Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery
My one month activation is coming next week, I have to go through a series of testing ALL day, plus side is I'm being paid for one of the testings! Woo Hoo!
I hope to have a more condensed update by end of next week. I am swamped with finals and end of semester projects now.
On plus side, even though I missed 3 weeks of class and such, I managed to get a 100% on my final for one of the classes and pulled a B and scored the highest in the class! Not to shabby for a guy who missed 3 weeks for surgery and whatnot!
Anyhow keep an eye on update by end of next week. Again I usually have more updates via my FB Status on Facebook if you all want to add me and keep track on there. Just send quick message when you add me letting me know your screen name from nycaviation.com so I can add you, thanks!
Alex
Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex T
Alex! So happy to hear that everything is working for you, this is like a whole new world for you & thanking for keeping your ears clean when you posted the photos!!!!
Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery
Hello Folks-
There really is not much to update you guys on to be quite honest however there have been progress and improvements so I will touch on those two things.
I haven’t been hearing NEW sound so to speak, I heard them all already. Now the trick is to try to hear it again so that I can figure out what the sound is and make a memory of it in my brain. It has been working, and I have been re-hearing sounds again and instantly recognizing them. Which is pretty sweet to be able to do now. I recognize sounds like the water running; turn signal (OBVIOUSLY), as well as any cell phones ringing, the buzzer at work going off, and babies crying!!!
I haven’t heard the birds chirping, not really that anxious to either. One of the big things for me is, I had 20 years of being on the hearing aid. I heard those sounds on the hearing aids, but they were at a different tone/sound then what I am used to with the implant. So I cannot compare what I heard on the hearing aid and the implant. They are two different things.
As most know I just had my one-month anniversary. Looking back the world has changed for me. It is amazing what I am picking up, and also how FAR I am picking up sounds too. I am still not able to understand neither speech 100% nor any at all quite honestly. I pick up some words, but it is only through testing that are done at the sound booth in STL at Barnes-Jewish. I get frustrated but I have to remind myself it literally has only been one month since I have been activated. I have months to go through.
My one month test showed that, I got 1 word out of 100 right…I scored 11 words correctly out of a sentence test, where there were 20 sentences. My Decibel is lower in the mid 20’s and low 30’s with just one at 38. I finally got all of them below 40, so this is good. These scores might seem bad or think “that is all?” Well keep in mind, my scores were basically ZERO before the surgery, I heard and understood NOTHING before the surgery with my ears. So ya, to even get ONE word right is awesome for me, as well as words out of sentences too. So while frustrating it isn’t more…it’s better than nothing.
It has been a very challenging semester between the surgeries, numerous doctor appointments; I think it has been my toughest semester so far because of all this. However as I always have in mind, I work hard to make it right, so I can win the fight, right or wrong, I know in the end it was meant to be and whatever happens happens.
Re: Cochlear Implant Surgery
Hey All—
Well, where to begin now…my last testing was December 15th, and a lot has happened since then. I have had better improvements; I took my first flight with the implant, which was quite an adventure in itself. First I will start with the testing last Tuesday.
I was very disappointed with the results due to the program used was not what my audiologist wanted me to use. So when I came back she gave me a new program based on how I responded to different tones. That was very hard for me because I never heard tones and pitches before the surgery so I had to tell how high or low the sound was. With nothing to compare it to it was very hard for me.
She did some quick testing with me to see how I would do with this new program. It seemed much louder and clear too. I further proved this when she ran about 10 sentences, and I got 3 of them right word for word. This was awesome for one-month anniversary. I was so giddy and excited to actually UNDERSTAND an entire sentence without any help but my own ear! It truly was awesome.
The sentences I did not get correct, I was still close in that I picked up some words that were alike or inside the sentence too. This really put me in a good mood and it was what I wanted to hear—literally!
So for the rest of the week I did work and finals/classes keeping busy. So I didn’t have any new things to discover. I am constantly hearing sounds and such as usual, and trying to match and identify them as I hear it again. I am always picking up ringing and ring tones from cell phones now and it is getting quite annoying almost ha-ha.
I am still amazed at what I can pick up and how far I am picking up the sounds too. I hear the laundry go off a lot and now I can hear it and recognize it, it is second nature to me too. It is hard trying to discover new sounds because my routine is so basic, I need to reach out and go find other sounds to play with it.
Now comes to my first flight on the implant! I was very startled to discover how quiet the engine seemed when we took off. I was thinking, odd, the engine was much louder to me with the hearing aid and even when I took my hearing aid off! It seemed like it barely made a loud noise, but I knew it was on! I was able to hear all the announcements made, however I still couldn’t understand most of it.
I heard all the dings, chimes and whatnot. Another thing I was pleased to discover was that I was able to pick up the Flight Attendant’s conversation, her actual voice, and THREE rows away over the sound of the engine and other noise. I realize that most of you guys can do that anyway but again keep in mind; this could not be done for me on the hearing aid.
I had a very fun experience seeing what I could, I noticed I was sort of able to carry more conversations in the plane, but at night it was still hard for me. Security in Houston was ridiculous. They hassled me about the implant. One motioned for me to take it off and put it through the x-ray machine. HELL NO! If you want to pay 100,000 dollars for it! So I discussed with them that I am able to wear it and go through security. They finally let me through.
When I was riding the shuttle bus from airport to car rental at Houston Airport I was sitting in the last row of the bus, and heard a clicking sound, and went what is that sound? My friend said it was the turn signal. OMG I did it AGAIN! However I was surprised how far away I could hear it, again, nothing new for you folks!
This has been the updates so far the past two weeks and such and quite an adventure!
Alex
