Re: Finally got my hookup this morning.

[Guest guest]

Hi, is this Taryn?

Thanks.

Regards/

Jerome

Finally got my hookup this morning.

Well here I am eating lunch and typing to you all about how my morning went

for the hook up with my cochlear processors.

I have mixed feelings about it all but I do know after a month or so things

will fall into place.

First my audi programed the computer to set up the mapping. Finding the

level of the beeps that my ear was able to pick up. From there the mapping

was set up and the processors were programed. Then it was turned on and the

first things I heard was my audi talking to me but I realized everything was

high pitched. At first everything sounded the same. No tone changes like my

hearing aid would recognize. After having the CI on for alittle bit and

shutting off my HA, I began to recognize the words my audi was saying. Not

perfectly clear but it was starting make sense. That was a good sign for me

because I first though everything I heard was going to be the same awful

high pitch squeek.

My audi and I went over everything. I got both the 3G and the Sprint.

I wanted to have the flexability to use both for different reasons.

The BWP has the ability to be more precise on sounding than the 3G.

And I like to hear things in the best possible way. I grew up dependant of

both ears with HA in both ears.

Some of the new things I began to hear with my CI was the signal clicking in

the car for when I made a turn and I also found out my car has a rattle. I

have no idea what the rattle is but I'll figure it out soon. I'm hearing the

computer hum right now and the clicking of the key board at the computer.

I'm not used to hearing this stuff at all. But these sounds tell me that I

have alot to look forward to now that I'll be able to hear better and more.

Right now I am hearing things. Oh my gosh I just figured out what the sound

was. There is a big truck backing up to the loading dock. Beep beep beep

beep. Interesting for me. I never heard that before from my office.

There are a lot of sounds I'm hearing now and I only have to get used to it

all. I'll be learning alot here and I'm very excited about this.

I'm trying to figure out what I'm hearing now. Have no idea what it is but

I'll catch on sooner or later.

Well, this is a big day for me and I'm very proud to share this experience.

May not sound like I should be enjoying it if it's all high pitch and

squeeky but that's the beginning. It's only going to get better every day

and after each new mapping I have. I am already picking up sounds I didn't

know that were around me everyday of my life for a long time. The CI will

change all that.

[Guest guest]

> Hi, is this Taryn?

>

> Thanks.

>

> Regards/

> Jerome

Sorry Jerome I'm Tad from Connecticut.

An update on my CI progress. I have to admit on day 2 since

activation, that I have been hearing things I never heard before. For

example, the dog tags tinckle and the key in the ignition of my car

chime. WOW. I never heard this before and now I am. I am so thankful

for the technology we have here to improve our hearing. It's

something I never thought would happen. I was already prepared to

take my venture down to complete deafness as I grew older. Ha now I

have the biggest smiles on my face knowing how much better my hearing

will be. It's absolutly amazing.

[Guest guest]

Hi Tad, Isn't it something? I love the environment sounds very much, now

if speach would get better.....

How have the voices been sounding? Yours sounds like it started like mine,

lots of high pitch whiny voices. I had ACE at the beginning but after four

months I just got the SPEACH program. I am still trying to figure out how

I like it. At least the whine is gone from the voices.. but now have a

brassy echo. I can tell you after four months of hearing whines... I was

ready to become a hermit from the human race.

susan & hobbes

michigan

>An update on my CI progress. I have to admit on day 2 since

>activation, that I have been hearing things I never heard before. For

>example, the dog tags tinckle and the key in the ignition of my car

>chime. WOW. I never heard this before and now I am. I am so thankful

>for the technology we have here to improve our hearing. It's

>something I never thought would happen. I was already prepared to

>take my venture down to complete deafness as I grew older. Ha now I

>have the biggest smiles on my face knowing how much better my hearing

>will be. It's absolutly amazing.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

That's interesting how the ringing and brassy sounds come about. I

still get the bells and chimes but those things will deminish over

time from what I have been told. Everyone is going to be different.

It all depends on how much you have understood listening to sound

before to switched to the CI. Since last Thursday I have noticed

some big improvements. I am now no longer using my HA in my left ear

for back up. I have gotten to the point now that I can understand

the talking if I'm paying attention and using lip reading as my

source of back up. The thing that really surprises me is the way I

can hear the words being said more fuller. My problem before was I

could not hear the silent sounds like the " S " , " T " ' and " CH " . Every

word I heard before was being said to me without those. Now with the

CI on I am picking up the CH and the S. I'm actually hearing them.

I'm astonished. I go talking to my friends who I know are difficult

for me to understand and now I can hear the whole words they are

saying. I'm extreamly pleased with this. But still, I have some

rings and whines to certian sounds. I think the female voices tend

to be more whiney than the mens. High pitch compared to lower

pitches. This is something that gets adjusted every time you get a

mapping done and then letting your brain get used to the sounds it's

reading. Keep practicing listening to the words. If you have never

really understood listening to words before then it just takes time

to learn it. Don't ever think about being a hermit. Think about how

much fun it is to hear those sounds you never heard before and how

much fun it will be when you can understand people when they are

talking. If it means practicing listening to words, then that's what

you need to do. My good friends who have had the CI put in last year

had very similar hearing loss and used to talk on the phones like I

did some 10,15 years ago. Now they can hear their children whisper

talk. That totally blows me away to be able to understand people

talking when they whisper. I can't wait to get to that level. But it

will take practice and patience. Good luck )

Tad

> Hi Tad, Isn't it something? I love the environment sounds very

much, now

> if speach would get better.....

>

> How have the voices been sounding? Yours sounds like it started

like mine,

> lots of high pitch whiny voices. I had ACE at the beginning but

after four

> months I just got the SPEACH program. I am still trying to figure

out how

> I like it. At least the whine is gone from the voices.. but now

have a

> brassy echo. I can tell you after four months of hearing

whines... I was

> ready to become a hermit from the human race.

>

> susan & hobbes

> michigan

[Guest guest]

Hi Tad... when I was a teenager, I was able to talk on the phone. I gave

up the phone by the time I was in my early 20's as it got too hard for me.

Yes, I am hearing whole words also and it is getting easier to understand

how certain words are pronounced when before my husband or someone else

would have to repeat it over and over before I understood the word. I

didn't get the bells and chimes after the first mapping, but the whine was

a bit too much. Hermit? Me? Won't happen as my husband would tell you

(LOL). Once I started getting a bit use to the sound, lipreading got

better. But I can tell you the first couple of weeks it was hard.

susan & hobbes

michigan

At 12:06 AM 8/9/2004 +0000, you wrote:

>Hi ,

>

>That's interesting how the ringing and brassy sounds come about. I

>still get the bells and chimes but those things will deminish over

>time from what I have been told. Everyone is going to be different.

>It all depends on how much you have understood listening to sound

>before to switched to the CI. Since last Thursday I have noticed

>some big improvements. I am now no longer using my HA in my left ear

>for back up. I have gotten to the point now that I can understand

>the talking if I'm paying attention and using lip reading as my

>source of back up. The thing that really surprises me is the way I

>can hear the words being said more fuller. My problem before was I

>could not hear the silent sounds like the " S " , " T " ' and " CH " . Every

>word I heard before was being said to me without those. Now with the

>CI on I am picking up the CH and the S. I'm actually hearing them.

>I'm astonished. I go talking to my friends who I know are difficult

>for me to understand and now I can hear the whole words they are

>saying. I'm extreamly pleased with this. But still, I have some

>rings and whines to certian sounds. I think the female voices tend

>to be more whiney than the mens. High pitch compared to lower

>pitches. This is something that gets adjusted every time you get a

>mapping done and then letting your brain get used to the sounds it's

>reading. Keep practicing listening to the words. If you have never

>really understood listening to words before then it just takes time

>to learn it. Don't ever think about being a hermit. Think about how

>much fun it is to hear those sounds you never heard before and how

>much fun it will be when you can understand people when they are

>talking. If it means practicing listening to words, then that's what

>you need to do. My good friends who have had the CI put in last year

>had very similar hearing loss and used to talk on the phones like I

>did some 10,15 years ago. Now they can hear their children whisper

>talk. That totally blows me away to be able to understand people

>talking when they whisper. I can't wait to get to that level. But it

>will take practice and patience. Good luck )

>Tad