
Former Deaf People Share The First Sounds They Heard After Regaining Their Hearing
[rebelmouse-image 18349631 is_animated_gif=Human experiences vary depending on your upbringing and where/when you were raised. Nature vs. Nurture can be debated forever in the halls of universities, but unless you live an experience, you can't understand where that person is coming from. Being born with a physical disability, like deafness and blindness, is a lifestyle few truly comprehend.
On the flip side, being able to finally hear sounds for the first time is another experience, albeit more positive, that not many will know. Reddit user, r/RealJohnGillman, wanted to grasp the unimaginable when they asked:
People born deaf who gained hearing later in life. How did it make you feel, what was the first sound you ever heard?
Do You Have The Time?
[rebelmouse-image 18349632 is_animated_gif=Kid in my 6th grade class a few years back had just gotten cochlear implants. Was nearly deaf before that. He was looking pretty confused and annoyed the day after he got them. Someone asked him what was up and he said "what's that ticking noise?"
He had never heard a clock before.
Jam Out To Those Top 40 Beats
[rebelmouse-image 18348407 is_animated_gif=I was deaf on one side from birth, and acquired a hearing aid at 23. Stereo sound is the craziest f***ing thing. For weeks after I got my aid, I was just jamming to the Top 50 Songs to Listen to in Stereo.
I have to take the aid off when I'm in the office at my corporate job because the sound of paper rustling makes me homicidal.
They Keep Falling On My Head
[rebelmouse-image 18349633 is_animated_gif=I wasn't 100% deaf, but very hard of hearing. When I had my hearing aids fitted at age 9 I was completely baffled that rain makes a sound when it hits the roof.
Also, you can hear a toilet flushing from other rooms in the house.
*Clack-Clack-Clickity-Clack*
[rebelmouse-image 18349596 is_animated_gif=My mom was deaf so when she got hearing aids, she ran into room while I was working on a school project and almost yelled, "What is that ticking sound?" I stopped and listened and it was dead silent in the house. She left and I resumed my work. She must have just stopped right outside my door because her head popped back in not a minute later and said, "Your keyboard makes sound! Did you know that?" The small things we don't even notice are big if you hear them for the first time.
The Wind and The Whistles
[rebelmouse-image 18349634 is_animated_gif=Not deaf but my Mom was.
I remember the first day she got her implants it was a pretty windy day. She said the weirdest thing was the wind. I was sitting with her and she asked me who was making that whistling, wooshing sound outside.
She proceeded to look around the house for a good hour, I had no idea what she was talking about and assumed her implant was malfunctioning. It began raining so I closed the window and the sound of the wind stopped and she pretty much broke down crying/laughing in frustration while shouting THE WIND MAKES NOISE DID YOU KNOW THAT WOW THAT'S SO CREEPY at like, 2AM.
It was that and whistling. She pretty much didn't stop whistling whenever she was alone for like two months.
Drifting Ambience
[rebelmouse-image 18349637 is_animated_gif=I've been very hard of hearing my whole life and was pretty stubborn about it up until I was about 26. I remember getting fitted for my hearing aids and hearing like, just ambient noise.
I dunno how to describe it, but I could hear people talking down the hall and there were just all these noises that weren't there before. Everything was so crisp and I could actually have a conversation with someone in another room without having them right in front of me.
The Sound of Blowdrying Tires
[rebelmouse-image 18349638 is_animated_gif=I was about 60% deaf from my ears being clogged to s--t with earwax up until I was about 12. Teacher noticed it when I wouldn't respond to her when she was saying my name directly behind me.
They cleaned out the wax and put ear tubes in. I woke up from the surgery and everything was loud as f--k, I was hypersensitive as I was hearing things I didn't hear before. i woke up crying covering my ears from the noise. Car ride home the sound of the tires on the pavement sounded like a blow dryer going into my ear.
When we got home I could hear everyone talking inside of our house, even the rooms all the way across it, (was a big house). My ears returned to normal somewhat I can't hear deep sounds anymore and always have to ask people to repeat themselves, I probably need to go again
Imagine Not Being Able To Understand Death
[rebelmouse-image 18345173 is_animated_gif=I wasn't really "born deaf" but went deaf slowly when I was 2. A surgery fixed my ears in 2nd grade when I was seven.
I remember when my goldfish, comet, died my mother took me to the sofa and talked to me about death and that sort of thing. I remember watching her face and not hearing a single word she said to me.
A week after my surgery, my parents tell me that I ran charging into their office squealing "When I cover this ear, I can hear out of the other one!!!"
Listen To The Birds Farting
[rebelmouse-image 18349639 is_animated_gif=I'm not deaf, but there are a lot of deaf/HOH people at my school. One loves telling the story of how their first sound was a beautiful birdsong, and the second, immediately after it, was his deaf little brother letting a massive fart go.
He assumed the sounds went together for a long time.
When You Have To Assume What People Say
[rebelmouse-image 18349640 is_animated_gif=Before I had hearing aids I was practically deaf, because of this I could never have real conversation with anyone growing up. I was also a nasty little kid to people, I always assumed they were talking about me because I couldn't hear them. Anyway, I used to tell my Nannan and my Auntie that I hated them, cannot imagine how awful that must have felt for them.
When I finally got hearing aids it transformed me into a new child. As cliche as it may sound I remember my Nannan walking to the bus stop in the dark and rain after visiting me at home, and as she was leaving I ran up to the window and opened it and shouted 'I love you Nannan!' Which was the first time I'd ever told her that. That's one of my fondest memories I think.
Quiet Down With Your Reading!
[rebelmouse-image 18349641 is_animated_gif=My aunt was not totally deaf, but she lost gradually her ability to listen in the last 30 or so years. She got an implant a few weeks back. I was driving her in a rainy day and she began asking me " was is that weird sound, like "shhhhh." I told her "those are the wheel of the car on the wet surface raising and dropping the water" She told me "I never knew tires made such a noise."
She was also amazed that turning a page while reading the newspaper was so loud.
What's The Deal With Lennon and McCartney?
[rebelmouse-image 18349642 is_animated_gif=A friend of my dads was deaf since he was a boy, and one year he finally got implants.
Before the procedure my dad asked him 'what's the one thing you always wanted to hear?' and he answered with 'The Beatles, I want to know what the big deal was. That, and my wife and kids voices.'
Quick, Turn Him Over
[rebelmouse-image 18349643 is_animated_gif=The first thing I remember is my mom's voice. The next is the birds chirping by my home. The third is my dad's snoring. Turns out snoring sounds the same with or without the cochlear implant. I got the implant when I was five.
I'm 24 now, and dad's snoring still bothers me without my implant, mainly cause one ear can slightly hear. Dunno how mom puts up with it some nights.
A Tragic Way To Start
[rebelmouse-image 18349644 is_animated_gif=After regaining my hearing in the hospital, I heard screaming of agony from the next room over from mine, I'm guessing from another patient. When I asked my family for the first time what that sound was they explained it to me and my heart dropped because that's all I heard when I was deaf.
Think About The Fact That Everyone Is Chewing...
[rebelmouse-image 18349645 is_animated_gif=Wasn't born deaf, but as an adult I started having a ton of fluid build up in both ears and I lost about 25-50 decibels of hearing between both ears. After getting tubes, I felt like I was super sensitive to every single noise. I could hear the air conditioner blowing at home/work, the dishwasher running from the living room. The hot water heater filling up.
Also People chewing (aghhhh).
We Forget The Joys Of Waking Up...
[rebelmouse-image 18346083 is_animated_gif=Not me, but my good friend. Instead of me talking about it, here's a direct quote from her.
I was very young when I first got my hearing aids, about three or four years old. And despite being so young I still remember the first time I put in hearing aids. The audiologist put them in my ears and I sat there for a second while they turned on and when they did I was amazed, and extremely curious. Because there was this ticking noise and I had no clue what it was. It was just the clock on the wall. I had no idea that clocks made sounds. I didn't know that you can hear the AC kick on and off, or that wind makes a sound. And to this day I sometimes forget that hearing people wake up in the mornings and they're just already hearing, because I have to put my hearing aids in first before I can hear anything. And when I go to sleep it's pretty much silence but y'all go to sleep with noises and I honestly have no clue how you do it. So whenever I hear a sound I don't usually hear without my hearing aids in it's always a little realization where I'm like "OH RIGHT THAT MAKES A SOUND" and then I'm extremely happy because I was able to hear it.
A Fart Is The Most Beautiful Sound
[rebelmouse-image 18349646 is_animated_gif=My son was very hard of hearing and when he received his BAHA hearing implant at 5. He was extremely amused at the fact that farts made noises. Also that his feet made noise when he walked. Him slapping his feet on the hardwood floors and laughing was adorable.
Share The Love
[rebelmouse-image 18349648 is_animated_gif=I'm not deaf. My first son was born severely hard of hearing. One ear only showed an ABR response around 2000hz at 120db. The other one wasn't quite as bad but nothing below 90db. The good ear was fitted with a hearing aid. When we out it on he just looked around a bit in the quiet office (he was 3). My wife whispered to me "I think he can hear" and his head whipped directly to her and he smiled.
I remember that night I made him a snack and as he was leaving the kitchen I told him I loved him (he would never acknowledge hearing anything behind him before) and he stopped and looked at me and smiled. It was the first time ever he heard me say it.
And Sometimes, It's Okay To Go Back
[rebelmouse-image 18349649 is_animated_gif=My mum has been profoundly Deaf since she was 2 years old (meningitis) and does not remember hearing anything. A few years ago she was offered a hearing aid powerful enough to actually make a difference, and so she heard her daughter's voice for the first time ever, having been my mum for over 30 years.
She wasn't that bothered, tbh. The noise didn't make sense to her. It was just noise. So she didn't wear the hearing aid much more. And that was fine for me too. Sound is not important in her world. She doesn't need to hear my voice. We don't need it to communicate. We're ok as we are.
Seriously, How Do We Tolerate This?
[rebelmouse-image 18349650 is_animated_gif=Not personally but one of my friends basically said "How the F--K do you people stand all this noise?"
To Bring Students Together
[rebelmouse-image 18349651 is_animated_gif=Not deaf, but have a good story. I went to public school in St. Louis, and we had a deaf kid in our class. He was from a poorer family, but the day finally came that the state funded hearing aids came in. They came with a little microphone for the teacher.
We all took turns introducing ourselves with the microphone for their first use. At first he just got a big smile on his face, then he started laughing really hard! Then, tears. A rollercoaster of emotions right in the classroom. At the end he was wiping the tears away with a huge smile on his face.
He went to the restroom later and when he came back, the teacher started to catch him up on what he missed. He started laughing all of a sudden, and pointed at his ears. The teacher said "oh...you could hear all that in the bathroom?" Big laughter from him and big laughs from the rest of the class. We all hung out at recess and just talked on the microphone with him.
23 years ago and I'll never forget it.
Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
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