Friday: Program 2, volume 1 and 2.
Heard voices all the way at the end of the table.
Things are definitely more clear now that the implants are not on telecoil.
Voices still sound like everyone has colds for the most part, however not everyone sounds that way. It's interesting. Also, voices sound different depending on if they are on my left or right side. If they are on my left side, they sound higher, if they are on my right side, they sound more "normal".
I asked my sister something, and I felt better about it. When I turn my implants off, I can still hear electrical buzzing for about another 10 minutes. Apparently it's normal. Sure is weird.
Went to my room, and heard a man talking at some point for a long period of time. Noticed that the voice wasn't changing, even though the characters on the TV were changing, so I turned the tv off. The voice was still there, turns out the radio was on. No idea why or how it got turned on.
The music in the lobby is VERY distracting and interfered with my ability to understand people.
The waterfall in the lobby is equally as difficult.
Plastic sounds are definitely still the loudest and most annoying sounds for me. The crinkling is just....LOUD.
Heard lots of different sounds on the train in Chicago. Mostly just...loud rumbling. But I was at times able to detect the announcer (recorded voice) over the rumbling. Could also hear people talking quite well that weren't right next to me.
Dinner was out on a patio, it was great at first. Then another group came up, and it was VERY difficult to understand anything. It almost as if the volume of noise doubled once the other group got to the area.
Listening is exhausting.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday Sounds and thoughts
Thursday - Post activation Day 2, Program 1, volume 9 and 10.
Went to the airport, loving that I get to go in the shorter line because of the implants, yeah I know, kind of lame to a lot of you, but it's better than me setting off a metal detector every time I go through one, and thus delaying the line even more. Though I'd love to know what people would think when they saw that I set off the metal detector...
Very noisy, constant chatting so I'm constantly hearing voices, for the most part they still sound the same. However, I am noticing a difference between men's voices, women's voices and children's voices.
Kiernan is still getting just a little bit easier to understand.
I miss being able to tuck my hair behind my ear. The coil of the implant prevents me from doing that. Didn't think that would bug me, but with how often I bend down and move closer to kids when I'm on the floor with them, I tend to put my hair behind my ear. Looks like I'll have to start using hair elastics more often now.
Left the darn telecoil on ALL DAY. Wondering if this is what made the voices sound different. Sounds like everyone has colds.
Went to the airport, loving that I get to go in the shorter line because of the implants, yeah I know, kind of lame to a lot of you, but it's better than me setting off a metal detector every time I go through one, and thus delaying the line even more. Though I'd love to know what people would think when they saw that I set off the metal detector...
Very noisy, constant chatting so I'm constantly hearing voices, for the most part they still sound the same. However, I am noticing a difference between men's voices, women's voices and children's voices.
Kiernan is still getting just a little bit easier to understand.
I miss being able to tuck my hair behind my ear. The coil of the implant prevents me from doing that. Didn't think that would bug me, but with how often I bend down and move closer to kids when I'm on the floor with them, I tend to put my hair behind my ear. Looks like I'll have to start using hair elastics more often now.
Left the darn telecoil on ALL DAY. Wondering if this is what made the voices sound different. Sounds like everyone has colds.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Post Activation Day 1
So I still don't notice the magnet parts all that much, so I'm going to assume it'll be that way for.....well...the rest of my life. Ha.
As for sounds, I'm now on Program 1 volume 9. I started at volume 7 this morning. Looks like I might make it to Program 2 on Friday, but we'll see since I'll be flying to Chicago tomorrow for a weekend meeting.
Here are things of notice at least to myself today:
-I went to work, and sat down in my office. I noticed I could hear someone talking, but there was no one else in the room where I share an office with others. So I looked out the office door, and across the hall is another office and a person talking on the phone. Sure enough, I could hear a person talking on the phone from, to me, quite a distance away. That was a weird feeling.
-When the TV isn't on, and no one's talking, and Kiernan isn't playing with some noisy things, I can EASILY hear the clock ticking in our living room. It REALLY stands out. I haven't heard a clock tick in a very long time.
- I made dinner tonight, and boy, was that loud. Everything was pretty bearable until I cooked the meat. That sizzling sound....ouch. That was REALLY loud.
- I had stopped at another place for work today to pick up some materials and stopped to chat with some people. There was a weed whacker going on outside the window. I couldn't hear it. However when it was nearby, I felt like I was missing a sound, like something was interfering with the constant noise I was hearing, and I felt it more than heard it, so I think that was the weedwhacker. Especially because this sensation only happened when it was near the window.
- I got home, and got out of the car, and immediately heard a weedwhacker that was quite a distance away. That was just weird to me considering what had happened earlier with a different person with a weedwhacker.
- I heard the lawnmower without a problem. I could tell when it stopped, and when the guy started it up again.
- For quite some time, I could hear some SCREECHING noises, and it was making me crazy. I kept looking around to try and find it. I didn't figure it out until later. When I went inside, and Kiernan was fussing, I heard the SAME screeching noise. I realized that the entire time, I was actually hearing a baby outside fussing. She wasn't screaming or anything, but for some reason, any fussy noises seem to really get in there.
- I was able to hear a kid dragging the stick in the sand/dirt/concrete. What was neat about this, for me, was that I could hear the difference in between the stick on the sand, the dirt and the concrete.
- I'm still hearing voices and can tell the difference between a voice and noise. However, it's still very difficult to even guess what a person is saying when I'm not looking at them.
- There is a LOT less squeakiness, but it's being replaced by SCREECHING. That's fun :)
- I'm getting better at being able to detect the beat of the music and detect when the singer is actually singing. Although I am cheating a bit, as I am listening to songs that I like and am familiar with.
- All of the middle notes of the piano sound the same to me. However, if you play the high notes and the low notes, I can tell the difference between the two of those general pitches.
- Kiernan's crying and fussines is definintely more noticeable :) It makes it very hard not to be snippy, period, because crying alone can grate on one's nerves, but screeching crying? that is REALLY hard to ignore and REALLY hard to not just try and quiet immediately.
That's it :) I'm going to Chicago tomorrow, and won't be back until Saturday. Wish Bryan a lot of luck for keeping his sanity :)
As for sounds, I'm now on Program 1 volume 9. I started at volume 7 this morning. Looks like I might make it to Program 2 on Friday, but we'll see since I'll be flying to Chicago tomorrow for a weekend meeting.
Here are things of notice at least to myself today:
-I went to work, and sat down in my office. I noticed I could hear someone talking, but there was no one else in the room where I share an office with others. So I looked out the office door, and across the hall is another office and a person talking on the phone. Sure enough, I could hear a person talking on the phone from, to me, quite a distance away. That was a weird feeling.
-When the TV isn't on, and no one's talking, and Kiernan isn't playing with some noisy things, I can EASILY hear the clock ticking in our living room. It REALLY stands out. I haven't heard a clock tick in a very long time.
- I made dinner tonight, and boy, was that loud. Everything was pretty bearable until I cooked the meat. That sizzling sound....ouch. That was REALLY loud.
- I had stopped at another place for work today to pick up some materials and stopped to chat with some people. There was a weed whacker going on outside the window. I couldn't hear it. However when it was nearby, I felt like I was missing a sound, like something was interfering with the constant noise I was hearing, and I felt it more than heard it, so I think that was the weedwhacker. Especially because this sensation only happened when it was near the window.
- I got home, and got out of the car, and immediately heard a weedwhacker that was quite a distance away. That was just weird to me considering what had happened earlier with a different person with a weedwhacker.
- I heard the lawnmower without a problem. I could tell when it stopped, and when the guy started it up again.
- For quite some time, I could hear some SCREECHING noises, and it was making me crazy. I kept looking around to try and find it. I didn't figure it out until later. When I went inside, and Kiernan was fussing, I heard the SAME screeching noise. I realized that the entire time, I was actually hearing a baby outside fussing. She wasn't screaming or anything, but for some reason, any fussy noises seem to really get in there.
- I was able to hear a kid dragging the stick in the sand/dirt/concrete. What was neat about this, for me, was that I could hear the difference in between the stick on the sand, the dirt and the concrete.
- I'm still hearing voices and can tell the difference between a voice and noise. However, it's still very difficult to even guess what a person is saying when I'm not looking at them.
- There is a LOT less squeakiness, but it's being replaced by SCREECHING. That's fun :)
- I'm getting better at being able to detect the beat of the music and detect when the singer is actually singing. Although I am cheating a bit, as I am listening to songs that I like and am familiar with.
- All of the middle notes of the piano sound the same to me. However, if you play the high notes and the low notes, I can tell the difference between the two of those general pitches.
- Kiernan's crying and fussines is definintely more noticeable :) It makes it very hard not to be snippy, period, because crying alone can grate on one's nerves, but screeching crying? that is REALLY hard to ignore and REALLY hard to not just try and quiet immediately.
That's it :) I'm going to Chicago tomorrow, and won't be back until Saturday. Wish Bryan a lot of luck for keeping his sanity :)
The current rehabilitation plan
Right now, my audiologist just wants me to get used to the noises I hear. So over the next two weeks (next appointment is September 8th), I need to work on increasing the volume of my cochlear implants every day.
Basically, each cochlear implant has room for four programs. Whenever a person goes in for a mapping (a session to change the settings of the cochlear implant), four programs are typically set. You start with the first one, then when the first one has been.."mastered", you move on to the next one, etc.
Right now my programs are set so that each program is louder than the previous one. So program one is the softest level of sounds, especially when put at volume one. Over the course of the next couple of days, I am to increase the volume gradually to give my brain time to adjust to the comfort level/noise level. Currently I am at a volume 6 (starting with a volume 5 at the appointment). I can go up to volume 10. So, from now until September 8th, I basically need to make it up 34 volume bars (10 volume bars for each program, I'm on number 6 for program 1, so only 4 left on that one, then 10 more for program 2, 10 more for program 3, and 10 more for program 4). So I really will be constantly adjusting my volume very day to try and build up that loudness and for my brain to handle it.
There's also a sensitivity level, but that will not be the focus for now. The sensitivity level is basically how far away I'll be able to detect sounds. The lower the number, the closer things have to be to my physically for me to be able to detect the sound, the higher the number, the further away the cochlear implant will pick up the sound. People do not go the highest number in general as it picks up too much background noise, and becomes a lot more difficult to understand the noises in the environment. We have my sensitivity levels set on what the average cochlear implant user has it on (12-14).
SO, over the course of the next two weeks, I am just practicing listening to sounds, trying to figure out what is what, and getting used to the loudness. Over time the squeakiness should go away (over the course of the next few days), and things will start sounding more normal.
Basically, each cochlear implant has room for four programs. Whenever a person goes in for a mapping (a session to change the settings of the cochlear implant), four programs are typically set. You start with the first one, then when the first one has been.."mastered", you move on to the next one, etc.
Right now my programs are set so that each program is louder than the previous one. So program one is the softest level of sounds, especially when put at volume one. Over the course of the next couple of days, I am to increase the volume gradually to give my brain time to adjust to the comfort level/noise level. Currently I am at a volume 6 (starting with a volume 5 at the appointment). I can go up to volume 10. So, from now until September 8th, I basically need to make it up 34 volume bars (10 volume bars for each program, I'm on number 6 for program 1, so only 4 left on that one, then 10 more for program 2, 10 more for program 3, and 10 more for program 4). So I really will be constantly adjusting my volume very day to try and build up that loudness and for my brain to handle it.
There's also a sensitivity level, but that will not be the focus for now. The sensitivity level is basically how far away I'll be able to detect sounds. The lower the number, the closer things have to be to my physically for me to be able to detect the sound, the higher the number, the further away the cochlear implant will pick up the sound. People do not go the highest number in general as it picks up too much background noise, and becomes a lot more difficult to understand the noises in the environment. We have my sensitivity levels set on what the average cochlear implant user has it on (12-14).
SO, over the course of the next two weeks, I am just practicing listening to sounds, trying to figure out what is what, and getting used to the loudness. Over time the squeakiness should go away (over the course of the next few days), and things will start sounding more normal.
The first 6-7 hours of what I've been hearing
So, at first, everything was just noise with the basic barely distinguishable sound for speech. There was at first no difference between Bryan's voice and the audiologist's voice. They were both squeaky with a hint of "normal." When we went to the front desk to schedule my next appoint, we went out in the hall, and the first thing I noticed was the clomping of the audiologist's shoes on the tile floor.
We then got in the car, and Bryan had the radio on. I could tell it was a person talking right at first. Then music started playing, and it sounded like static. We had to go straight to Heber to pick up Kiernan from my parents who had been watching him for the day (THANK YOU SO MUCH!). Near the end of the car ride, I could start detecting the beat of the music, especially the sounds of the more obvious drums, but still had difficulty with telling when a person was singing.
We then got to my parent's and I started noticing the things that seemed really really loud to me:
Crinkling of foil, dog toenails on the tile/wood/cement, crinkling of paper, "pssshhhh" of a soda being opened, breathing really sharply through your nose. I could also hear the click of the blinker REALLY well, and the clicking of texting on my phone.
I also started being able to differentiate between voices towards the end of us being there. My dad I could differentiate more than anyone else's which was a weird thing for me. Kiernan wasn't too hard, but he's still really difficult for me to hear at all. Bryan's is getting easier to detect, and my mom's was just more female than any one else's.
Then we went home. By the end of the ride I was definitely differentiating the singing from the music, and was starting to hear strong sounds of the guitar.
We got home, and Kiernan was insisting to play outside, so I went outside with him since Bryan was kind enough to get up early with him to let me sleep a bit more.
Wow. Was that noisy. I had no idea where some sounds were coming from, At. All. I thought I kept hearing birds chirping, but then I realized it was Kiernan laughing with another kid. I kept hearing this weird sound that seemed to happen regularly, to find that it was the older kids crashing the wagons into the tables (they were definitely having fun). Talked to a couple of people, and could still definitely detect voices. Just over all though, it was noisy and busy.
I came inside, got Kiernan ready for bed, watched TV a bit while he finished his milk. Noticed that the tv now sounds a lot like I heard it when I wasn't paying attention to it at all and the volume was low (lots of sssshhh and mumbling type sounds). I took Kiernan to bed, read a story to him and sang a song. It was definitely weird to hear me attempting to sing again. I sang every time I put him to bed in between the surgery and now, it was just weird to "hear" it again.
He went to bed, and then I got busy with taking pictures and updating. I can definitely hear the clicking of they keyboard as I type better than I can hear anything else. Basically, if it's a higher pitch sound, I'll hear it better than anything else right now.
So the over all progress:
I can discriminate speech from general noise.
There's no more completely squeaky voices.
With both ears on, things are sounding more normal.
I no longer hear the clicking in the background in my right ear.
Weird things: "hearing" things is definitely a different feeling this time around. When the implants were first turned on, it seemed like I was feeling things more than I was hearing things. This is still true from time to time.
I keep going to push my hearing aid mold in since I'm still hearing higher sounds and my brain is automatically translating that into hearing aid squeals. Imagine my surprise every time I actually feel my finger IN my hear. Weird, I tell you, weird.
There have been no disappointments. I came in not really knowing what to expect, and I'm glad I came in that way then I could not be disappointed or devastated. I had very low expectations if at all, so I'm happy with them so far.
We then got in the car, and Bryan had the radio on. I could tell it was a person talking right at first. Then music started playing, and it sounded like static. We had to go straight to Heber to pick up Kiernan from my parents who had been watching him for the day (THANK YOU SO MUCH!). Near the end of the car ride, I could start detecting the beat of the music, especially the sounds of the more obvious drums, but still had difficulty with telling when a person was singing.
We then got to my parent's and I started noticing the things that seemed really really loud to me:
Crinkling of foil, dog toenails on the tile/wood/cement, crinkling of paper, "pssshhhh" of a soda being opened, breathing really sharply through your nose. I could also hear the click of the blinker REALLY well, and the clicking of texting on my phone.
I also started being able to differentiate between voices towards the end of us being there. My dad I could differentiate more than anyone else's which was a weird thing for me. Kiernan wasn't too hard, but he's still really difficult for me to hear at all. Bryan's is getting easier to detect, and my mom's was just more female than any one else's.
Then we went home. By the end of the ride I was definitely differentiating the singing from the music, and was starting to hear strong sounds of the guitar.
We got home, and Kiernan was insisting to play outside, so I went outside with him since Bryan was kind enough to get up early with him to let me sleep a bit more.
Wow. Was that noisy. I had no idea where some sounds were coming from, At. All. I thought I kept hearing birds chirping, but then I realized it was Kiernan laughing with another kid. I kept hearing this weird sound that seemed to happen regularly, to find that it was the older kids crashing the wagons into the tables (they were definitely having fun). Talked to a couple of people, and could still definitely detect voices. Just over all though, it was noisy and busy.
I came inside, got Kiernan ready for bed, watched TV a bit while he finished his milk. Noticed that the tv now sounds a lot like I heard it when I wasn't paying attention to it at all and the volume was low (lots of sssshhh and mumbling type sounds). I took Kiernan to bed, read a story to him and sang a song. It was definitely weird to hear me attempting to sing again. I sang every time I put him to bed in between the surgery and now, it was just weird to "hear" it again.
He went to bed, and then I got busy with taking pictures and updating. I can definitely hear the clicking of they keyboard as I type better than I can hear anything else. Basically, if it's a higher pitch sound, I'll hear it better than anything else right now.
So the over all progress:
I can discriminate speech from general noise.
There's no more completely squeaky voices.
With both ears on, things are sounding more normal.
I no longer hear the clicking in the background in my right ear.
Weird things: "hearing" things is definitely a different feeling this time around. When the implants were first turned on, it seemed like I was feeling things more than I was hearing things. This is still true from time to time.
I keep going to push my hearing aid mold in since I'm still hearing higher sounds and my brain is automatically translating that into hearing aid squeals. Imagine my surprise every time I actually feel my finger IN my hear. Weird, I tell you, weird.
There have been no disappointments. I came in not really knowing what to expect, and I'm glad I came in that way then I could not be disappointed or devastated. I had very low expectations if at all, so I'm happy with them so far.
The materials I received
All right, this is mostly a picture post of what I received. I had *NO* idea just how much stuff I would be getting. Holy moly. Also, note, some of you may be very familiar with what one gets, or how cochlear implants look on a head, I have some friends that have never seen one, so everything is posted here :)
First we'll start off with the cool part, my cochlear implants and how they look on my head.
The cochlear implants
One of them on my head (they look the same on both sides):
The cochlear implants with my "pretty" covers (They were free, and believe me, they were the best choice for me from the selection I had):
The pretty cover cochlear implant on my head:
The two boxes I got:
The very top layer of the box (both boxes are the same):
The bottom layer of the box:
The bottom layer of the box spread out:
So that's all the stuff I got.
Here's what I can remember from memory what's in the boxes (remember, it's kind of late...and I'm a bit overwhelmed):
Back up processors, back up magnet/head pieces, back up coils, back up ear hooks, microphone protectors, zinc batteries, batter compartments (for the zinc batteries), battery covers (for the zinc batteries), rechargeable batters, compact rechargeable batteries, battery recharger, plugs for battery recharger, remote control, plugs for recharging remote control, cochlear implant "headphones" for battery operated things, cochlear implant "headphones" for plug in the wall things, auditory rehabilitation cd, remote control cd, poster for a quick start of basics, cochlear implant dryer (not a machine, just dries out the water that's accumulated in the processors), dryer..stuff, advertisements, lots of reading material, the "pretty" covers, cases for carrying implants, belt clip or neck loop for remote, user manual.
I think that covers it. Just remember, everything is times 2, since I have 2 cochlear implants.
First we'll start off with the cool part, my cochlear implants and how they look on my head.
The cochlear implants
One of them on my head (they look the same on both sides):
The cochlear implants with my "pretty" covers (They were free, and believe me, they were the best choice for me from the selection I had):
The pretty cover cochlear implant on my head:
The two boxes I got:
The very top layer of the box (both boxes are the same):
The bottom layer of the box:
The bottom layer of the box spread out:
So that's all the stuff I got.
Here's what I can remember from memory what's in the boxes (remember, it's kind of late...and I'm a bit overwhelmed):
Back up processors, back up magnet/head pieces, back up coils, back up ear hooks, microphone protectors, zinc batteries, batter compartments (for the zinc batteries), battery covers (for the zinc batteries), rechargeable batters, compact rechargeable batteries, battery recharger, plugs for battery recharger, remote control, plugs for recharging remote control, cochlear implant "headphones" for battery operated things, cochlear implant "headphones" for plug in the wall things, auditory rehabilitation cd, remote control cd, poster for a quick start of basics, cochlear implant dryer (not a machine, just dries out the water that's accumulated in the processors), dryer..stuff, advertisements, lots of reading material, the "pretty" covers, cases for carrying implants, belt clip or neck loop for remote, user manual.
I think that covers it. Just remember, everything is times 2, since I have 2 cochlear implants.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Activation Day
All right. It's been a long evening :) You're lucky I'm posting this now, but most of you won't read this tonight anyway :)
So we went, and first did a sound booth test before anything else. Turns out, I can still hear some very high sounds when they are really loud. So, maybe I wasn't imagining some sounds after all. But I can only hear them in my right ear. I heard NOTHING in my left ear. It was a short test...maybe 10 minutes. I guess this is a new thing, as they have started doing what is called a soft insertion of the implant device in my head (basically, they try to be as careful as possible, so that some natural hearing can be preserved).
Then we went to the room with the chair and all the equipment to look at your ears, etc. The nurse came in and checked my scars, and found that there was a stitch left in each incision, so she trimmed them down as they were poking out. I was glad to find this out, as I thought maybe I had a skin tag growing, and it was annoying. Now, I don't feel that "skin" anymore, YAY!
Finally, we meet up with the audiologist who was doing my activation. First we talked about some confusion, and I basically got to determine who would do my activation, and I chose the one who came to see me...as she was going to do it anyway. Then there was a student observing the session today. That had to be an exciting one for him, an adult who was doing a simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant, and on activation day to boot.
She then said she really wanted to push me through this process. I'm SO okay with that :)
We first did my left ear. She checked the magnet strength. The level 2 magnet was not strong enough, so she put it to a level 3 magnet. That seemed to work.
She put the magnet on, and I was very surprised to find that I could barely even feel the magnet there. That was a good thing, I expected it to be a constant annoying feeling. So that was another plus. Then she did a check to make sure all the electrodes were working, and they were working just fine. Then she did a check to so see if the auditory nerve was "catching" the specific electrodes that were being turned on. It all looked good, so we proceeded. Next, she had me count the number of beeps that happened to establish the threshold level. Basically, we wanted to see how quiet the beeps could be with me still counting the correct number of beeps. Got that established. Then we wanted to establish the comfort level, or basically the loudness level that I was comfortable hearing at. She did a series of beeps until I thought it was comfortable. Then she turned on the implant. It was a bit too loud, so she turned it off, and adjusted it, then turned it on again. It was better, but was I surprised to even tell that a person was talking.
At first I could NOT make out what the heck the squeaking noise was. After a few moments, I realized it was the audiologist talking. Honestly, it sounded exactly like the wii fit board that "talks" to you on wii fit. If you haven't heard that, then the best comparison I can make is a mouse squeaking. It was really weird. Then she had me do a listening test where I had to name a day of the week that she had said. I got them all right, which REALLY surprised me, she said all of them except for Friday. She said that was great, and then programmed the back up processor for my left ear.
We then went to the right ear. Same process. Magnet on, checked the electrodes, did the clicking sounds, did the threshold level and comfort level. This time I really was off on the comfort level with the beeps for my right ear. She turned it on, and boy howdy, was that loud. She quickly turned it off, and I loved that she turned to tell the student that this was precisely why she kept the mouse over the "off" button, for reactions like mine when something was too loud. We then turned it on again, and it was all good, except I kept hearing clicking in the background. Kind of like hearing an AC going in the background, but you can still pick up speech over the AC hum, except this was clicking. She tried some adjustments and made it so that it wasn't so prominent, but it was still there. She didn't want to turn it down any less if she didn't have to as she wanted to keep the auditory stimulation there, which was fine with me. It was definitely a sound I could deal with without going crazy.
We then the did the days of the week test again. I got them all right except for the last one. I just could NOT figure out what she was saying. I went through them in my head, and none of them sounded right. I went through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in my head...and it didn't sound like any of them. I just could not figure it out, so I guessed. Turns out it was Friday...which I didn't even THINK about. So I felt better once I realized she hadn't said it before, and that it was just one I couldn't remember in my head. She then said it was good, and programmed the right ear back up processor. As for what things sounded like, it was definitely NOT squeaky. So bizarre. It's closer to what I was hearing before the surgery. Not quite the same though. It's definitely more mechanical, and I can't quite make out what people are saying without reading their lips.
Then we had them both on at the same time. That was a really confusing moment at first. Combining squeaky talk with more normal talk...mechanical and hearing all the background noise as well. Talk about a sensory overload.
Anyway, I've kept them both on since then. Another post will be coming about what I've noticed throughout the day, and what I think has improved and what has not.
I'll also be doing a picture post of all the materials I got (think two thick briefcase size boxes full of a lot of stuff).
So we went, and first did a sound booth test before anything else. Turns out, I can still hear some very high sounds when they are really loud. So, maybe I wasn't imagining some sounds after all. But I can only hear them in my right ear. I heard NOTHING in my left ear. It was a short test...maybe 10 minutes. I guess this is a new thing, as they have started doing what is called a soft insertion of the implant device in my head (basically, they try to be as careful as possible, so that some natural hearing can be preserved).
Then we went to the room with the chair and all the equipment to look at your ears, etc. The nurse came in and checked my scars, and found that there was a stitch left in each incision, so she trimmed them down as they were poking out. I was glad to find this out, as I thought maybe I had a skin tag growing, and it was annoying. Now, I don't feel that "skin" anymore, YAY!
Finally, we meet up with the audiologist who was doing my activation. First we talked about some confusion, and I basically got to determine who would do my activation, and I chose the one who came to see me...as she was going to do it anyway. Then there was a student observing the session today. That had to be an exciting one for him, an adult who was doing a simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant, and on activation day to boot.
She then said she really wanted to push me through this process. I'm SO okay with that :)
We first did my left ear. She checked the magnet strength. The level 2 magnet was not strong enough, so she put it to a level 3 magnet. That seemed to work.
She put the magnet on, and I was very surprised to find that I could barely even feel the magnet there. That was a good thing, I expected it to be a constant annoying feeling. So that was another plus. Then she did a check to make sure all the electrodes were working, and they were working just fine. Then she did a check to so see if the auditory nerve was "catching" the specific electrodes that were being turned on. It all looked good, so we proceeded. Next, she had me count the number of beeps that happened to establish the threshold level. Basically, we wanted to see how quiet the beeps could be with me still counting the correct number of beeps. Got that established. Then we wanted to establish the comfort level, or basically the loudness level that I was comfortable hearing at. She did a series of beeps until I thought it was comfortable. Then she turned on the implant. It was a bit too loud, so she turned it off, and adjusted it, then turned it on again. It was better, but was I surprised to even tell that a person was talking.
At first I could NOT make out what the heck the squeaking noise was. After a few moments, I realized it was the audiologist talking. Honestly, it sounded exactly like the wii fit board that "talks" to you on wii fit. If you haven't heard that, then the best comparison I can make is a mouse squeaking. It was really weird. Then she had me do a listening test where I had to name a day of the week that she had said. I got them all right, which REALLY surprised me, she said all of them except for Friday. She said that was great, and then programmed the back up processor for my left ear.
We then went to the right ear. Same process. Magnet on, checked the electrodes, did the clicking sounds, did the threshold level and comfort level. This time I really was off on the comfort level with the beeps for my right ear. She turned it on, and boy howdy, was that loud. She quickly turned it off, and I loved that she turned to tell the student that this was precisely why she kept the mouse over the "off" button, for reactions like mine when something was too loud. We then turned it on again, and it was all good, except I kept hearing clicking in the background. Kind of like hearing an AC going in the background, but you can still pick up speech over the AC hum, except this was clicking. She tried some adjustments and made it so that it wasn't so prominent, but it was still there. She didn't want to turn it down any less if she didn't have to as she wanted to keep the auditory stimulation there, which was fine with me. It was definitely a sound I could deal with without going crazy.
We then the did the days of the week test again. I got them all right except for the last one. I just could NOT figure out what she was saying. I went through them in my head, and none of them sounded right. I went through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in my head...and it didn't sound like any of them. I just could not figure it out, so I guessed. Turns out it was Friday...which I didn't even THINK about. So I felt better once I realized she hadn't said it before, and that it was just one I couldn't remember in my head. She then said it was good, and programmed the right ear back up processor. As for what things sounded like, it was definitely NOT squeaky. So bizarre. It's closer to what I was hearing before the surgery. Not quite the same though. It's definitely more mechanical, and I can't quite make out what people are saying without reading their lips.
Then we had them both on at the same time. That was a really confusing moment at first. Combining squeaky talk with more normal talk...mechanical and hearing all the background noise as well. Talk about a sensory overload.
Anyway, I've kept them both on since then. Another post will be coming about what I've noticed throughout the day, and what I think has improved and what has not.
I'll also be doing a picture post of all the materials I got (think two thick briefcase size boxes full of a lot of stuff).
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