Activation Day

Activation Day, August 7, 2008:

The waiting was pure torture, but finally my right CI has been activated! I was practically dancing with anticipation all day Wednesday and Thursday morning. We were a whole hour early for my appointment! First we stopped in just to see if there was a cancellation: Both because I was so eager to get it going and also because we’ve had that happen before. But no cancellation occurred, so we went to a nearby mall to walk around and while away the last hour.

Programming the new Advanced Bionics Harmony and 90K is much easier and goes much faster than my older C1 CI. My audiologist had me turn the left platinum processor off for the mapping of the new Harmony on the right side. First we set loudness on 4 electrodes at a time, and then we went back through them individually to make sure they all sounded like they were at the same level of loudness. It was not extremely loud sounding but I was a bit reluctant to raise the loudness too much after not hearing in that ear for so long. Then the big moment came! She turned it on so I was hearing whatever was going on in the room. I couldn’t really hear speech very well but I could tell someone was talking.

My audiologist explained that she would just start me out on the Fidelity 120S. She didn’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between the S and P at that time. At my follow-up the next day we'd try the P option and compare the two. She did some very basic testing, covering her mouth and saying colors and then numbers. I got them all right except one number! I felt like it was probably 40% what I heard and 30% that I knew it had to be a color or number and 30% guess. When she asked me a question, I couldn't get that at all, but I was pretty sure what she was saying was more than one word and it was not a color. Everything sounded very computer like, high pitched and kind of squeaky. I knew that's normal at first so I wasn’t concerned. She gave me three maps of varying volume for the first day.

My audiologist explained that she started me out on the Fidelity 120S. She didn’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between the S and P at that time. At my follow-up the next day we'd try the P option and compare the two. She told me to go ahead and wear them both most of the time because our goal is to get them to feel normal together. But she also said it was ok to take the older one off if I wanted to just practice on the new one. We went over everything in the box and she explained the parts that were included and about the volume dial and program switch on the BTE processor. Then I was ready to go out in the real world and see how it sounded! First stop is to get an X-ray of my head which will show the exact position of both of my CI’s and the coils in my cochleae.

After my appointment, Bill and I checked into the hotel. We were staying overnight since I had a follow-up with my surgeon and another mapping appointment in the afternoon the next day. It was my son’s birthday and we needed to do some shopping so we went to Best Buy, Meijers and ate at Real Seafood again. (This could get to be a habit!). I switched up to program three, the loudest at some point during the shopping and eating, already adjusting and needing more volume. Then, after dinner, Bill said he wanted to go see “Dark Knight”. Gulp! After a moment’s hesitation, I said “Ok, I’m game”. I’m not afraid of a little sound right? Wow, that is one loud movie! I switched back down to program two for most of the movie, not so much because it was uncomfortable exactly, but I didn’t want to completely traumatize my ear and brain! I would not necessarily recommend going to a movie to someone who has just gotten their CI (s) turned on for the first time if it’s your first CI experience. Unless you are very adventuresome! Having one CI that I’ve been wearing for 10 years, I thought I could handle it and let’s face it, how much speech do you really need to hear in a batman movie?

Day two after activation, August 8, 2008:

I am wearing the body worn processor (BWP) on my left ear and the BTE on my right. It's not strange at all to have the BTE, because wore hearing aids for almost 20 years before getting a CI.

My follow-up with my surgeon is at 9:45, which gives us plenty of time to lounge and listen to TV in the morning. I put on my new Harmony and leave the platinum BWP off for awhile. I’m watching TV when a commercial comes on. The fellow has a mustache and beard and there is no captioning. I’m listening and not getting much, then all of a sudden I hear ‘Now that’s real insurance!’. I blink and sit up straight. Wow, I heard that! What a way to start the day!!

We head out to the hospital for my follow-up. Dr Telian looks in both ears and reviews the x-ray that I had done the day before. He tells me the older CI has not moved at all and they both are positioned perfectly. The good news just keeps coming and I’m all smiles! I promise to send him a Christmas card to let him know how I’m doing in a few months. There will be a follow-up appointment next August. That’s all there is to that. Bill and I are off for some more shopping and lunch before my mapping appointment at one pm.

The sounds coming from each ear are so different that it is a bit distracting at times. The left ear sounds so natural and why wouldn’t it after ten years? The new CI on my right still sounds like someone is playing a sound clip that has been altered to be much more high pitched and tinny sounding that the left. I keep turning the old one off just to see what I’m getting from the new one. I know this is not an instant process though! My hope is for small progress every day.

While driving around we try several CD’s. They don’t sound bad. I start realizing that I’m hearing things with the new CI that I don’t hear with the old. I can hear the guitars strumming with the new CI. I don’t hear that as a distinct sound with the old one. I’m so excited about what I’m hearing!

It’s time for my next mapping. My audiologist and I go through the process of setting volume levels. I’m braver today and ready for more volume. It doesn’t look like they are going up very much to me. After we have the levels set, my audiologist tells me we turned them way up, from 70 to 110 of whatever measure they use (I can’t remember what she called it). We tried the 120 S and it sounds good as far as volume. Then she switches me to P. That sounds very loud! The volume goes down a little. We chat a bit so I can see if I like P, then she switches me back to S. I can no longer hear the S map we just did! It’s very faint after listening to P. But I’m not sure at this point which one I like better. I’m sure I don’t need a T-coil setting yet and I'm also sure I want to use the T-mic. We decide to put on an S map and a P map both with 100% T-mic and on the third one I have a P map with 50/50 on the mics. This means that the top mic will pick up 50% and the t-mic will pick up 50%. We did this so that if the t-mic stops working it will revert to the top mic and I will still have sound. Not that we expect the t-mic to stop, she said they are very reliable now. So then I’m done and Bill & I are ready to head home. Bill and I go outside and get in the car. I realize it’s really loud and I have half a mind to run back in and get the volumes turned down. However, I know it’s going to be a whole week before I’m back so I decide to use the volume button to turn it down and see if I need the extra volume s the week goes on.

I keep it on P most of the day. On the way home I’m switching the old one off every so often to test myself. With only the Harmony going, I’m actually able to hear some of my CD’s enough to sing along! I’m so happy that I’m crying. I’m not a crier at all, but this is just too exciting! It is sometimes difficult to know which ear I’m actually hearing things out of. I think this is a good sign that they are already trying to working together. I continue to turn one or the other off periodically just to see which ear is actually giving me what sound. Sometimes I realize it’s actually coming from both but as different sounds. Soon I hope my brain will begin to recognize these as the same.