NOT HEARING VERY WELL

Just recently I'm having trouble hearing. Everything sounds clear but not clear enough. So I'm going to have to make an appointment to Ropewalk hearing place.

I wear my implant everyday and I now wear my implant while watching tv but I still require subtitles.

I do get frustrated when I can't hear well and when people are talking to me they have to speak slow. When people talk too fast I ask them to slow down.

Rope walk has sent me another processor and now I can hear very well.

I love showing off my Cochlear Implant!!!

I LOVE MY HEARING......AND SILENCE

It has been 4 months now since my 6 month mapping and I feel I'm doing very well. I can hear and play the piano very well and listen to ABBA on my ipod. I sometimes watch programmes on TV WITHOUT subtitles but I still like to prefer them on (in case I miss something). Normally at night when I'm in bed, I take my implant out and read the subs in peace. And I also like to read without my implant in peace aswell.
As for my hearing, I believe im doing very well and I'm due for my next mapping in december. And for sounds - I HATE RUNNING WATER - IT TOTALLY DOES MY HEADING... ARGHH!!!!

Also, I HEARD EVERYTHING (ABOUT 90%) WHEN I WENT TO CINEMA IN JUNE TO SEE MY FAVOURITE FILM - TERMINATOR SALVATION. I cried when the theme tune started coz I thought I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO HEAR TO IT.

THANKS TO A BRILLIANT FANTASTIC DEVICE N TECHNOLOGY, I CAN HEAR EVERYTHING

My next aim, is to see n HEAR a NOTTINGHAM FOREST game

6 MONTH MAPPING!!

On Thursday 11th June, I went to Ropewalk and had my 6 month mapping with Carina Stanfield. I went through the same routine but extra harder. There weren't much difference. The scale on the computer on the left side went up. The other 9 electrodes was near enough the same as last time. Carina disabled my 16th elctrode. She said it's to make the sounds better. So now only 15 electrodes are doing the job!
Just before my appointment, I saw a 7 year old girl, who's has a CI. Hers is Freedom. I signed and spoke as usual like I do to any other deaf person. She only replied with nods and shakes her head for yes and no. She was shy. I asked her if she was the only 1 in the family that is deaf. Her mum said no that her brother is deaf and has CI.
I went to wait in the waiting room as usual and then I needed the loo. When I came out I saw a little girl in her mums arms crying and I noticed that she has a CI. I shown her mine and I knew she was scared of her mapping and I signed and told that theres no need to be scared that the more mappings she has and older she gets the better her hearing will be. I asked her how old she was and she replied and signed '3'.

I love signing and I wish there was some more deaf people in Newark like Nottingham. Signing is fantastic way of communicating.

I will keep you updated...

HEARING A STEAM TRAIN!!!!!

Unfortunately on 4th April 2009 was the year anniversary, the day I lost my hearing.

On that Saturday David and I went to Lincoln as usual. And............. I heard a steam train!!!!!!!!!
I NEVER EVER heard a steam train in my entire life. And that made my DAY!! It was FANTASTIC!!! Whenever the train hooted, it made me HYPER!
But on that day, before the steam train, I was very quiet, which isn't like me. I was thinking about what happened that day the year before.

I woke up that morning, and put in my hearing aids in as usual and heard NOTHING. I thought it must be the battery. NO it wasn't the battery. I cleared the tubing with my mouth by blowing into it.....Still NOTHING. I then went downstairs and said to my Mum, 'I can't hear a thing.' I squeezed the hearing aid for it to whistle and said to to mum is that working, she said 'Yes'. And then I thought 'Oh great?! Must be something wrong with my insides'.

A few days later, mum made a Dr's appointment and we went and Dr. Terrill looked into my ear and said that I got a perforated eardrum. So she gave me some drops...

2 weeks later....

Mum made me an appointment to see the ear specialist, an emergency appointment at Newark Hospital. We went on 16th April 2008....

We went into the Dr's office and explained the situation and looked into my ear and said that I got wax in my left ear... So he and the nurse took us to another room down the corridor. He sucked the wax out with this hoover device. Afterwards, I lipread him saying 'Put your hearing aids back in'... I put them back in and I was PANICKING.... I couldn't hear a thing.... So he took us back to his office and looked at my notes and said 'I'm sorry, but your hearing gone forever'.... Those words felt like my heart been stabbed... I SCREAMED the place down sobbing, my mum standing next to me holding my baby sister broke down. The nurse grabbed my sister off her and mum came straight over to me.

To this day I still can't handle the drink. I'm not an alcoholic but I just can't handle it.

1 Year on.... I very happy with my cochlear implant and can hear better than EVER.

I LOVE MY IMPLANT...........

I will keep you updated

MY 3RD MONTH MAPPING

On Wednesday 18th march, I went to ropewalk and had my 3rd month mapping with Carina Stanfield. I went through the same routine but extra harder.
When she switched me on after altering the electrodes, it sounded robotic and I didn't like it not 1 bit. So Carina looked at my hearing chart and worked out the maths. What a GENIUS SHE IS!!!!! I honestly don't know how she worked out the maths.... She then switched me on again... And fantastic... Just the way how I like it!
I didn't do the lipreading test this time because I'm too good for it. I did the non lipreading test and the non lipreading test with a whooshing sound in the background. The results are...... 98% without noise in the background....60% with noise.
I'm doing so well..

I will keep you updated

MY 1 MONTH MAPPING - 19TH JAN 2009

On Monday 19th January 2009, I went to see Carina for my 1 month mapping. It was hilarious!

Carina did her usual thing on the computer, and me from NO SOUND TO MOST COMFORTABLE. She worked the electrodes on the computer, electrode by electrode.

When she put on the electrodes on at the end, I screamed the whole room down!!!! Carina had to turn me off on the computer straight away! Dyan the speech therapist was outside the room looking through the door window and was laughing. My mum felt embarrassed!

The sounds was SO LOUD!

After that, Carina took me to another room and we did lipreading and non lipreading test on a video......As you can see the picture above is of a graph....Well... As you can see the crossed out bit, that's where a normal persons hearing is. The 3 boxes attached together means I can hear like a normal person, BUT... only quiet sounds! That is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!

Here is my progress:

Week 1 - without lipreading 59%
One month - without lipreading 88%

Week 1 - with lipreading 93%
One month - with lipreading 98%

I'm hoping to hear like a normal person with the cochlear implant.

I will keep you updated....

How a Cochlear Implant works...

I found this video on a friend of Katie-Louise's (Laura) and it fascinated me! I really would like people to understand what a cochlear implant is and how is works!
Its amazing having a cochlear implant and I love it!!