December 8th, 2018
Guess what? I was driving and waiting for the left hand arrow. All of a sudden I heard ambulance sirens and I turned to see where it was coming from and I saw it!!! When I finally made the turn, it took me a minute to realize that my head automatically turned to the left when the ambulance was coming! When I only had one cochlear implant, I had to look every which way to figure out where the ambulance was coming from!! Soooo coool!
In the meantime, I am experimenting with turning the volume up on my cochlear implant.
I will keep you posted on my journey. My next audiology appointment will be in January and I will start my aural rehabilitation in January as well.
So exciting!
Deirdre
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Saturday, November 10, 2018
It all began August 9th, 2018
August 9th, 2018
A Little Background
I have profound to severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. No one knows what caused my hearing loss. I received my hearing aides in kindergarten and wore them all through elementary and high school years. My freshman year of college at U of I was frightening as I lost the residual hearing in my right ear and therefore, the hearing aid could no longer work. U of I at Champaign Speech Clinic told me about the cochlear implant and highly recommended I look into into it. I had three years of college to complete and needed to hear so I decided to go for it. The best decision I have ever made. It was a long process of letting the brain adjust to new sounds but I heard sounds I had not heard in those twenty years like the sounds of pop fizzing , flip flops on the ground, the refrigerator making noise, crickets and the birds. ( I really do not like the birds because they do not stop chirping! (My mom was disappointed to learn this) Receiving this cochlear implant was truly a SPECIAL GIFT!
Why is my post titled my Second Gift? Well, I received the first gift of a cochlear implant 19 years ago!
I had cochlear implant surgery at University of Chicago Medicine on August 9th. I am a teacher so getting it done in the summer was the best time and would allow for recovery. Surgery is so much more modern. Nineteen years ago, they had to shave some of my hair and had to make a larger incision for the cochlear implant. I remember I had staples all down my head! This time, the incision is done behind the ear and very little hair is cut. August 9th was a Thursday and that was probably my worst day of recovery. You really do need time to recover from taking medications and letting your head heal but sleep was the best medicine!
I thank my family and friends for supporting me on this day! It has been incredible to read all the heartfelt support from people.
What made me decide to go for my second one? I am part of Hearing Loss Association of America national chapter. Every year they host conventions all across the country. I have been to one in Milwaukee, St. Louis and Minneapolis. I always tell people who wear hearing aids to think about getting a cochlear implant because it has made such a unbelievable impact in my quality of life! I tell them they do not know what they are missing. What is funny is people who have two cochlear implants tell me I do not know what I am missing! They might be right so I decided to get a second one.
A Little Background
I have profound to severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. No one knows what caused my hearing loss. I received my hearing aides in kindergarten and wore them all through elementary and high school years. My freshman year of college at U of I was frightening as I lost the residual hearing in my right ear and therefore, the hearing aid could no longer work. U of I at Champaign Speech Clinic told me about the cochlear implant and highly recommended I look into into it. I had three years of college to complete and needed to hear so I decided to go for it. The best decision I have ever made. It was a long process of letting the brain adjust to new sounds but I heard sounds I had not heard in those twenty years like the sounds of pop fizzing , flip flops on the ground, the refrigerator making noise, crickets and the birds. ( I really do not like the birds because they do not stop chirping! (My mom was disappointed to learn this) Receiving this cochlear implant was truly a SPECIAL GIFT!
Why is my post titled my Second Gift? Well, I received the first gift of a cochlear implant 19 years ago!
I had cochlear implant surgery at University of Chicago Medicine on August 9th. I am a teacher so getting it done in the summer was the best time and would allow for recovery. Surgery is so much more modern. Nineteen years ago, they had to shave some of my hair and had to make a larger incision for the cochlear implant. I remember I had staples all down my head! This time, the incision is done behind the ear and very little hair is cut. August 9th was a Thursday and that was probably my worst day of recovery. You really do need time to recover from taking medications and letting your head heal but sleep was the best medicine!
I thank my family and friends for supporting me on this day! It has been incredible to read all the heartfelt support from people.
What made me decide to go for my second one? I am part of Hearing Loss Association of America national chapter. Every year they host conventions all across the country. I have been to one in Milwaukee, St. Louis and Minneapolis. I always tell people who wear hearing aids to think about getting a cochlear implant because it has made such a unbelievable impact in my quality of life! I tell them they do not know what they are missing. What is funny is people who have two cochlear implants tell me I do not know what I am missing! They might be right so I decided to get a second one.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Back at it!
November 4th, 2018
I finally have some time to write on my blog! Yay! Work has been so busy and I have been going to captioned theatre plays at Second City, open captioned movies like A Star is Born (which was really good), celebrating my mom's birthday, running the Hearing Loss Association of America's Chicago Lincoln Park Chapter and taking technology classes at the University of St. Francis at Joliet. Lots going on!
However, I really wanted to share with you what I heard just recently. I have been turning down the volume to level 3 . Level 6 was so loud I found the sounds were so distorted. My audiologist told me to gradually increase the volume so that is where I am at. Anyway, back to my aha moment. I was at the doctor's office waiting of course for the doc. I heard what sounded like a toilet flushing and paper towel roller dispenser. At first, I was like nahhh that cannot be it. However, I heard the same sounds again. I was like oh my gosh I can hear that. I can hear the toilet flushing, the paper towel dispensing and the door closing! i found out there was a bathroom right next to the room I was waiting in . No way had I heard those before and not all in a row. I thought that was really COOL!
I finally have some time to write on my blog! Yay! Work has been so busy and I have been going to captioned theatre plays at Second City, open captioned movies like A Star is Born (which was really good), celebrating my mom's birthday, running the Hearing Loss Association of America's Chicago Lincoln Park Chapter and taking technology classes at the University of St. Francis at Joliet. Lots going on!
However, I really wanted to share with you what I heard just recently. I have been turning down the volume to level 3 . Level 6 was so loud I found the sounds were so distorted. My audiologist told me to gradually increase the volume so that is where I am at. Anyway, back to my aha moment. I was at the doctor's office waiting of course for the doc. I heard what sounded like a toilet flushing and paper towel roller dispenser. At first, I was like nahhh that cannot be it. However, I heard the same sounds again. I was like oh my gosh I can hear that. I can hear the toilet flushing, the paper towel dispensing and the door closing! i found out there was a bathroom right next to the room I was waiting in . No way had I heard those before and not all in a row. I thought that was really COOL!
Friday, September 14, 2018
NPR and aural Rehabilitation
September 14, 2018
It has been a while since I blogged! I am back to teaching and have been teaching for two weeks. It has been very very busy at work but so glad to be back to the routine.
I wanted to blog about one thing that I thought was incredible. My mom told me about NPR and thought that might be good aural rehabilitation for my newly implanted ear. Soon after that, a fellow teacher at work asked if I listened to NPR. She told me how they were talking about librarians and how they used to teach library years ago. How the personalities of librarians had changed over the years and she said she thought of me. That definitely motivated me to listen to NPR :) So I did on my way home from work Friday afternoon. It is sometimes more than an hour ride home in rush hour traffic so it is a good aural rehabilitation session. My mom was right. NPR was good to listen to because the speakers are clear in speech and slow as well. I heard pretty much everything which to me was amazing. I heard there was a typhoon coming for the Phillipiness and I immediately thought of my friend who lives there. So I texted her and asked if there was a typhoon coming as I still was thinking did I heard that right? She said there was a typhoon coming and they were all staying safe! I was praying for her and her family but I couldn't believe it . I would never had known that there was a typhoon coming had I not listened to NPR!
It has been a while since I blogged! I am back to teaching and have been teaching for two weeks. It has been very very busy at work but so glad to be back to the routine.
I wanted to blog about one thing that I thought was incredible. My mom told me about NPR and thought that might be good aural rehabilitation for my newly implanted ear. Soon after that, a fellow teacher at work asked if I listened to NPR. She told me how they were talking about librarians and how they used to teach library years ago. How the personalities of librarians had changed over the years and she said she thought of me. That definitely motivated me to listen to NPR :) So I did on my way home from work Friday afternoon. It is sometimes more than an hour ride home in rush hour traffic so it is a good aural rehabilitation session. My mom was right. NPR was good to listen to because the speakers are clear in speech and slow as well. I heard pretty much everything which to me was amazing. I heard there was a typhoon coming for the Phillipiness and I immediately thought of my friend who lives there. So I texted her and asked if there was a typhoon coming as I still was thinking did I heard that right? She said there was a typhoon coming and they were all staying safe! I was praying for her and her family but I couldn't believe it . I would never had known that there was a typhoon coming had I not listened to NPR!
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Forward Focus
August 30th,
I wanted to write a quick note before I forget. USE FORWARD FOCUS! I was in a workshop for teachers today. There was mainly one speaker. I decided to use the FORWARD FOCUS app on my nucleus 7 smart app on my iphone. It is under the program tab. It works so well!!! It brings the speaker's voice to my cochlear implants. I heard her with no problem at all. I will be definitely using this feature in future meetings.
The other tidbit I wanted to share was this. A fellow teacher told me my speech was much clearer, more enunciated. It was not that my speech was bad before but she noticed that I am enunciating clearer speech. I do not notice this. However, it was funny that she said that because a friend of mine got her second cochlear implant a year ago. Her husband had said the same thing about her. He noticed her speech was much clearer.
It will be interesting to see what other people say and notice.
Sounds are still echoey and it is taking my brain a min or two to process sounds. My left one didn't realize that the noise was the sound of my printer printing paper!
'Til next time,
Deirge
I wanted to write a quick note before I forget. USE FORWARD FOCUS! I was in a workshop for teachers today. There was mainly one speaker. I decided to use the FORWARD FOCUS app on my nucleus 7 smart app on my iphone. It is under the program tab. It works so well!!! It brings the speaker's voice to my cochlear implants. I heard her with no problem at all. I will be definitely using this feature in future meetings.
The other tidbit I wanted to share was this. A fellow teacher told me my speech was much clearer, more enunciated. It was not that my speech was bad before but she noticed that I am enunciating clearer speech. I do not notice this. However, it was funny that she said that because a friend of mine got her second cochlear implant a year ago. Her husband had said the same thing about her. He noticed her speech was much clearer.
It will be interesting to see what other people say and notice.
Sounds are still echoey and it is taking my brain a min or two to process sounds. My left one didn't realize that the noise was the sound of my printer printing paper!
'Til next time,
Deirge
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
The Weekend
Saturday, August 25th, 2018
I went to dinner with a couple of friends and we were going to see a play called, Silent No More at the Goodman Theatre. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. It was so inspiring and I found that I could relate to so many of the panelists. It is a collection of inspiring life stories by individuals with hearing loss.
Two things I want to mention: my friends and I were walking down to the Goodman Theatre on a beautiful day and I was in the middle of my two friends and I realized wow!! I realized how great it was that I could hear from both sides of my ears. It has always been a struggle when someone is on my left ear and I could not hear them. Now I can!
The second thing I want to say is that I am so glad that I attended Silent No More. It reminded me of own journey with my first cochlear implant and the panelists stories inspired me to be patient and to be strong once more. Attending events like this reminds me that I am not alone in my journey.
Sunday, August 26th, 2018
Nothing remarkable happened to me on this day.
However, I was watching TV at night-almost about to go to bed when my battery in my right ear died. I kept watching the TV with my left ear(the newly implanted one) for auditory experience. It sounded very echoey. I was getting frustrated and wanted so much to have the speech be more clearer. I can tell someone is speaking on the show and when someone is done speaking. I just have to remind myself that it will get better and the brain needs time to process sounds it has not heard in 38 years.
I will be going back to work Wednesday, August 29th . Teachers have meetings Wednesday to Friday. It will be interesting to see how I will hear in the meetings. I hope to use the new FORWARD FOCUS application on the iphone app. This will allow me to focus more on the speaker's voice and drown out the noises behind me.
I ll keep you posted!!
I went to dinner with a couple of friends and we were going to see a play called, Silent No More at the Goodman Theatre. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. It was so inspiring and I found that I could relate to so many of the panelists. It is a collection of inspiring life stories by individuals with hearing loss.
Two things I want to mention: my friends and I were walking down to the Goodman Theatre on a beautiful day and I was in the middle of my two friends and I realized wow!! I realized how great it was that I could hear from both sides of my ears. It has always been a struggle when someone is on my left ear and I could not hear them. Now I can!
The second thing I want to say is that I am so glad that I attended Silent No More. It reminded me of own journey with my first cochlear implant and the panelists stories inspired me to be patient and to be strong once more. Attending events like this reminds me that I am not alone in my journey.
Sunday, August 26th, 2018
Nothing remarkable happened to me on this day.
However, I was watching TV at night-almost about to go to bed when my battery in my right ear died. I kept watching the TV with my left ear(the newly implanted one) for auditory experience. It sounded very echoey. I was getting frustrated and wanted so much to have the speech be more clearer. I can tell someone is speaking on the show and when someone is done speaking. I just have to remind myself that it will get better and the brain needs time to process sounds it has not heard in 38 years.
I will be going back to work Wednesday, August 29th . Teachers have meetings Wednesday to Friday. It will be interesting to see how I will hear in the meetings. I hope to use the new FORWARD FOCUS application on the iphone app. This will allow me to focus more on the speaker's voice and drown out the noises behind me.
I ll keep you posted!!
Activation Day!
August 24th, 2018
This was a major day! I called activation day. Activation day is when my audiologist, who is a wonderful Audiologist with her own practice called, Chicago Hearing Care, turned on my new cochlear implant. It is the N7 made by Cochlear. My audiologist and friend, Marcel Luna, asked me to write a blog about my second cochlear implant journey. So this is my attempt at apprising people of how its going and not to be scared. During my audiology appointment, my audiologist had to turn my new cochlear implant (implanted in the left ear) off and left the right one on. I definitely noticed a difference! I am now wearing two N7s which are bluetooth. This means music on my phone and phone calls can be made straight to my cochlear implants. There is also a very cool app from Cochlear that you can download on your iphone. The app lets you control volume and lets you see battery levels. I will talk more about how I use the app in the days to come.
On this same day, I was meeting family at the Kerryman for dinner. We sat outside. It was a challenge to hear as anyone knows downtown, Chicago can be quite noisy with people honking and ambulance and police sirens. However, I took it as a learning experience. I did notice since my batteries were brand new and not fully charged, one of them died. I definitely noticed that I needed both of them to hear. One was not enough. That is a scary revelation to realize. Luckily , I still had my N6 with me and that helped me the rest of the night. One more thing, I used my gps on my phone to help me get to my spothero parking before dinner and the gps spoke directly to my cochlear implants. That was neat!! NO more putting on the phone clip.
I also got a pretty neat backpack from Cochlear and a tv streamer, extra batters and a aqua accessory! Also neat is the usb charging plugs for my batteries. You can charge your batteries anywhere you have a usb port so now I can charge one in the car!
This was a major day! I called activation day. Activation day is when my audiologist, who is a wonderful Audiologist with her own practice called, Chicago Hearing Care, turned on my new cochlear implant. It is the N7 made by Cochlear. My audiologist and friend, Marcel Luna, asked me to write a blog about my second cochlear implant journey. So this is my attempt at apprising people of how its going and not to be scared. During my audiology appointment, my audiologist had to turn my new cochlear implant (implanted in the left ear) off and left the right one on. I definitely noticed a difference! I am now wearing two N7s which are bluetooth. This means music on my phone and phone calls can be made straight to my cochlear implants. There is also a very cool app from Cochlear that you can download on your iphone. The app lets you control volume and lets you see battery levels. I will talk more about how I use the app in the days to come.
On this same day, I was meeting family at the Kerryman for dinner. We sat outside. It was a challenge to hear as anyone knows downtown, Chicago can be quite noisy with people honking and ambulance and police sirens. However, I took it as a learning experience. I did notice since my batteries were brand new and not fully charged, one of them died. I definitely noticed that I needed both of them to hear. One was not enough. That is a scary revelation to realize. Luckily , I still had my N6 with me and that helped me the rest of the night. One more thing, I used my gps on my phone to help me get to my spothero parking before dinner and the gps spoke directly to my cochlear implants. That was neat!! NO more putting on the phone clip.
I also got a pretty neat backpack from Cochlear and a tv streamer, extra batters and a aqua accessory! Also neat is the usb charging plugs for my batteries. You can charge your batteries anywhere you have a usb port so now I can charge one in the car!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)