Well it has been 11 days since my activation and everything is going great. I am looking forward to my next mapping on January 5th. Hopefully I will come out hearing even better than I am now. I can talk on the phone with the CI, which is awesome. I can even listen to talk shows on the radio which is phenomonal. I don't ever remember having this ability.
Over the past week communication with my husband has improved greatly. Even he has made comments that he does not have to repeat things as much for me. Work has even improved. I can understand my students better every day. I am still only using the CI in order to force my brain to learn to hear with it. I have tried my hearing aid once, and it took me awhile of playing with the CI and HA settings to get the sounds semi close to where I could understand. The results with both the CI and HA were marvelous, I could hear so much. I will eventually wear the HA but right now it is important to rely on the CI. I am still working on my therapy daily.
I am looking forward to the Holidays coming up....partly because I spent Thanksgiving out of it on pain medications as my surgery was two days before Thanksgiving. I am also looking forward to the holidays because I will be around family and mainly my neices, nephews and cousins. I can't wait to hear my three year old nephew tomorrow.
All is well, and it gets better with everyday. I love my CI and look forward to the other. Hopefully it will happen in the spring of 2009.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
CI Day 4
Well today has gone fairly well. I am continuing to use the CI on the phone, which is going remarkably well.
I watched some television this afternoon and I was able to understand parts of what I was hearing without the captions. I dont know that I will ever completely give up captions but I will certainly start trying to watch tv without them to see what I can understand.
I have been doing some listening exercises and those are going well....everything is getting better.
I watched some television this afternoon and I was able to understand parts of what I was hearing without the captions. I dont know that I will ever completely give up captions but I will certainly start trying to watch tv without them to see what I can understand.
I have been doing some listening exercises and those are going well....everything is getting better.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
CI Day 3
Well today has certainly been awesome.
Things went great at school today, much better than yesterday.
This afternoon I met with a professor in a coffee shop and was able to communicate despite other customers as well as the background noise being produced by the coffee grinder, etc.
Tonight I was able to have an entire conversation on the phone with my mom using the CI only. This was awesome. This has been one thing that has worried and scared me about the CI since I received it. I was not sure if I would be able to adequately communicate on the phone as I never was able to using my hearing aids. I always had to take the hearing aids out. So for today being my third day since activation I am thrilled that I can hear on the telephone.
More and more joyful days to come. What a great Christmas present this is working out to be!!!!
Things went great at school today, much better than yesterday.
This afternoon I met with a professor in a coffee shop and was able to communicate despite other customers as well as the background noise being produced by the coffee grinder, etc.
Tonight I was able to have an entire conversation on the phone with my mom using the CI only. This was awesome. This has been one thing that has worried and scared me about the CI since I received it. I was not sure if I would be able to adequately communicate on the phone as I never was able to using my hearing aids. I always had to take the hearing aids out. So for today being my third day since activation I am thrilled that I can hear on the telephone.
More and more joyful days to come. What a great Christmas present this is working out to be!!!!
Day 2 with the CI
Today was interesting. It was my first day back at work with the CI. I am a school teacher, I also teach children with hearing losses. I did have a little trouble understanding my students but it did improve as the day went on.
The worst part of today was by all means the cafeteria during lunch. It was loud, almost painfully. For the most part I have just been playing with my programs and trying to figure out what it is that I like. Right now I am leaning towards program 2 for the majority of situations.
One of the best parts of the day was the evening. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and I had my back to my husband. He asked me a question and I was able to understand and respond with my back turned. He was so excited. That was the first time I have ever been able to do this.
Some of the sounds I have heard today:
the trash can rolling down the hall at the end of the day as they clean up
the car window rolling down
the keyboard clicking as I type
the heat or lights in my classroom (not sure which)
The worst part of today was by all means the cafeteria during lunch. It was loud, almost painfully. For the most part I have just been playing with my programs and trying to figure out what it is that I like. Right now I am leaning towards program 2 for the majority of situations.
One of the best parts of the day was the evening. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and I had my back to my husband. He asked me a question and I was able to understand and respond with my back turned. He was so excited. That was the first time I have ever been able to do this.
Some of the sounds I have heard today:
the trash can rolling down the hall at the end of the day as they clean up
the car window rolling down
the keyboard clicking as I type
the heat or lights in my classroom (not sure which)
Activation Day
Well activation was three days ago on Tuesday December 9, 2008. I was excited going into activation because I was not really sure what to expect, but I was trying to be somewhat pessimistic about everything. I did not want to get my hopes dashed.
When they first connected the implant I had to listen to a series of beeps to judge my comfort level. This was somewhat difficult for me as the pitches increased in frequency. By the time we got to the last electrode the pitch was so high it was hard to judge comfort level. Anyways we got everything figured out and it was time to go live.
When I first went live with the CI, I was upset emotionally. The sounds I heard were horrible. They were atrocious and I just wanted to take the implant off and never put it back on. However, with my experience with implants and hearing aids I knew that it would get better with time so I tried to be patient. In the beginning there was a lot of static and voices had a Darth Vader quality to them.
One of the first sounds I heard was an annoying tapping sound. We finally figured out that I was hearing the clock ticking above my head. We continued on with the session consisting of the audiologist explaining all the equipment and how to operate everything. With every passing minute I was able to understand better and my hearing improved.
The audiologist had me put my other hearing aid on with the CI as well. I did not like that initially so I took the hearing aid off. I am not wearing the hearing aid and I do not plan to for several months in order to train my ear to hear with the CI.
Towards the end of my session the audiologist put me in the booth to see where my map was at this point. I came out at 30dB across the spectrum. My speech reception was at 35dB. I was pleased as I was hoping to be around 45-50dB.
Mom and I left the hospital and headed home. We stopped at the Burlington outlets to let me walk around and see what experiences I had. It was really not bad...there was still some static but it was getting better.
We stopped by my grandmothers on the way home and it was great to see my grandmother and aunt for the first time with my CI. I was able to hear my aunt laughing in the other room.
Some of the other sounds that I heard today were:
women's heels clicking as they walked
windshield wipers
rain
water splashing under my tires
When they first connected the implant I had to listen to a series of beeps to judge my comfort level. This was somewhat difficult for me as the pitches increased in frequency. By the time we got to the last electrode the pitch was so high it was hard to judge comfort level. Anyways we got everything figured out and it was time to go live.
When I first went live with the CI, I was upset emotionally. The sounds I heard were horrible. They were atrocious and I just wanted to take the implant off and never put it back on. However, with my experience with implants and hearing aids I knew that it would get better with time so I tried to be patient. In the beginning there was a lot of static and voices had a Darth Vader quality to them.
One of the first sounds I heard was an annoying tapping sound. We finally figured out that I was hearing the clock ticking above my head. We continued on with the session consisting of the audiologist explaining all the equipment and how to operate everything. With every passing minute I was able to understand better and my hearing improved.
The audiologist had me put my other hearing aid on with the CI as well. I did not like that initially so I took the hearing aid off. I am not wearing the hearing aid and I do not plan to for several months in order to train my ear to hear with the CI.
Towards the end of my session the audiologist put me in the booth to see where my map was at this point. I came out at 30dB across the spectrum. My speech reception was at 35dB. I was pleased as I was hoping to be around 45-50dB.
Mom and I left the hospital and headed home. We stopped at the Burlington outlets to let me walk around and see what experiences I had. It was really not bad...there was still some static but it was getting better.
We stopped by my grandmothers on the way home and it was great to see my grandmother and aunt for the first time with my CI. I was able to hear my aunt laughing in the other room.
Some of the other sounds that I heard today were:
women's heels clicking as they walked
windshield wipers
rain
water splashing under my tires
Successful surgery
Well it has been awhile since I have posted. So to update everyone. I had my surgery on November 25th and all went well. I stayed overnight at the hospital and went home the next morning. Thanksgiving was okay, but I was sleeping for most of it. I did have several people bringing food for me and Kevin.
The bandage was bothersome, especially having to wear it for a week. Sleeping elevated is not that great either.
All is well though, and went back to Chapel Hill on December 1st and they took my bandage off, what a relief.
Coming up next, activation on Dec. 9th.
The bandage was bothersome, especially having to wear it for a week. Sleeping elevated is not that great either.
All is well though, and went back to Chapel Hill on December 1st and they took my bandage off, what a relief.
Coming up next, activation on Dec. 9th.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Well today was the big day. I had my appointment today at Chapel Hill to determine if I was an implant candidate. Well all went well and I am in fact a bilateral implant candidate. The most shocking part was trying to schedule a surgery date. I was thinking at least two to three weeks at the earliest. Well how is four days. My surgery is on Tuesday November 25th. My right ear will be implanted with Med-El.
I will update more later. I go for my pre-op work tomorrow.
Lauren
I will update more later. I go for my pre-op work tomorrow.
Lauren
Monday, November 10, 2008
Starting my Journey
I am a 23 year old female with a severe profound hearing loss in both ears. I was born with a hearing loss however I was not identified until I was three years old. I started wearing hearing aids at three years of age and I have worn them ever since. It has been 20 years now. My hearing loss started becoming progressive in 2000, and since then has deteriorated quickly. I struggle every day to hear anything whether it is my husband or my mom, or the students I teach.I have known for years that I would probably have to go the route of a cochlear implant at some point, but now that it is here I am terrified. I don't know why I am scared....the thought of hearing better, the thought of giving up my ear permanently.
I know I should not be scared because a CI will end many of my battles with hearing. One of my primary battles takes place everyday at my job. I am a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in a small rural community. I have three students and they all hear better than me (2 CIs, 1 HA). On a daily basis I will think they said something they didn't or that they left off an important speech marker such as plural s and almost every time they have to tell me what they said a second or third time sometimes. These are just the struggles at work. Not to mention my struggles with family, and graduate school. My graduate classes can be a nightmare sometimes depending on the number of people and style of classroom and not to mention the professor. So one would think that after fighting all of these battles on a daily basis that I would be ready to give up one ear for a CI...I would think so to, but I am still terrified.
However, I am tired at the end of the day and I know within me that a CI would make my life better so I am going to take the first step this morning and call the University of NC and schedule my initial evaluation. We will see what happens from there.
Lauren
I know I should not be scared because a CI will end many of my battles with hearing. One of my primary battles takes place everyday at my job. I am a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in a small rural community. I have three students and they all hear better than me (2 CIs, 1 HA). On a daily basis I will think they said something they didn't or that they left off an important speech marker such as plural s and almost every time they have to tell me what they said a second or third time sometimes. These are just the struggles at work. Not to mention my struggles with family, and graduate school. My graduate classes can be a nightmare sometimes depending on the number of people and style of classroom and not to mention the professor. So one would think that after fighting all of these battles on a daily basis that I would be ready to give up one ear for a CI...I would think so to, but I am still terrified.
However, I am tired at the end of the day and I know within me that a CI would make my life better so I am going to take the first step this morning and call the University of NC and schedule my initial evaluation. We will see what happens from there.
Lauren
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