Cybercollector
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey there,
New to this board, however my experience with my ears is not.
I was born hearing impaired, Rubella hit when my mum was pregnant (bloody doc told her she already took the vaccine, lying putz). At that time I lost hearing completely of my right side and severe to profound on my left side. I had a hearing when I was 18 months old (I believe, but my memory is bad). I could hear well enough to understand and I was lucky that my mother was a hearing impaired teacher prior to my birth. I learned French successfully through her, her colleague and my school. Learned English later on when I was in 7th grade, through TV and Internet. I was doing fine and dandy, I choose to ignore the fact I was hearing impaired for a long time, since I didn't like the fact I was "disabled" and I pushed my friends to treat me like anyone else.
However, after I finished my first year at University with success and when I was looking for a job at the time, disaster struck, on June 27th, I lost what's left of my hearing due to Sudden Sensorial Hearing Loss. I woke up feeling my hearing was diminishing, and it "died" a couple of hours later. I can still hear sound, with my hearing aid at full blast, but somewhat like a whisper through water, and I cannot distinguish vowels or anything. I had to rely on my poor lip reading skills and a notepad in order to communicate. My family has been really supportive, especially now, since I was supposed to go to Katimavik this year (A Canadian program that allows young adults to live together and learn independence and different types of work) or if I was refused (I later found out I was accepted), to another University to study international affairs.
I met an audiologist and a speech therapist in Halifax in early august, testing my candidacy, and I was added to the top of the priority list, since I could hear before I lost my hearing. I just met my surgeon, a Dr. Morris, on September 8th. He seems like a really nice guy, talking to me directly by exaggerating his lips movements so I could understand. He basically told me that I was an excellent candidate for cochlear implant given the degree of progress I had already achieved prior to the recent total loss, given its severity since birth. He told me I was to be operated on October 18.
During this strange episode of my life, I took the time to read about cochlear implants and made the decision of choosing Advance Bionics, after hearing its recent upgrade on Michael Chorost's blog and the experience of many users I read on this board.
As for my personal time, it's been cut down to barely anything, I took the liberty of joining a gym, since I already lost around 85 pounds since Jan 06 (I started at 240 lbs), and decided to keep it up and killing time. I also chose to read the history of the world (finished a couple of books already), since I wanted to understand the political cohesion of this planet, its major events, etc. since it would help me when I take my course in Int. Affairs. I can't really socialize...which is been driving me insane, but I can't wait to get my hearing back, so I can listen to music again, party and socialize. To remedy that partly, took the decision of taking lip reading classes, which I hope will help immensely.
Please excuse this long post, I felt that I should start at the beginning, since my hearing lost is part of me since I was born, and separating the two would be impossible.
Anyway, I can't wait for the implant, and I hope to recover quickly, since I do not want to postpone most of my plans for too long.
Take care!
-CC
New to this board, however my experience with my ears is not.
I was born hearing impaired, Rubella hit when my mum was pregnant (bloody doc told her she already took the vaccine, lying putz). At that time I lost hearing completely of my right side and severe to profound on my left side. I had a hearing when I was 18 months old (I believe, but my memory is bad). I could hear well enough to understand and I was lucky that my mother was a hearing impaired teacher prior to my birth. I learned French successfully through her, her colleague and my school. Learned English later on when I was in 7th grade, through TV and Internet. I was doing fine and dandy, I choose to ignore the fact I was hearing impaired for a long time, since I didn't like the fact I was "disabled" and I pushed my friends to treat me like anyone else.
However, after I finished my first year at University with success and when I was looking for a job at the time, disaster struck, on June 27th, I lost what's left of my hearing due to Sudden Sensorial Hearing Loss. I woke up feeling my hearing was diminishing, and it "died" a couple of hours later. I can still hear sound, with my hearing aid at full blast, but somewhat like a whisper through water, and I cannot distinguish vowels or anything. I had to rely on my poor lip reading skills and a notepad in order to communicate. My family has been really supportive, especially now, since I was supposed to go to Katimavik this year (A Canadian program that allows young adults to live together and learn independence and different types of work) or if I was refused (I later found out I was accepted), to another University to study international affairs.
I met an audiologist and a speech therapist in Halifax in early august, testing my candidacy, and I was added to the top of the priority list, since I could hear before I lost my hearing. I just met my surgeon, a Dr. Morris, on September 8th. He seems like a really nice guy, talking to me directly by exaggerating his lips movements so I could understand. He basically told me that I was an excellent candidate for cochlear implant given the degree of progress I had already achieved prior to the recent total loss, given its severity since birth. He told me I was to be operated on October 18.
During this strange episode of my life, I took the time to read about cochlear implants and made the decision of choosing Advance Bionics, after hearing its recent upgrade on Michael Chorost's blog and the experience of many users I read on this board.
As for my personal time, it's been cut down to barely anything, I took the liberty of joining a gym, since I already lost around 85 pounds since Jan 06 (I started at 240 lbs), and decided to keep it up and killing time. I also chose to read the history of the world (finished a couple of books already), since I wanted to understand the political cohesion of this planet, its major events, etc. since it would help me when I take my course in Int. Affairs. I can't really socialize...which is been driving me insane, but I can't wait to get my hearing back, so I can listen to music again, party and socialize. To remedy that partly, took the decision of taking lip reading classes, which I hope will help immensely.
Please excuse this long post, I felt that I should start at the beginning, since my hearing lost is part of me since I was born, and separating the two would be impossible.
Anyway, I can't wait for the implant, and I hope to recover quickly, since I do not want to postpone most of my plans for too long.
Take care!
-CC
Last edited:
anyhow I hope you will enjoy the forum and happy posting away.. 
<---- that the babies butt