Spent the day without CI and HA

Sunday, I took my family to a barbecue with the families of my wife’s company and others with whom she works. I’d put my hearing aid and cochlear implant batteries in my son’s backpack. When when we were just arriving, I heard the warning that the CI battery was out of charge. When I went to get my son’s backpack, I saw that we had taken the other one with us. Oops.

Well, I spent the day not wearing either my hearing aid or implant processor. I just read lips and that was that. I did such a good job of it, that some people didn’t know I was deaf until the end of the day, when I was talking about it. Others, thought my hearing had come back and I didn’t need to use the implant.

It feels good to know that even when I am limited, I don’t have to stay sitting around by my self.

As far as the recovery. Still making slow progress.

Breakthroughs: I think I figured it out.

I call it a breakthrough in my hearing anytime I notice something that I had not noticed before. They happen infrequently, but consistently. I am almost always less enthusiastic the day after a breakthrough. I thought it was just the natural low after a high, or unrealistic expectations, but not any more.

When I have a breakthrough with my cochlear implant hearing, it is because something changed. I always notice the benefits first, and the drawbacks the next day. If a certain sound becomes clearer, another sound becomes annoying to me. It’s a dance.

I’ve had a few breakthroughs recently. I had not written about them, but I need to, so I will now.

• I can listen to an mp3 of someone talking, and depending on the voice, understand 2/3 of it. That is up from a word here or a word there.
• If I am talking face to face with someone, I get it all. As long as I am looking at the person’s face.
• I can identify from the other room, which song from my son’s Thomas & Friends DVD is playing. (The song doesn’t sound right, or even good, but I know which one it is.)
• I can hear from a much greater distance than before. Part of my problem identifying sounds has been not considering things out of sight.
• My non-implanted ear’s hearing is returning to the point that I can understand some sentences when my eyes are closed.
• With some hearing in each ear, I can now identify who is speaking when in a crowded room… sometimes.
• I can understand a good bit of the sermon at church, now, and can follow the train of thought. (I can not look away to read the bible verses, though. I get lost.)

In all, things continue to improve and I am grateful.

Less Repeating Needed.

I had not realized how much I rely on my cochlear implant until I went to get a haircut. I explained to the barber that I am deaf and then answered a few of his questions. I then took off my CI and hearing aid. He said something. I completely missed it. I asked him to repeat. I missed it again. It took four tries.

Though, I still can’t listen to an audio recording and understand it all (at any volume), I am catching lots of words from peoples speech. I’ve found myself looking away briefly and looking back at their lips and not being totally lost.

Speech comprehension is coming! It’s close.

Clearer

Clearer and softer. That is how I would describe the sound of things in the cochlear implant. Making progress. Today I feel much better about it.

Oh, and my young friend who had her activation yesterday went home hearing her family say her name for the first time in her life. She is learning words and repeating what people are saying. Useable hearing from day one after being deaf her whole life. AWESOME!