Denise, Chloe, Chris, Kyersten and Tyco

Chloe – 3 year old Vizsla/Retriever mix and hearing assistance dog

Chris – 17 year old son

Kyersten – 18 year old daughter

Tyco – year old Norwegian Elkhound

My entire family (all the humans anyway) are headed to North Carolina this morning.  I can’t remember the last time I was “home alone”.  I was up late last night thinking about it even… tossing and turning and failing to get any sleep due to the fact I was worryin’ I wouldn’t GET ANY SLEEP over the days to come!  (Now I ask you… Does that make sense?)

At night, I am completely and totally deaf.  As my Nucleus Freedom implant is in it’s Dry n’ store (a device that SUCKS THE MOISTURE out of the electronics to keep it working properly, etc), I do not have the bionic hearing I boast of during the day.

It’s peculiar how I’ll still “sense” things, however.  For example, we have had a great number of electrical storms during the last week.  The flashes of lightening from behind our bedroom curtains, and even the house shaking/vibrating after a close crash of thunder, will rouse me from the deepest sleep!  Chloe (my assistance dog from Fidos For Freedom), sleeps right through storms as she’s been taught that a storm isn’t a sound in which I need to be alerted.

We have a new dog in the house.  Tyco is a Norwegian Elkhound puppy (just turned a year old) that we adopted from a local rescue.  He sleeps in his kennel downstairs, and Chloe (who also acts as my alarm clock) sleeps next to my bed… for obvious reasons.  You’d think I’d feel at ease about having the house to myself.  Especially so, as Chloe alerts me faithfully to anything out of the ordinary in addition to her trained alerts!  I have to wonder if I’ll be aware of “things that go bump in the night”?  Only time will tell… well… rather, only tonight will tell!

Denise Portis

© Hearing Loss Journal

Addendum:  It was so nice to see my wonderful husband and children come through that door Tuesday!  I’m certain I’ll sleep better tonight!