A Breakthrough In Listening To Music and a Surprise

It is four days post-activation with the second CI. I have been faithfully taking off my processor for my left ear when I come home from work and just listening with my right ear. My right ear is catching on fast and I was actually able to understand some commercials on TV without captioning. I definitely have directionality of sound and while I am hearing some new sounds, it is more of hearing more with both ears than it is anything else. 

Today I was at my computer and decided to listen to Spotify again.  I set my left ear processor to the music program (my left ear being my dominant ear) and left my right ear processor alone.  I chose Seals and Crofts "Summer Breeze," because male voices are what I hear best listening to music. The music AND the singing came through clearly, although still somewhat scratchy.  I understood most of the song.

Then I tried listening to Seals and Crofts "I'll Play For You," and again I heard and understood most of it.

I switched to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."  I understood the chorus and some of the lyrics.

Next, I tried Coldplay's "Clocks." I heard the music but didn't understand the lyrics.

I discovered something. Not all of the song tracks on Spotify are of good quality.  I wonder if that is true of radio as well. The stereo systems that they install in cars are not that great unless you spend some serious money for GOOD STEREO in your car.

I had a hearing joke played on me today. I had asked my CI audiologist if processors reacted to electromagnetic interference on computers, cell phones or smart phones.  She said they can.

Well duh.  Today I was reading through e-mail on one of my accounts. That so-called "static" that I heard?

The "static" was the vroom-vroom of car engines in an on-line advertisement on my
e-mail web page!!!!

I just laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. How's that for a good clean hearing joke on a deaf woman with two cochlear implants?

You have to admit that it WAS funny!  I wonder what other hearing surprises are in store for me, now that I can hear out of both ears?

Hearing with two cochlear implants is priceless.

Being Binaural or Bilateral, Day Three

When I walked into my office yesterday, there was a surprise waiting for me.  On my desk, there was this beautiful potted fuchsia orchid. In front of the orchid, there was a card.  I opened it.  It said on the front, "Yay for you"!  The inside of the card said a congratulatory message, and everyone in my office signed it, and they were congratulating me on receiving my second cochlear implant.  I was so glad nobody was there to see my tears. I was really touched. The gesture was totally unexpected.

Easing back into work has been more tiring than I thought. I have been battling allergies, sneezing, and dealing with a tender right ear.  The incision has just about healed. I returned to the cochlear clinic today and got "tweaked" again.

Sounds are not wild and crazy, and speech is understandable as long as I'm lipreading. The speech discrimination without captioning is improving, but nowhere am I ready for a gab session on a smart phone just yet. It is a relief to have both ears implanted now and activated.

The balance issues have just about gone, but I still have touches of wooziness when I get out of bed in the morning.

Music is fine. Lyrics still sound scratchy, but words will come through clearly every now and then.

I had my Magellan GPS in my car when I went to the cochlear clinic. I can understand some of the verbal instructions now, and the GPS now has an audible bell that I can hear when I am getting ready to turn onto a street.

I had forgotten how tiring it is getting used to a cochlear implant. Yesterday my ears were battling each other in order to be the dominant ear. It truly is a brain thing.  You cannot force hearing new sounds.

It is noisy. I hear more environmental noise from within my townhouse. I can hear myself rubbing my hands. I didn't know you could hear that. I am definitely hearing out of both ears, there is no question about that.

I am sleeping like a baby. The Hearing Dreams have quieted for now.

Hearing with two cochlear implants is such a gift.

Surround Sound At Last

I went to the Cochlear Clinic today.  My audiologist took my back-up processor and programmed it for my right ear. I ordered two waterproof processors as back ups - I will be able to wear them in a swimming pool, at a water park, and the waterproof processors can be worn OFF the ears, and it runs on triple A batteries!  Good thing to have in case of a power outage.  How cool is that?

Activation Day with my second CI, for my right ear was a success. I recognized speech right away, it sounded a bit echoey, but when I think of when I was first activated a year and four months ago, sounds are not wild and crazy.  It is a little on the loud side, and I go back for another mapping Thursday.

Driving home was a lot less nerve wracking now that I can hear traffic noises out of both ears.

Lyrics still sound somewhat scratchy, but I can recognize snatches of singing, not just a word here and there. Music is recognizable. I still recognize music better than lyrics.  My first errand was to the Apple store.  I am now the proud owner of a i-pod nano.  That to me is just unreal. I can now use an i-pod nano.  My next stop was to the Home Depot store, to get some clear tubing so I can customize my Klipsch ear buds to my processors and listen to the radio without distracting background noise. I can listen to National Public Radio and practice Audio Verbal Therapy (AVT) at work while I am doing my own work at the computer at work.

I feel more balanced now that I have both CI's activated. My audiologist wants me to listen only with the right cochlear processor for a few hours a day.  I think I will do that at home so that I am more aware of sounds without distractions.

How fitting it is that I was activated with my second CI before Easter. I am so thankful for my surgeon's gift, that he was able to successfully implant cochlear implants in my ears. The fact that I can hear birds trilling while walking outside is still stunning to me.

I went to the grocery store.  It wasn't quiet. It was crowded and busy, and I wondered, why are there so many people at the grocery store early in the afternoon?  Then I realized that schools are out for spring break - at least where I live.

I have a feeling that my right ear will quickly adapt to hearing with a cochlear implant.

I was always going to get a cochlear implant someday. Now I have two cochlear implants and can now hear out of both ears. I think after a few months and some "tweaking" sessions, I will feel as if I am hearing in technicolor, stereo and high definition in both ears.

Surround sound at last. I am so relieved- single sided deafness is not something I enjoyed while waiting to get the second cochlear implant. I am still a deaf person with two cochlear implants, but my world just got a little noisier.

I am going to make it a point to get up early enough in the mornings on weekends so I can listen to the sounds of Spring.

Bring on the bird choruses, I won't find that annoying or distracting. The sounds of nature and birds are God's symphony.  The best part of it is, I can have a front row seat everyday and hear the birdsong for free!

So here's to surround sound, hope and Easter Joy.

Hearing with two cochlear implants is such a gift.

Cardinals and Murphy's Law

Today was one of those days which perfectly describes Murphy's Law.  If anything can go wrong, it will. I have been working from home while recuperating from surgery.  Yesterday I got a bill from the hospital which threw me for a loop when I saw one of the line item charges. Seeing that dollar figure on that bill did not make me feel good. I started out today in a bad mood and was having a pity party for myself big time.

All day today I battled allergies, sneezed, and had a dull headache. I took my blood pressure. I won't tell you what the reading was. I resolutely did my work, and resolutely pressed on. At lunch time I made myself a comfort food I haven't had in a long time - a grilled cheese sandwich made with low-fat swiss cheese and multigrain bread.  I looked out my kitchen window, slowly savoring this delicious sandwich and wishing the day was over.

Well, I think God took notice and He gently sent me a cardinal to get my priorities straight.

The female cardinal perched in my crape myrtle tree.  I put down my sandwich.  I watched for a bit to see what she would do.

To my surprise, when she opened her beak in bird song, I was startled to hear a rhythm in her bird song.  "THAT SOUND HAS A PATTERN TO IT"!  It was amazing.  For the first time in my life, I actually heard bird song that had a rhythm to it.  I knew it was coming from that bird because I was watching her beak and her throat pulsing in bird song. 

That made my day.  REALLY made my day.

Later, after work, I decided to make some phone calls and get to the bottom of the billing issue. I found out after talking with the insurance company that the hospital had billed both the insurance company and me for that particular sum of money. I was reassured the insurance company would process the claim.

My headache slowly went away.  I was grateful that the billing issue was resolved and even more grateful for the cardinal's birdsong.

So Murphy's Law today turned out to be a dud, and I survived today.

Hearing is such a gift.

Two Weeks Post Second CI Surgery

It was two weeks ago today that I had my second cochlear implant surgery.  I took my last pain pill last night. From now on if the ear starts to throb like a toothache, it is Advil.  Any discomfort I have had has been very manageable.  At no time was I ever in excruciating pain. Even my hand where the IV was has nearly healed. That vein swelling is gone, and so is the bruising. Any jaw pain I had is gone.

My hair isn't growing in fast enough to suit me. I definitely am going to have shorter hair.  That's okay.  We have been enjoying some beautiful sunny days with warm temperatures for the month of March.  I am not complaining. I still have my remaining hair pinned away from my newly implanted ear with hair jaw clips. As the weather is getting warmer, I think I want my hair up.

The stitches are not completely dissolved.  That may not happen for another week. For some reason it feels like it is taking longer for the stitches to dissolve this second CI surgery.  I think it is going to take another three days or so to clear out any pain meds out of my system.

I feel more rested than I have in a long time.  I definitely am sleeping well. No more naps. I am really looking forward to hearing "surround sound" out of both ears on March 27th.

I am trying to let it sink in that on March 27th I will be hearing with TWO cochlear implants. I was always going to get a cochlear implant "someday."  After I realized what ONE cochlear implant could do, I wanted MORE.

On March 27th, "someday" will have arrived. It still seems surreal.

Hearing is such a gift, and yes, my world is about to become noisier!

11 Days Post Second CI Surgery

It has been one week and four days since my second CI surgery. I have one week's growth of new hair where I had hair shaved away from my right ear.  The stitches itch like crazy.  The new hair coming in itches like crazy.  I can now look down without getting woozy. I can squat down using just my knees and keeping my back straight without getting woozy.

My rib cage and my stomach muscles have stopped being sore from the coughing in the recovery room. Those muscles initially hurt more than my newly-implanted ear.  For several days I had to wiggle my body to the middle of the bed and then lay back on the upraised pillows because it absolutely hurt to even try to roll over.  The nose wiping is getting old after just a week and four days.  I have to make a conscious effort not to blow my nose.

Because we have had such a warm winter and things are starting to bloom, the pollen has been up a tad. I have sneezed - not constantly, but the thing is, in order to not create ear pressure, I have to sneeze with my mouth open. 

The same goes for coughing. It is a bad idea to be around people, especially sneezing or coughing with my mouth open. As long as I stay inside, the asthma doesn't seem to flare up. I do not miss the secondhand smoke exposure when I am exiting the subway, when I am walking the six blocks to work, or entering and exiting my building. I don't miss the air pollution at all.

I desperately want to scratch my head, ear, and new hair growth. I think the biggest issue is my dry skin - especially when it is winter is why I have such a desire to scratch an itch. My right hand where the IV was inserted is still tender and a vein is still swollen. Here's the irony: I have a blood condition where I have too much iron, requiring me to undergo a therapeutic phlebotomy every three months.  The phlebotomists always ask if I brought my veins with me when I undergo that procedure as I have a tendency to have the tubing just clot up.  Well, when I was in the recovery room post CI surgery, after the nurse removed the IV, I kept bleeding like a stuck pig, so she applied pressure and SQUEEZED. That's why my right hand is black and blue and that one vein is still tender and swollen.  Why couldn't I bleed like a stuck pig at the last phlebotomy, then I would have dumped a full pint of blood in order to lower my iron levels??  At least I wasn't anemic when I went into surgery.

My body clock is definitely confused. I haven't had to get up at 4:30 AM in thirteen days. It is going to be even more confused after 2AM when we switch to Daylight Savings Time. I am by nature a night owl. I do not like getting up early. I never have. I still have an intolerance to cold, but it is definitely not a reaction to the anesthesia. I think it is because I have always hated being cold, even as a young child. I also do not like winter.  We have had a very mild winter and few really cold days. I have been pretty spoiled this winter.

I have finished antibiotics.  I take Advil during the day if I need it and the pain meds at night as I tend to get uncomfortable sleeping on my back. Two more weeks of sleeping on my back and I can resume being a side sleeper again. I have to make an effort to keep sleeping on my back, so I have had periods of waking up and wanting to sleep on my side and remembering that I can't do that just yet.

I still am having Hearing Dreams- just generally dreams about what kind of things I hope to hear when I finally hear surround sound. I look forward to hearing the sounds of Spring with both ears.  15 days until Activation Day.

My world is definitely about to get noisier.

Hearing is such a gift.

One Week post-second CI surgery, March 7, 2012

My recuperation from the second CI surgery is going pretty well. I do have some bruising on my face and some swelling along my jaw line.  I guess it took a while for the bruising to come to the surface. My newly implanted ear is definitely sore. I was cleaning the incision site before bed last night and somehow poked the cartilage on my ear above the incision site and literally saw stars. That did not feel good. A big ouch.

One of my CI veteran friends recently talked online about music, and mentioned listening to music using Spotify.  As someone who has never used a smart phone, or an i-pod, I was curious about Spotify. I downloaded the application on my computer, logged in and started listening to some oldies but goodies.  One was Seals and Crofts, "I'll Play for you." I had a flashback to a memory of listening to the song, "I'll Play for you," in the family room of my parents house.  The song ended, and my father came out of the bedroom and asked me to play that song again.  Together we listened to the song again, and surprisingly, my father really liked that song.  Growing up in a hearing family, the one constant in my life was music. Most of my friends are hearing, so I grew up with music in one form or another. It was a sweet memory, traveling back in time in my mind's eye to the family room, and listening to Seals and Crofts again.

I'm having Hearing Dreams again - all of which involve music. I am really glad to have discovered Spotify.  I am starting to recognize lyrics, and while the voices singing still sound scratchy, the lyrics are coming through and my brain is tuning in. I am going to enjoy hearing music in surround sound out of both ears. I can't wait for my i-pod Nano.  I plan to go shopping for one after Activation Day.

I am hopeful that I will be able to talk on an i-phone or the telephone without the aid of captioning one of these days. I'm not quite there yet, but I will be. I am pretty confident of that. It may not happen tomorrow, or next week, but the light is definitely there at the end of the tunnel.

I am just so hungry to hear more.  The fact that the Hearing Dreams have started again, tell me this.  My parents, had they lived today, would be so giddy with excitement for me.

I am so glad I went ahead and got a second CI, this time in my right ear.  I just really am so relieved that it is done.  Not because of fear or dread of the surgery itself, but because I don't like what is happening with health care.  I am unhappy with insurance companies finding ways to turn down people for cochlear implants and second cochlear implants. I just felt that I didn't have the luxury of waiting.

Activation Day is in 20 days.  Let the countdown begin!  Hearing is such a gift.