Having a cochlear implant gives me the best of both worlds, the hearing world and the deaf world. They are very different worlds and each has advantages and disadvantages. A CI means I can choose which world I want to be in at any given time.
Here are some examples.
It's very handy to be able to hear when out to dinner with hearing friends. It's also very handy to be deaf when the seven year old is having a crying tantrum (is it wrong that I whip off the CI when he does this?).
It's really handy to have hearing going through the take-away drive-through (see earlier posts) but great to be deaf when the husband starts snoring at night.
It's nice to be hearing when my twelve year old wants to tell me about his day but I love to be deaf when an annoying kids TV show is on and I want to read the paper in peace.
Imagine having the choice to either hear everything or hear nothing? It's makes for a very peaceful night's sleep :)
