Fascinating Video

i found this wonderful video clip online about one person's cochlear implant experience.

i've never heard of Michael Chorost (a science writer), but now i know that he has a cochlear implant...

this is his story: "Electronic Listener"

p.s. i am scheduled to meet with my audiologist this week for a MAPping session... and i promise to keep you all posted!

Quick Update

i know i haven't been around for a while, but things have been going really well. i am due for my annual MAPping session this month, so i'll have a bigger (and better!) update to post real soon.

BUT the main reason i'm writing now is to bring attention to the following story: Former Miss America Gets Miracle Ear Implant

i am so jealous and wish this were me. hopefully, one day, it will be possible.....

Where is that sound coming from?

one night, after work, i was locking up the office when i heard people talking. i was there alone, so at first it startled me. when i realized that nobody else was there (it was 9:30pm on a Wednesday night, after all), i spent some time searching for the source of the sound.

well... there are 2 radios in the office -- one is by the front desk and one is in the back room where the charts are stored. both radios were turned off, so they definitely weren't the source of the sound i was hearing.

i was getting really frustrated. usually i'm lazy and just ask someone (with "better" ears) to tell me what direction noises are coming from and what exactly i'm hearing. obviously, this was not an option, being that i was all alone.

so.

i turned up the volume on my CI and LISTENED. VERY. CLOSELY. i walked around the office very slowly and focused as hard as i could when..... BAM! there it was: the television in the waiting room.

you're probably thinking, "couldn't she just see the t.v. playing? i mean, duh." believe it or not, the screen wasn't working. for some reason, the t.v. screen was black (maybe a screen saver-type thing was activated?), yet the sound was still coming through. so i shut off the television, all sorts of pleased with myself.

i know it's not that big of a deal, but these days my CI moments are few and far between.

ACTUALLY... let me rephrase that: my CI moments happen every day, but i notice them less and less. i guess as time passes, i take them for granted, which i know i shouldn't. sooo... it's random sounds from a mysterious t.v. that remind me every so often that, HEY, I CAN HEAR!

I Am Not Alone...

i found this on a web site called "PostSecret" and just had to share it with my readers:

this is EXACTLY how i felt before i got my cochlear implant -- the image speaks for itself.

the ironic thing is that even though i hear so well today, i sometimes still feel like that poor little monkey. the reason? people think i hear everything now and don't bother speaking up, clarifying or repeating things for me. BUT i am not afraid to tell them this... and i encourage everyone else to do the same. no matter how well you hear (or not), NEVER BE AFRAID to let people know if you didn't catch something. you miss out on a lot in life if you don't fight for yourself!

Slurp, Slurp, Slurp

a couple of weeks ago, my father was away on a ski trip in Austria. my mother was home alone taking care of their three cats.

one day, i came over to her house for a visit. just to be helpful, i decided to feed the kitties. each feline gets her own food dish lest they fight over which one eats how much.
as they were eating, i heard:


"slurp-slurp!"


"sllluuurrrppp!"


"slurp-sluuurp-ssslurp!"

EACH INDIVIDUAL CAT was making her own distinctive slurping sound... and i could actually hear the difference!

i was so amused i started giggling. the cats heard me and looked up with a 'you're weird' expression... and then continued eating.

figures.

too bad animals can't appreciate a CI moment!

>^..^<

HEEELP!

to my dear blog-readers,

this past Sunday night, a terrible tragedy occurred: my hard drive died on me, which means that i lost all of my e-mails, pictures, documents, etc. from the last year-and-a-half.

ugh.

my darling husband was kind enough to buy me a new computer the next day, but i've had to start from SCRATCH. sooo... i have a HUGE favor to ask all of you:

whoever e-mailed me in the last couple of months, can you please re-send your messages to me again? i really want to respond to everybody, but haven't had the time to do so. if you forward your original e-mails to me, I PROMISE TO RESPOND ASAP... for real this time.

thank you so much!

:o)

p.s. Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

THE Anniversary

one year ago today, my cochlear implant was activated...

i remember how overwhelming the whole day was.

i remember how much i hated the sounds i was hearing and how they made me cry.

i remember my husband looking at me with such sadness, wishing nothing but happiness for me.

i remember how supportive my whole family was.

i remember calling my brother on my cell phone and being thrilled that i could hear him... i couldn't understand a word he was saying, but i could HEAR him.

i remember how excited my friends were for me, even though they might not have realized just how deaf i really was without my implant.

i remember being amazed at how noisy the world is.

i am so proud for having come this far and for still having daily CI-moments.

i am SO grateful to everyone (especially Dr. Downey and Judy) for helping me get to where i am today.

hearing is W O N D E R F U L ! ! !

One Special Day, Two Anniversaries

one year ago today, i underwent surgery for my cochlear implant.

three years ago today, i got married.

wow... talk about time flying!

AND

talk about life being goooood.

An Interesting Article on Static

i found this online the other day:

Static from plastic slides can drop deaf children back into silence

sorry this isn't about my implant... i'll post something soon enough.

p.s. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!