Sorry for the delay in posting Raymond's progress, it's been so busy for the last while. I am happy to say he is doing extremely well, maybe alot more than we had expected.
At the last appointment with the audiologist, which was in February, she tested his hearing level in the booth and it was at 55%. His next appointment, April 2008, his hearing level increased to 71%, which is "awesome" in only 2 short months. He goes back again in July and I do expect his level will have increased again by then.
Instead of writing in paragraphs, I will outline his experiences since my last posting:
- sounds are getting clearer, crisper
- TV is starting to sound clearer
- starting to recognize words in songs without looking at words on paper
- hearing more bird sounds - recognizes its identification
- heard an owl hoot for the first time last weekend - can't even see the owl!!!
- talking much clearer - still need more work on this
- voice is still low - people are still asking him to raise his voice more
- he finally now can tune out some noises and sounds. My voice is one of them (at times) :(
- still having some difficulties with the T-coil. More adjusting needed soon.
- at the last appointment in April, the audiologist added a music program on the processor so he can hear the sound quality of music better and this part seems successful. He is happy as a bee.
- attended a dance one night, and when they turned on the music for the first time, Raymond nearly jumped out of his pants. It was loud because of the deaf crowd. Raymond and another CI user had to turn down the volume of their processor.
- can hear the ambulance, police and fire truck sirens far away without even seeing them. He can identify the difference in their sirens. With hearing aid, he could hear them close by and see them. He was not able to identify their sirens. Now he can without even seeing the truck or van.
- Raymond loves not having to wear an ear mold, ever again.
- he is very happy he can wear a cap, it fits over the headpiece beautifully.
- he has the PowerCel Slims and they only last about 4 to 5 hours, where it is supposed to last about 8 to 14 hours per battery. We believe it has something to do with the strength of programming and radio wave frequency, which drains the battery faster. We hope this will improve within time.
This one is one of my many favorites: Raymond was sitting out on the patio one morning reading the newspaper. The bird feeders are close by and he could hear all the birds chirping, communicating, etc. He came in to the house looking so exasperated and said to me, "My God, the birds are chirping so much!! They talk too much, I think worse than women!!" lol.... I had to laugh at that one, it was so hilarious. You just had to be there to see his expression.
When you first get your CI, don't be surprised to hear some negative feedback from others. Guaranteed, you will hear a couple. As well, don't be surprised at the jokes they tell you about your CI. Some of them can be a bit "too" excessive. Just laugh along with them - with the knowledge that they may not be well educated about the benefits of having the CI. This is one of the purposes why I am doing this blog, is to educate other deaf people, and as well as hearing people. I have received alot of feedback about this blog, and it is wonderful to hear them. Hearing folks now take their hearing for granted and have learned so much just from reading this blog. And it is great for the deaf community, as in my area, they are slowly accepting CIs which is 'awesome'!!!!
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