Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 44

Thread: Cochlear Implant Surgery

  1. #16
    Moderator Matt Molnar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    9,302

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Glad to hear you're doing well, Alex.

    Will you have to carry a doctor's note for airport security?
    Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem.
    All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them under control.
    I trust you are not in too much distress. —Captain Eric Moody, British Airways Flight 9

  2. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Southern Illinois
    Posts
    1,487

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Quote Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
    Glad to hear you're doing well, Alex.

    Will you have to carry a doctor's note for airport security?
    A bracelet or necklace I believe that identifies it for TSA and Medical officials to alert them for Magnet and cannot be inside an MRI for that reason too.

    Alex
    www.southwest.com Bags Fly Free. Anytime, Anywhere on Southwest Airlines. Share the LUV!

  3. #18
    Moderator mirrodie's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Me like the Robert Downey Jr of cooooooookies!
    Posts
    5,747

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Dude, knock off the magnet magic. It'll suck out yer brains and re-align your electrons!!

    -And you can get an aftermarket backup camera for your car. Its much cheaper than having to pay for auto damages.

    Glad to see you are doing well.


    Oh, I dont get the 'deaf world' pride. I don't know a single person who has lost their gift of sight or never had it and would not want it back.
    And I, I took the path less traveled by
    and that has made all the difference......yet...
    I have a feeling a handle of people are going to be very interested in what I post in the near future.

    http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=187

  4. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Southern Illinois
    Posts
    1,487

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Thought I'd post some images/diagrams so people can see how it is working/looking...



    This is inside my head right now under the skin flap attatched to the skull. The wires you see were drilled into my head inside the ear canal and wrapped around the cochlear inside my ear.

    When I place the speech processor on...


    The magnets inside and outside will connect and the signals will be sent via the magnets and wires...



    Hope that clears up some confusion!
    www.southwest.com Bags Fly Free. Anytime, Anywhere on Southwest Airlines. Share the LUV!

  5. #20
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    8,285

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    HE WILL BE THE BIONIC TRUDE!

  6. #21
    Senior Member emshighway's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Middle Village
    Posts
    2,060

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Quote Originally Posted by Alex T


    Having fun with sticking magnets to my head! :borat: :lol:

    See you will become very popular in college, you bring your own bottle opener. :D

    Congrats
    "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' "
    Ronald Reagan

  7. #22
    Senior Member emshighway's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Middle Village
    Posts
    2,060

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Quote Originally Posted by Alex T
    Quote Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
    Glad to hear you're doing well, Alex.

    Will you have to carry a doctor's note for airport security?
    A bracelet or necklace I believe that identifies it for TSA and Medical officials to alert them for Magnet and cannot be inside an MRI for that reason too.

    Alex
    Just advise the screener, you should bypass the walkthrough metal detector since it may make you dizzy. The drawback is you will get a patdown every time.
    "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' "
    Ronald Reagan

  8. #23
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Southern Illinois
    Posts
    1,487

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Hey All~!

    Activation has been complete—for now! Anxiety was building up to 2pm today. I went in for the CT Scan and everything went fine.

    I went in at 2pm for the activation and the first hour was used to introduce me to the speech processor and how it works, what I need to do. Battery charging, going through metal detectors, flying, courts, driving, music, just every day life and how to adjust with it.

    The 2nd part of it was the fun part. She placed the speech processor and the magnet on my head and was going to send me through a series of testing. If you recall during the surgery sixteen electrodes were placed inside my ear. She had to individually test each electrode to make sure they worked, and in the end all 16 were balanced in terms of volume and pitch. We wanted to make the electrodes and sounds are as equal as possible.

    She went with number 1. This would be the very first time I heard a sound without my hearing aid, and through the implant. I sat and waited as she did some typing and clacking to start the test. I stared at Mom talking to her and out of the blue I heard a long BEEP loud and it rang through my head. My eyes jerked wide open and I went I just heard a sound I think. It was so different from the hearing aid that I almost didn’t recognize it as a sound! I looked in excitement and audiologist said yep I activated it, you are turned on! I was wide mouth in smiles. Just amazed and blown away. Yes, it was just one sound. But it was a sound I never got to hear before for the first time.

    I just sat there trying to take it in and try to hear the sound. It is absolutely without a doubt TOTALLY different from my hearing aid. The hearing aid only amplified the sound and made it louder, the cochlear actually goes right into my ear/head and creates a sound for me that sounded SO natural and pure, compared to a speaker type sound the hearing aid provided me. It is hard to explain to hearing people what I hear.

    So we went through all sixteen electrodes. She would do a series of beeps, in different volume and pitch so I could try to match the sounds all up evenly. I was hearing high pitches for the first time naturally, where with hearing aids I could not. So that was also very exciting for me. I was also able to for the first time tell you the difference in sound in terms of pitch and volume!

    Today was just the beginning, but right now, I can hear SOME sounds, I am NOT able to tell you what I am hearing yet, or understand them or have it clarified. All the sounds that I do pick up sound exactly the same regardless of who/what is making the sound. Right now I will continue to wear it along with my hearing aid on the right side. On slow days I will wear only the cochlear implant to again stimulate my left ear and just giving it mileage.

    It is going take awhile and patience as I said but it is going to be a fun journey and I am very excited to go through it! Thanks again all for the support, it is appreciated!


    This is the first time I heard a sound through the activation.


    Staying focused during the testing trying to pick up sounds.


    Finished! :)

    I go back tomorrow for more testing and will be doing so for the next 6-8 weeks once a week appointments. Very excited!

    Alex
    www.southwest.com Bags Fly Free. Anytime, Anywhere on Southwest Airlines. Share the LUV!

  9. #24
    Senior Member Derf's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Miller Place N.Y.
    Posts
    4,534

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Wonderful news, I am very happy that it worked out and decided to share with us. On days where everything seems off and things are not their best, this thread created a smile bigger than any other and realization of the the truth, be happy that we are healthy. Your joy is backed up by many of us and hoe you keep us informed on the updates. Great smile and congrats again!!!
    The three most common expressions in aviation are, "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" and "Oh Crap".

  10. #25
    Senior Member lijk604's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    4 air miles SE of ISP.
    Posts
    4,143

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Congrats Alex...glad to hear it was a success!

  11. #26
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Southern Illinois
    Posts
    1,487

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Will have further updates either tonight or tomorrow (Saturday) Already improvements are showing on my records and had quite a funny incident with my turn signal, took me 3 minutes to discover that a turn signal DOES make noise! Who knew?! :lol:

    Stay Tuned for the next update! Will be my last one until next week.
    Alex
    www.southwest.com Bags Fly Free. Anytime, Anywhere on Southwest Airlines. Share the LUV!

  12. #27
    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Queens, NY
    Posts
    12,470

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Alex, I read the blinker thing on your facebook and I loved hearing that. I'm very happy for you. :)
    Email me anytime at [email protected].

  13. #28
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Southern Illinois
    Posts
    1,487

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Hello All-

    I am on Day 4 after the activation and there has been MANY changes already.

    When I went back up for the 2nd activation we did some major tweaking and the Audiologist said that my brain and ear had changed so much overnight that the program she set for me on Wednesday was now considered OLD, and she had to delete that program/mapping and give me a newer one! She expected to only have to tweak it, but after I took the testing I wasn't responding to the program from Wednesday (which in this case is good) which meant the brain was saying "ya I can hear that already come on I want more" so it gets bored and doesn't respond to it, thus showing the brain and ear is maturing already.

    So I came home on Thursday with two different settings one more designed for sound in terms of volume and the 2nd one was designed more for clarity.

    The testing on Thursday was pretty much what I went through on Wednesday, a series of beeps per electrode to align the volumes, to which she noticed as I said above that she had to give me an entirely different program.

    She also noticed my speech was changing a bit too. As some know I have a VERY slight speech deficiency, not many notice it and for those that do sometimes mistake it for an accent, I have been told it sounds like a British Accent, those who know me or have met me hearing me speak can attest to this. I sound NOTHING like a guy who is from the cornstalks of Southern Illinois LOL Anyhow she went on to say that the speech was becoming a bit more clear, I was enunciating my words more, speaking a bit slower, and my volume was down a bit too. This is not to say I was screaming every word or shouting but my voice level would get a bit louder when people around me were loud, now this is not the case.

    One funny story as most already know, I got in my car to drive home from the Hospital in STL and I went to the stop light and was waiting to turn left. I was sitting and kept hearing this click, click, click really rapidly. I had never heard this before and was baffled to hear this noise. I checked my phone, the dashboard, behind me in the car and no idea at all. I noticed I had to complete my turn and when I did the clicking went away. I said ok what the H was that noise?! I looked and realized my turn signal had been on the same time I heard the clicking sound. So I turned it on again and sure enough the clicking sound was matching my seeing it blink. I looked and stared at it open mouth absolutely stunned. I did not know turn signals made noise! I really thought all they did was just blink! Who knew?!

    Some of the differences already that they are noticing.

    I am picking up pitch and tone at the same time and can tell the difference. Pre Surgery I could not, day 3 I can.

    Pre surgery- the lowest Decibel I could pick up sound was only at 95, which means the noise level had to be at 95 DB before I could start picking things up. Now it is already down to 30, some electrodes are 42, 47, 49, but the lowest is a 30 and she had that as her goal for me and already two of my electrodes are hitting 30 on Day 3.

    Pre surgery, I had the hearing of a severe to profoundly deaf person, on day 3 after hearing test, I am now one with a MINOR hearing loss with the CI.

    Pre surgery couldn't tell you how many people were speaking. Day three, I am able to TELL that there is more than one voice speaking, but still cannot tell you the number yet.

    Some other sounds I have discovered is my washing machine apparently makes a DING sound when it is finished. What is more amazing is I heard this sound 20 feet away!

    I started the gas stove to fix my dinner and I heard a chime, almost dinging repeatedly, and noticed it was coming from the clicking of the flame over the stove.

    Whenever I eat lunch or dinner and I am around someone, I realize how LOUD I chew, and I keep wanting to apologize for all of a sudden making this loud noise, and they tell me they don't even notice it half the time, and added it isn't that I am loud, they say we all make sounds when we eat we just learn to tune it out. Lucky them I thought, I still can't do that so when I hear EVERYONE chew at once..ya just a little bit gross!

    So, I am definitely hearing sounds now, and am picking up a ton of high pitch sounds that I never heard before. I am having so much fun discovering all the things that make noise, that I never heard before. It seems the most repeated sentence out of my mouth lately is "oh my god, that makes a noise?!" It is going to be a loooong few months for my family and friends! :)

    Voices are very tricky because everyone's voice is so different, but I am having fun listening to everyone speak just boggled and amazed.

    That is really it in just 4 days. I will have more updates next week after my next mapping and such, hopefully will have more improvements! I am hopeful!

    Also, I don't post this to make you guys feel like I am trying to make you feel ashamed for taking things for granted. It is ok, I post this to share the excitement of the things I am discovering and you can discover them along with me too! It is so awesome to finally be in the hearing world and understanding and hearing what you folks go through ever day, you guys call me brave? I think YOU'RE the brave ones for enduring all of these constant sounds 24/7 without the ability to shut them out like I can! :-D

    Alex
    www.southwest.com Bags Fly Free. Anytime, Anywhere on Southwest Airlines. Share the LUV!

  14. #29
    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Queens, NY
    Posts
    12,470

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Alex, I really love hearing this. I want to hug you!!! Great stuff.
    Email me anytime at [email protected].

  15. #30
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Omaha/Offutt AFB, NE
    Posts
    190

    Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery

    Great news, Alex! It's refreshing hearing about an adventure like this...
    "Never ask an Irishman if he wants another drink... He'll only ask "Why wouldn't I?" in return..." -Lewis Black

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •