A few new things

I heard a few new things lately. I realized the toaster oven has a timer clicking to it! Which excited me cause like, I usually knew a microwave had a ticking to it as it counted down, but I never thought the toaster oven did for some reason.

I also heard someone release a really LOUD gas bubble today. It was REALLY amusing cause I usually just FEEL those, not hear them. (I am not talking about myself here). :-)

Let's see, Jets are becoming more obvious to the CI now. As they're incoming and until they're out of range. It's pretty annoying.

Today, some kid kicked or threw something really hard at our house tonight and it shocked the crap out of me. It sounded like a gun going off to the CI. I really assume it might've been a ball kicked at the garage door or at least near the front of the house. And when I peeked outside, it seemed no one was there, but then I saw a kid hiding in the bush... ya... kids are evil. I should mention our door was egged several months ago for no reasons whatsoever. :-/

So, I previously mentioned in another entry that my settings on my CI are set to 65, 70, and 75 IDR (the hearing range), and I've realized I prefer the 70 IDR the most. The 65 is kinda lacking in sounds, but the 75 seems too busy and the quality of vocals isn't as good as they are at 70. Yet, I'm finding myself turning the volume up more and more everyday.

My next mapping is next week. Curious to see how much more I improve until then. Until then, tootles.

10 days after activation

Not a whole lot has changed yet. I've worn it to the grocery store and Target a few days ago, and noticed the stores really aren't as loud as I anticipated they'd be. Yet, this could be cause I've had the volume on the low side lately cause once it reaches a certain range, everything becomes high pitchy all over again, so it's more tolerable and constant where I tend to keep the volume. I try to turn it up a little more when I watch TV though so I can grasp more of the vocals and whatever else the TV is throwing at me.

Vocals aren't as bad as they were a week ago, but they're still not clear (which is expected cause it's still early in my journey).

The other day I actually heard the radio that my husband turns on loud (loud according to my left ear that has a profound loss, but not loud to his normal ears), 2 rooms away with the CI. Under my non-CI hearing, I wouldn't hear that radio unless I was within 5 feet of it, sometimes less.

I wish I could say I'm hearing many things in the environment, but I don't seem to be. The CI is picking up the jets this time, though they don't sound like jets, I can still tell they're jets from my left ear. Otherwise, when I wear it outside, it seems pretty quiet ... besides the few cars that drive by over the wall ... and when I wear it to the stores, I guess I'm too busy shopping to really pay attention to anything I could possibly be hearing. Though i certainly noticed when the battery died in Target.

2nd mapping

I did not manage to get a copy of this mapping because the audiologist and most of the office has recently moved into the office and do not have a printer.

On the other hand, I got a better idea of what she's doing to the CI. All the electrodes are turned on, and each one is adjusted to my comfort level of frequencies. She started off with last week, setting my settings only up to 60 decibels and with the frequencies on the low side (I think). Today, she raised the frequencies a little and raised the decibels. One setting is at 65 db, the 2nd at 70 and the 3rd at 75 db. Which totally explains why I'm not hearing jets and stuff with the CI, and why everything sounds like an aura, because I haven't heard frequencies in the low decibels in 2 decades.

Am I hearing much new things? Hearing better? I really do not know. If I keep the volume at a certain point, I can manage to reduce the amount of aura's I'm hearing when people talk, among other things that set it off. Speech is a little more clear, compared to the last settings, but everything is overall going to take a lot more months to improve.

I'll be testing these new settings this week with music again and seeing what's different.

Pre-Surgery Audiogram

Those O's you see, are where my right hearing marks are (you should see that it slopes downwards 
going right). The graph is highlighted into 6 different segments which is the basis of sound levels 
(as indicated in the squares). As you can see, I was usually hearing just low pitch in the moderate 
and loud range, and not picking up much sounds pass 1,000 frequencies.

This graph is a small sample of where certain sounds are located. Such as an airplane being at 110 
decibels, 4,000 frequencies (in the high pitch, loud sound range), and dog barks at 80 db, 500 frequencies 
(low pitch, loud sound range).

Back when I was a kid, those "O" markings would approximately be shifted 30 decibels higher, which also meant I heard more frequencies back then before they sloped off the chart. That was maybe, 15 years ago.

Right now, with the CI, I estimate I am hearing things in the low pitch, soft sound range (low decibels). Mostly, but definitely some moderate sounds still. Which is definitely sounds I haven't heard since I was 7 years old. Though, these sounds are not sounding precise, but the CI is picking them up. My brain will eventually register them and with CI mappings/adjustments, they should become more clearer. I am not sure if the current settings are so ranged that I've been blocked from hearing things like airplanes with the CI, or not, because I have not been able to really distinguish the low and high pitch, loud sounds with the CI yet (the bottom of the chart). The sound of someone talking, is currently, one of the loudest sounds I'm picking up, and often headache inducing.

Day 3

It's been 3 days since activation. I'm not hearing much of a change compared to day 1 in sounds, besides one thing: sentences actually sound like a sentence instead of a series of aura's. But everything is still high pitchy and after a few hours, is too annoying to keep listening to. It is especially worse when I actually try and have a conversation with my husband because my voice is setting off a series of aura's, and so is his, and then I can't even remember what I was talking about, and can't even understand Thomas. So, it's certainly still in the experimental stages, and I've only been using it about 3-6 hours a day. Can't wait to go back to the Audi in 4 days for another mapping. I hope things will sound a lot better after that.

I wish I had more to say, but nope. I am going to attempt dropping a pin on the floor and seeing if I can hear that. Haha. I'll keep ya'll posted on that.

Look at this picture I found in my husbands cell phone - it's my pre-operative picture and I was trying to write a quick entry in our journal before I got drugged, but I had to use my non-writing hand and ya, so I look ridiculous, as does the writing.

The Day of Activation

The Day I got my CI, Advanced Bionics Harmony Activated twas Today! Woot.

It wasn't what I expected. Some people come out of the first activation hearing voices, even if they sound like Donald Duck, but I came out of my activation hearing high pitch frequencies that made me think either mice or Aliens were communicating to me. Or just, both. Most of what I'm hearing, I can't really explain at all. It doesn't really sound like anything I've heard in my life, because none of it is real. What is suppose to be the clacking of the keys on the keyboard, is just some high pitch clicking; what's suppose to be my husbands voice, is some seriously nasal, incomprehensive garble. And this was after I tested him by telling him to talk in low pitch than high pitch. No difference was noted by the CI.

Supposedly my Audiologist had set the settings to be in a certain range, which seems to be only high pitch, so that I would start slow and get use to those. She says the sounds will eventually change into voices and at least leave the high pitch arena, but I'm wondering if that's going to happen naturally or after she adjusts the settings again. My CI has 3 levels on it that I can switch through... in the best way I can describe is one level has a smaller range of sounds available and the third level has the most, and she told me to go up a level every 2 days. Well, I decided to ignore that and check out those levels when I got home today... it's definitely nothing to complain about... the third level certainly sounds better and provides more sounds than the first level.

Since I'm usually at home all day and not really doing much and not around much noise, I decided to turn the music on and let me CI absorb the tunes through the laptop speakers. It's certainly picking up pitches my left ear can't grasp without headphones, but I'm also only hearing the high pitch stuff. Which I could only handle for an hour before I quit for the day. I was given permission to take the CI off when I want, as long as I wear it for several hours a day in the early stages.

I go back next thursday for another tune up. And then 2 weeks after that for a final configuration of my comfort levels. In about 2-3 months, I can start using the cables that hook the CI up to my ipod, computer and phone. I know a ton of you are looking forward to me talking on the phone with ya. I should say you shouldn't get your hopes up though because not everyone with the CI can manage phone conversations. It'll still be a little complicated to understand speech without lip reading, but I really won't know how well I'm going to do with anything until the time comes to test it all.

My husband taped the activation in nearly a dozen segments, and I managed to compose these together into a 13 minute video. I apologize that there are no subtitles, as, not only do I not know what is being said at the moments, the volume is low and I can't hear much, and I don't seem to have a program to allow me to type text in to at least explain what's happening. But maybe I'll find a program and edit it up and repost the video some other day.

So, I'm not very verbal about what I'm hearing, nor do you see much reaction, but that's because it's all on my face. My eyes go wide when something is loud and I grin when I'm happy it's not so loud anymore. But the camera isn't staring at my face the whole time to see it all. :-)

Here is the Implant hooked to my head. As I mentioned long ago, it's pretty massive.

Tomorrow is the daayyyyyyyyy

Tomorrow morning at 9am, I get my implant activated. I am actually pretty excited. Kinda the same way I'm excited about Christmas morning. Or needing to wake up early to take a trip. Thrilled! I don't even care that I gotta wake up at 8am! EIGHT!

I'm already planning tomorrow morning. I hate fast food, but I love McDonalds sausage and biscuit, and I'm NEVER awake or out of the house early enough to get it, so I'm planning to get one tomorrow to eat on the way to the Audi. I also almost never get one correctly made... without cheese. Some of the people just manage to put stupid unnecessary cheese on every breakfast item and I'm too lazy to waltz in and demand they remake it... since it was only $1. Ha. This might also be partially because I sometimes try and order a egg and sausage biscuit... WITHOUT cheese.... it's just too complicated an order for McDonald's workers to succeed at.

Last time I was at the Hearing Center, I noticed there's a really awesome outdoors mall one block away, and I'm going to TRY and talk my lovely understanding husband to let us go there for an hour before we go home. Not really to shop, but to maybe eat some lunch and walk around. I'm expecting him to say 'no.' :-( But maybe he'll say 'yes.' :-D

I'm hoping to go to the AZ State Fair on sunday. Discount morning. And we didn't go last year, so it is vital that we go this year... because I like fairs. I'm hoping they have some navajo fried dough... which is familiar to the east coasters, but maybe considered... or mistaken... as funnel cake to the west coasters. I've never had a funnel cake, but it doesn't quite look the same to me. But fried dough with powdered sugar is the BEST JUNK EVER.

So, many of you are hoping I can get tomorrow filmed, and you'll be happy to know our digital camera has a camcorder, so we will manage to get some of it filmed. I do not like to see myself talking on film, but I will make you all happy and 'try' and post it anyway. I really don't know how to post video's...yet... but I'm definitely planning to get one up.

My husband and I celebrate our 2 year Anniversary on monday, the 18th. We have habits of going to the zoo's on "romantic days"... like Valentine's Day, which is our tradition, and I'm thinking we might go to the zoo on monday. I'm really hoping my CI works well enough that I can hear the birds chip and hear the monkeys talk to me telepathically and the giraffes... grunt... to me (do giraffe's make noise)? Yaaaa. But it might be a long stretch... those might be sounds I won't be able to hear for several months. As I just read that someone who had his CI activated recently has managed to only hear beeps and whistles, and the like, as he had to start out a little slow and work his way up. Not necessarily too slow, as he only had to spend a day or two before getting it updated. But we'll find out tomorrow what my fate is.

Activation Scheduled for Oct 15th

at 9am, that is. My husband will be with me- yay!

I watched a few activation videos that someone suggested to me, and noticed how, well, either the person is really emotional and cries about it, or it seems to resemble getting hearing aids tuned. I'm not a happy crier, so I don't expect to burst out any tears during the experience, therefore, I feel like I will certainly fall into the latter. Those of you that have/had hearing aids, especially the more modern ones, like Oticon, that required computerized adjustments to suit your needs, would know what I'm talking about. Getting the implant turned on and mapped is going to be an equal experience of approvals and disapprovals of sound settings until it's set in a way I'm satisfied with.

I need to remember to be conscientious with the audiologist about this because in my past experience, I have had my hearing aids tuned to settings that were fine - in the office - until I leave the building and wanted to kill myself. Offices are typically pretty silent compared to stepping outside and being in the public, and my experience says the settings are always too loud in public and I got headaches after only a few hours to the point I would stop wearing the hearing aids. I don't expect the CI mapping to be much difference; what's going to sound fine in the office is going to sound like an orchestra outside. So I figure I'm going to need to see if they can start the loud pitch noises on the soft side and gradually build it up to a volume I can tolerate. If possible.

I could clarify and say that with my hearing aids, I was hearing up to 50 decibels, and merely 15 years ago, I was hearing 20 decibels with them. I do have some memories of sounds I use to hear, so it's not like I really don't know what I'm going to start hearing again because I have a pretty good idea. It's just going to come down to how my brain wants to adapt to hearing it all again and how well I can handle it all, which hopefully I'll manage after a while and be like normal people who complain about loud traffic, loud music, loud birds... or like my husband, who can't stand when I chew. I'd love to backfire his complaints and tell him he chews too loud too. I don't know how I'm going to get him to stop turning the TV up so loud though.. without my hearing aids, a comfortable TV volume is 36 (on our TV), but to my husband, he likes it at 48. What gives? Imagine how loud it's going to sound at 48 with the implant!