Update

Wow...hard to believe it has been over a year since I had my implant surgery. Time marches on and we lose track. It has been a rough year. Went to our family reunion in June and though I had a wonderful time, it was bittersweet. My mother no longer knew who I was most of the time I was there and her health was deteriorating. Shortly after I returned home, my mother had to be put in a nursing home as my father could no longer take care of her. Between the end stage Parkinson's and dementia, he realized she would be safer and healthier there. Sadly, on Thanksgiving, mother slipped into a coma and passed away on December 1st. Although it was not unexpected, it has been very hard and I miss her a great deal.

My CI has been adjusted to and I have been tested and have 95% comprehension in a quiet room with 85% in noise..lab noise, not real world noise where it drops much lower. I returned to my ENT in November and much to my surprise he recommended having a second implant. I was referred to UNC Chapel Hill to the head of the implant team as I have ossification in the cochlea. My second implant surgery is scheduled for February 3rd. I am half excited half worried as due to the ossification, he might not be able to insert the entire array of electrodes. If that is the case, the surgery will end with no implant.

However, if all goes well, I will have the new N5 from Cochlear America and they will use the backup processor for my other ear. Pretty cool gadget with remote and blue tooth capability.

On the home front, my husband, who was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx in April, after mega radiation treatments, has been cancer free so far. (knock on wood).

My granddaughter, Gabi, is the light of my life and is a very active, intelligent 2 1/2 year old. Christmas was a fun time watching her open her gifts and assist her "Aunt Sissy" with hers as well. Unfortunately, her mother and father are no longer together and it is difficult for Gabi to adjust.

Enough for now..will try to keep this thing current as best I can. Happy New Year to all!!!

My Goodness..hard to believe May is almost gone. I have had so much going on I just haven't had the time nor the inclination to post anything new.
My speech comprehension is still improving, in baby steps, and I go back to the Audi in two weeks for a "tune up". I should have gone back sooner, but sometimes life gets in the way. My husband/ best friend has needed my support and undivided attention these last few months and I have put me on the back burner.
In March, he complained that his voice was scratchy (which it was) and thought it might be bronchitis or something so he went to the doctor and described his symptoms. That Doctor thought he had acid reflux disease and prescribed meds and a new diet and told him that if things didn't improve to come back in a few weeks to be re-evaluated. After no real improvement, he went back and saw a different Doctor (military bases are like that). This one decided it must be something to do with his sinuses and referred him to an ENT specialist. Turns out it wasn't any of the above. It was 1st stage throat/larynx cancer and thank God it was caught early. He has been in radiation treatment for the past two weeks (after biopsy surgery, CT scans, etc) and still has another four weeks to go. Since it is stage one, and caught early, the Cancer ENT specialist he is now seeing says he has a 90-95% chance of a full recovery without the permanent loss of his voice. If all goes well, no surgery, no Chemo..just the hard core radiation. Will try to come back more often and update, time permitting.

Today was a great day. My oldest came home for the day and brought her friend with her. We all decided her Dad was going to grill out and we spent the day outside. It was wonderful. My youngest came by, with the grandbaby and the baby's daddy. The weather was in the 70's and just perfect for me. Sunny, no bugs (too early in the year) and though windy, it was nice.
It's been a long time since I have been able to be with the family and not feel left out because I couldn't understand what was being said. I still had a little trouble, especially when the wind picked up and drowned out voices, but for the most part, I had a lovely time.

Although I am still living in "Chipmunk Land", things are getting better with my new Maps. I was actually able to watch two TV shows without CC. Not that I had a choice, as for some reason my DirecTV is having trouble with CC on Fox. I will admit I didn't catch every single word, but I was able to catch most of them on both Bones and Hell's Kitchen. After my last mapping, I had to have the sensitivity set to 1 and the volume set to 1. Sounds were just too much and some even made me feel a vibration in my ear. I have since moved up to sensitivity 2 and volume 5, gradually, and things don't vibrate my ear any longer.
Just booked three airline tickets today for my family reunion/parents 65th anniversary in June. Also booked a room, and now I am totally broke. :( But, it is well worth it to see all my family at one time.

Went to see my CI audi today and got my first "real" mapping. I now have 4 programs. Normal, a noise reduction version of P1 (normal), P3 has a "narrowed" field of hearing and then P4 has a T-mix for cell phones. I tried the regular t-coil option and it bugged me that I could not hear my own voice, so this will allow me to hear myself while using t-coil. Plus, I don't have to use the < > keys to get there. My audi also tested with the lovely beeps again and set my settings towards the max range of my processor. It's funny, because none of the beeps ever got too loud or too uncomfortable for me, yet, in "hearing" mode, I almost got blasted out of my chair. But, I asked her to leave it there, since it was on V9 and S12. This gives me plenty of room before I have to go back, since I can now turn both S and V down to a comfortable range. Voices sound less like chipmunks and more human, which is wonderful and my audi says it will get even better, I just have to be patient..there is that dreaded word again. She did warn me not to turn the volume up too high as it could cause adverse reactions like ticks and face twitches. Lovely! Like I don't feel odd enough at times. I really did notice a change on the ride home. I was understanding more songs on the radio and able to sing along (in my head). Feeling pretty good about things as they are now.

I finally got tired of my hubby's surround sound competing with my TV volume and did something about it. No, nothing drastic like shooting his TV! I went and bought the cables I needed from Radio Shack to hook up my tv cable to my DirecTV. It is awesome! I can even understand a lot of spoken words without CC now. Which is a good thing as my receiver has had an issue with CC on two networks. I have always had trouble with my local FOX station, but I was actually able watch Bones and to follow along without CC (it came and went the entire hour with long stretches of just FOX BONES FOX BONES, which was totally annoying.). I am even prouder of the fact that I was able to watch Hell's Kitchen and understand the majority of it. Not easy with a main star having a strong accent. I also like the fact that I can turn the volume up and not have to worry about bothering the hubby. He, in turn, is able to keep the volume of his TV down so it is a win-win situation.
Speaking of volume, I think it is time for a trip to my CI audi again. I have to crank the volume to the max on the cable for most of the shows (commercials are an exception, as always). I am at level four on this set of programs and have been for three weeks. I know my audi wants to wait till my other processor comes back from the repair shop, but not sure I can wait. Guess I won't have a choice, since she is trying to save my money with the distance involved.
I still haven't tried using the phone since the automated call I had the frustrated me so bad. I can, however, make out messages left, after playing them back a time or two. So, I am getting there. I am even buying a cable for my cell phone. I have been told it is easier to understand than a land line phone and I really miss talking to my girls on the phone. I miss the little things that go in their lives.
I do get frustrated sometimes. I know this all takes time, but I can't help but get impatient, being human. Sigh. I shouldn't complain, I know it. I am lucky I can hear...period. More important, I am lucky I can hear what I hear and recognize it is getting better. It's just baby steps can be so slow.

This is so cool! It happened again today as I was driving home from work. The oldies station is now a definite keeper. I was driving along, listening to the drum beat, once again, when I knew the song. It was A Horse With No Name by America. I love it! Still sounds kind of crappy, but at least I knew what the song was and could sing along with the chorus. Happy Camper here....

Today was just one of those good days. Work was busy, which I loved. I hate getting bored at work and lately that happens a lot. On the way home, I had the radio on instead of my Zune. Just wasn't in the mood for my regular songs so I just let it play, following the drum beats on different songs. All of a sudden, I knew the song that was playing...and the words too. I was able to follow along with the chorus of Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. It was awesome! Right after that, Heart came on with Magic Man. Couldn't follow most of it, but the chorus on that came through loud and clear as well.

Had two CI moments today. The first was while I was at work. I was out on the sales floor and someone called out ET. Not only did I hear it, I understood it!! That person and I had a conversation and I could understand everything she said.
My second was tonight. For the first time in two years I heard one of my cats purr in my ear. Loud and clear and no feedback! The last time I heard a purr, I had to pick up the kitten, hold him to my ear and we both suffered from the feedback to my hearing aid. This was great, I just leaned close and he rumbled away. Awesome!! I have so missed that sound.
I have had a lot of support from people at work. Not overly vocal, but there are those that have kept up with my changes and progress and one of them made an interesting comment today. I stopped to say Hi and she asked how I was doing. I told her, honestly, baby steps, but getting better over time. She looked at me and said "you sound like you again, your old voice is back". I am not sure what that means, other than I am no longer shouting at people, but I think she means my accent is back and I am more animated. I grew up in the midwest, where we really don't have a broad accent and my voice accent changes depending on where I am and who I talk to. Living in the south for the majority of my adult life, I guess I had picked up a touch of the southern accent and lost it when I could no longer actually hear other people talk, or myself. Or, maybe I just sound happy again. I don't know. I guess I will ask her when I see her again instead of assuming.

Well, today went well, I think. Saw my audi and she up'd the volume on my processor. I had thought she might have set 4 new programs for in noise, music, etc. but she doesn't work that way. She likes to take it slow and added 4 new volume levels. She wants me to adjust to all sounds before taking any away, and that makes sense. I actually had to tell my hubby to speak softer tonight. Poor thing is used to talking loudly but now it sounds like shouting.
I told her about my meltdown after damaging my backup processor and she didn't bat an eye. Whew! She is going to send it off for repair/replacement and will call me when it is in and schedule my next mapping at the same time I pick it up. I got my regular processor today and love it. It is dark brown, like my hair (when I keep it colored) and blends right in. She was out of the rechargable batteries in dark brown so I will still have to use the tan ones (or switch to disposable batteries) until she orders some more. She also showed me how to replace the mic cover so I don't have another meltdown. Things still sound a bit computerized, but that is normal she said and will slowly go away. All in all, a good day for me.

I had my first real CI moment today. Before they were what I call mini moments. I was at the Vet's office and the girl behind the desk, who I have known for a few years, made a comment that she thought it was wonderful that I could hear again. She had been asking me questions and I had answered every one without her having to look at me.
I also noticed tonight, during a power outage, that I could actually enjoy music videos on my Zune mp3 player. They still don't sound anything like they used to, but I can make out the vocals and some of the instruments. The videos seem to work better for me than just the audio.
I go in to see my CI audi tomorrow for my first real "mapping". I am hoping the new settings will remove some of the synthesized sounds I hear.