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!!

TRYING OUT NEW SOUNDS WITH THE COCHLEAR IMPLANT

Since I been activated, the sounds were weird and robotic.

I know I should wear it ALL THE TIME, but I struggle sometimes. I get frustrated alot and its not the same as it was when I used to wear hearing aids. But some of the sounds are the same as hearing aids sometimes, but louder and fatter.

The sounds I don't like are: Running water, crisp packets, carrier bags and baby crying and some other high pitched sounds.

The sounds I love are: My ipod,TV,window wipers in the car, my grandads kitchen clock ticking, indicator in the car, a train, a car horn, the dogs barking and people talking to me.

I can cope in pubs and in public, but it depends sometimes. If I can't cope in a crowded loud shop, I take the implant off and give it to David. He holds it in his hand and keeps it in my view.

I try very very hard with the implant and trying to accept it more. I love it, but the sounds are very different to hearing aids.

I'm looking forward to my 1 month mapping with Carina on 19th Jan.

I can watch TV without subtitles but, I prefer to have them in case I misheard the TV while watching a programme.

I can also use the telephone a bit but I still need to work on that, but I can use a mobile phone on loudspeaker, but now I bought a new mobile I can hear well on that without loudspeaker sometimes.

The sounds with the ipod is fantastic. Dancing Queen is still the same as it was with hearing aids. I hear the drums and voices more, and I can hear the guitar aswell.

I take my implant off whenever I read. I know I shouldn't but I can't read and listen with the implant in quiet situations. Sometimes I can cope, sometimes I can't. I read alot in my room without the implant.

I will keep you updated

On Saturday 17th December, my fiancee David and I bought an ipod from currys. I bought ipod nano, the same Katie-Louise's. Mine is silver and is 16GB. After that we went to my uncles and he downloaded the songs I like. I'm a big ABBA fan. So on Sunday night, (which I didn't know about) I decided to try it......Oh dear...I connected the ipod wire onto my implant and turned on the ipod and put Dancing Queen on.....I walked in the living room and fell on my knees and sobbed. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN 7 MONTHS I HEARD ABBA AGAIN. It felt wonderful.
I thought I would never ever have the opportunity to use or have an ipod!!!

ACTIVATION

On Friday 12th December, my mum and I went to Ropewalk in Nottingham. I was VERY VERY nervous and scared. I actually thought I was going to hear beeps and would reject my implant straight away. Carina my audiologist came and took us to a room. She had a look at scar and liked it and said it healed nicely. She then took the implant out of the box and then connected it to the computer and clipped the wire on my jumper and put the implant on my ear and head. I didn't hear nothing at first. Carina put a piece of paper in front of me. On the piece of paper, it has a scale of 'NO SOUND - VERY LOUD'. What she wanted me to do was put my finger on which I heard. She altered the electrodes on the computer bit by bit. After that she said she's going put all the electrodes on all together and that it maybe very loud.....So she turned it on. When she put it on, I felt like I was gasping for air as I was tense, and I was clutching my head and moving and wiggling about in the chair! She said that reaction was normal. So after that she asked me and my mum to have a half hour break and hear sounds like cars passing and other sounds that's in the outside world. Near the end she, shown me the bits n bobs, such as colours, charger and ipod wire. Carina very kindly setted up the wire. THANKS CARINA. And then shown me how to work the implant and volume controls etc. The sounds was amazing.

Operation

On 17th November, I was a massive bag of nerves. BUT, I was very excited. I went to sleep at 10pm and woke up at 2am. I couldn't get back to sleep. So instead I watched TV. Then 4am I had a bath,then had a couple slices of toasts. At 6:30am, my mum, dad and I went to pick up my fiancee David up from his house. We then left to go to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham for the operation. ALL morning, I was roaming around and inside, I felt hyperactive. The feeling was powerful. Then at 2pm the BIG MOMENT arrived.......I only cried a little. My mum came to the theatre with me and then...I was being cut open and drilled on....3 hours later, it was over. Then about another hour later (I think), I woke up in the recovery room. They then took me onto the ward and then I had visitors. My Nan and Jack came to see me and then my 2 best friends arrived aswell...Katie-Louise and Richard. They gave me a card and a balloon. I never realised they bought me a balloon until I was on my way home the next day! And also my dad bought me a balloon aswell. David bought me a little present aswell. Then Katie-Louise and Richard and I had our photo taken. We talked a bit and they want to take me out again (and I can't wait for that!), when I'm activated. My Nan and Jack left, then mum, dad and David left aswell.

I slept well at the hospital. But the nurses kept waking me up sometimes to inject some drugs in me.

The scar was PAINFUL, but it was worth it!!!

I was discharged the next day at noon and they gave me painkillers.

David was a big help. He supported my head on the way home and heated my dinner.

Now I'm ok and refuse to take the plaster off my scar! And the scar is itchy now!

Also..the tinnitus is worse!!! I'm hoping it will settle when I'm activated...

I will continue to keep you updated...

OPERATION DATE AND HOW I FELT

On Wednesday 5th November 2008, Nottingham Cochlear Implant Programme texted my mum and they wanted mum to contact them straight away. So mum did that and I was upstairs watching TV (The Jeremy Kyle Show) as usual. And all of a sudden, my Nan, brother Jack and my mum BARGED in my room jumping and I thought 'What the hell is going on', then mum came up to me and gave me this piece of paper and I read it and it says 'OPERATION DATE 18TH NOVEMBER', from them on I sobbed. I texted my mates and the rest of the family and most of all the 1st person I told was my best friend Katie-Louise. She said to me 'Told you didn't I,that you would hear for xmas.' So I backed down and admitted that she was right.
My drinking is limited and I only have 6 cans max (when I feel like it). I only have 3 or 4 cans with my dad. So now I'm scared on having a scar coz I NEVER EVER in my life had 1 before and also I'm scared on being activated.
I will keep you updated