upgrade, implant #2 and a CI moment

it's been so long since i last wrote in here, i feel somewhat silly doing it now...


BUT!


a lot of new stuff is happening.  


i'm hoping to get an upgrade on my current (left) CI processor.  it's been over 7 years -- yes, SEVEN -- since i first got my CI.  the processor i have now (ESPrit 3G) is already on its last legs, so i'm way overdue for a new one.  the newest model -- the Nucleus 5 -- is amazing.  whether or not i get it all depends on insurance approval.  it's exciting stuff!


i am also hoping to get an implant in my right ear so that i have bilateral hearing.  again, this all depends on insurance coverage, audiological testing and the otolaryngologist's evaluation.  i'm keeping my fingers crossed it works out!


......


just last night, hubby and i were going for a walk around the neighborhood.  it was a windy night, so all sorts of sounds were whooshing around us.  at one point, i heard a soft, dainty tinkling sound.  i looked around and asked, "what is that?"  my husband pointed it out: WIND CHIMES!  there were three different kinds hanging from a neighbor's porch and all of them were playing a sweet melody.  oh, how lovely the sound was...  


hopefully, when i have an implant in my right ear, i'll be able to tell what direction the wind chimes are coming from...  can't wait!

Cat-napping

Sometimes I find it difficult to fall asleep for a nap because the clocks in the living room are ticking "too loudly."

It's a great CI moment, but the noise is SO hard to ignore: TICK - TICK - TICK - TICK - TICK...

Oh, well. :)

(The reasons why I sometimes don't take my CI processor off when I nap vary - i.e., I'm expecting a phone call.)

Sweet dreams...

As I'm laying in bed waiting for hubby to come home, I hear the front door open, the lights click on in the living room and his voice, "I'll be there in a few minutes...can you wait for me?"

I respond, "Of course I can...take your time."

What's so special about this exchange, you ask? Well, it's nice to be able to communicate like this across "long" distances -- an entire condo-length away!

<3

Patting myself on the back...

I had a great CI moment last night. Actually, it was more like an hour-and-a-half long CI moment...

I was watching an old Czechoslovakian movie w/ my hubby. The actors spoke Czech (obviously), but the only subtitles available were in English. Sooo since I speak Czech, I plugged my CI into the television to hear the dialogue AND I turned on the English subtitles *just in case* I didn't catch something.

It took some getting used to, but because I was able to hear the actors speaking, the reading of the subtitles (captioning, in a sense) flowed smoothly along.

Cool, huh?

:-D

[Side note: Hubby & I were born in the Czech Republic, therefore, we speak Czech fluently.]

Hiatus

I was away on vacation for a good part of June (and was super-busy @ work before I left), which is why my posts have been sparse...

I have some tid-bits to report & will do so as soon my head stops spinning!

A 'New' Sound

Hubby & I were driving yesterday evening in my car with the sun-roof open. As we're exiting our condo development, I hear a "whump-whump-whump" sound. I look up out of the roof, don't see anything, and start to worry that something is wrong with my car. (I'm a girl without a clue when it comes to car troubles.)

"What is that noise?" I ask my husband.

He looks up & says, "That's a helicopter."

It was quite a unique sound because it seemed muffled, but close by. Turns out it was a LOUD helicopter, FAR AWAY in the sky.

Cool!

:-D

I'm the Only One

Just recognized Melissa Etheridge on the radio...yes, her voice is well-known & easy to "spot" but it took *ME* -- with my CI -- a split-second to figure out who it was.

Yay, me!!!

:-D