DBPs and Safety

[Guest guest]

Hi, ,

In an emergency I'd grab my processors and run. They might not go on my

ear for awhile, but one is always on my nitestand, just in case. Oh, I'd

also grab my bra - it's a favorite, expensive, and hard to find! (hehehe)

) Jackie

[Guest guest]

Mike,

I apologize if my last post seemed curt. Your question caught me by

surprise, so I typed my initial reaction.

It would only take me a few seconds to put my processors on in the middle of

the night during an emergency. My processors are kept inside the Dry and

Store which is on the headboard of my bed, so they are within easy reach.

If God forbid there were an emergency, I honestly can't tell you what I'd

do. I can't say that I'd reach for my processors -- although that would

probably be my first instinct. The reason I say this is because several

years ago my next door neighbor started a fire by leaving a pot on the stove

unattended. I was just about to take a nap at the time and thought I smelled

something burning. When I went to tell another neighbor, she opened the door

of my next door neighbor's apartment and smoke came billowing out. We both

immediately began pounding on doors telling people to leave the building,

then my neighbor called 911. I was in such a serious state of confusion that

I almost left Tigger behind!

Even though I have an emergency kit (which contains several days of dog

food, Tigger's health records, extra CI batteries, my spare CI processors,

folding white cane, etc.) that I keep on a bookshelf by the door, I forgot

to grab it before leaving my apartment.

That's the kind of confusion I was in. When things like that happen, panic

sets in and you can't think clearly. That's why I couldn't tell you if I

would reach for my processors in the event of an emergency. I know how to

function and communicate without hearing, so it isn't *imperative* that I

have my processors (although they would certainly make life easier!).

Then again, who knows? Perhaps upon waking I would instantly remember that I

can't hear and reach for my processors.

Until something like that happens, I can't say whether or not my processors

would be the first thing I'd think about.

Inasmuch as I *love* my CIs (I wouldn't give them up for the world), getting

to safety is more important. After all, CI processors can always be

replaced. Human lives cannot.

Left ear - Nucleus 24 Contour Advance with Freedom BTE

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Right ear - Nucleus Freedom

Implanted: 2/1/06 Activated: 3/1/06

Deafblind/Postlingual