I got a COVID infection a while ago that permanently disabled me pretty bad. Bedridden, unable to move much, etc.

The thing that really helped me was relaxing and listening to music. That’s what I spent my days doing as I couldn’t do much else. I became a real music nerd and just loved the bliss of hearing music.

A little later (two years). I got another COVID infection — I was taking very strong precautions, and couldn’t see anyone. It turns out I got it from my doctor. Anyways, this infection caused some brain damage which has caused me to mostly loose the ability to hear. And now I’m still mostly motionless alone in bed, but I haven’t even got the comfort of sound or music. Just a mostly silent (tinnitus filled) world.

I’m so scared of getting covid again. But mostly I miss the world and my old life. Being stuck alone in bed with only the internet for company sucks. People tend to be arseholes online. I can’t help but feel I got “natural selectioned”. Me and my wife were planning on having kids soon. Now I barely see her and I’m going to slowly die in a nursing home. There are specific genetic vulnerabilities to illnesses, and natural selection works with them (see what Europeans coming to America did). And I got fucked here. COVID was my end.

    • @[email protected]
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      229 months ago

      I would suspect they would not work. The damage from Covid appears to be neurological and bone conducting headphones only bypass the mechanical components of the ear.

    • @[email protected]
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      9 months ago

      someone tells you major life altering loss and grief from two years ago, don’t try to offer solutions to fix the problem.

      EDIT: yikes, the internet really is a cold place. yall are really a bunch of unsympathetic fixers and know-it-alls aren’t you? have you ever heard of commiseration? the fucking arrogance of those of you who think you can just waltz in with a solution.

      • Midnight Wolf
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        19 months ago

        So your solution is ‘fuck trying to be helpful, they’re finished, don’t even bother’? As someone who is in a similar situation to OP, kindly eat shit and die. I will happily look into ways to regain my mobility, cognitive sharpness, and retrain my brain to overcome my loses, and I’m sure as fuck others would as well. It’s fucking awful to be effectively chained to a bed or chair, forced to watch your life fade away, unable to do anything. I’m always up for trying new medical tech and therapy methods, and I go back to therapy every couple years to try again, and try new ideas.

        To have your state of mind is awful for yourself, but is nothing short of disgusting, hurtful, and distressing for others. Truly, fuck you.

        • @[email protected]
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          19 months ago

          You’re making a ton of assumptions here. Go ahead and be angry. You’re so righteous, you can’t even see what an asshole you’re being to OP.

          Do you really think they spent two years confined to bed, stuck online, without learning about potential solutions to their struggle? They come here saying the internet is not a welcoming place, and you just reply with a canned “try this!” solution they probably heard of on month two. It’s your arrogance that you think you can just come in here and save someone. What did you expect? “Oh thank goodness you came along to recommend that, I wasn’t able to Google shit myself”? Notice how OP hasn’t even replied to you??

          And so ironic that in a thread where the whole point is loneliness from people being assholes online, you respond like such an asshole.

          Who’s the problem here, exactly?

    • FundMECFSOP
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      79 months ago

      Sorry I’m sure your nice people but I don’t want authoritarian propaganda spam

    • @[email protected]
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      9 months ago

      what a bizarre plug. “grieving? try going to a middle school classroom!” the internet is indeed a cold place, man…

    • @[email protected]
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      219 months ago

      You think that covid has damaged their brain enough to turn them into a maoist? I doubt it.

  • @[email protected]
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    9 months ago

    Did you get vaccinated? Please say you did, and that you weren’t one of the dumb ones falling for all this bullshit. The vaccines, even if they don’t keep you from falling ill - greatly reduce the effects of Long-Covid, and the problems they cause with the body.

    • dohpaz42
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      179 months ago

      OP has lost their hearing, is bed-ridden, and has lost their future plans. And here you are kicking them while they’re down. There is absolutely nothing appropriate with anything you just said in your comment.

        • dohpaz42
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          119 months ago

          There is absolutely everything appropriate with it.

          If I gouge out my eyes, and then complain to everyone I’m sad now that I’m blind, I’m the one to blame for it. Why would anyone feel pity for me?

          Honestly, you sound as bad as those anti-vaxxers, sitting all high and mighty on your throne of shit. You think you’re better than OP because how dare anybody get sick if they were smart enough to get vaccinated like you. Your world is so black and white you cannot possibly fathom any grey in between. It’s ideologies like yours that hurt the rest of us the most.

      • @[email protected]
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        9 months ago

        If they fell for it, then they’ve effectively destroyed their own life. I’m not going to be sympathetic towards antivaxxers. The whole world worked as fast as possible to get people protected. If this person then rejected all of that work, all of that effort, and ended up like this? – Then they did it to themselves.

        • dohpaz42
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          169 months ago

          You don’t have to be sympathetic. You also don’t have to be an asshole and rub it in. You know nothing about this person, and yet you’re so quick to pass judgement. I pity you more than I pity OP.

          • @[email protected]
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            9 months ago

            You should probably pity OP more. They lost the genetic lottery on this one. I haven’t had COVID. I’ve been actually harassed and bullied because of the protections I took.

            So fuck antivaxxers.

    • @[email protected]
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      9 months ago

      This is 100% inappropriate to ask. While I am also very pro-vaccine and frustrated at the anti-vaccine movement, you’re talking to some who is grieving the loss of a major part of their life. Saying all this is on par with “Did your mom X with you” or “This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t Y so much” to explain disabilities. No one owes you their medical history and shame on you for asking. You’re fishing to put personal blame on to someone so you can get a sense of smug schadenfreude from another suffering. Let’s say the answer is yes, are you truly here to do a victory lap?

      • @[email protected]
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        9 months ago

        Let’s say the answer is yes, are you truly here to do a victory lap?

        Yep. And if the answer is no, then I’ll offer my condolences and probably do some research to see what opportunities for treatment they have available - so that I can help in the way I know best.

        • @[email protected]
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          69 months ago

          what a smug piece of shit. not just because you want to gloat at another’s suffering, but because you are fucking arrogant enough to this that you can help find a solution to a problem OP has had for years.

          Do you really think that OP is that much of an idiot that it took them two years to find some random asshole on lemmy to Google shit for them?

          You need to do some introspection, holy shit

          • @[email protected]
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            9 months ago

            I have helped find solutions for a handful of people’s medical issues over the years.

            I’ve found doctors often don’t care to do this research themselves. You too can help; as someone who cares about this stuff often times a patient’s best hope is usually a family-member who is diligent in asking questions and educating themselves further.

            So piss off, internet armchair expert. Doctors aren’t infallable as you may think; and I’ve known plenty to simply don’t give 2 shits and do not look further into stuff such as this.

            • @[email protected]
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              29 months ago

              Doctors aren’t infallable as you may think;

              The irony of raging about anti vaxxers while using their talking points.

              • @[email protected]
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                9 months ago

                Anti-vaxxers don’t trust scientific researchers and their research.

                I don’t trust for-profit “doctors”, who look at you as a pile of cash to extract money from.

                While related to the healthcare industry, they are not one in the same. MRNA vaccines are a technology that has been studied and perfected for a very long time.

                Doctors on the other hand, will treat you up until the point where they don’t believe they can extract money from you any longer. But there are still studies on Long-Covid that help advance that research and may even help reduce/eliminate some of the symptoms of its effects. Many of these studies are looking for participants, and don’t exist to extract money from the people joining them; in fact, many will pay participants. They’re risky, but in this particular instance, that may outweigh the problems that are being experienced.

        • @[email protected]
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          9 months ago

          Yep.

          Well that is just an outright cruelty. Fucking stop.

          And if the answer is no, then I’ll offer my condolences

          Do that anyways.

          probably do some research to see what opportunities for treatment they have available

          Holy shit don’t. This post isn’t your personal call to action. OP’s doctors know far more about their treatment than some rando online. OP is venting, not asking for your personal medical advice.

          Please, try to understand what you are doing here is harmful, not help and learn how the disabled community is begging people to stop saying these things.

          • ArxCyberwolf
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            49 months ago

            You’re speaking to a troll, by the way. This isn’t new behaviour.

  • @[email protected]
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    109 months ago

    This reminded me that Apple recently added a feature to iOS called Music Haptics that lets you feel the music on your iPhone. It’s not the same of course but maybe it helps out a little.

  • dohpaz42
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    109 months ago

    I don’t know your circumstances, or what you’ve tried or can try, but you could look into cochlea implants.

    And while nothing about this is ideal or easy, I hope you are able to find your way to heal and rebuild from this trauma. Grieve. You’ve lost a lot. But please don’t give up on yourself (or your wife) quite yet.

  • @[email protected]
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    169 months ago

    A week after the government lifted mask mandates here in South Africa the lady who usually helped me at the local pharmacy was dead. She was immunocompromised, and it took just a week of people huffing their breath on her for her to catch COVID and die. Just like that.

    I wear my mask religiously whenever I walk into any building. No one is getting COVID because of my criminal negligence.

    But it’s not just that. I also wear my mask because I don’t believe people should be allowed to simply forget COVID and all the shitfuckery about our society that it exposed.

    Sorry, I know this rant doesn’t help you in any way.

    • @[email protected]
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      29 months ago

      As the only person in my public-facing job to never stop masking, I feel you. Still get random aggression from strangers about it, but will just half-heartedly mention how lucky they are to have not lost anyone personally. Most people I know are missing some family since the pandemic.

  • @[email protected]
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    279 months ago

    It absolutely sucks that this happened to you, I would literary not wish your fate on anybody in the world. I won’t use this to tell my own sob story, but have you tried getting into video games? Most have accessibility features. Get “Factorio” it basically runs on a potato and you will unironicaly forget what the sun looks like. Sound is not important either.

    • @[email protected]
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      49 months ago

      I’d wish it on COVID deniers who think anyone who caught it and didn’t die is “fine”. They absolutely deserve that fate.

      • @[email protected]
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        59 months ago

        Nah dog, as somebody who’s experienced only a fraction of soul crushing loneliness and isolation, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. Nothing makes you feel less human.

  • @[email protected]
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    29 months ago

    Covid was an ugly part of the world. Music was a beautiful part of the world.

    is there are beauty left?

  • @[email protected]
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    9 months ago

    I got COVID related tinnitus, avoiding beans, and certain soy based oils helps slightly, but it’s not consistent.

    I stay healthy by doing painful amounts of exercise each day even if it feels like it’s killing me. It often feels like dying, and sometimes makes me very depressed (all my energy going into it, and being unable to think clearly after). But pushing my exercise limits every day, taking at most one day a week off for rest/recovery has helped.

  • Brave Little Hitachi Wand
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    89 months ago

    That’s just rotten luck. You feel like your life has ended, and I can see why. But it hasn’t. There’s more strength in you than you know, even still.

    If you have a favorite song, have you tried going to a lyrics site and imagining the song as you read? It’s not as good as the real thing, but maybe it’s a way to keep those songs alive in your heart.

  • @[email protected]
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    149 months ago

    There are corners of the Internet still out there where you can find some really great people to hang out with; like 70% of my friend group is people who all meet through online games. We get together in person weekly or so now but still regularly play games together and hang out. I know it’s no replacement for all you’ve lost, but maybe playing games with friends could be some comfort? Or some other hobby or interest group that can be engaged with online?

  • @[email protected]
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    19 months ago

    I pulled myself out doing my own thing.

    Can hear, but things sound like the Treble is all tha way up.

  • @[email protected]
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    39 months ago

    I’m so sorry to hear that. I don’t really have any advice but you’ll be in my thoughts OP, I hope you get better

  • @[email protected]
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    19 months ago

    I love music, I’m so sorry to hear about all of your struggles, it breaks my heart to read that you lost this one thing that makes things a bit less horrible.

    Are you able to enjoy other art forms? Visual art and poetry are both wonderful. Visual art is tricky because reproductions can often flatten works of art in ways that would make them even more mesmerizing in person, but I still get a lot out of viewing reproductions.

    I’m not as tuned into poetry but there is much poetry that I love and are worth spending time on. And like a song, a poem or a piece of art can be experienced over and over and experienced in new ways. There is a definite magic to music and the way it makes us feel things through sound.