Hi! I have a few questions about a surgery I had when I was younger and since my mother passed, I don't know how to get a definite answer. I was told that I grew up deaf, or at least not being able to hear. Everyone just thought I was a stubborn child because I would never listen. I was also told when I was five years old a doctor said I had been reading lips to understand people. I had a surgery to have tubes inserted in my ear drums, my addnoids removed and some sort of constructive surgery in my ear which allowed me to hear. I was told my first words after surgery were "what is that?" In regards to a bird chirping outside of my window, because I had never heard a bird chirp. What could have possibly been the cause of my not being able to hear and what kind of constructive surgery could I have had that would have allowed me to be able to hear? I sometimes have issues hearing certain pitches, but all in all can hear pretty well now. Any and all ideas are welcome! My mom has passed so I don't know who else I could ask now and am just interested in knowing what the issue was with me. Thank you, all ideas are appreciated!

If you had never heard a bird chirp, then you never learned how to say 'What is that?' So I suspect that your memory of what happened, and when, might be a bit fuzzy.
It would be good for you to find the doctor who treated you, if you aren't too old yourself, and you didn't live in a big city.
It might be worth being examined by an ear specialist, or if you don't have insurance, just get a free hearing test from a hearing aid store, and SOME of them are knowledgeable about ear conditions.
Childhood ear problems are very common, starting with general infections and mastoiditis. You could research that and go on from there, but it will be all guessing.
Also, try school records for the years you couldn't hear. Here's just one of many sites about childhood ear tubes.
https://www.childrensmercy.org/conte...MH-11-389p.pdf