An update on my progress:
This week is the third week since my switch on. I think I'm doing OK. I have a list of things that I want to hear again and I'm slowly ticking them off. My list includes watching a movie without using the text (almost there), listening to my seven year old read a story, follow a conversation in a restaurant (tried it Friday night but not ready to tick that one off yet), have a clear conversation on the phone (people stopped ringing the home phone months ago so I haven't heard it even ring yet) and listen to the radio and follow a song I haven't heard before.
There are a few noises that drive me mad (water running, the dog barking) and I automatically reach up and block my ear with my finger. It takes me a second to realise that my ears are now for decoration and sticking my finger in the ear has no effect on sound, but grabbing the coil off my head does! While I'm discussing the dog barking, to my brain she sounds like a baby crying. It's a very high pitched noise and I never realise it's the dog until I see her barking.
There are also a few girly things that need to be considered when getting a cochlear implant. Firstly, there isn't a lot of room for sunglasses so I can't wear sunglasses that have thick arms. I also have to think about wearing hats. They can't be too tight against the coil and they can't sit too low or they rub against the microphones on the processor. I also can't fluff up my hair or give myself a quick finger comb as I always end up knocking the coil off (the magnet isn't that strong). I also had to cut my hair as I couldn't tuck it behind my ear anymore like I've done all my life.
Another annoying problem is that the batteries only last a day or two and usually decide to go flat in the middle of a movie or half way through a work meeting. I carry a spare battery with me but I've got to pause my life, change the battery and then continue on.
Every day sound gets a little clearer and people sound less like a chipmunk. The sound, especially a voice, is still very robotic and not natural sounding. I still struggle to hear well, and it's impossible when two people are talking at once, a bit like listening to an answering machine message while someone is talking to you at the same time.
I ask my husband all the time, "what's that noise?" so I know I'm still learning to hear again. Slowly, slowly, as my mother always says (she with hyperactive tendencies). x
