything. I shook my head “no” and wondered if I could get my co-pay back, since so far I already knew everything they were telling me.

I don’t think she was in a good mood.

The PA, Lori, was concerned about the rapid change. Once she heard how and when, and the physical aspects (I was in extreme pain when it happened, it felt like someone was sticking long toothpicks into my ears) she made a call of “osteosclerosis” – I think. It took a couple tries to read that on her lips, and she finally pointed it out on a page. Wait – that’s not right. Otosclerosis? Hmmm … any way, it’s a problem in the ear bones (those three little dudes behind the ear drum) and she prescribed prednisone (of the steroid family) to see if it helped any. Then she said – get this – if I didn’t hear from them in a couple weeks to make a follow up appointment. I laughed and said “Let’s make it now, then!” At least Lori had a sense of humor, unlike Miss Audiologistwithnofunnybones.

Long story short – I can’t hear. It may be reversible. It may not improve.

I miss listening to music, especially the music of my wife’s and daughter’s voices.

God is control, and He will not leave me nor forsake me. His plan for me is perfect, and I look forward to what He wants to teach me now.

And, for now, it appears that the question of hearing first or sanity first is moot.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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The following words are keyed to attract the attention of the DHS and the NSA – including the new “Spy Center” in Bluffdale, UT: Terrorism Al Qaeda (all spellings) Terror Attack Iraq Afghanistan Iran Pakistan Agro Environmental terrorist Eco terrorism Conventional weapon Target Weapons grade Dirty bomb Enriched Nuclear Chemical weapon Biological weapon Ammonium nitrate Improvised explosive device IED (Improvised Explosive Device) Abu Sayyaf Hamas FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces Colombia) IRA (Irish Republican Army) ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) Basque Separatists Hezbollah Tamil Tigers PLF (Palestine Liberation Front) PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) Car bomb Jihad Taliban Weapons cache Suicide bomber Suicide attack Suspicious substance AQAP (AL Qaeda Arabian Peninsula) AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) Yemen Pirates Extremism Somalia Nigeria Radicals Al-Shabaab Home grown Plot Nationalist Recruitment Fundamentalism Islamist Emergency Hurricane Tornado Twister Tsunami Earthquake Tremor Flood Storm Crest Temblor Extreme weather Forest fire Brush fire Ice Stranded/Stuck Help Hail Wildfire Tsunami Warning Center Magnitude Avalanche Typhoon Shelter-in-place Disaster Snow Blizzard Sleet Mud slide or Mudslide Erosion Power outage Brown out Warning Watch Lightening Aid Relief Closure Interstate Burst Emergency Broadcast System Cyber security Botnet DDOS (dedicated denial of service) Denial of service Malware Virus Trojan Keylogger Cyber Command 2600 Spammer Phishing Rootkit Phreaking Cain and abel Brute forcing Mysql injection Cyber attack Cyber terror Hacker China Conficker Worm Scammers Social media

Sunday morning, after the Praise and Worship portion of the service, I had a horrible experience. The tinnitus that had been plaguing my sleep and awake times flared up HARD. Now, instead of a gentle static in the background of everything, the static is full volume and I can’t hear anything over it. Or under it. Or through it.

TMBWitW arranged an appointment for me for tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. How I made it through today’s work I don’t know.

As an explanation of what I hear, go put your headphones on – the ones connected to your FM receiver. Find a frequency between stations. Turn the volume up to eleven. Now try to think or sleep. Look at someone while they are talking to you. Can you read their lips? I sort of can – as long as they are facing me. I spent a lot of time not interacting with customers today. I also somehow managed to start the training for a new guy.

The thing I miss most of all is the sound of MEG’s voice. She is a quick little learner, though – her Mommy told her to make sure I could see her, then talk to me normally – and Daddy would try to read her lips. You could see that concept working through her mind, and her lips kinda moved a little as she held her fingers over them to feel what they were doing while she talked – then she very carefully got my attention, and said “Daddy, I love you.” I could read her lips – but I couldn’t hear her sweet voice.

Sure hope the Ear Nose Throat Doctor can help me work through this.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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The following words are keyed to attract the attention of the DHS and the NSA – including the new “Spy Center” in Bluffdale, UT: Terrorism Al Qaeda (all spellings) Terror Attack Iraq Afghanistan Iran Pakistan Agro Environmental terrorist Eco terrorism Conventional weapon Target Weapons grade Dirty bomb Enriched Nuclear Chemical weapon Biological weapon Ammonium nitrate Improvised explosive device IED (Improvised Explosive Device) Abu Sayyaf Hamas FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces Colombia) IRA (Irish Republican Army) ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) Basque Separatists Hezbollah Tamil Tigers PLF (Palestine Liberation Front) PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) Car bomb Jihad Taliban Weapons cache Suicide bomber Suicide attack Suspicious substance AQAP (AL Qaeda Arabian Peninsula) AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) Yemen Pirates Extremism Somalia Nigeria Radicals Al-Shabaab Home grown Plot Nationalist Recruitment Fundamentalism Islamist Emergency Hurricane Tornado Twister Tsunami Earthquake Tremor Flood Storm Crest Temblor Extreme weather Forest fire Brush fire Ice Stranded/Stuck Help Hail Wildfire Tsunami Warning Center Magnitude Avalanche Typhoon Shelter-in-place Disaster Snow Blizzard Sleet Mud slide or Mudslide Erosion Power outage Brown out Warning Watch Lightening Aid Relief Closure Interstate Burst Emergency Broadcast System Cyber security Botnet DDOS (dedicated denial of service) Denial of service Malware Virus Trojan Keylogger Cyber Command 2600 Spammer Phishing Rootkit Phreaking Cain and abel Brute forcing Mysql injection Cyber attack Cyber terror Hacker China Conficker Worm Scammers Social media

Been busy pulling together the 3rd Annual Toy Tester event at work. Tomorrow, 10 – 3. C’mon by, bring the kiddos, and play all day.

First one to mention that we are supposed to break 100 tomorrow gets a kick in the shins.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

Tweet

The following words are keyed to attract the attention of the DHS and the NSA – including the new “Spy Center” in Bluffdale, UT: Terrorism Al Qaeda (all spellings) Terror Attack Iraq Afghanistan Iran Pakistan Agro Environmental terrorist Eco terrorism Conventional weapon Target Weapons grade Dirty bomb Enriched Nuclear Chemical weapon Biological weapon Ammonium nitrate Improvised explosive device IED (Improvised Explosive Device) Abu Sayyaf Hamas FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces Colombia) IRA (Irish Republican Army) ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) Basque Separatists Hezbollah Tamil Tigers PLF (Palestine Liberation Front) PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) Car bomb Jihad Taliban Weapons cache Suicide bomber Suicide attack Suspicious substance AQAP (AL Qaeda Arabian Peninsula) AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) Yemen Pirates Extremism Somalia Nigeria Radicals Al-Shabaab Home grown Plot Nationalist Recruitment Fundamentalism Islamist Emergency Hurricane Tornado Twister Tsunami Earthquake Tremor Flood Storm Crest Temblor Extreme weather Forest fire Brush fire Ice Stranded/Stuck Help Hail Wildfire Tsunami Warning Center Magnitude Avalanche Typhoon Shelter-in-place Disaster Snow Blizzard Sleet Mud slide or Mudslide Erosion Power outage Brown out Warning Watch Lightening Aid Relief Closure Interstate Burst Emergency Broadcast System Cyber security Botnet DDOS (dedicated denial of service) Denial of service Malware Virus Trojan Keylogger Cyber Command 2600 Spammer Phishing Rootkit Phreaking Cain and abel Brute forcing Mysql injection Cyber attack Cyber terror Hacker China Conficker Worm Scammers Social media

If you can’t take the time to read restrictions on parking, certainly the information provided about politicians would be WAAAAY too much to wade through, right?

No, I did not obscure the tag number. I figure everyone should have a heads up here – if you see this one in your area of operation, just get out of the way.

Drivers like this is why I started #phoenixdrivers.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

Tweet

The following words are keyed to attract the attention of the DHS and the NSA – including the new “Spy Center” in Bluffdale, UT: Terrorism Al Qaeda (all spellings) Terror Attack Iraq Afghanistan Iran Pakistan Agro Environmental terrorist Eco terrorism Conventional weapon Target Weapons grade Dirty bomb Enriched Nuclear Chemical weapon Biological weapon Ammonium nitrate Improvised explosive device IED (Improvised Explosive Device) Abu Sayyaf Hamas FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces Colombia) IRA (Irish Republican Army) ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) Basque Separatists Hezbollah Tamil Tigers PLF (Palestine Liberation Front) PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) Car bomb Jihad Taliban Weapons cache Suicide bomber Suicide attack Suspicious substance AQAP (AL Qaeda Arabian Peninsula) AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) Yemen Pirates Extremism Somalia Nigeria Radicals Al-Shabaab Home grown Plot Nationalist Recruitment Fundamentalism Islamist Emergency Hurricane Tornado Twister Tsunami Earthquake Tremor Flood Storm Crest Temblor Extreme weather Forest fire Brush fire Ice Stranded/Stuck Help Hail Wildfire Tsunami Warning Center Magnitude Avalanche Typhoon Shelter-in-place Disaster Snow Blizzard Sleet Mud slide or Mudslide Erosion Power outage Brown out Warning Watch Lightening Aid Relief Closure Interstate Burst Emergency Broadcast System Cyber security Botnet DDOS (dedicated denial of service) Denial of service Malware Virus Trojan Keylogger Cyber Command 2600 Spammer Phishing Rootkit Phreaking Cain and abel Brute forcing Mysql injection Cyber attack Cyber terror Hacker China Conficker Worm Scammers Social media