Char's Cochlear Implant Journey

We have several other CI stories posted on this website, and all are interesting and informative, especially to people who are considering an implant. But this one is special to me, because Char is my wife of 35 years! We were fortunate to have discussed the whole process with many CI recipients, so we knew what to expect. Still, there were some surprises and lots of 'AHA!' moments!

Hookup!

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

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Hookup!

Day 2

Ok, Day 2 after my cochlear implant activation.

I woke up in the morning and wasn't real enthusiastic about putting it on. But I did of course.

You know that I first heard beeps that turned into robotic voices that sounded all the same, no matter who was speaking. The same beeps (it seems) turned into various environmental sounds also.

The morning of Day 2 was much the same. But, I had Larry put his hand over his mouth and asked him to say something to see if could understand without lipreading.

I did! Now I can't do that consistently but it does happen. Still, everyone sounded the same -- robotic voices devoid of any personality.

My son and his wife and five and four year old girls are here and we all went to the swap meet. After a couple of hours, it happened that Larry was talking and all of a sudden, I heard a bit of Larry mixed in with that robotic voice! Wow, that was so exciting! Later on in the day, Larry's and my son's voices became more like their own, although my daughter-in-law Dawna still sounded like a robot. The grandgirls' voices surprisingly are beginning to sound like their own. So this is BIG progress for Day 2.

But -
1. I have to concentrate on the voices.. I don't have any sense of where sounds are coming from.
2. I have a sense of hearing the Peter Gunn theme music in the background and I am not even sure that I even know the Peter Gunn theme !

I thought I would want to keep my hearing aid in my other ear but actually no, I use it very little. It is fascinating listening to all the new sounds with the implant. Typing on the keyboard is a new sound right now. I am hearing myself breathe. Oh, and I laugh a lot - (too much maybe?). I will hear something and laugh and then hear myself laugh, which sounds just like a witch cackling, and that makes me laugh more and by this time people are staring at me......

Also surprisingly, this has not tired me out. What is going to be challenging is next week at work. I have very heavy deadlines at work.

Someone reminded me this is just the first mapping of my CI. Each mapping will make it better. I have learned it is better to have no expectations and just enjoy (and laugh at) the bumpy ride.

Day 3

Day 3. Yes, the milestones continue.

I am sitting here listening to a music box. It was sent to me by my daughter-in-law's mother and stepdad just after surgery before my activation.

I could hear it then if I held it up to my "other" ear aided with my hearing aid. At least I thought I heard it.

Now, this evening, I play it over and over. The music is "A Whole New World." It is delicate and beautiful. I carry it with me. I can hear it also from across the room. I have not heard anything like this for many many years.

Ok, will back up now to this morning. I am in my bedroom and I hear something I can't identify. It is just a little thump that repeats itself at regular and brief intervals. I look around, trying to find the source of this sound. Finally I notice that the seconds hand of a small wall clock is moving in synch with this sound.

I am very proud of myself, that I can hear the seconds hand on a clock. As I sit here now listening to the music box and my tapping on the keyboard, I ALSO hear the seconds hand of the clock here in my office. This is very sweet. I hear all this without my hearing aid and the sounds are better without it anyway.

Now we know that everyone has an individual response to a new CI. Debra McClelland told me that some days may have progress and some days you may go backward a bit. I told you that on Day 2, I started to hear the quality of Larry's voice. Tonight though, as Larry and Dak, our son, and I were playing some cards, I noticed that my voice was sounding a little bit more like my voice, but Larry's voice took on a tonal quality that seemed a step back. It didn't seem so much like his voice. But then I realized my brain is sorting through all this and I am hearing different aspects of sounds I heard yesterday. And then it struck me that I may be moving closer to the true quality of Larry's voice and away from the voice I have lived with so many years as I interpreted it through my hearing aids.

Ok one more thing. We were all out for lunch at our friends Bonnie and Bill. As we all sat around the living room, all 10 of us, I felt quite relaxed as we talked (I wore my hearing aid for this). It was more than hearing better. It was just so......enriching..... to have so much auditory energy in the room.

Don't think that I can now hear and understand everything. Not even close. But I feel confidence in trusting in what is happening to me and have given myself over to it. I feel very patient.

Thank you to those who have been responding to this hearing journal with such encouragement and guidance.

Well, so much for Day 3. You will have to excuse me now as I get ready to live Day 4.

Day 4

Day Four: It seems a LOT longer than four days after activation!

I drove to work yesterday and turned on the radio. I was curious to how music would sound since the music box was such a success. Ha!

With my CI, I could hear little ghostly voices (no words) and didn't hear any music at all. When I switched on my HA in the other ear, there it was, the music, plain as day.

The music box music is not complex, most music is.

At work I had to suppress the laughter. (You understand.) People sounded so squeaky. I sat in my office and heard a lot of sounds I could not identify. There must have been some lawn work going on outside my office. I had to focus on the work I have to accomplish this week. I did well, considering.

But in Day Four I did not feel I made any progress with voices or speech. I don't expect progress at any given time remember, I just go with the flow.

This morning (Day 5), as I was getting ready for work, I wore only my hearing aid in my other ear. Ahhh. It was good. Good sound. I went up to the clock and listened for the seconds hand. I heard it. I relished the sound from the TV, Larry's voice, the normality of it all. Ok, enough of that. Time to pop that weird looking contraption to my head and get on with it. So, you may ask, it the HA works so well, why did you get an implant? The answer is my abysmal speech discrimination scores.

I tell you all this to give you some perspective. The only thing so far that sounds better with my CI than my hearing aid is the music box. My incision area is still sore. My ear is numb. I'm tired. Still, I know I am in the baby steps stage of the CI experience. I really enjoy this experience. This new auditory information and guessing games keep me engaged.