Only Two More Weeks

As you can tell by the ticker on the top of this page, it is only two more weeks until my second CI surgery. I am getting excited and nervous at the same time. I'm also very busy trying to get things done before I am out of commission again for awhile. I feel like I'm getting ready for another "trip." And it is really another "trip" to hear better. I took my hearing aid off yesterday for the last time and have made the decision to "wean" myself from it. I've had so much trouble with feedback and whistling coming from it lately and it is aggravating. It's probably because I need a new earmold. I won't be able to wear it after my surgery so I might as well get used to hearing with just my CI for now. I can honestly say I don't like being without my hearing aid. I miss it. It's almost like a security blanket for me and gives me a little bit of hearing in the low tones that my CI doesn't provide. I'm hoping that within a few days, my brain will make the "shift" and hearing with just my CI will become the "new normal" until my second CI is activated. So far, I've made it one whole day without putting my hearing aid back on.

This blog is supposed to be about my cochlear implant journey and has evolved to other parts of my daily life. I'm trying to decide if I should start another blog (I already have one for knitting, cooking, and my book chapters) or if I should just continue to write here. Any thoughts or words advice out there? Please feel free to comment. You can do it anonymously if you want. Just click on Comments at the bottom of this post. I'd love to hear from my readers, if there are any out there. :)

But, you know what? Even though I share about my family, friends, and events in my life, it is all part of my CI journey. I am able to function as a person, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, coworker, etc. with a hearing loss. We all have difficulties in our lives that we have to overcome at one point or another. Part of the reason why I write is because I want to encourage others who struggle with a hearing loss and give hope to them. Also, I want to encourage parents who are dealing with a deaf child. This journey has not been an easy one. But it has shaped my life and made me the person I am today. I would not change a thing. My CI has improved my life and family's significantly and we are looking forward to the new changes that are on the horizon. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I will end this post with an excerpt from a letter from my Russian pen pal & friend, Elena:

"I know what a significant day the 30th of January is for you. And I do hope, I believe, I know that everything will be a success. Because you have never been just a passenger in the boat named "Life", and all your struggle with yourself and for yourself, your aspirations, your main (Jason, Chris, Brad, and Marissa) and not main achievements should definitely support and help you. May I add my purely Orthodox voice to your prayers and prayers of your friends?"

Thank you, Elena. God listens to all kinds of prayers!