Please tell me things get better
I'm 32. I got hit in the side of the head with a baseball playing in a rec league with friends 2 weeks ago. I have been deaf in that ear since the moment I was hit. The audiologist tells me it is profound sensorineural hearing loss that most likely will not recover. I am still waiting to see ENT. I have so many questions that aren't answered.
I'm devastated. I know things could have been so much worse, and I still have hearing in my other ear for which I am more grateful than ever in my life. But I am sad, and scared about what the future will be like. I have two young kids (2 and 3) who I worry my hearing loss will somehow impact my raising them (e.g. what if I don't hear a car coming when we're playing on the sidewalk?).
I just want to hear from someone who's maybe been in a similar situation that this phase of adjusting to life with hearing loss is the hardest part and that things will get better. That I'll get used to the constant tinnitus and difficulty tolerating loud/noisy places. That I will be distracted enough by the many great things in my life to not give much thought to it down the road.
Thank you for reading if you made it this far.