Activation Day for CI #2

Well, I know you all out there are waiting for an update on my activation today. . .I’m writing this in the car as Steve and I travel to Huntsville, Alabama for a business meeting and will post this when we get to our hotel. We are currently listening to Chris Botti, a jazz trumpeter, on the radio. Are two better than one???? Yes and no. Voices are sounding a little “funny” right now so I asked Steve to put some instrumental music on. I feel like I’ve taken two steps forward and one step backwards but it should get better as I get used to hearing with two ears. So far it sounds very mechanical and robotic, just like the first time I was activated but there is a difference when I'm only wearing one CI. With one CI there is a dramatic drop in the level of sound but I do like what I’m hearing with two. If I wear my new ear alone, it is all “white” noise and doesn’t make any sense. Is having two CI’s louder? No, just more sound but it is all mixed up.

Chris picked me up at work today and took me to my appointment (I had Steve take me to work this morning because it was raining and was not going to work for Chris to ride to ride his motorcycle to meet me.) He brought his friend, Kevin, with him so we had four people in a very small room for my appointment! Chris was fascinated with the whole process and took pictures, too. Remember, he is our Marine son and was stationed in California when I got my first CI in 2005. I flew out to San Diego three months later after my first activation to hear his voice and hear the ocean with him. Anyway, Bill went right to work and remapped my left ear first. I had to listen to a series of tones and beeps and there were a few changes from my last mapping session.

Then came the big “moment” and he got the “box” out with my new processor in it. This time the box is a little different than the first one I got . . . there is only one processor instead of two and I have rechargeable batteries. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get two processors but apparently cochlear implants are not money makers for hospitals anymore. I'm glad to have just one but I won't have a backup in case something happens. But, everything else is still the same. Bill had to help me get the processor set up on my head because I had trouble getting the magnet to stay on. I feel like I’m all “thumbs” with my new processor even though I am right handed. The magnet fell off once on the floor during the session. Bill hooked me up to the computer again to check the new internal implant and said that all the electrodes were firing. That was good news! This means I will now be hearing with 44 electrodes instead of 22. Then, we went through the beeps and tones just like we always do. The beeps and tones in my new ear sounded very different from the ones in my “older” ear. I “felt” them instead of hearing them and they were very faint and quiet most of the time. It was hard to count them. (I have to tell Bill if I hear two, three, or four beeps.) I can only “hear” so many beeps and tones for an hour and then it becomes hard to tell what is real and what isn’t. My ears start to ring with phantom noises and I begin to feel like I’m “failing the test.” But, Bill is patient and does what he needs to do. When he was ready, he switched on my new ear. (I had my other processor off.) Whoa! I had to tell him to turn it back off because it was too much. He made some more adjustments and then switched it back on again. We went back and forth a few more times until I was comfortable with the settings. Then, he had me put my “older” processor back on the other side. Next he, Chris, and Kevin started talking with me. They sounded very “funny.” All of a sudden I made the comment that Chris’ voice got quieter. Bill smiled and said that was because he turned off the new processor for a minute! When he was done finalizing the programs he told me to put them both back on. I had to turn down the sensitivity levels right away before we left the office because it was more than I could handle at the moment. Both ears have the same programs but the maps are different. Program 1 has Whisper, Programs 2 & 3 have ADRO with different telecoil settings, and Program 4 is BEAM, which is great for restaurants and loud places. I spend most of my time in ADRO. I have an appointment in two weeks for more adjustments.

So, yes, I can hear the difference between one and two ears. The best way I can explain it is that it’s like getting a stronger pair of glasses with a new prescription, only it is with ears, not eyes. And a new prescription takes some getting used to. Environmental sounds are good. Are sounds richer? I think so. I don’t even like just one ear anymore. And it’s only been a few hours. But, the “understanding” part has changed a little bit and seems a bit “out of focus.” More A/V therapy will help and I plan to start that up again for a little while. I will have to learn to hear with two ears now instead of one. But, I’m not complaining . . .

Pictures and updates to come this weekend. . .