§ ¶One year map: Ready for the summer
I had my last rehab session with Becca a couple of weeks ago. She made some graphs for me to compare our first and last sessions.While I improved 10% in identifying Ling sounds, I actually regressed slightly in discriminating them. I still have difficulty distinguishing between /oo/ and /ee/, and /ah/ and /m/ often sound the same.
In sentence topics, however, I showed definite progress. As you can see from the graph, she marked when the sentence was read alone, when it was repeated, and when she had to add a key word.
I continue to pick up things on a regular basis. When in Buffalo recently, I was in the passenger seat of the car when I heard someone behind me say, "Trust me, I'll be fine." Granted, I knew the context. But it was neat to be able to definitively understand the sentence - from an "unfamiliar" speaker, no less! I can easily recognize more of the kids' songs in the car, and every time it happens, I tell myself I need to practice with adult music!!Today I had my one-year mapping appointment. Megan came along with me to experience her first mapping - she had fun! We took the program I walked in with (which was the loudest of the three I had) and basically made a global increase for P2 and P3. Sometimes it's hard to gauge the volume level, because when I'm hooked up directly to the software, it's louder than it would be otherwise. I walked out of there with a new P3 that was 26 levels higher than the original, and so far I'm fine. We were reluctant to turn it up too much, though.
I also tried the High Fidelity Platinum processor, to give me an idea of what it'll sound like when the new Advanced Bionics Harmony processor is released. I'll be eligible to trade in my spare unopened processor in a couple of weeks, and then I'll get the Harmony without having to pay anything. I may have to pay for the batteries, but it'll be worth it, because the shelf-life is a lot longer (ie, an average of 14 hours instead of 8 for the Slim cell). I didn't really notice a difference in sound with the Platinum; it's supposed to be clearer and crisper. Sharon postulated that it might take me a while to grow into.
I was tested in the sound booth, and the results were similar to last time - perhaps slightly better in a couple of areas. I had a lot of false positives, so Sharon sent Megan into my booth to let me know when I had one. My mind tends to imagine sounds after a while - I've always hated that about hearing tests!
While in the sound booth, Sharon did some HINT sentences (Hearing In Noise Test), or a live voice presentation at a slow rate. These were random sentences - no context - and I couldn't ask for them to be repeated. In January, I was unable to make *anything* out. This time, however, I scored 30 out of 104, or 29%. Yay me!
For those of you who like numbers, my current CI audiogram is in the 20-30 dB range for 250 Hz to 4 KHz.
Sharon said I've come a long way since I started, and that I'm doing great. I agree. I've been asked if I'm glad I got a CI. I think you can guess what the answer is!
