Summer Daze

Finally my home city of Perth has welcomed summer just in time for the holidays. We live close to the beach so summer holidays involve splashing around in the ocean most mornings. Swimming isn't an easy activity for cochlear wearers. They aren't waterproof and once your hair is wet you can't put the processor back on. However, and that's a big however, Cochlear (the company that makes the implant) have just released the Aqua Ear and I got my hands on one. The Aqua Ear is a moulded plastic bag that protects the processor from water damage. It works the same way as waterproof covers do for cameras. I've tried it in the spa (with a swimming cap to keep it in place) and it was a great success but I kept thinking that I'd forgotten to take something off, that I shouldn't be wearing my CI. Hearing and water just don't go together in my world.
I've yet to try it down the beach as water is not CI friendly and even a drop can damage my processor. The processor alone is worth $8000 so I am VERY nervous to actually put my head under the water to "test" the Aqua Ear. I have ventured into the water though and for a change not been afraid of splashing kids and wayward waves.
It seems that in a time of modern technology and innovations, this was the best era to go deaf!

It's ringing again! Tinnitus.

I haven't spoken about my tinnitus in a while. Mostly because I don't experience it much anymore. However I notice that when I am very tired or stressed it comes back. It's like a little internal warning bell that goes off when I need to slow down.

With the end of the year fast approaching things are certainly getting stressful. I've hosted two big parties over the last two weekends, I've had one child at home sick for a week and now both kids are home for the holidays full-time, assignments due for uni, Steve's 50th birthday which seems to be an ongoing month long celebration, getting ready to take an overseas trip just after Christmas, major stress at work to try and meet financial deadlines to keep everyone's job intact and all the organisation that comes with Christmas with kids. My brain is ringing more than the Christmas bells at the moment!!

I don't have a medical condition as such, I don't need treatment, I don't take medication and I look and appear to be very healthy and "with it". Sometimes this makes it very hard to explain to people that I just need to take time off. The last three weeks I've spent whole days in bed totally exhausted. If I was actually sick, stress related or otherwise, I could claim sick leave and everyone would understand. I'm just not sure that I can get away with "hearing fatigue" leave or "tinnitus driving me crazy and sending me messages to take a break" leave. Maybe I should start a new category in sick leave :)

Annual Report Feature

Here I am featured in the Ear Science Institute Australia's Annual Report 2012. I'm the face of ESIA this year, next year it will probably be Revlon .............

Ear Science Institute Night

Last night I was invited as a guest speaker at the Ear Science Institute to talk about my experience of going deaf and having a cochlear implant. It was a wonderful night attended by many influential people in business, education and research. I met the Chief Scientist of Western Australia who took a photo of me for her Twitter page (I kid you not) and the Principal of the Deaf School of Western Australia who has invited me to come to the school and speak to the children. I was also "featured" in the Ear Science Institute Annual Report. By far the highlight of the event was when a gentleman approached me with a cut out of the newspaper article I had done some weeks ago and wanted to meet me. "It's really you", he said to me while pointing at the article. I felt like a celebrity!!! This is a photo of the gentleman, Alexander Clark, below. Lovely guy and fellow deafie.

Alexander and Jane at the Ear Science Institute Event

My Newspaper Article

I'm Flat!

While it's never happened before but today I find myself in an unusual position. All three of my rechargeable batteries are flat. That means I can't turn on my CI until they are charged which takes about four-five hours. That means today, I'm deaf.
Before I got the CI I would happily go about my day but now that I can hear with the CI I don't like to go out in public, it's just too hard. So today I'm staying home in my silent world until I'm all charged up! Hopefully I'll be charged for tonight because I'm giving a speech as the Ear Science Institute on my personal story of sudden hearing loss and the benefits of the cochlear implant. I have an audience of 100 people and of course the mingle afterwards so it would be handy to be able to hear. I will report back ...............