The New Tests

There are some new tests that are being put through studies with Med-El to determine reliability, and all of that fancy stuff they need to do before releasing for use across the country. A couple of you asked what they are like and here is your answer. They are challenging...very challenging compared the the CUNY or HINT.

The first test (easiest) is two different people talking in quiet. You never know which person is going to talk but at least it is quiet.

The second test (middle) is two different people talking in noise. The noise on this test is not just the static white noise that we are used to. The background noise is other people talking. It is kind of like being in a fairly loud restaurant trying to follow two different people.

The third test (hardest) is four different people talking in noise just like I described above. This test is challenging.

All of the tests involve both males and females and no two tests are the same. However I will say that it is not the voices that trip me up as much as what they are saying.

In the HINT (the current hardest test) you might bet something like "the mother baked a cake." Not very difficult to interpret out of context like we do in a sound booth. The new test....the sentences are like this (this is one from the first test that I never forget) "He was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things." All of the sentences are like that and some are more difficult and longer than this one. I think the sentence structure and vocabulary make these tests more difficult.

Anyways...to answer the question about my current audiogram. Both ears are hovering at 20 decibels right now. They were a little higher in places...but this past visit I had the audiologist turn me down. I had too much power going through my head. It was funny that I actually told an audiologist to turn me down because I have always fought with audiologists to get more power than they would give me.

Anyways...I am off to class.

Three month update--Eight month update

Okay so I went to Chapel Hill last week. Everything was fabulous. Of course I had a minor panic attack on the way there. As I was driving the long miserable drive I noticed that my right cochlear implant was cutting in and out. I started to panic. Well as I got closer to the hospital...it completely cut out. I was freaking out at this point. I got to the ENT office and checked in, then it was time to try to figure out what was happening. I started by switching out the cable connecting the coil and the processor, and voila....no more problems. I knew the cable would go bad and need to be replaced at some point but I did not know what would happen when it did need to be replaced. Well now I do and it was not fun!

When I got back to audiology with Marcia I had her check my residual hearing in both ears to see how it was doing. I still have all of my residual hearing in my right ear, which I am pleased with. My left ear is gone, I knew it was but it was nice to have this confirmation. The loss of residual in my left ear is probably due to the multiple insertions that took place when trying to get the electrode in that did not want to go in. My residual hearing is not important to me, rather I have found it interesting that it has stuck around this long.

Marcia put me in the booth for testing. She of course had to administer the more difficult tests that are being used as a part of the research where I get to be a guinea pig. Whoo! Anyways...remarkable improvement since the first time I took these tests.

The first time testing...May ----and now

Easiest of the three tests...68% (may).....now 96%

Middle of the tests...40s (May)....now upper 80s.

Hardest of the tests....60s (May)....now 92%

I was not expecting this type of gain for the tests...but I am pleased that I am continuing to make progress daily. The implants do sound better with each day, surprisingly. The brain is remarkable.

I will be traveling to UNC for some research (I get paid) regarding to the new tests they are trying to develop in the clinic.

But for now I don't have to go back until November unless they tell me otherwise.

Hope all the others that read this are doing well with their new ears!

Lauren