Today was my first solo trip as a driver on the Interstate post-activation. I did just fine in spite of heavy traffic during "rush hour" this morning. I still rely on visual clues, but I can definitely hear traffic around me.
I met with the CI Audiologist to be "tweaked." She tested my hearing with the cochlear implant for the first time. Both the Cochlear Implant and the Sound Processor are doing their job. The new mapping resulted in better clarity of speech (not so much echoing) and sound. The CI Audiologist also tested my speech discrimination post activation, and I understood every word and sentence, repeating back what she said with accuracy. Now, this happened in the quiet of the audiologist's office with her door closed and no background noise!!
Still, when I think back to August, when I couldn't understand speech at all, with or without my behind the ear hearing aids, to now - today - the technology of the cochlear implant is just amazing.
I even heard an electrode misfiring and was able to tell the CI Audiologist about it. She found the misfiring electrode (on the computer) as I was hooked up, and turned that electrode off. That just blew my mind. The misfiring electrode didn't affect the performance of the cochlear implant or the sound processor.
Thanksgiving will be here in three days. I am so grateful for the gift of hearing with a cochlear implant. In just 11 short days, this wonderful technology has greatly improved my quality of life. It really has opened a whole new world of sound for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment