Residual Hearing: Is it usable?

People who have qualified for cochlear implants often have concerns about losing residual hearing after implantation.

Prior to being implanted with cochlear implants, my body felt like it was in "hyperdrive" all the time.  I was constantly in a state of alert, as I had to work to hear with what little hearing I had left.

That takes energy and it was wearing me out.

Hearing people tend to want to "preserve" residual hearing of their deaf family member.

But is residual hearing usable?

In my case, I heard nothing without my hearing aids.  It had to be the mother of all thunderstorms for me to "hear" thunder without hearing aids. 

Here's what my residual hearing was not doing for me, prior to cochlear implants.  I definitely didn't have any hearing in the speech range, and I couldn't understand speech unseen over the telephone, and depended 100% on lipreading by the time I qualified for CI's.

With my CI processors on, I can hear the doorbell, the heat pump coming on and shutting off.  I can hear traffic go by from inside my townhouse. I can hear birds.  I can hear dogs barking, the phone ring, the ticking of a second hand sweeping a clock.

I am still deaf without my CI processors on.  My silence isn't totally silent.  I hear tinnitus in my ears - it used to be really bad, roaring, hissing, hooting noises.  Now it is more like white noise.  I can hear my Sonicare toothbrush vibrate as I am brushing my teeth.  That's what is left of my residual hearing.

It isn't much.

Over time, I am getting more relaxed in using cochlear implant processors.  I can trust what I am hearing with my cochlear implants.  I rarely startle when people walk into my office (unless I have had too much coffee!)

Hearing with cochlear implants is still a process.  I may not hear a new sound each and every day, but my brain picks it up.  I can hear things as they drop, like the tip of a ball point pen, or a nail, or even pieces of food dropping on the floor. After it has rained, I can hear the squeaking of shoes.  I can hear my feet squishing through already saturated grass.  I definitely hear rain, and yes, I can tell a light rain from a heavy rain.

In my view, cochlear implant processors pick up where hearing aids leave off.  I hear far better with cochlear implants than I ever did with hearing aids, and with CI's, I don't even miss residual hearing.

I had so little left. I would counsel people who are investigating cochlear implants to think about the flip side of the coin.

What ISN'T residual hearing doing for you?  Can you hear the doorbell ring, the teakettle whistle, a child crying, a door knock, an alarm clock ringing WITHOUT hearing aids?  Can you understand speech?  Can you understand speech unseen without a captioned phone?

Again, is residual hearing usable?  If not, and you want to be able to hear, than you owe it to yourself to investigate cochlear implantation if hearing aids are not an option for you.

Technology is growing by leaps and bounds.  We are fast approaching a day where cochlear implants can be implanted and residual hearing can be preserved.

I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Amazing.

A Spring of two Bionic Ears, 2013

The month of May has been a busy one.  I cannot believe it is June already!

I recently accomplished my second solo trip of driving on the interstate at night.  It was an hour and a half trip.  As it was the Memorial Day weekend, traffic was busy. I had my Google maps and my Magellan GPS.  I now can hear and understand the GPS telling me directions.  I also had never been to this particular address before, so nothing was familiar.  I didn't get lost going there and didn't get lost coming home. I am getting better with directionality of sound. So far, so good.

I still am discovering new sounds. The other night I was watching a news feature about a dolphin that had surgery to improve its breathing. I didn't know dolphins made clicking sounds. The birds are still calling to each other.  I can hear more different bird calls now.  I also can hear the difference in cars and trucks idling in city traffic. I hear paper shuffling and rustling in offices where I share adjoining doors.

I still can hear a co-worker snap and chew gum all day long, much to my chagrin. 

There are so many things I am doing now that I never would have done before cochlear implants - driving at night on the interstate, for example.

I am an Amy Grant fan, have been for years, and love her music.  I bought her new CD, "How Mercy Looks From Here,"put it in my car stereo, not expecting to understand any of the lyrics, just the music.  Well, to my surprise, I heard "If what I could see what the Angels see..." out of my right ear. Well, that floored me, because my right ear typically did poorly as far as speech comprehension. I thought about how this talented woman started out singing with her guitar as a teenager, and in her latest CD still sings with her guitar.  I could hear the harmonizing on the CD. I always liked Amy's music and the lyrics because she keeps things real. 

So as audio therapy on the drive home from work, I plan to listen to her newest CD some more.

I am listening to traffic and cars driving by from within my townhouse. A dog is intermittently barking/howling somewhere outside - and getting more persistent. I think the dog is bored.  It is funny, because before cochlear implants, my townhouse was a lot quieter! Not any more!!

It has been an amazing journey since October, 2010, when I was first implanted in my left ear. I am still processing new sounds.  I am still stunned by how deaf I am.  Cochlear Implant technology continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  Already, my cochlear implant company has a new BTE CI processor coming out. Computer technology and telephones are now adaptable for the deaf. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, Skype, Face Time now bridge the gap between the hearing world and the deaf world.

I always felt there was something missing from my life, even with hearing aids. With cochlear implants, my hunger to hear more sound and to have a better quality of life is being satisfied.  I also have been going through a kind of spiritual healing of sorts, and my spirit is at peace.

Isolation doesn't have to be a part of my life anymore.  Neither does loneliness. Thank you, God for my blessings.  I don't take hearing for granted anymore.

For eight plus hours a day, I hear with my cochlear implant processors and have access to smartphones, ipod nanos. I listen to iheart radio, Spotify, and my downloaded tunes.

"Surround Sound," now makes up my world.  Everything has a sound.

My life is still transitioning...!  I still am profoundly deaf, I still am very visual, but I am hearing speech along with lipreading.  The fact that I can understand the GPS giving me step by step directions and hearing the bell before I make my turns tell me this.

Yes. Everything has a sound. Who would have thought I would be hearing out of both ears with two cochlear implants in three years?

A dream realized.