Wednesday 30 May 2012
Brain Freeze
I think my brain is confused because I hear during the day and then I'm deaf at night when I remove the CI to sleep. I keep having regular dreams that I can hear at night. I'll dream that I can hear the kids calling out to me at night and I wake up ( in real life), realise that's impossible and go back to sleep again. This dream happens every few nights. I think maybe I'm scared that if the kids do call out to me I won't hear them. I also dream that Steve talks to me at night and I respond, just like I would during the day. This also wakes me up to check if Steve did in fact talk to me and by some sort of miracle my hearing has returned. So far, each time this has happened Steve is fast asleep, snoring silently.
Monday 21 May 2012
Fitness for the Deaf
Another challenge today, personal fitness training, in a gym, a noisy gym. My work runs a personal fitness program every semester so for six weeks I can get flogged by a trainer in the gym.
While everyone else throws on their gym gear and hits the treadmill, I go through a deaf preparation routine.
Headband to put CI in? Check.
Spare battery in case I got flat? Check.
FM charged? Check.
So I head into the gym and the first thing I hear is the loud music. I don't know what the song is or the type of music, but I know it's music and I know it's loud. So I put the FM on and attach the microphone to my trainer and suddenly all I can hear is her. The FM cancels out the music and I just hear my trainer, clear as day, telling me to do four more push-ups. Hmmmm, maybe it's better that I don't hear her after all!
While everyone else throws on their gym gear and hits the treadmill, I go through a deaf preparation routine.
Headband to put CI in? Check.
Spare battery in case I got flat? Check.
FM charged? Check.
So I head into the gym and the first thing I hear is the loud music. I don't know what the song is or the type of music, but I know it's music and I know it's loud. So I put the FM on and attach the microphone to my trainer and suddenly all I can hear is her. The FM cancels out the music and I just hear my trainer, clear as day, telling me to do four more push-ups. Hmmmm, maybe it's better that I don't hear her after all!
Saturday 19 May 2012
I woke up this morning
I woke up this morning deaf. Yes, I've woken up deaf every morning since August 11th 2011, but it still makes me stop for five minutes and think about what my life would have been like if I hadn't have got the cochlear implant straight away.
For starters, I woud be better at lipreading and signing. The cochlear implant makes me a bit lazy so I don't lipread or sign as much as I would. I prefer to look people in the eye anyway. I can participate in a normal conversation with one or more people just like a hearing person can.
My job wouldn't be as exciting. I'm working on a big project at the moment, the most important of my career, and this involves daily meetings, something that is very difficult to participate in (let alone Chair) when deaf. Next semester, post-project, I'm back in the classroom and will be implementing a whole host of new teaching strategies to make my teaching fun.
I wouldn't be as social, that's for sure. The cochlear implant doesn't pick up music at parties unless it's really loud so I find it's easy to chat away to friends. I NEVER say no to a social event based on my lack of hearing.
Without the cochlear implant I wouldn't be able to participate in family life the way I do. I'm in the office right now typing this but I can chat with my husband in the kitchen and I can hear my youngest son watching TV in the lounge. Speaking of TV, with my cochlear I can watch TV without subtitles!
OK, there are still things I find difficult with the cochlear but they are things that I can't do at all without it. Like my mum said, with a cochlear I'm ENABLED, not disabled, yay! :)
For starters, I woud be better at lipreading and signing. The cochlear implant makes me a bit lazy so I don't lipread or sign as much as I would. I prefer to look people in the eye anyway. I can participate in a normal conversation with one or more people just like a hearing person can.
My job wouldn't be as exciting. I'm working on a big project at the moment, the most important of my career, and this involves daily meetings, something that is very difficult to participate in (let alone Chair) when deaf. Next semester, post-project, I'm back in the classroom and will be implementing a whole host of new teaching strategies to make my teaching fun.
I wouldn't be as social, that's for sure. The cochlear implant doesn't pick up music at parties unless it's really loud so I find it's easy to chat away to friends. I NEVER say no to a social event based on my lack of hearing.
Without the cochlear implant I wouldn't be able to participate in family life the way I do. I'm in the office right now typing this but I can chat with my husband in the kitchen and I can hear my youngest son watching TV in the lounge. Speaking of TV, with my cochlear I can watch TV without subtitles!
OK, there are still things I find difficult with the cochlear but they are things that I can't do at all without it. Like my mum said, with a cochlear I'm ENABLED, not disabled, yay! :)
Thursday 17 May 2012
The Conference Adventure
My day started yesterday at 8.00am. I was standing on the train platform writing emails on my phone, waiting for the train, and noticed a man standing in front of me. I suspected he was talking to me so I looked up. Sure enough, he was asking directions so I just told him which train was which and he seemed satisfied with that.
The train ride was fine, I couldn't hear the stations announced but I knew where I was so no problems. I then had a 20 walk up the street to find the hotel where my conference was being held. When I arrived my gorgeous work girls had saved me a seat right up the front.
I looked around; about 350 people sitting in a large ball room type space. Hmmmmmm. Looked up the front, microphones, that means I am not going to hear this $300 per head conference. Time to take deaf action.
I grabbed my trusty FM and headed out to the registration area and asked who was in charge. I was taken to see a busy woman and explained to her that I was deaf, using a cochlear implant and I needed to leave my FM as close to the speaker as possible. So she put it on the lectern and told the first speaker that it was there. No probs!
My FM sat perched on the lectuern for the first two speakers and I got terrible interference, like a badly tuned radio. Towards the end of the second speaker I went to the toilet and one of the ladies sitting at the desk outside asked me how it was going with my hearing. I told her about the interference and thought it would be better to have the speaker wear the FM so she jumped up and said "let's talk to the next speaker and ask her to wear it". So we did, and she did, and it was perfect. I could hear everything as if she was sitting in front of me in a quiet room. This speaker then asked the next speaker to wear it and so on.
At the end of the conference there was a question and answer session with a panel of six experts. With 350 people in the room there was no way I could hear the questions being asked. The leader of the panel, a young guy, saw me sitting there with a blank look on my face so he grabbed my FM and repeated every question into it, using it like a microphone, priceless. He then passed the FM to the panel and instructed them to speak into the FM and then he would collect it and either repeat the next question or sometimes he would run out into the audience and ask them to speak into the FM. One of the girls sitting next to me wrote me a note "You are special!".
Of the 350 people who turned up to attend the conference I ended up feeling like I was the only one there. They all made the effort to make me feel included without making a big deal about it. I was so delighted I went up afterward and thanked the young guy for his actions. He replied with a big smile "no problems"!
That's another one ticked off the deaf to do list.
The train ride was fine, I couldn't hear the stations announced but I knew where I was so no problems. I then had a 20 walk up the street to find the hotel where my conference was being held. When I arrived my gorgeous work girls had saved me a seat right up the front.
I looked around; about 350 people sitting in a large ball room type space. Hmmmmmm. Looked up the front, microphones, that means I am not going to hear this $300 per head conference. Time to take deaf action.
I grabbed my trusty FM and headed out to the registration area and asked who was in charge. I was taken to see a busy woman and explained to her that I was deaf, using a cochlear implant and I needed to leave my FM as close to the speaker as possible. So she put it on the lectern and told the first speaker that it was there. No probs!
My FM sat perched on the lectuern for the first two speakers and I got terrible interference, like a badly tuned radio. Towards the end of the second speaker I went to the toilet and one of the ladies sitting at the desk outside asked me how it was going with my hearing. I told her about the interference and thought it would be better to have the speaker wear the FM so she jumped up and said "let's talk to the next speaker and ask her to wear it". So we did, and she did, and it was perfect. I could hear everything as if she was sitting in front of me in a quiet room. This speaker then asked the next speaker to wear it and so on.
At the end of the conference there was a question and answer session with a panel of six experts. With 350 people in the room there was no way I could hear the questions being asked. The leader of the panel, a young guy, saw me sitting there with a blank look on my face so he grabbed my FM and repeated every question into it, using it like a microphone, priceless. He then passed the FM to the panel and instructed them to speak into the FM and then he would collect it and either repeat the next question or sometimes he would run out into the audience and ask them to speak into the FM. One of the girls sitting next to me wrote me a note "You are special!".
Of the 350 people who turned up to attend the conference I ended up feeling like I was the only one there. They all made the effort to make me feel included without making a big deal about it. I was so delighted I went up afterward and thanked the young guy for his actions. He replied with a big smile "no problems"!
That's another one ticked off the deaf to do list.
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Next Challenge
Tomorrow I'm heading into the city on the train to attend a conference. I will take the FM with me and hopefully I'll be able to hear the speakers and presenters. I suspect this challenge will be a little tricky but I will remain optimistic and if all else fails, I'll fall I'll and go home! I will report.
It really needs to said
I've said before, and I will say it again, it's exhausting being deaf. I guess it would be OK if I was at home most of the time but I'm rarely home. If I'm not at work I'm running the kids around to sports and school events and if I'm not doing that I'm socializing or running errands and attending appointments. I fully understand why deaf people prefer to stay home, it's so much easier! It's amazing how much verbal communication goes on in a single day especially with a family and a job in education. Between the two I would spend almost eighty per cent of my time listening and talking. Before I had the CI, that percentage would be ten. All that listening and responding takes enormous effort and it leaves me completely drained by the end of the day. Having said that, all that listening and responding allows me to lead a perfectly normal life and unless people know me, most have no idea that under the hair is an electronic device that gives a totally deaf person the gift of hearing.
Monday 14 May 2012
Can you see my CI?
I thought I would post some pictures of what it looks like when I have my CI on. In all the pictures below I'm wearing the CI on the left ear, magnet and ear piece.
Hair Down Side View
Hair Down Front View
Hair Up Side View
Hair Up Front View
A first for everything!
I've mentioned in previous posts about feeling the need to apologize to people because I'm deaf and can't hear them. I know I shouldn't have to say sorry but it seems polite to apologize if I haven't heard someone. So, I continue to say "I'm sorry, I'm deaf, I can't hear you".
The other day I was at the service station and ordered a hot drink while I paid for my petrol. The girl asked what size drink I wanted but I didn't hear so I said "pardon". She repeated the question and again I said, "sorry, I'm not understanding what you are saying". She then replied with, get this, "I'm sorry, I talk funny"!!!! It's usually my fault when I can't hear people, I've never had someone else apologize that I couldn't hear them, loved it.
The other day I was at the service station and ordered a hot drink while I paid for my petrol. The girl asked what size drink I wanted but I didn't hear so I said "pardon". She repeated the question and again I said, "sorry, I'm not understanding what you are saying". She then replied with, get this, "I'm sorry, I talk funny"!!!! It's usually my fault when I can't hear people, I've never had someone else apologize that I couldn't hear them, loved it.
Friday 4 May 2012
I made a phone call!!!
Very exciting day today. I made my first real phone call in six months! I've called my family (kids, husband, mum) a few times before but I've not made a formal phone call, too scary.
I used my iphone on speaker and rang Witchery to put a shirt on hold for me. I was nervous that I wouldn't understand what they were saying and that I'd have to hang up but I got through the phone call like a normal person. Such a small thing for a hearing person but such a massive thing for a deaf person. The hearing with my cochlear is getting better and better every day, it's amazing.
Well, that's another thing ticked off my "deaf to do list"!
I used my iphone on speaker and rang Witchery to put a shirt on hold for me. I was nervous that I wouldn't understand what they were saying and that I'd have to hang up but I got through the phone call like a normal person. Such a small thing for a hearing person but such a massive thing for a deaf person. The hearing with my cochlear is getting better and better every day, it's amazing.
Well, that's another thing ticked off my "deaf to do list"!
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