tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17073498408368105402011-12-30T07:33:30.691-06:00Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-38806643375286625142011-06-01T12:04:00.000-05:002011-06-01T12:04:48.963-05:00

I love salads. Always have. While growing up, mom usually made very simple salads to go with dinner - iceberg lettuce, tomato, and perhaps one other vegetable if it was on hand (carrot, cucumber, or radish). I would always help clear the table, and was glad to do so --> because if there was any salad left in the bowl, I picked at it until there was nothing left. One time, when I was a young

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-73365489965906392832011-05-27T22:16:00.003-05:002011-06-01T12:49:50.191-05:00

I'll be 51 two months from now, and I had never heard of perimeno until May of last year. The word may have been said around me during my lifetime; but, I never heard it - nor had anyone spoke about it directly in my lip-reading presence. So, when I started experiencing extreme dizziness, migraine headaches, electrical shocks, and bodily joint pain - everybody knew for certain that my cochlear

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-36450423650853660112011-04-25T12:58:00.000-05:002011-04-25T12:58:38.827-05:00

Senior Picture - 16 yrs old What were your parent's occupations?      Dad was top secret for Lockheed. He specialized in making sure electrical parts in aircraft worked, and were considered safe.      Mom went to work in order to put my brother and I through private schooling - this was due to learning of our deafness, and wanting us to remain in mainstream education while having smaller class

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-36158537335736894532011-04-11T08:56:00.002-05:002011-04-11T12:06:39.303-05:00

Yesterday, after church, Randy and I drove to Downtown Houston for brunch. Birraporetti's has good food and even better service. The people that work there, and dine there, are an obvious mixture of breeds and lifestyles. Old and young. Black, brown, and white. Gay and straight. Sunday church attenders and those that don't. Those that openly thank God for their food, and those that dig right in.

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-63800204007397338212011-04-07T15:06:00.003-05:002011-04-08T08:06:01.843-05:00

Pam and I - I'm without makeup in this one, can we tell? Yessss After moving to Houston, Texas, I decided to attend Beth Moore's final Fall study (in November); I got there a little late for a good seat, but found one toward the back in the lower section of Houston's First Baptist Church. I saw a beautiful lady sitting at the end of the row with a few empty seats beside her, went up to her to

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-69746175292091814092011-02-14T09:22:00.007-06:002011-02-14T11:44:47.112-06:00

Me & Randy - Married 32 Years/February 2011 I'm currently living in Houston, Texas, and after ordering a decaf to go, the man behind the register said, "Where are you from? You have an accent!" Eyes peering into my face, trying to figure me out. I squinted my eyes and peered right back, with a slight smile. I knew he was trying to pick up my bad self  put a finger on my unique voice.  I have

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-47454240252066861102011-01-24T22:54:00.004-06:002011-01-25T10:00:44.154-06:00

     Audrey - 2 years oldWhile visiting my granddaughters recently, I became aware of precious moments I most definitely missed when my own three children were toddlers and learning to talk.  Eleanor - 4 months old I know I caught many things my children said, because I was always conscientious about keeping an observant eye out in case they were saying something, or to simply try and be aware

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-85915171742610186772011-01-12T14:02:00.006-06:002011-01-13T15:29:45.831-06:00

My husband and I had a guest visit us, and we all went to dinner a couple of nights. Our guest has known me for many years; but, spent more time with me as a deaf person than one who can now hear. Over the course of my deaf  life, people around me either responded in one of two ways: kind of ignoring me, since I couldn't hear anyway; or, drawn to me, even though I was deaf.    Those who ignored

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-48202807907676364192010-12-07T09:01:00.000-06:002010-12-07T09:01:59.073-06:00

Kimberly, with her daughter, Audrey Growing up with a hearing-impaired parent sometimes was not easy. There were miscommunications, misunderstandings, frustrations, and sometimes it was downright hard. I grew up going from my mom hearing a little to hardly understanding what I was saying unless I was enunciating my words in front of her, so that she could see my lips. Even that could get

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-51833443115021793012010-11-18T10:37:00.003-06:002011-01-26T22:59:14.229-06:00

I've come to realize there are close friends/family who only call when they want something. *Aghast!* They mix it up with just a bit of news, and then it comes ... the real reason for the call ... "Gina? Can you _____________ for me?"  "Gina? I don't know how to _________________. Will you do it?" And, I always say, "Yes". I'm a nice person; an over-flowy, full of love, sickening type --> so,

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-38623954261667509672010-11-09T08:18:00.004-06:002011-01-28T08:53:43.986-06:00

My son, Chris, and I People think cochlear implant patients have surgery to hear, and voila, we hear like the rest of the world. No. We now hear sounds...and most of those sounds have to become deciphered and learned. That takes time. For most of us, it's the beginning of a new life --> we begin to learn to hear. Learning is identifying the sounds we hear, and making sense of it all...which, in

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-7462105522255250422010-11-05T21:52:00.000-05:002010-11-05T21:52:27.756-05:00

Ashley I can't honestly say that having a mother who was deaf had any lasting effects on my life. I was born with my mother being deaf, and didn't know my life to be any other way. I learned to speak slower and more clear to her so she could read my lips. I never had to learn sign-language, because my mom could speak clearly, and was a seasoned lip-reader. It was second nature to me to adjust my

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-10599551501360384432010-11-01T21:02:00.000-05:002010-11-01T21:02:38.506-05:00

I'll never forget when Randy asked my dad if he could marry me. Dad took him in the backyard and said, "You know, Gina has a little bit of garbled hearing; but, she really can't hear - it's important that you understand. Your children could be born that way." Randy said, "She's not deaf as far as I'm concerned. I love her, and want to marry her. Do I have your blessing?" My dad told him he would

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-46450661872722784482010-10-25T22:27:00.005-05:002011-01-28T09:07:15.429-06:00

I remember noticing a shift from dependency on my eyes to hear (lip- and people-reading) to dependency on my ears...it was frightening for me. It took several days of mind-boggling depression to really think it through -- I had cochlear implant surgery in order to hear; but, I suppose it's impossible to know exactly how it's going to affect you in every way, shape and form--one day came, though,

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-49477961712729674522010-05-22T11:21:00.000-05:002010-05-22T11:23:01.220-05:00

Brownies swirled with cream cheese taste like barf...that is all

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-71213876072401750892010-05-22T11:16:00.000-05:002010-05-22T11:17:57.199-05:00

ahhh baseball on Friday night while hubby happily snores like the 3 stooges beside me (he gets up @ 2:30am everyday) - fastballs & sliders, stolen bases, line drives, diving catches....♥

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-55854934043469699002010-05-22T11:06:00.000-05:002010-05-22T11:16:00.397-05:00

Here's what I think... A day is coming where we won't have the conservative voice - not on tv, not in print, nothing - it will be completely struck down -- will you then be able to not be influenced? Will you then be confused and not know your right hand from your left? It is important to know what you believe and why -- hold fast to it...if it's Truth, of course.

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-13036143944982060272010-05-21T14:22:00.000-05:002010-05-21T14:45:59.445-05:00

I don't like hearing things without knowing where the sound is coming from, nor being able to recognize said sound...especially when I feel it needs be to looked into. For example: I was home alone, windows open and bright, going my merry way through the house until I heard something fall then crackle. I don't know the direction in which sound comes; so, I have no idea where to look to check on

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-75315018830337610562009-11-16T10:16:00.000-06:002009-11-16T13:08:03.913-06:00

You'd think that after three years of hearing, sounds would no longer be an issue. They are. I still experience sound overload, and being overwhelmed. I still treasure silence, and the solitude of my own world. I don't want to go back and live there 24/7; but, I definitely crave it on occassion. Certain circumstances or environments cause me to realize things about myself...I don't always want

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-9240822007930096732009-08-20T12:59:00.001-05:002011-01-26T23:34:37.760-06:00

If you have a CI, and are planning on purchasing a new bedframe, you may want to stay away from iron and metal frames. (In the picture, see the gray round thing a few inches from my ear?) You could be sitting up in bed talking with your spouse, and all of a sudden they think you're lookin' mighty sexy. You respond with a certain look that confirms you're on the same page. Then *zap* - your

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-14854382177423811112009-08-06T17:15:00.000-05:002009-08-15T23:12:46.353-05:00

I realize this won't be as 'exhilirating' to you as it was to me; but, that doesn't matter...a miracle occurred for me today, and when it did, I wanted to kind of dance and celebrate right down the eye doctor's office hall. But, I simply smiled, stayed calm, and thought to myself as I looked at my doctor, "You have no idea that what we just did was a first, and a miracle." It was so effortless.

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-58603549997149772102009-08-03T13:24:00.000-05:002009-08-03T13:44:45.939-05:00

I was born severely hearing impaired, and became profoundly deaf by my early 20's. The reason? Neural deafness (dead nerves, dead ganglion cells, etc.). Dead nerves caused hearing to be missing from my high tones down to mid low tones. The dead cells caused clarity of sound to come across as weak, muffled, and distorted. Therefore, there wasn't enough available components working within my

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-23718964836858391352009-07-18T12:25:00.005-05:002011-01-26T23:42:33.457-06:00

Cochlear Simulation  Want to see what it's like to hear through a Cochlear Implant? Click the "Cochlear Simulation" link above, then scroll to the "Sine-wave Simulations" box. The links under "Processed Speech" reveal what sentences sound like with an implant.The links under "Original Speech" reveal what the sentences sound like with normal hearing. The various channel levels of clarity depend

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-12408785255080719202009-07-17T15:34:00.003-05:002011-04-11T19:00:48.455-05:00

One time, my husband and I were vacationing in Lake Tahoe, and we bought tickets to see Crystal Gayle. The auditorium was casino style, and we had a table just in front of the stage. Well, lo and behold, out came a ventriloquist, with his dummy, to open the show. The ventriloquist communicated with his dummy, which means there were no lips to read. I had no idea what was being said, nor going on

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-45710593979053424672009-07-12T13:41:00.001-05:002011-04-11T19:09:28.137-05:00

(Picture: My children)  Before cochlear implant surgery, my audiologist warned me about limitations to expect with artificial hearing. Concerning voices, she said, “If you find you’re able to talk on the phone (not all CI patients are able to), you won’t be able to distinguish between male/female voices. They will all sound the same. You will have to ask people to identify themselves in order

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-38016605212526763552009-07-07T15:50:00.000-05:002009-08-25T00:36:48.348-05:00

I’ve never been Miss Skinny Winnie; but, I was much thinner and fit when I got my CI than I am now. Once implanted, I realized I was very protective of the money spent toward the surgery, and outer CI components…and I stopped exercising. My excuses…I mean reasons were: 1. I didn’t want too much sweat going into my CI processor, and ruining it. 2. I didn’t want to miss out on hearing during

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-13403194507266064282009-07-03T13:19:00.000-05:002009-07-03T13:22:05.650-05:00

I’m thankful for my husband, Randy. Our insurance deemed this as an elective surgery…as if I was choosing to get breast implants or something. So, when I felt there was no way we could afford such a surgery (about $120,000), Randy emphatically said that I was having it…no matter the cost. He meant it, too. He has always supported me, and treated me as if I could hear. He always talked to me from

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-86179555567564967442009-07-03T12:48:00.001-05:002009-07-03T12:53:34.654-05:00

Looking back over the last three years, I’m sorry I expected so much from myself. I remember throughout my first year, I would tell my audiologist that I was disappointed, because I wasn’t able to always catch when someone was speaking directly to me, or I’d miss a sound that other people instantly responded to. I think we all (me, friends, and family) kind of expected me to immediately hear

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-14967275935841869562009-07-02T17:11:00.000-05:002009-07-02T17:17:25.733-05:00

Sounds I love: People whistling a tune A cork being popped from a bottle People’s talking voices (well, most everybody’s…some people’s voices are annoying, and unpleasantly surprising) Ocean waves – crashing mightily, moderately, and softly folding Great singers & musicians} – it can’t be too complex…simple, yet magnificent in quality, is the best combination for me so far. A perfect blend of

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-48846265552568209362009-07-01T15:31:00.001-05:002009-07-01T16:03:23.881-05:00

It's been 3 years since I first heard through my CI; so, lately I've been doing a lot of reminiscing. The picture displays where it all started for me in Los Angeles, California at the House Ear Institute. Below is the account of my first day of hearing... During the third week of recovering from surgery, still swollen, a little numb, and with a small section of the incision area scabbed, the

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-24119930524669093602009-07-01T15:16:00.000-05:002009-07-01T15:50:18.888-05:00

The pictures above describe: 1. My Advanced Bionics "auria" hearing aid. 2. The computerized implant that is behind my ear, in-between my skin and my skull. 3. The cochlea surgery, with the connected implant, and magnet in my skull. They all work together to send messages from the outside world, through the implant's devices, to my brain...so that my brain thinks I can hear :-)

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707349840836810540.post-57727897303288710172009-07-01T11:25:00.000-05:002009-07-01T12:37:31.009-05:00

Before hearing with my CI (Cochlear Implant), I went to movies (on a rare occasion) and basically watched the pictures in order to piece together what was going on. Background music, the sound of a character's voice, the tone in which one speaks, etc., are all missing elements for those who are deaf. Cartoons are even more challenging (and documentaries), because there are no lips to read, ha!

Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16486832764584983068noreply@blogger.com