i've been experiencing some more really cool CI moments the last couple of days:
- i finally began using the TV/HiFi Cable -- this accessory connects my speech processor to A/C or D/C powered equipment (such as a television, stereo or computer) and has opened up a whole new world of sounds and voices and background noise for me
- while watching Will & Grace, i heard the laugh track in the background for the first time EVER... yes, i used to hear laughter on comedy shows before, but it was never this distinct or annoying... i couldn't help but wonder: how can people enjoy watching t.v. with that incessant laughter in the background???
- i have been able to "beat" the closed-captions on t.v. -- for example, a phone will ring or there is a knock at the door... well, in the past, i would have had to read the caption "phone ringing" or "knocking on door" and then i would know what was happening... NOW, i actually hear the sound before i read the captioning!
- when i was changing the sheets on my bed, i heard the pillow case make a "swooshing" sound as i was pulling it over the pillow... CLOTH actually makes a sound!
- while i was reading the menu at a very noisy (and very good) Chinese restaurant, my brother said my name to get my attention... thinking nothing of this, i looked up at him and saw this HUGE smile on his face... he was so surprised and said to me, 'You heard me!" it was a lovely moment between the 2 of us
- while visiting some friends for a coffee/tea get-together, i heard the heat blowing, the radio playing, the phone ringing and was STILL able to make out what people were talking about... there was a lot of background noise in that apartment, but gosh darn it, i managed!
i used to be a huge fan of Madonna's music, but not anymore...
yesterday, while driving home from work, i decided to listen to a CD mix my hubby left in the car. the first (and only) song i enjoyed was Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" (from the movie Dangerous Minds). it's got a great beat to it (the bass is awesome) and i enjoy the lyrics.
then i started listening to Madonna's La Isla Bonita and couldn't help but CRINGE. her voice sounds nothing like the way i remember it from my childhood. a friend of mine made a good point the other day: my taste in music is probably going to change now that everything sounds so different with my CI. what if the music i always liked will actually sound BAD now? the idea of this is so sad... and Madonna is a case in point.
i wonder if anyone else with a CI has had this experience. it can't possibly be *that* unique!
i went grocery shopping on Wednesday evening after work. while walking through the produce section, my bwp emitted its low-battery-warning beeps and then -- SILENCE. since i left my purse in my car (i only had my wallet on me), i couldn't change my batteries. walking through the supermarket in complete silence was terrifying.
i did my best to avoid people so that i wouldn't have to talk to anyone. i even went to the self-check-out register so i could do everything without anyone's help. at one point, the computer was malfunctioning (something about me not weighing the bananas before bagging them) and i FREAKED. i did *not* want to talk to people! fortunately, i was able to resolve the banana-bagging error and left the silence of the store as quickly as i could. how pathetic of me to feel this helpless.
considering i have been HOH all my life, it's ironic that this has never happened to me. i always had my HAs on in the past and was given plenty of warning ahead of time to change the batteries before they went completely dead. besides, since i wore 2 HAs, i could always flip the batteries because they never died at the same time. for some reason, my processor beeps only once and then the batteries die -- within a few seconds.
i gotta find out from my audiologist if there is some way to increase the time frame between "batteries running low" and "complete deafness" because it was NOT a fun experience.
for those of you who follow this sort of thing, here are the Audiological Results from my first two mappings:"T" and "C" levels were obtained and three MAPs were created. Two MAPs were Ace MAPS and one MAP was a Speak MAP. Electrode #13 was disenabled in the Speak MAP as the patient reported discomfort. Testing in sound field with the Ace MAP revealed thresholds of 30 dB at 500 Hz and 4000 Hz, 25 dB at 1000 Hz, 35 dB at 2000 Hz and 3000 Hz, and 40 dB at 6000 Hz. CID sentenses obtained at 55 dB in sound field using a CD withouth visual cues revealed scores of 86% for the Ace MAP and 52% for the Speak MAP.to the untrained eye (like mine), this all looks like gibberish... but i think it is safe to assume that 86 percent on any test is a good result!
after my whining yesterday about how i miss music and how sad i am because it doesn't sound the way i remember it with my HAs, i decided to just "F*** IT!" (pardon my French) and turn on the radio on my way to work this morning.....i put on a Bob Marley CD and was prepared to hear nothing but noise and squeakiness and tinny distortions, but nooo... i heard MUSIC and it was wonderful! i cranked the bass up all way so i could really feel the beat of "Is This Love?" (my tinnitus is worse now because of it, but it was SO worth it). when "No Woman, No Cry" came on (which happens to be "our song" for me and hubby), i actually got tears in my eyes... it sounded *that* amazing.i must admit that Bob Marley's voice did sound a bit like he inhaled too much helium, but it was definitely better than any female singer i've heard so far.who would've thought that my FIRST positive musical experience would involve Reggae!
here are some additional CI moments i've been experiencing the last few days:
- my husband's voice actually started to sound "normal" -- the way i remembered it with my HAs... this is sooo nice!
- i use an e-mail program called Incredimail that says "WELCOME!" when you open it... well, i never heard/understood what the voice was saying until a couple of days ago and it *shocked* the heck out of me
- when i heard myself sneeze for the first time, i giggled... nobody ever told me how cute i sound... hehe
- i finally used the telephone at work today and am having a BLAST with it!!! i hooked up the adapter to the phone and then to my processor and it sounds incredible... i don't remember hearing so clearly on the phone before with my HAs and am absolutely ecstatic... too bad my boss/co-workers don't realize how huuuge of a deal it is for me, but what do they know... HMPH.
- i actually OVERHEAD bits and pieces of a conversation someone was having at work without even trying to listen... this is such a new phenomenon for me -- i am not used to eavesdropping at all! the few things i picked up were, 'did you eat your breakfast yet?' and 'it's a cloudy day today.' these aren't exactly earth-shattering statements, but wow... i heard them!
- the pouring rain is reeeally distracting -- it seems as if i am listening to each individual rain drop hitting the roof of my car... rain DOES go "pitter-patter" outside... how cool is that?
- i was having a conversation with my boss (about my CI) and thought we were done talking, so i started walking away and heard him say 'that's great' AFTER i left the room... he must think i'm really rude, but i honestly didn't realize he wasn't finished talking to me... ooopsie
- while washing dishes, i heard a "clink-clinkety-clinking" sound and didn't know where it was coming from -- well, it was the metal zipper-end from my sweater tapping against the granite countertop as i was leaning over the sink... what a lovely sound!
i don't mean to be a wet rag (is that the term?), but here are some "complaints" i have:
- the tinnitus in my head hasn't gotten any quieter... i wonder if it will ever go away... am i actually going to have to get used to this? EEEK!
- i miss the way music sounds -- i know better than to expect my favorite band or musician to sound as beautiful as they used to before i lost my hearing, but still... i'm sad
- my friend's voice used to sound so soft and feminine, but now it's all sorts of squeaky and whispery -- oh, well... with time it will get better, i know!
:o)
well, it's obviously not as exciting as it was the first couple of days, but each day gets better and better...
- i spent the day with my mother today and noticed that her voice was starting to sound more normal, like it used to with my HA's -- this was a pleasant relief
- while at my parents' house, i was cuddling with Grey, one of their cats (he used to be my baby until i moved out)... well, i heard him purring!
- i heard my cell phone ringing in the living room while i was in the bedroom... granted, our apartment is tiny, but this such a new thing for me -- and even though i don't actually *answer* my cell phone (unless it's my husband, brother or parents), i still love hearing it ring!
- i can hear people IM me when i am online; it's great not missing messages from my friends anymore
- i can understand more and more of what my husband is saying when i am not looking at him... being able to communicate without having to speechread all the time is saving both of us SO MUCH time, effort and frustration
- the dishwasher makes a rather disturbing sound, which makes me feel sorry for our downstairs neighbors (but only a little because they're mean people to begin with... hehe)
i guess that's it, then..... so here's to another great sound-filled day!
