Posted by The next 4 days were hard. I tried to carry on as usual. The new school year was about to start, and it was important for me to be in the school to prepare my classroom and to meet the new parents. I met the parents in what felt like a whirlwind. They were free to enter and see my classroom, and to have a chat with me and my colleagues. The room was full of voices. The pressure in my ear was building. Every time I turned to my left I was surprised to see another person standing next to me, who I hadn’t sensed was there. I wondered whether they realized that I could hardly hear them. I wondered if they were questioning why I stood so close to them to talk.
I met my new class on a Thursday, and forced my way through the deafness to greet them with a smile, and to help them settle into the school. But when the room was busy, and alive with chatting little voices, I couldn’t hear individuals when they came to speak to me. I couldn’t filter out the background noise. After work, I’d go home and lie on the living room floor exhausted from the day, and watch as the room tirelessly spun. I couldn’t focus on anything. I struggled to get up without falling back down again. I found out later that I was suffering from vertigo.
On day 9 of being deaf, I went to see my GP. She looked in my ear and said that it looked normal, but that maybe there was some inflammation. She gave me a prescription for some anti-inflammatory tablets and nasal sprays.
A week later I was sitting in the same doctor’s surgery.
My Hearing Loss Story 
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