Last week, I returned to the Cochlear Clinic for more "tweaking." I am hearing more birds calling. A friend tells me that the male Cardinals are the loudest birds early in the morning. I am hearing other birds calling, but cannot yet identify the specific bird call. Mornings are definitely not quiet, as I leave for work and or run errands on the weekends.
I watched American Idol tonight. I thought, well, I think I can at least enjoy the music. To my surprise and delight, the lyrics didn't sound so "scratchy." YAY!
I was able to enjoy the contestants as they sang their songs. All of them were delightful and quite talented.
Earlier this week, I played a Amy Grant album, "Straight Ahead," which had been digitally remastered for better sound, in my car's CD player and cranked up the sound a bit. It didn't sound loud or painful. I was able to actually understand two lines of the song, "Angels," post implant. "Angels Watching over me, Every Step I take."
Hearing with a Cochlear Implant is so very different from hearing with a hearing aid or two. While I am hearing new sounds, it is definitely a process, and I am learning to discriminate among "flavors" of sounds. One thing I have to constantly remind myself about cochlear implant sound processors. There's no sound amplification. I am hearing at normal levels. Since the CI Aufiologist programs the sound processor, I don't have to worry about excessive loudness or noise.
I still think "Soundflavoringsanew" was definitely a good title for my blog. I have come so far in just five months after having the cochlear implant turned on. Amazing. I've gone from hearing
"wild and crazy" sounds in 24 hours to the first two weeks, to hearing "normally" in four months. Normal for me, anyway.
Hearing is such a gift.
