Time For An Update

I had another trip to Tampa this week. This time to install a new program just approved by the FDA called Clear Voice. Clear Voice is amazing! This program is designed to help hear better in noise. This program can actually tell when there is background noise you don't want to hear from things you do want to hear. One thing that everyone that has an implant has had to deal with is very loud road noise. With Clear Voice road noise is now gone! Before Clear Voice, road noise was awful and don't even think about rolling down a window. Now, with the window down, I can hear without the noise. I am still on a roller coaster of sorts. I feel like I understand very little about how this complicated implant actually works. I do trust my audie and I know she knows what she is doing but things are just not right either. It's frustrating because I don't feel like she listens to me. She has in her mind what she is going to do and does it no matter what I have to say about it.

A couple of examples of this. Before she started program changes, I could hear speech perfectly. Since then I have yet to get back there. One mapping I got was so bad I could no longer understand speech at all and had to go back to get it better. She made some changes which did help but I know I am not where I should be. Then this last visit with Clear Voice, it comes in 3 settings which are low, medium, and high. Most people I have talked to get to try the three settings to decide which they prefer. She decided I would get medium and that was it. Medium works great in the car and probably in a noisy restaurant (I have not tried this yet) but I don't like it at work even though I work in a noisy place. It does it's job but I feel like it is cutting out sounds I want to hear. I am not like everyone else, I like being able to her everything, noise and all. I really think I would rather have the low setting for everyday. I also asked her about raising my IDR (input dynamic range) but again she says most don't like it. I am getting very frustrated because I do not know how to get across to her that I am different, I want MORE! I may very well not like it but I think she should let me try it if I want to. I ended up telling her that I would leave it up to her to decide when I am ready but I do want to try it. I know others that were implanted around the same time that got it much sooner and loved it. Why can I not try these things?

After she was done with my mapping, I went to visit the surgery scheduler. I am now scheduled for my 2nd ear to be implanted on May 22nd!! Just over a month away and I can not believe this is happening so soon. I had to wait such a long time for the first one, this is just unbelievable. I am really hoping the 2nd implant will help me more and am considering finding a different audie after I get this one activated. I really need someone that is willing to work with me and help me achieve the best I can be. I don't feel like I am getting that. She did test me in the booth for the first time since activation the last time I went and I scored 69%. True enough that is a long way from 0% I had before but I should be much better than that. Right after activation I was scoring in the 80's on tests I did online. These tests are much different than the booth test but I just know I should be doing better.

It will be a struggle for awhile longer until I get things right but I know I will eventually get there. I am being VERY patient and will wait it out. Having said all of the above, I am still thrilled with my implant. Advanced Bionics has given me more than I could have hoped for. I did hear perfectly at activation and I know I will get back there again. Patience, patience, patience.......