§ ¶New semester of rehab
I started a new semester of rehab with Professor Elaine Mormer and her student Dave. It hasn't been that much of an adjustment working with a male voice, though listening to Dave is harder as his cadence is different.One new thing we're doing is working with a computer program from Cochlear. There are different training sessions, such as distinguishing between a male and female voice, identifying which tone is different out of three, and differentiating two environmental sounds. It provides immediate feedback, which is nice, and we can chart my progress.
I lost one of my slim cell batteries (on my birthday, no less!). It was in the little wallet compartment on my keychain and must have completely fallen off without my noticing. When I get my new Harmony processor, I can still use my batteries, as it's the processor that extends the battery life. I ended up ordering another slim cell and wallet, and the new wallet is an improvement over the old one. The power cell is just too heavy and big on my ear, and while I can wear it, I do prefer the slim. It's a good investment.
Last weekend when my folks visited, Samara said something when I wasn't looking. I guessed correctly what she said. Dad then started testing my hearing by listing objects in the room. I did pretty well - getting at least over 60%. As Dad told Samara, before my implant, I wouldn't have gotten any.
I wrote the following essay for the PA AG Bell newsletter (which I edit):
My One Year Anniversary
I recently marked my one-year anniversary. It’s a relationship like any other. It needs dedication, patience, maintenance and the occasional recharging. It has its ups and downs, but has really given me a boost. It’s changed my life.
Sorry husband, forget the 14 years we’ve been together. This other, new relationship was literally a part of me from the start. I have to admit, though, that it’s largely one-sided. But when my partner is a chip implanted in my head, that’s to be expected.
I don’t remember much about our first meeting because it took a while to recover. Ironically, when I was first turned on, it didn’t feel so good. It took me a long time to adjust. I hated it at first.
Before my cochlear implant, I couldn’t hear high frequencies. Now I can. I can hear the alarm my car makes when I forget to turn off the headlights. I can now pick out random sentences or phrases without looking, and can even identify some of the songs on my kids’ music CDs.
When I had my one-year audiology appointment, the audiologist 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 percent.
I still have trouble differentiating between certain sounds like /eee/ and /ooo/. I should be practicing at home more than I have, though it’s hard without a computer that’s compatible with the company programs, much less two young kids running around the house. I go to rehab once a week, so at least I have that.
The new Advanced Bionics Harmony processor has been released, so I’ll be trading in my spare unopened processor soon. The sound is supposed to be clearer and crisper, and the battery life is a lot longer.
I’ve been asked if I’m glad that I got a CI, and the answer is a resounding yes - especially now that I can hear it clearly! Unfortunately, my husband still mumbles too much.
