I went to a meeting this afternoon that was held in a room that is looped. I switched to my program with the T-coil. The host was holding the microphone down in front of her as she walked to the center of the room and she whispered, “Showtime.” I had to laugh because I was probably the only one in the room that heard her! As the panel passed the microphone around, I heard every rustle. It really was awesome! However, if I find myself in a similar situation again, I think I will remind the presenters exactly what looping does for those of us that are wearing hearing devices. We can hear! And maybe more than they want us to.
Category: Hearing Environment
Naida Accessories
I have always been so thrilled with the hearing I get from my cochlear implants that I never really concerned myself with little extras or accessories that I did not have. My Harmony behind the ear processors served me well for many years without a remote control or any other add-ons. But now that I have them …
The Naida replacement systems that I received in March came with some options. Since I am bilateral, I ordered the MyPilot remote control with one and the ComPilot with the other. I didn’t think I would use them much but since one or the other came with the kit, then why not?
Although there are buttons on the Naida processors for changing maps and volume, I have found that I do really like using the MyPilot for adjustments and program changes. Along with the visual screen that allows me to see where I am, there are more options for adjustments with the MyPilot. One of my favorites is the sensitivity setting. When I was first implanted and used the Clarion Platinum body processor for the CII implant, I had sensitivity control. I gave that up to wear behind the ear processors that did not have a switch for that. It is really nice to have that back. I found it really helped me to adjust to a new map on my right ear that seemed a little loud at first, but by adjusting the sensitivity for a day or two, I was able to adjust to the map by giving my ear/brain time to get used to having more sound.
As a Harmony user I loved the T-mic and the ability to just pick up a phone and hold it to my ear like everyone else. I also found ways to listen to music that did not require me to change settings or use the direct connect to enjoy listening to my favorite songs. So I was a real skeptic when it came to the ComPilot thinking I probably wouldn’t use that much at all.
About a week after getting my Naidas, I decided it was time to check out the ComPilot. Following the instructions provided, I first hooked it up to the Bluetooth on my laptop computer. Wow – the direct sound coming from my computer was great and I was curious to hear more. I then hooked it up to the Bluetooth on my iPhone 4 and tried a phone call to my mother. The only background noise I heard was coming from my mother’s end of the conversation. This was wonderful for cutting back on the “what’s, pardon me’s, and please say again,” parts of the conversation. Finally, I hooked it up to my Nano Shuffle to check out listening to the music I would play when carving my Trikke. I love this. I have to say it is wonderful to be out on the trail, carving and listening to my music just like other people out there wearing their earbuds and headphones as they walk, jog, bike or run. I have never been big on needing to fit in, but by golly this just felt really great! I was so wrong about the ComPilot. I use it all the time and really love it.
There is one more accessory that I am really excited about. The Naida waterproofing kit for swimming! It has not yet been approved in the USA, but is coming soon and I am excited for the release. Living in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, I believe this is another accessory I may use a lot. Being able to hear while swimming with my grandsons would truly be a joy.
Naida Accessories – Now that I have them – don’t want to live without them!
From CII to Naida
When the decision was made 13 years ago to get a cochlear implant and I was faced with choosing a brand, my audiologist sent me home with information packets from two companies. The appointment to meet with the surgeon was scheduled and my audiologist informed me that I would need to let the surgeon know what my choice was when we scheduled the surgery.
I inspected the packets thoroughly. Advanced Bionics impressed me with what appeared to be a progressive attitude. They seemed to posses motive to provide the best cochlear implant technology while continuing to research ways to make the delivery of sound better. That seemed like a good fit for me. Even when things are good, I’m content, grateful and satisfied with my life, I don’t stop and say, “good enough.” Advanced Bionics doesn’t either. My hearing experiences with AB cochlear implants has been a series of continued advancements and joyful improvements in the quality of sound for me.
My first implant was the CII in a ceramic casing and used with the platinum II body processor and the CII BTE (behind the ear). The internal part of the implant, the CII, is still in place. It has worked with the Auria behind the ear processor, followed by the Harmony processor and now with the Naida.
When I went bilateral the AB implant was the 90K, and the processor was the Harmony. Since going bilateral in 2007, I had Harmony processors on both sides until March 12, 2014 when I received my Naida processors.
The above list of changes includes only the hardware. In between those changes there were also sound processing changes that were tested, approved and then applied to the processors bringing such things as more clarity in delivery of sound and better background noise management. Advanced Bionics did not disappoint me as they are always improving – always looking for a better way.
My Harmony behind the ear processors provided me with many years of great service. They gave me great sound and wonderful features like autosound tuning and the T-mic. But with seven years of daily use, they were showing wear and the fit on my ears had become uncomfortable often causing soreness. It was time to replace them with new Naidas.
I have been using my Naida processors for almost three months. There are so many new features I am greatly enjoying with the Naidas that I want to talk about and share with my readers. If I write about them all in this post, it will become quite long. So I have decided to share in several posts. This will also serve to get me back in the habit of writing regularly – I hope.
The phrase, “You’ve come a long way baby,” comes to mind as I think about the years I have been an Advanced Bionics CI user and all the changes that have taken place. The creation of the waterproof Neptune, the design of the Naida and all its features are great leaps from 13 years ago when I got my first implant.
To begin my list of things I like about my Naida processors I will start with the fit. They are smaller and the new design of the T-mic places the microphone in the perfect spot on my ear without bending and twisting of the stem.
Thank you AB for listening to your customers. Your actions and designs show us that you are paying attention and I for one appreciate that we are heard.
Making a Come Back
While at a holiday party this past winter, I found out that our local theater was planning to do the stage show “Jesus Christ Superstar.” I had seen this show before my hearing loss was diagnosed progressive and when I still had almost normal hearing. It is one of my favorite musicals.
When my daughters were in marching band I did a lot of volunteer sewing for the color-guard. I was missing the sewing and creating that goes into putting together a show so I decided to volunteer to help with costuming LTO’s (Little Theater of Owatonna) production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” About a month ago we got started on the process and I have been going to the theater a couple nights a week. I’m sewing costumes for five of the characters.
This evening I happened to be walking into the theater on my way to the costuming room when the cast was singing the “Hosannah” song. I stopped to listen and was completely drawn in. It was beautiful. I sat down and ended up staying for quite awhile as they continued to run the scene.
Although I have had my cochlear implants for quite a few years, giving me a fair share of CI moments (as we cochlear implant users call them), this was another CI moment in a couple of ways. First, hearing the voices raised in song as they carried through the theater was awesome. You see, the last time I attended a production in that theater, my youngest daughter was playing a major role in “The Crucible” and my hearing was so bad that I had to read the script before going to see her perform. I had stopped going to plays there because I couldn’t get the dialogue on my own. Being able to hear and understand songs in this theater that I stopped going to many years ago felt almost unbelievable.
The second moment is a little different in nature as it goes beyond hearing. I lost my hearing gradually over 30 years and little by little I gave up activities and relationships in my life as I became uncomfortable with my inability to hear. It was easier to shrink my world than it was to battle the challenges of communication I faced every day. I looked around the theater at the people noting friends from many years ago and the new friends I’m making and realized that I am no longer minimizing my world. I’m growing it, jumping in, and just like the stage production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” I’m making a come back.
Grandma’s Toy Box
Sometimes it takes me awhile to pick up after the grandkids leave. I think I like the feeling of them being here for awhile after they have left. Since the vacuuming needed to be done, I finally got around to picking up the few toys that were left out. Tossing them into the toy bin, I heard the electronic banjo chime a tune. These toys shut off automatically, so I just walked away to another chore.
In the next room I was sorting through linens when I heard the banjo playing notes again. It has been a few years since the first time my toy box for the grandkids made noise, but I do remember that first time! We have a goofy looking rolling toy that giggles. For some reason that toy started giggling while it was just sitting in the toy box. I was sitting in my favorite chair folding clothes late in the evening when this happened. Scared the dickens out of me! I was so shook, it didn’t take me long to dig to the bottom of the toy box and pull that thing out. I had to make sure that was the culprit of that eery laughing sound. When the banjo went off again, I was pretty calm, having been through this before.
I continued to pick up around the room when the banjo went off again. Okay, I thought, this one needs to be turned off. I went over to the toy bin, pulled out the banjo and slid the switch to off. Thank goodness it has an off switch. While I was doing that, I heard Mickey Mouse announce himself. Oh boy! When pulling out the banjo, I had activated the Mickey Mouse guitar. Okay, I decided to shut that one off too – only it doesn’t have an off switch. I have to trust it.
Believe it or not – while writing this, the toys in the toy box actually shifted. The noise practically made me jump out of my chair! I’m beginning to wonder what the toys do when I’m not here. Grandma’s toy box – a different Toy Story.
Clear Voice
People often ask and want to understand how I hear with my cochlear implant. When trying to help others understand, I and other CI users have described pictures. For instance, if moderate deafness is a blurry picture, then hearing aids bring the picture into focus. When you are profound to severely deaf and you can’t make out the picture at all, it is just a smear of colors – a cochlear implant brings the picture back so you can make out what it is. The degree of blurriness varies amongst users. My cochlear implant experience has been great and I have a pretty sharp picture that includes bright colors representing my enjoyment of music.
The company that makes my cochlear implant, Advanced Bionics (AB), is a progressive company that continues to seek ways to bring better hearing to the deaf and hard of hearing. They keep fine tuning the picture and since I got my first cochlear implant in 2001, AB has presented their cochlear implant users with three advances in the processing technology. The last improvement I received was like getting a high definition television. Today I got the third. It is called “Clear Voice” and my hearing picture just went 3-D.
Clear Voice processing is able to identify background noise that may interfere with understanding speech and then lowers it to a level that gets it out of the way for better speech comprehension. There are three levels to choose from, low, medium and high.
While I was being fitted with Clear Voice, there was a steady rain coming down pattering on the window of my audiologist’s office. When she first turned Clear Voice on for me, I immediately noticed the softening of the sound of the rain. She had it set to medium. When she put the Clear Voice on high, the sound of the rain disappeared. Then we tried the low setting, which I liked. I could still hear the rain, but it felt pushed back and out of the way of the conversation with my audiologist.
For my three programs, I decided to go with Clear Voice low on one map, medium on the second and my old favorite map in the third slot. I had my processors set to the first map with Clear Voice low for the drive home. I was planning to test the sound of music during the drive and I discovered that I really like Clear Voice low to listen to music. This map pushed the car and road noise down enough so that the music sounded wonderful.
This technology is amazing! I think I’m going to love hearing with Clear Voice. It is a whole new picture!
Thankful for Health and Hearing
There were some rough patches for our family during the 2011 holiday season which served to enlarge our blessings with the contrast of getting through some moments to celebrating others. Due to illnesses with a daughter and grandson, I found myself in emergency and hospital rooms more times than I care to remember over a two month period. We all value health and it is during these times we are reminded to be grateful for it. So we start off 2012 recovering, being well and looking forward to living well.
During one of my daughter’s hospital stays, I had the opportunity to share how I hear with a senior resident. He said they tend to go over cochlear implants fairly quickly in medical school and he was truly interested in how I hear with them. He was genuinely surprised at how well I hear. The conversation moved along without any phrases like “pardon me” or “I’m sorry, what did you say?” The doctor admitted that had no one told him, he would not have been able to tell that I don’t have natural hearing. It was fun to share with him and I enjoy every opportunity to educate medical professionals. Fortunately that conversation took place when the doctor and his team were preparing to discharge my daughter and things were looking up that day.
It was approximately a month later, on Christmas morning, that I was in the emergency room with another daughter and her son. Her husband was unable to go with her because he was sick and we were taking their one month old baby boy, Jared, to the hospital. I was glad I was able to be there for them. It is hard when they are so young and blood draws and an IV are needed. I watched as the RN explained to Paula, my daughter, how hard it can be to get an IV into a baby and that often they have to try twice. Upon hearing this I immediately began to pray for Jared asking God to bless the nurse’s skill and help her to get it the first time so that this precious baby boy only had to be poked once.
Paula was helping to hold Jared and I was sitting in a chair at the side of the room. The nurse had her back to me and I had my head down praying. After giving it to God, I sat there just listening and waiting. The nurse and lab tech were taking there time with the process. When I sensed the RN was ready I was holding my breath. Before I took in any air, I heard her say, “Well there is your Christmas present. That is a Christmas miracle right there!” The IV was in on the first try. I sighed a prayer of relief, “Thank You Jesus,” and then I smiled for Jared. When I realized how well I had heard the nurse I smiled again and sent another thank you to the Lord for my hearing. A little while later, a diagnosis was made and Jared was admitted to the hospital for treatment. He was discharged after three days and continued to recover at home.
On a daily basis, I experience the extreme of complete silence to being able to hear most everything once my AB cochlear implant processors are on. You would think after ten years that I wouldn’t still be amazed by this, but I am. I will never take my hearing, my health, or the health of my family for granted. Now that I have had some recent reminders of how precious all that is, I will try to remember to thank the Lord for it all every day.
Subtle changes…mean a lot to me.
In my previous post, I wrote about my recent mapping and the fact that it had been almost two years since my last mapping. There I described some of the changes that were made and used the terms; some gains, and small adjustments. In day to day hearing, subtle changes to a map might not be that notable, but today I had the chance to listen to a CD while in the car for about 50 minutes. The difference in the music was enough to choke me up. In the sound of music the changes were very notable.
I was listening to Styx Live. This CD is different from a studio recording. Some of the songs are longer and they talk in between sets. I used to skip around if the song was too long and I couldn’t always hear what they were saying when they talked because of the crowd noise. The music and talking sounded so good today, I didn’t want to miss a thing.
It will be a joy listening to my music collection. There are all kinds of new sounds there! This motivates me to continue to reach for perfect bionic hearing. Though it may be in small steps – every gain counts. I know the perfect bionic ear is coming. If not in my lifetime, maybe yours.
Still Changing and Learning for Better Hearing
After a long stretch of not being mapped, I worked with a new audiologist to map my cochlear implant hearing. Since it was his first time working with me, we did word recognition tests in the booth with both ears and then each ear alone. Both ears together were at 86%, left ear alone 80% and right ear alone 20%. I was a bit disappointed that the right ear has not come along as well as the left – but I love the hearing I get with both together and would not choose to give it up.
After the assessment, we then set up for mapping. I did the tones on each side and did have some gains on the right as well as small adjustments on the left. It had been a long time (almost two years) since I was mapped. It felt good to be getting reset. Since it had been so long, I couldn’t remember exactly how we mapped for both ears together. My audi asked me if I wanted to map and attempt to match the ears electrode by electrode. I knew I had not done that so I decided we should go for it.
We started with the first low tone. Wow! They sounded very different. On my left side, my first implant, I have the Clarion HiFocus Electrode with Positioner. The sound of the first low tone is rich and deep and seemed normal for its position on the scale. On my right side, which has the 90K HiFocus Electrode, the tone sounded like it is several notes higher than the left side. My starting point there is not as low and rich as the left side. If you compare it to the song Do Re Mi, the left starts at Do and the right starts at Mi. We talked a bit about why the two sides may sound so different and then we decided to finish the mapping based on how speech sounds.
Before this mapping, I thought a lot about how I use my cochlear implants. I’m not one to change the settings very often, so three slots seems to be plenty; however, while we were talking about it, I think I could have used five! I decided to have my daily map in slot one. In two we put the telecoil on as it seems I have had more opportunity this past year to use it. Slot three is my noise program. My new audi was pretty aggressive with the settings for shutting down background noise. In recent years, I have not had the IDR below 60. He put it at 40 and we talked for a bit. It was great, but I decided I could handle a little more background sound and asked him to put it at 50. He did that and also removed the boost to the low tones.
I had the opportunity to fly this weekend and tried out the noise program while traveling. It was great! I could still hear the announcements but I didn’t have to put up with the drone of the airport noise or the airplane noise. I simply told my husband to be sure he was near me when he wanted to talk.
I have had my first cochlear implant for ten years and with the help of audiologists’, I’m still finding better ways to hear. Although I have been bummed when an audiologist I have gotten comfortable with retires or moves on in his/her career, it is always a joy to meet someone new and learn from their experience.
Ten Years Ago
Ten years ago today I was healing from my first cochlear implant surgery and waiting for my activation day. I was recovered enough to go back to work and since my job did not require phone communication, I was back at my desk doing proofing and data entry. I was living in complete silence with hope that the cochlear implant would ease my struggles with communication.
It was just another day to pass while waiting for the big activation day. The waiting was hard as my mind was filled with constant wondering about what hearing with a cochlear implant was going to be like. The distraction of work was a good thing until there was a change in the people around me. I could see them talking, but nobody would tell me what was going on. The co-worker next to me was crying and though she was usually willing to talk to me so I could read her lips, she was unable to even look at me and tell me what was going on – until she was able to say, “Paula is okay.” My daughter Paula is a flight attendant with United Airlines.
After my mother-in-law had called the office and told the receptionist to tell me that she talked with Paula and that she was on the ground in Cincinnati, my co-workers then did their best to tell me what was happening. Some of them decided to leave work early so I did too. I wanted to know more about what was going on and I needed a TV with closed captioning and the comfort of familiar communication with family. At home, I watched in silence the horrors of the attacks and the updates the media provided. The captioning on my TV being my link to the world.
Today, I remember the horror of September 11, 2001. I pray for my country and my fellow Americans and find comfort in the tributes and memorials created in the process of healing. As I reflect on all this, I am reminded how far our souls travel from sadness to joy and silence to sound.
2 Bionic Ears 