Me ,Debbie Bottles and Her Brother Steve At The AB Social
June 18, 2009 In Nashville,Tn
Me ,Janet w. Haines, and Eric Schloss At The AB Social
June 18,2009 In Nashville, Tn
Evelyn Garner and Me At The AB Social
June 18,200 In Nashville, TN
The First Mapping
on March 3, 2009 I had My first mapping on my cochlear implant since activation.It was recommended that you take notes of what I could hear or not hear.My audiologist told me that I did not have all my higher frequencies turned on last week because they were hurting my ear.Today,she turned on some of the higher frequencies and man it made a big a different on the way things sound....She said that I shocked her on how well I could hear her.
I trucks on the road from the eighth floor in the building.I could hear the dial tone on the phone on a low setting.I could hear the birds today, and that was awesome.My audiologist also said that she was shocked that I was practicing 3 to 4 times a day, and that I was leaving the hearing aid out all day.
She wanted me to go bilateral too, were both ears will be done.I had ringing in my right ear, really bad and they gave me medicine to try to calm it down.She told me that I was wearing the program hi Res fidelity 120.I go back on Monday, March 30, and John will go with me.
John said that I whisper, since I've been activated and its fanny, and he Say's huh?.... I laughed so hard tears rolled down my face.It feels so good not to have people to repeating to me all the time and it gets better and better..... this year is going to be an awesome year.Thanks to my family and friends for their support.
The Second Mapping
on March 30, I went for my second mapping at audiologist office she said,It's been one month since I've seen you. She looked at my notes and talked to John to find out how things were going. I told her that I have been working hard all my practice. She told me to stop practicing so hard it sits back and smell the roses.... as the old saying goes.
She said"don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you want to work so hard, but the deal is that your brain needs a rest and not to do it eight hours a day. You can practice every day just do it 1 to 2 hours. That should be enough"then she asked to trim his mustache and his beard away from his mouth So,I can lip read easier.
She told me to practice on, just hearing the sounds around me, everyday sounds. She said that she had changed my settings and let's try to see if You can't understand John. I could understand John and her are really well. My audiologist, tell me that everything was turned on, and on program one She put Hi Res-S map, and program two was hi Res-P map and program three was increased sensitivity for quiet, TV, or distance listening. She said that she wanted me to try all three programs to see which one I like best. Then, audiologists said she wanted to schedule to see me in two months. But if I needed her before that, to call and she would work me in to see her. So now I'm hearing great and understanding. It feels awesome!!!!
Hearing New Sounds
on April 15 I have been so busy. Not just working on the blog, all of us being sick and all the tornado warnings out, and other than that things are going great. I've been hearing new sounds like the tornado sirens When they went off and I've never heard that before, and when I go for walks on the Green way I could hear the frogs, woodpeckers, crickets and the water in the creek beside the path. I can hear music in understand the words in the song and hear on the phone.
now, when someone calls me I have to take it slow to where I can hear what the person is saying but, in the last two days I can hear the computer running,the water running from another room, and hear the boys game boys playing as they were doing their games.
Now I've tried each program this week, and I'll was on the P-program hi Res fidelity 120 and things were really loud and I had to turn the volume down so, I've learned a lot of new words on the listening room, and I have not done that in two weeks.
I am learning new sounds and new words each day, and it's hard to put it in words of what I am feeling, but I can say that things are going great. And I'm taking one day at a time.
The Warm Welcome In Jeremy's Classroom
On April 28, I want to Jeremy's classroom today and to watch the class for his teacher. So she can get things done that need to be turned into the office. It was my first time back since my surgery and they gave me the warmest welcome back with lots of hugs. There was questions about how I was doing on my hearing, and they asked if they could help me practice up on words. I told them sure, and to go-ahead. So I took my hearing aid out, and they ask me words in different tones and different voices. And they asked if they could give me a test to see how well I was doing. And I said sure, and I repeated the words from the Young boys and girls. And they said "WOW" that IS amazing that you can hear out of that ear. Then I asked how that works, I showed him my processor and let them see it and touch it. They said "WOW" that's cool , Ms. Widener. It was great having you here today and we hope that you will come back and substitute our class.
The Third Mapping
It was June 24,2009 When I had my third mapping. I took my notes to show the audiologist on what I can hear and not hear in the last to months. I told her that I did a replacement test on Hearing Journey.com. And told her that my score was 76%. she was happy to hear that I was doing so well on the listening practice. I also told her that I was trying to do the listening practice with background noise to see how well I can focus.
My audiologist hooked me up to the computer and said right off the my high frequencies were to high and not even. The girl that she was training had set me to high. so she turned me down to 5, she said that this setting she put me on would be much better.
My son James was with me that day, and she asked him what I was having a hard time with, he said that I was having a hard time hearing daddy (hubby), which was true.
we worked on the three programs for two hour, and that my audiologist thought that I would really do good with.
Well, she was right! She had James stand a little ways behind me and had him talk to me. I heard every word and understood what he was saying . The first program that was for noisy places. the second one was for TV, and one -on-conversations. the third one was just like the first one, but just a little louder.
When I got home, John and the boys said that I was whispering, and that I need to talk louder. Again it was funny that they was the one's going huh? I have to go back on July 20 th for a hearing test to see if I need a new hearing aid in the right ear.
Meet The People From Hearing Journey
On June 18, 2009 John and the boys and I went to the Advanced Bionic social at the convention center in Nashville, Tennessee. When I got there , I got to met Bethanne, Katie,Eric, Evelyn, Abbie, Tina ,Sam and Jennifer along with many others I met on hearing journey forum.
They help me every step of the way from the time that I had to pick out my processor to the time of surgery, activation and mappings. They also help me understand the learning to hear again takes time, patience and practice.
These people are one of the most sweetest group of people. They gave me as well as my family,determination and a positive outlook on the days to come.Iam grateful to have these people in my life, who have helped me every step of the way. I do hope that I get to go to Milwaukee, WI in June 2010 for the HLAA convention that will be held there.
The Hearing Test To See What's Going On
On July 20, 2009 I went to my audiologist to see if I need a new hearing aid or if there was something wrong. The first thing they did was to test the hearing aid to see to see if it was messed up. The second thing they did was to test my hearing to see if it was changed in the last six months before.
We found out there was nothing wrong with the hearing aid and, she told me that I had a gotten where my brain was having trouble understanding with the hearing aid and the CI together.I was told that my right ear is down enough to where I can get the second implant and she told me not to wear my hearing aid for three months until my next mapping. They also wanted me to talk to the CI audiologist to see if she wanted me to get another CI or to wear the hearing aid for the time being.
The CI audiologist told me that my brain cannot handle the hearing aid and the CI together andfoe ne to keep the hearing aid out ,and to try to give my brian time to adjust and then we will talk about it at the next mapping.
The Fourth Mapping
On September 30, 2009 I went on my Fourth mapping, and the audiologist ask me how things were going and I told her that I was getting dizzy at times , I had to take the off the CI or take the hearing aid out and to order for me to stop getting dizzy.I told her that I know that she told me to keep the hearing aid out. But there was times that I needed the hearing aid to understand John, but, it didn't help. It just made things worse, and I told her that the processor or the head piece was kicking off and on as well. And That I was having trouble with the words that sound the same such as cool, tool, pool.
so, she said that she would change my programming back to the S- program, and she checked my processor, and the head piece. she said she notice that it was kicking off and on.She had a new processor at her office and she put the head piece on the new processor, and it was not kicking off and that it was not the head piece and it was the old processor that was messing up. she said that she had already change the program back to S-program. she said the she would like to see if I could understand her with something in front of her mouth with the rhyming words and the same sounding word .She told that she thought that the program that I had from the last mapping was to strong for me for that right ear.
she said that I have three new programs, the fist one was set at reduced sensitivity for the car noise and restaurant, the second program was for everyday listening, three was increased sensitivity for distance, phone, maybe TV, and a soft-spoken person. And she ask me if I did a replacement test and I told her yes,that it was a score of 86% and she was really happy about how the right ear was doing. She ask me to think about going bilateral and to let her know was I decided.
My Decision On Going Bilateral
On October 30,2009 John and I talked about how well I was doing on my hearing and we talked about how I would probably do if I was to go bilateral. so we called the insurance company to see how much we would have to pay out-of-pocket.so, on November 2, I called My CI audiologist and told her my decision. she told me good, I told her what that insurance company told John that if they approve me to get the second implant and that I need to get it done before December 31 of this year so that I would only have to pay a small amount out-of-pocket.
She said okay and that she would get back to me as soon as she can find out if they can do the surgery before December 31. That afternoon she called me back and told me that I have appointment with her on November 13 at 12 o'clock noon. For me to have the hearing test and the evaluation and that I had an appointment with the surgeon on November 17, and that she had scheduled the surgery for December 30,2009 at 7:30 am if the insurance approves for the surgery.
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