Quote

When I first lost my hearing a large number of people attempted to make me feel better by saying "at least you didn't go blind". This was said by people who were neither deaf or blind. The following quote is by Helen Keller who is deaf and blind and therefore the only person (apart from other deaf/blind people of course) who is qualified to make such a statement:

"I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus -- the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of man".  Helen Keller

Shocking!

The last two nights my husband has been away so I have worn my processor all night. It's not ideal and it's difficult to sleep on the implant side (my favourite sleep side) but otherwise it's OK for a few nights. What I didn't realise is that having the battery running for 48 hours straight has left me over charged, literally. Everything I touch is giving me electric shocks!

I've been tricked!!

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have an ongoing battle with drive-thru fast food outlets. However I refuse to be beaten and as a result I continue to take the kids for their weekly hamburger after soccer training. Tonight my eldest son says to me, "I'll tell you what to say mum". So I place the order and to the questions I can't hear them asking, Jaxon tells me to say either yes or no. When the order arrived I realised that one drink, his, was large and the other, his brother's was small. Looking at the chips, the same. Turns out that when the hamburger joint asked if I wanted to upsize he told me to say yes!!!!!!! I always say no!!!!!!!! It's the first time the kids have taken advantage of my deafness but I suspect that as they become more comfortable with it they will come up with more ways to exploit my disability!

Goal Setting

Since going deaf I've been in a rush to get through my life goals. Mostly they involve study and travel so this semester I have enrolled in a Masters of Education course. I thought that if I studied online it would be easier to cope with the deafness and largely, it has been. There are a few online videos that I need to watch but with my audio cord and the ipad I'm able to hook myself up and hear the videos clearly. The problem I'm having is that my brain seems to work a little slower since going deaf so it takes me a split second (give or take one or two) more to understand what is being said. It's like I hear everything a bit after it's actually said, like a delay. Almost like living my life on Skype!
This afternoon my son asked me a question. I heard it but didn't understand so I waited a bit (while he stared at me) and sure enough three seconds later it came to me, I understood and answered him. I wonder if the cochlear actually hears in real-time or if there is a delay. Nah, just my poor old brain trying to keep up with the world. Bring on the study I say!

Batteries

My camping adventure is over for these holidays and I survived well. My batteries lasted me, just. I'm on my last two disposable batteries and I'm not sure how long they have left before they go flat. The rechargeable batteries give me a 15 minute warning before they go flat but the disposables just turn off. As we are only two hours from home I'm sure I'll make it. Next time I holiday though I'm going to take a whole stash of batteries just in case. I'm also going to design some little battery holders. My rechargeable batteries are $250 each so they need to be treated with a lot of care. They can't be stored together in case the points touch and short out. They also can't be stored in plastic as it causes moisture which can damage the battery. I also need to think about a storage container for when I go to the beach. We went for a snorkel yesterday and I grabbed my mask and ran off to the water realising just in time that I was still wearing my CI. I ran back up the beach and wrapped it in my skirt and then stuffed it into the beach bag. One grain of sand can destroy the processor and it would cost $8000 to replace so again, I need to be very careful. I'm on the look out now for a sand proof, non-plastic small container. Either way, I still had a great time!

Shark!

Well, the whale shark tour was fantastic! We went out to sea in the boat and stopped about half an hour out to have a snorkel. I decided to stay dry and save up my wet hair for the whale shark. When it was time to dive and swim with the biggest fish in the ocean I took off the CI and jumped in. Once in the water, everyone is deaf and as soon as the whale shark swam by I soon forgot about my ear anyway. It was awesome! Every now and then I would look up to see what was happening but that was easy too as the guides in the water and on the boat used hand signals to tell us what to do. Too easy! After the swim I sat on the boat in the sun and my hair dried off enough to replace my CI and hear someone yell, "manta rays, everyone in the water"! Off comes the CI again and in I go to swim with the most beautiful, graceful and playful creatures ever! I had just climbed up the back of the boat when I noticed everyone pointing and looking excited and I turned to see two humpback whales swimming behind my son and husband! Another hour drying in the sun and I had my ear back on for the boat trip back. Loved it, amazing day. When there is so much beauty to see it doesn't really matter about the hearing. Next time though I'm taking a swim cap with me. I've resisted thus far so as not to look like an old lady but I'm going to search for a cool one online.

This weeks adventure!

This week I'm camping. We have arrived in Coral Bay for a week long tent adventure. My only worry is getting sand in my cochlear implant as there is sand EVERYWHERE! While it is lovely and sunny I haven't been for a swim yet so I can keep my hair dry so I don't have to go deaf. We were down at the beach yesterday and I got the warning that my battery was about to go flat and sure enough I went flat and had to wait until we walked back to the tent for another battery. I didn't bring my battery charger with me. I'm using the battery with disposable batteries which are great as they last a few days. It is a bit of a worry at night not being able to hear as I like to listen out for the kids while camping. There is only a sheet of nylon between us and the world after all! Tomorrow we are going out to sea to swim with a whale shark (and hopefully not any other kind of shark!). That means wet hair and wet hair means I can't wear my CI. I wonder if I can plug my hair dryer in on board? I will report back!

Remember Me

My husband is studying at university this year and I'm helping him with his essays. Yesterday, after getting out of the shower I had a few ideas for his introduction for his current essay and rattled it all off. My hair was wet so I didn't have my ear in but that hasn't ever stopped me from talking. So after giving him the gems of my wisdom I was satisfied that we had a good introduction to get started.
Later that evening we both sat down to work on the essay but I struggled to remember a single thing I had said. Usually I've got a good memory for details but I was shocked that I couldn't remember a single thing. I had no idea what I'd said. Steve wasn't much help, he doesn't remember anything I say anyway! It took me until the next day to realise that I couldn't remember my own speech because I didn't hear it in the first place! I didn't really realise how important it is for the brain to HEAR to remember. I haven't until now considered that the cochlear implant gives me more than just hearing, it gives me understanding and memory as well! Valuable little thing.