Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are coming to the end of 2009 and it was a tough year for some people. I am grateful that I had the implant this past year. I will be getting my second implant on Feb 17, 2010 with Dr. Niparko. My left ear is my favorite ear and I will be losing my residual hearing which I do not have much left. Hopefully it will be a good 2010 for me and everyone else.

I do not have the activation date yet. Will get it probably before the surgery and also I will have mapping before the surgery for the right ear.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year.

Another Mapping this week

I will be going in on Thursday for another mapping. I got this appt alittle early because I noticed things has changed and could not wait until Aug 7. Also I will be making an appt to see Dr. Niparko for the second implant for next year after the holidays. I missed hearing out of my left ear.

I noticed the other day that I was asking my son a question with my back to him and he answered my question without me turning to face him. I understood what he said. So there is progress on this. I am also listening to audio book and I really have to listen where I am and that helps.

Will let you guys know how the mapping goes on Thursday.

Third Mapping Update

Hi Folk!

Got my third mapping this past Tue. I went into the booth for testing and I am hearing things better than the last time, but still can not understand the speech in the booth. The audie said it too early for that. They added more sound, high frequency. Boy yesterday was really loud and my brain is really overload with sound. I hear the birds in the backyard and it was much louder and clear. And this morning I was defrosting the roast for dinner tonight in the microwave and I was walking into the kitchen wondering what is that noise and come to find out it was the microwave and I heard it beeping much louder while I was in the other room.

So things are starting to pick up. Hopefully I can start using the phone with practice but I know when people say wait it too early. But it would not hurt to continue to listen.

We are heading for Nashville, TN for the HLAA convention. It will be our first one and we are excited about going. This would also be good for my daughter who is also hearing impaired. We could use some resources for her. Will tell you about the convention after we back.

Have a wonderful summer!

10th Annual Johns Hopkins C.I. Picnic

Tina, Beth MacDonald, JoAnne, and Hope (hearing dog)

The Listening Center at Johns Hopkins Hosp. had their 10th annual C.I. picnic so we decided to go because it would be great to meet other people that has their C.I. Especially Elizabeth MacDonald from the BEA (Advanced Bionics). There was more elderly and younger kids with CI. I met alot of people and saw some from their blogs. It was really nice, too bad that they do not live in the area where I am at.

Update on my progress with the CI. I am still learning to hear the words without looking at the book or the person but it hard. The radio I am starting to catch the words. I am still having trouble understanding my kids but that will come when my brain is ready. I will have my next mapping on June 2.

This is me and my husband Tom

This is me and Joanne and her hearing dog Hope

Me and my audie Courtney Carver

This is my daughter Shannon

The Listening Center at Johns Hopkins Hosp. had their 10th annual C.I. picnic so we decided to go because it would be great to meet other people that has their C.I. Especially Elizabeth MacDonald from the BEA (Advanced Bionics). There was more elderly and younger kids with CI. I met alot of people and saw some from their blogs. It was really nice, too bad that they do not live in the area where I am at.

Update on my progress with the CI. I am still learning to hear the words without looking at the book or the person but it hard. The radio I am starting to catch the words. I am still having trouble understanding my kids but that will come when my brain is ready. I will have my next mapping on June 2.

2nd Day Since the Activation

I am already on P3 and I can tell that I need more power because I am used to hearing things and beginning to understand more stuff including people talking in the fast food restaurant, catching a few words here and there. I am also hearing alot of shshshshsh sounds. The other day I was outside with my husband and I keep hearing this hammer sound and I asked my husband what is that noise and he had to listen also and said the neighbor was using the pressure washer to wash the bus. I was hearing the clicking sound. Wow!! I can hear people talking but not catch what they are saying so I have stop and listen. I need to do the Listening skill but have to do it when it quiet and did try to read the children book and it was not easy, but was able to follow along. Some sounds are loud because of the setting I had in the past had to be turned down like my phone on my desk. It scared me after my first mapping and I literally jumped so I had to turned down the volume of the ringer.
When I try to turn up the volume on P3 it gets echo sound so I had to turn it back down. Something I heard today that I never heard before. We were at my daughter's ENT appt for the follow up and the doctor had to check her middle ear to see if there is any fluid and the device he used made a noise and I asked him is that device making a noise and he said yes. I told him that I never heard it before. He is really amazed how well I hear even though I am not wearing my ha in my left ear. After a week I tried my ha in the left ear and I do not like it. I had a hard time listening, but I had to use my ha for an emergency when I answered the phone when my husband is out of town. My kids does not answer the phone, never does.
Will let everyone know about the 2nd mapping. I am wondering what they are going to do.

Here is my first test in the booth before the 2nd mapping. I can not explain it but it showed that I needed more volume in the high freg.

1st Activation on March 21, 2009

What can I say "WOW"! I can understand speech and environmental sounds. I am now on the second program. I was on the first one since yesterday and just moved to the second program. Things are sharper. At least my eyes are not dancing so it tells me that the brain is accepting the sound. I just listening to the voice mail and understood it including to find out it was my mother who called.
The world is loud. Never thought it would be that loud. My son said to me "Welcome to my world." I still have a hard time understanding my kids because they are high pitch. Can not hear the microwave beep yet.
I probably will move to the third program later today. Also yesterday they almost postpone my appt because the audie was out because her daughter was sick and they left the message on my cell and also called my husband and they asked him if they could postpone it and he said no, she waited long enough to get activatied.
I am using my 4 P's Patience, Peristence, Practice and Prayers. I am learning to hear. And it awesome!!!! and it will get better as long as I have my patience. The only problem I have is that it cut off on loud sound like someone high pitch voice and the t-mic turned. I have the 50/50 t-mic for now.
Go back to the 2nd mapping tomorrow.

Update: Doing well

It will be 3 weeks since my surgery. The incision is healing very well. I still have some vertigo problem but not as bad. I have my feeling back on my tongue and not the head. I missed hearing out of that ear. Sometime I hear things but I assumed it the phantom playing around. I have three more weeks before the activation date.

Funny when people asked me how well do I hear and I tell them that I not turned on yet. I have to wait at least 6 weeks before the activation. I explained to them that once I get turned on I will be hearing sound like Darth Vader, Mickey Mouse or someone was inhaling the helium from the ballon. And then I have to take the other hearing aid out of my left ear for three months so my brain can be retrain to hear. It will be hard but it takes patience to do this. I wish I have patience with my youngest daughter who is also hard of hearing. She misplaced her hearing aid so we have to replace it and the other aid is ready so hopefully both aids will be working by next week. She is having a hard time.


Will let you know how the activation goes and I will tape it so you see the result.