How's it possible eh? Already a full year since implanted and now today, one year ago, I was 'switched on'.
I've been for my annual check of the CI (necessary for insurance purposes but otherwise handy anyway) and all is well.
The check included a good long session with tests from the speech therapist which proved that I do not after all have to start 'practicing listening' again. We (me and immediate family) did think it might be necessary as I do seem to keep missing things and am not so obviously hearing it all as I seemed to right at the start. The therapist tells me that I'm picking up more or less the same results with my CI, so it's not at all down to 'not listening properly' (or not deciphering things sufficiently) with the CI but could be partly down to hearing less with the remaining hearing aid. So, doing exercises to improve my listening skills would not really be helpful. She explained it with the huge difference from 'before' to 'after' being more noticeable right at the start... maybe?... and that I've settled into it more now. Also, your average person doesn't hear everything anyway! it's just perhaps more noticeable when I say 'what did you say?' because everyone expects me not to miss things now I have the CI. But I was 98% listening with the CI last time, and 98% this time too, so... bugger the lot of you... talk clearer for this CI wearer!
What may or may not help would be to have my hearing aid adjusted but I suspect that is no longer an option as it is actually overdue for being replaced and probably old-fashioned by now. They do tend to have come on in leaps and bounds every time I've needed new ones... so I'm curious to know what they have on offer now. I will only need one of course. I don't know if there is even an improved version available but I am being scheduled in for a new audiologist appointment soon so... we''ll see. I was hoping to manage with this HA for at least another year, not least as I have two (so a spare one). But I may need to just bite the bullet ... assuming they can recommend one for me that will work better. I'll meanwhile hope for a bit of adjustment to tide me over for a while yet. I'm mostly covered by insurance for new aids but still, could do without any expense thanks.
And too... it always takes me months of to-ing and fro-ing, and trying and testing, to get the things set to my liking, and of actual use to me. Really hate the process as it's kind of disheartening although of course you eventually get there. What's the betting they suggest X brand as 'best for your hearing according to the results' that I doggedly try... again... and totally fail to hear comfortably with... again, then resort to my tried and trusted make... again! We'll see.
Anyway, my test results were really good on the CI, and the check-up by the surgeon who poked around in both ears and checked my implant bump in all of 3 minutes was nice too. Nice bloke, hadn't met him before, I had him in kinks at the story of the HA battery being held on with the processor on top and he regaled me with one about someone going around with the spring from a pen hanging from their head all day. You have to laugh.
I'm not a babe magnet, just a plain old magnet!
My daughter's partner sent me a link for a book review that was about hearing, looked interesting (on the wish list now, thanks). I was really struck upon reading the following...
>>>
A
healthy cochlea can distinguish thousands of tones, but modern
cochlear implants have just twenty-two channels. What’s
astounding is that these devices, which reduce the complexity
and plurality of our acoustic world to just twenty-two
stimuli, are so successful in making speech comprehension
possible.
<<<
It's not just astounding, it's feckin' miraculous! Stupendous! Incredible and all things superlative! You guys that hear normally, you have 1000's... thou.sands! of 'channels'. I have 22... twenty.two!! So excuse me if I don't hear everything at all times!
Without my HA or my CI in... I'm effectively Deaf. With the one HA alone... this old one at least, as good as deaf to be fair. With my 22 channel CI... well, the 98% goes for 'optimum listening conditions and articulated speech' but still...pretty damned good, and the additional HA does help marginally more too.
So... watch this space for news on the right ear. A 2nd CI is not on the cards at all but have to say... I'd probably go for it if it was.
