New CI user

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Hi Joanne,

I don't think it is morose or depressing I am glad that you said what you

did.

My name is Dempsey. I am going to have a CI implant and am going

through the test right at this point.

I go back to the surgeon in December.

I think what they told me was that it takes time and a lot of hard work.

I am completely deaf in right ear and profound in the left.

I still use the hearing aid in the left to hear my own voice when I am

speaking.

I do read lips which I am sure you are very good at.

However I always run into problems trying to understand people

I am late deafened. Lost my hearing when I was 27 and am 43 now and I think

to myself anything has to be better than this.

So I am going to have the surgery done.

I'm not sure what to expect but I hear from people it is quite loud at fist.

I am glad you shared what you did.

I hope it gets better for you.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Hi Joanne,

I'm so glad you posted this and please don't ever feel that your messages are

too depressing for CI Hear. We are here to try to support you whether your

results are good or bad. Let me first tell you that what you experienced is not

unusual. Many people using all types of implants begin much the way you

described. You said that that ear was totally deaf. That means everything you

are feeding that side is foreign. When I was going thru the CI process a few

years ago, we were told that the sound would be like a foreign language and it

could require training before we the brain understood that sound. Your ear has

not heard all the pitches, tones and volume you've been given. It's saying -

what is this? Mappings are done frequently to try to bring more understanding

as quickly as possible. Hopefully, you are going for another mapping very soon.

There are some members of this list who will tell you that they identify

completely and we have a Journal in our files written by who is a very

successful CI user now but who began her journey much as you described. I know

she will offer to send you the journal when she reads this and it should help

you a great deal.

I'm very sorry that you are feeling disappointed. Keep posting about your

experiences. We hope we can provide the support you need to get you where you

want and should be. Time and patience are important here. Don't give up.

Take those baby steps. Listen to the keys on the computer. They should click.

If they don't - wirte down what they sound like and tell the audiologist.

Listen to the leaves as you walk thru them. Listen to the dog bark or the phone

ring. Any sound you can identify what it sounds like compaired to what it should

sound like is going to help you. We have Say It In CI in our files too and that

is a list of CI sounds that you can actually take to the audiologist to tell her

what you are hearing. The list should help the audiologist correct the sound

for you. It probably won't happen in one or two mappings. It could take a

month, six months or a year or more. My best advice to you today is to keep

wearing the processor - no matter how frustrating it is - and just try to

identify what you hear with no pressure on yourself please. For all we know,

you may just need a change of strategy.

I'll look forward to hearing from you again.

Alice

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

I know the feeling. While I was able to understand speech, it was very

hard and it even effected the way I lip read. All new sounds were just

beeps. Birds, tearing paper, air kicking in. It took a few months to get

to where the beeps turned into sound that they were suppose to be like. I

think the hardest I had was the sound of people voices. Everyone had this

high pitched whine in their voices. It got so bad I didn't want to listen

to anyone talk! It has been 7 months since my hookup and while I can say

the 'whine' is gone, there is that 'hollow' sound that doesn't want to go

away.

So hang in there.... I think the first couple of weeks were the worse in

getting use to sounds.

susan & hobbes

michigan

At 05:39 AM 11/10/2004 +0000, you wrote:

>Hi Everyone,

>

>I was implanted on the 15th Oct with Nucleus24 & 3G BTE processor on

>my " dead " ear. By dead, i mean totally totally stone dead. I was born

>with a severe hearing loss in my right ear and total hearing loss in

>my left ear. I was lucky though, the right ear's hearing loss was in

>the very high pitch and the low bass pitch region but pretty OK in

>the middle region. Pretty much explains the reason why I was slow to

>pick up speech when i was young although we didn't know it at that

>time! My parents and I only found out about the hearing loss when I

>turned 13...i realised all of a sudden people could hear with both

>ears but i could only hear on one ear LOL!! was a shocker to my

>parents because I did not have any trouble with speech except that I

>picked it up slow...

>

>So with that partial hearing in the right I was pretty Ok with life

>until three years ago. I had a reallllyyy bad flu...went to sleep one

>night and woke up deafened. At that point i decided to see if a

>hearing aid would work which thankfully it did. since then, my

>hearing with the aid has gradually declined..hence the decision to

>get the CI.

>

>I got hooked up yesterday..it was soooo disappointing..i expected

>slight speech recognition at least....but its totally bad...its all

>beeps and tones like when i type the keyboard its just beep beep beep.

>Today being my 2nd day, the only improvement is I think my tolerance

>for the CI has improved.Yesterday, really loud sounds can make my

>eyes cross! but today all the sounds seems very very mild...

>

>I guess i wonder if it will get better.I'm quite discouraged and all

>though my audie and everyone i know says it will take time..my

>greatest fear is that this is as good as it gets!

>

>Sorry ..this seems to be a reallly morose and depressing introduction

>doesnt it!!

>

>Thanks for listening everyone!

>

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

wrote:

It got so bad I didn't want to listen to anyone talk! It has been 7 months

since my hookup and while I can say the 'whine' is gone, there is that

'hollow' sound that doesn't want to go away.

Boy can I relate to that:

The first time I heard my husband voices it was sooo baddd, I wanted a

divorcee(just kidding Clay). What a hollow whine squeaky voice he had and

still has. I hung in there and We'll be married 25 year this coming April.

But I do thank God he is the strong silent type...Actually he's the BEST. I

would haven't have come from so far with out him. I was implanted June 01

and I'm still hearing new stuff.So you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Dee

_____

From: [mailto:hobbes@...]

Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 3:53 PM

Subject: Re: New CI user