I asked my younger sister if my speech had changed. She said it was changing. Hearing people have told me that my voice has changed since receiving cochlear implants. I knew Heather Whitestone McCallum, the first deaf woman to be crowned Miss America, had been implanted with cochlear implants about twelve years ago. I found a commercial she had filmed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on line and listened to her speech. She sounded just like a hearing person.
That was very encouraging to me. I know it is possible for a person's voice to change after a lifetime of being deaf after cochlear implant surgery. I don't know if Heather went through any speech therapy after receiving cochlear implants.
Adults who have either been deaf for years or late-deafened usually do not receive speech therapy, unless an adult has had speech affected by a stroke or some other medical event.
I think that is a mistake. I wish health insurance companies would invest in speech therapy for adults who have received cochlear implants.
Babies and children who have been implanted with cochlear implants receive speech therapy.
I can hear "sh," and "k" and "ch," and don't have any issues following conversations. It can be challenging in noisy environments, but I am getting better at it. I still have captions on the television, but I am listening to the conversations on the television and do not rely on captioning as much.
I still listen to talk radio. I am recognizing sentences now. I haven't reached the point where I can listen to a discussion in its entirety on talk radio yet.
People still make the mistake of talking louder with me, and that comes from habit. Cochlear Implants don't amplify sound. Hearing Aids do that.
This is my third Christmas hearing with a cochlear implant, and my first Christmas as a bilateral cochlear implant recipient. It is so nice to be able to hear with two cochlear implants.
Hearing with two cochlear implants continues to be a blessing. I am extraordinarily blessed.
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