My Hook-Up

deafskeptic

deafskeptic

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OK guys, here's the details on my hook up. My parents and I left at 8 45 am and we arrived at UNC in Chapel Hill an hour early.

When Marcia Clark put my speech processor on, things sounded strange and sounds were a lot like the sounds that I heard with my right ear HA years ago before I stopped wearing it at age 14.

Then Marcia tested me on sounds to see if it's too loud or loud enough. When we were done testing them, she had me hear some words with out lipreading. I had little trouble with single syballe words. Marcia says she didn't expect me to do as well as I did given my history of long term profound deafness from birth. I did have trouble with two syballe words but I'll get 'em eventally.

Things that I heard on my way home: footsteeps of nearby people, whoosing sounds, the toliet flushing :ugh: - it sure sounds different from my HA as sound is higher pitched, rain pelting the windshield, ticking of the turn signal, music which sounded very staticly. I think I heard cars coming and going in the parking lot and it sounded very whoosy in the parking lot.

As I type on my parents' pc, I can hear a whirring sound and I assume that it's the computer fan that I'm hearing. I've never been able to hear it with my HA. I can hear myself taking a deep breath and hear me rubbing my arms.
 
:) You sound shell shocked! It sounds like you've had a pretty normal first day of activation and yep, expecting to be able to get any words without lipreading on the first day is normally a NO! for those of us deaf from childhood. On my first day I would have got a 0% as I couldn't even hear speech clearly until about an hour after activation. So you've done very well for your first day.

It sounds as if your audie is quietly confident about you. ;) Were your parents with you at your activation?
 
Also, I forgot to ask - the recruitment issue is gone?
 
Well I don't appear to be having recrument issues but I'm a bit puzzled at why I'm hearing a high pitced sound and when I hear certain sounds it'll set off the ringing. Sound is very similar to feedback from HAs but that's not possible with implants.

I didn't have any problems with ringing for the first hour or so but then I started to expermint with the control and i'm wondering if I set off something.
 
deafskeptic said:
Well I don't appear to be having recrument issues but I'm a bit puzzled at why I'm hearing a high pitced sound and when I hear certain sounds it'll set off the ringing. Sound is very similar to feedback from HAs but that's not possible with implants.

I didn't have any problems with ringing for the first hour or so but then I started to expermint with the control and i'm wondering if I set off something.
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I'm not sure about the high pitched sound - you might be hearing something but you just haven't figured it out yet? Definitely not on the telecoil setting?

If you are experiencing ringing very frequently and it's really annoying you then perhaps you might want to go back to the audie for a softer program. Remember your brain has been used to recruitment and so the louder sounds that you are now hearing with the CI would be perceived as alarming. I notice you said you are now hearing sounds that you haven't heard in a very long time and that will be a shock to your brain. It takes time to rebuild your sound tolerance. My original program was very soft compared to what I have now.

When do you have your next map?
 
Is there anyone here who was profoundly deaf at birth (no hearing really at all) and got a CI much later in life and still uses it?
 
Its quite a shock to your brain to deal the input of so many NEW sensations/sounds. I remember my activation day like it was yesterday. I'm so happy for you and hope you share more of your experiences with us!
 
Congrats

Glad to hear your first day went well, Deafskeptic, and looking forward to hearing more stories.
 
Capmeister said:
Is there anyone here who was profoundly deaf at birth (no hearing really at all) and got a CI much later in life and still uses it?
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If you are talking about profoundly deaf people who never had a hearing aid to amplify their residual hearing from childhood, then the prognosis for such people who get CIs in adulthood is very poor. At best, they would hear environmental sounds only. I was born with a severe/profound hearing loss but did well with hearing aids from the age of 3, developed speech perception and so the transition to a CI in adulthood wasn't too difficult.
However, I have a friend who was born deaf, never used hearing aids and got a CI as an adult. He stopped using it after a year as he got headaches from the sounds - his brain didn't know what to do with the sounds. I suspect that Smithtr who wants to get his CI removed in the other thread, is similar to my friend.
 
Quite possible. I'll ask Marcia Clark about it when I see her on May 20th at twelve.

Like R2D2, I was born with a severe to profound loss and I got fitted with two HAs when I was 2 1/2 years old.Unlike R2D2, I never delevoped an abilty to understand speech but I did learn to speak.

I wouldn't recomend CIs to those who never heard a sound to adult deaf people because hearing sounds can be painful to them. It's quite possible Smithr is in the same situation.
 
deafskeptic said:
Quite possible. I'll ask Marcia Clark about it when I see her on May 20th at twelve.

Like R2D2, I was born with a severe to profound loss and I got fitted with two HAs when I was 2 1/2 years old.Unlike R2D2, I never delevoped an abilty to understand speech but I did learn to speak.

I wouldn't recomend CIs to those who never heard a sound to adult deaf people because hearing sounds can be painful to them. It's quite possible Smithr is in the same situation.
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Congrats on your hook up.

So when u mean an adult deaf person who has never heard a sound..are u talking about people who have never wore HAs in their lives?
 
deafskeptic said:
Yes, Shel90.
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Yea, I agree with u. It would make sense. I do know one guy who never wore HAs and got a CI and he said it hurted his eyes whenever he heard a sound. Interesting.

Anyways..thanks for clarifying. :)
 
deafskeptic said:
Well I don't appear to be having recrument issues but I'm a bit puzzled at why I'm hearing a high pitced sound and when I hear certain sounds it'll set off the ringing. Sound is very similar to feedback from HAs but that's not possible with implants.

I didn't have any problems with ringing for the first hour or so but then I started to expermint with the control and i'm wondering if I set off something.
Click to expand...

I had that problem during the initial hookup. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Once I left the building, it went away and I never heard it again. My suspicion is that one's brain is trying to make sense of all the input particularily the higher pitch ones. I hadn't heard those pitches in a long time if ever.
 
That's quite possible, Sr171soars. I never could hear many high pitched sounds with my HA.

I had a CI moment when an alarm went off while I was have AVT with my mother. I thought something went really went wrong with my CI but my mother said oh that's just my father coming back from a meeting and he always sets it off when he returns.
 
Oh yeah, I've seen that site, Boult. The reason why I don't recomend getting CI for those who never heard a sound in thier life is that hearing sounds can be painful for many who get CIs and some never get used to it. However, I'm happy with Jason Curry's success.

If there are many success like him, I'd change my words to I'd be cautious about getting CIs as a deaf adult who never heard sounds as CIs can get some getting used to. I'm still getting used to my CI and things sounds a bit staticy to me.
 
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