Learning to hear again
By Gill Pickford
I now have a two month break from my visits to the Cochlear Implant unit - I have had about four mappings up until now.
My implant has four settings. Programme one is my normal setting. Programme two is when I am in a noisy environment but want to pick up voices around me (a restaurant, shopping centre etc). Programme three is the beam setting, this just focuses on the person directly in front of me cutting out all surrounding voices (you could use this on a one-to-one basis in a noisy environment). Programme four is the whisper setting for if you were in a really quiet place and someone was speaking very quietly and you wanted to pick the voice up.
I have tried my processor on all four programmes in various situations.
Before I would struggle if we had anyone over to stay and we were sitting round the dinner table. Having to move my head as each person spoke was a nightmare. We had a lot of people over for the Christmas period and I noticed a big difference with the implant. In the past I would have really struggled in that sort of situation, even in a quiet environment. This year I was able to follow the conversation much more easily.
I am using the telephone almost daily. Everyone wants me to ring them!!! After not using the telephone for such a long time my confidence is not very high yet, but I have been ringing my Mum and husband frequently. I turn my processor to the T- position and my phone is the Converse 300 which has an in-built telecoil.
At the Cochlear Implant unit I used a mobile phone for the first time without any attachments. Somebody recommended a clam shell Motorola, which my daughter happens to have so I took this along to try out last week.
The hearing therapist and myself had a go and it was quite successful - I only needed to ask her once to repeat herself.
The only situation where my implant struggled is when we went to a house party just after Christmas and the room was packed full of people having conversations - it was very difficult to pick up the speech. This is the only time so I am not too disappointed.
I have heard birds singing as I walk home from dropping the children off from school. As I waited at a pelican crossing the other day in my car I heard the 'beep beep beep' of the green man flashing. I had forgotten about this sound.
I am able to follow the BBC news on the TV with no subtitles. I can listen to the radio news in my husbands car as it is nice and clear. I can hear my children call me from another room, even upstairs.
My implant has been life changing. The sounds sound much more natural now. I am so happy - I feel more confident.
An example of this is last week when I took my son for an appointment at the hospital on my own. Normally I would have asked someone to come with me but I heard every word the consultant said. I never even had to explain my hearing was not 100%.
I am thrilled and walking around with a big grin on my face!
Gill Pickford had normal hearing until about 10 to 12 years ago. It gradually declined until, four years ago, she became profoundly deaf. Gill has just had a cochlear implant and will be updating her diary as she makes progress.
