Guess who is using a normal home phone???????

Notes to a doctor

I went to see my local doctor this morning for a referral to see my implant surgeon. When I told him I already had one cochlear implant and wanted another he smiled, leaned back in his chair and asked if he could question me a bit first. I thought he wanted to ask medical related questions about the second surgery but he actually asked loads of questions about how the CI works, what it sounds like, where were the microphones, how does the magnet work etc etc.  I even found myself drawing him a little picture showing how the whole implant fits together and connects to the brain. He then wanted to see how it attached to my head and feel the bump where the magnet is. He was in awe of the technology and the fact that he would never have guessed I was deaf and hearing through a single CI if I hadn't have told him. He was so interested in the whole CI thing. It isn't often in life when you get the chance to teach a doctor something!!!

Decisions, decisions ...

I'm still thinking about getting a second cochlear implant ............. or not. I'm getting really tired of listening lately. I've kept up the "everything is fine" thing for nearly two years now but really, every day is dominated by my hearing status. I'm just exhausted and I'm wondering if it would all be easier, and less effort if I had another implant to balance it all out.
I've had a look at the pros and cons and honestly, there doesn't seem to be many cons. If it doesn't work then I haven't lost anything have I? My "other" ear has 0% hearing so even if the second implant only gives me 5% more hearing on that side I've gained something.
Medically speaking, I only need a month off work to recover etc and then of course I have to see my audi on a regular basis for tune-ups, but that's fine. I'm a fit healthy person so there are limited risks on the operating table, I have an excellent surgeon who is well respected in his field, I have a great family who will make sure I have everything I need to recover quickly and a wonderful audi with years of experience.
I'm thinking about it as a second baby. The first time was hard but I know what to expect the second time around!

Another social outing

Last night was an awards night for staff and students at West Coast Institute where I teach. I was there supporting an amazing student of mine, Penny, and my gorgeous colleague, Carolyn who won her category award (pictured).

The night was lovely especially as I was sitting next to a lady who had a plastic ear drum. We spent the night saying "what?" and "huh?" and "pardon?" to each other. Only the type of conversation that deaf people have (those who don't sign), the hearing people got bored quickly. No matter, we knew what we were talking about!!!

A second cochlear?!!

My audi has asked me if I would consider a second implant. I currently have one on the left side but now the experts think I should think about having the right side implanted. I have been profoundly deaf in my right ear since I was about three years old, or for as long as I can remember anyway so this is a big issue. It was a no-brainer getting the implant in the left ear that suddenly went deaf 18 months ago but getting a second ear done is an entirely different thing. I don't know why exactly, maybe because my brain doesn't acknowledge that the right ear even exists!
I don't know what I will do.

The Funeral

I thought I'd had all my "first" experiences as a deaf/hearing person but yesterday I attended my first funeral since going deaf. Two things stood out for me. First, I couldn't hear a thing, not a single word, second, I wasn't sad mostly because I couldn't hear anything! I couldn't hear the lovely things that were said about the deceased person, I couldn't hear it when the speaker choked back their tears (usually the thing that sets me off crying at a funeral), I couldn't hear people sobbing, and I couldn't hear the hushed discussions at the end of the funeral. It just wasn't the same. I hope that people don't think that I'm unfeeling, without the sensory input of sound my emotions are not as aroused as they once were, hmm.

Bored Room Meetings

I attended a four hour boardroom meeting yesterday on audit compliance. I know, you're feeling sorry for me, four hours on audit compliance is enough to bore anyone! That wasn't the issue though, think from the perspective of a deaf person on this one. The board table was full, that's 18 people, all talking at rapid speed about complex concepts and then, get this, someone brings in a fan and plugs it in right behind me! I think they did this, not to cool everyone down, but to make the situation just that littlest bit harder for me. Honestly, four hours of listening effort left me totally exhausted. My tinnitus hit the roof, I had a headache and I couldn't wait to get out of there, remove my CI and take a deep breath. OK, then I followed it up with chocolate, that always works :)

Sensory loss all over the house!

My youngest son needs glasses. He was tested yesterday and has a sight impairment. That means that four out of five of my family members have a sensory impairment. It's the deaf leading the blind all over again!