Catching Up

There is so much to catch up on....wow.

I did get my second ear activated and it was SO strange. It sounds completely different than the other ear. Lots to get use to there. When activated, I got to listen through both ears about 2 minutes when my audie told me to remove the older one. She wanted me to only wear the new one for the first few weeks to give my brain time to get use to the new one. This was very hard to do but I am so proud of myself for doing just as she suggested. I had to get the new ear to catch up with the older one.

The new ear has more bass sounds than the older one. I was starting all over again learning to hear with it. When they say you need patience and lots of it they were not kidding at all! Slowing down and learning to "take it as it comes" has helped a lot. I was activated only a few days before my trip to see the kids and grandkids. I did not do as well as I thought I would but that was ok too. I did so much better than the last visit and I know my next visit will be even better. I had such a great time visiting with everyone. It was a bit overwhelming at times but then I was not in good listening conditions and I was relying on a new ear only. I think with all considered I did as well as I should have expected.

After 3 very long weeks, I was told I could start wearing both "ears"! Even though each ear sounds completely different, they sound wonderful together. My first day of wearing both ears, I went out and met a fellow CI'er that I had only talked to online. This was an incredible experience! We met at a local Starbucks that has a nice patio area outside. Imagine two deaf people sitting and talking for hours. LOL I was off to an incredible start. The next weekend I met with a different CI'er that has become a dear friend. She at that point had one CI and was scheduled for her second ear. She was nervous and wondering if she was doing the right thing. After we got together that day, she told me she felt so much better about going ahead with the second surgery. Seeing how well I was doing put all her fears to rest. I am so thankful for that!

I can now tell where a sound is coming from. This doesn't seem like a big thing to most but let me tell you it IS! I can not begin to express what a miracle I have received. To be able to hear anything at all is truly a miracle in itself but the gift I have been given is beyond anything I can describe. I am still not using the phone yet, that will take time and practice. It has been so long since I have used a phone that I now have a phobia of that crazy thing. It's very hard for me to do but I am going to work on that. I still need captions for the television but I do understand a lot of what is said there too. I am told this will continue to get better and better. I see improvement all the time so I know it will. Crowded, noisy situations are still difficult but I think it is for normal hearing folks too.

So now I still have lots of work ahead of me but I am at the point of helping others. I want other people that are dealing with hearing loss to see how wonderful this miracle is. I want to be a positive part of helping others deal with this horrible disability and let them see there is hope. I am so thankful to have my life back which is something hearing loss took from me.

Getting Very Excited!!

I am feeling much better now and this is my second week back at work. Since I have changed jobs at work, I actually love going to work now. I work with a great crew that makes all the difference and love working second shift. Still don't have quite all my energy back but I am getting there. All other symptoms have gotten better and I am even starting to get my taste back! YAY!!

One week from today I will have my second ear activated. Although I have had a rough time with my first ear, it is getting better and I know the second is going to help even more. Did I say I am getting excited? The best news is in two weeks I will be going to visit my kids and grandchildren! Yes, I am more than excited about this. The last time I was there I was deaf and it was difficult for me. This time I will get to hear those sweet little voices I have so longed to hear. I can not wait to play with the children and not have to say "Grandma can't hear you, can you show me what you want?" Even though they are all very young, they did a wonderful job of communicating with me when I was deaf but it is going to be SO much better this time. I am so thankful for my implants and getting my life back.

Recovery

It amazes me how differently "we" (general "we") see things from one time to another. With my first surgery you may recall I had problems the first couple of days because of pain pills but after that things went really well I thought. I was at work on day 7 post-op but had to come home due to not being able to wear safety glasses.

This surgery does not compare to the last in the least. The first couple of days this time was filled with nausea. YUK! The pain pills were not an issue this time other than possibly being the cause of the nausea. After day 2, I switched to advil and the nausea comes and goes but not as bad as it was. Recovery seems worse this time and I'm not sure why. I have slight balance issues (knocking on wood) but nothing compared to what some have to deal with. I am thankful for that. I feel like I have a major ear ache and lots of soreness. My neck and jaw are sore and I have lost taste in food. I am not worried because these are all "normal" side effects but I am hopeful they will pass soon. I am not able to wear my processor for the first implant. :( Anytime I put it on, it triggers tinnitus really bad. I am hoping this does not last until activation but it's a wait and see type thing. No way to tell if or when these things will improve. My SIL tells me he made a larger cut this time. He told her after surgery that I had a lot of scar tissue to cut through. I'm not sure why that was there since I have never had surgery on my ears before but nothing really surprises me either. This may be the reason I am much more sore this time. Who knows?

I just wish at this point I could get comfortable, rest and heal. Hopefully I will have better things to report soon....

24 Hours Post-op

I am still under the influence of drugs so any typos will just have to be overlooked as well as anything crazy I might say. LOL

My day started about 2:15AM yesterday. A shower and head wash with hibiclens and out the door by 3AM. An early morning but so worth it to not fight traffic and be back home a little after lunch. Everything went really well at the hospital (as far as I know). It's now official, I am bilaterally bionic! Now that I have two computers in my head, I wonder if I will become smarter? LOL (no need to answer that!)

I have had some nausea but not nearly as bad as last time. I am still a little off balance but not too bad and make sure I am holding on to something whenever I get up so I don't fall. I am not going to rush things this time to get back to work. I hope to go back next week but will just have to wait to see how I am doing. The "pressure bandage" is not tight like so many have complained about. I guess I got lucky both times because mine is loose. It will still feel much better when I can remove it tomorrow. Tinnitus was bad right after surgery but again not as bad as the first time. By the time I left the hospital, it was down to a dull roar. Today that is better so far, just comes and goes a bit but not too bad. I have a little bit of jaw pain but it is tolerable. I am going to spend another lazy day today, just in and out of bed all day. Tomorrow should be a better day to remove the bandage and shower! That will be the turn around day I do believe! More to come...

Here I Go Again!

I can hardly believe that on Tuesday I will receive my second cochlear implant. When I got the first one, I had no idea if I would be able to get a second. It took SO long to get the first one that when the chance came to get the second, I jumped on it with both feet! I have not even gotten the first one sorted out yet and now I am going to throw a second one in the mix. LOL I'm not really sure if this is a good thing or bad thing but the way I see it is they will learn together. There are many that get both at once so it is possible, I just don't know if I will get it figured out or not.

I had my pre-op appointment today and all went well. Everything is done and I am to arrive at the hospital at 5:15AM. I will be the first surgery of the day. Even though I have to leave the house at 3AM it is a good thing. I should be home around lunchtime. I am a lot more nervous this time and I'm not sure why. I'll be back next week to let you know how it goes!

Back On Track

I had a very exciting and interesting day. First of all I got a letter last week from the insurance company saying I was denied on my second surgery because it wasn't medically necessary. Not to worry I am told, this is standard procedure. One simple HINT test (hearing in noise test) will prove that it is. Ok, off to Tampa I go today to get this test done. My audie is not there on Friday's so I saw someone else. With just my implant and no noise I scored 40%. To be approved, I have to be below 50% so there was no need to test in noise. This surgery will happen and they tell me there will not be a problem getting it before my surgery date of 5/22.

I think I mentioned my last test I scored 69% so this tells you just how bad my mapping (programming) was. While setting up for the test, the audie today asked about a few things so I began to tell her I was not happy with how things were going. I know I am new to this but still I know when it is not right. We finished the testing and my new audie took me in the room, got my file and reprogrammed my processor just like I asked her to. It sounds SO much better! I LOVE my new audie! She has the knowledge but is willing to listen to me about what I like/don't like or what I hear/don't hear. She even set up a music program for me which has improved music 100%! Did I mention I really love my new audie?

Eighteen days until surgery! WOW! I waited so long for the first one that it doesn't seem possible I am doing it again so soon. I am very excited and know two ears will be so much better than one. I had no real problems with the first surgery but.... (there is always a but). I am nervous this time! Pre-surgery jitters are normal but I wasn't at all nervous the first time.

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.......