Thread: Activation!!
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Old 09-21-2007, 02:32 AM   #32 (permalink)
R2D2
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,606
Quote:
Originally Posted by contradica View Post
Hi R2D2!!
You are a genius!! Perfect description! You have described the funny tinkling soft beepy sound perfectly!!
LOL! Don't forget that right now, we have very basic, crude maps. The goal at this stage is to get used to sound and build up tolerance.

Quote:
Right now I am listening to Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab - For ESL/EFL Students website for some practice and every time a word is spoken I get the tinkling beepy sound. It is so weird. I am finding that when someone talks or even when I talk, it is very loud.
Yes, it's normal for things to sound loud, it basically shows that our brains have got used to hearing quieter sounds and actually the loudness is what is closer to "normal". So it's an adjustment process for sure.

Quote:
I'm going to ask my audi to increase the dynamic range next week, she has it set at 60, and see if that will remove the static.
Yes, but first of all you have to get used to the loudness first. Increasing the dynamic range (distance between comfort and threshold levels) when you aren't ready can potentially be damaging. As a matter of fact, I got a lecture from my audie on never to mix up my two speech processors, because if I do it could cause a reaction that would be hard to unravel. I can tell from the LED display which one is for the left ear and which one is for the right one but my audie also put a red sticker on the new implant to make double sure I don't mix them up. But you get the drift.

So the best thing I reckon you can do is to expose yourself to normal sounds to build up that tolerance so that you can move toward increasing the range. Read along with text to audio voices but I would suggest not listening to talk back radio or other audio without a script at this stage. It's too early days and you'll find it discouraging if you find you can't understand anything.

Quote:
Have you tried listening to talk radio yet at all?
No, it's too early. I did listen to a child's audio book yesterday "Yoyo goes to the farm" and followed it really well, but without the book, I'd be lost. However, I did also put on a classical music CD and listened to it with both CIs on and it really sounded lovely. I could really pick out different pitches and instruments. This is the best that music has ever sounded to me.

I'm going to a music gala concert tonight put on by the school where I work and I'm not sure how I'll go! I will sit maybe from the middle to the back, not at the front LOL! And if it gets a bit much I'll go outside for a breather.

I hope I haven't come across like a lecturing know it all!! I just learned from last time that baby steps is the way to go. You'll have days when you feel frustrated in the first few months, I kept a journal last time around and it's amazing how up and down my emotions went until one day I just really fell in love with my CI and didn't look back.

Not long til our second mapping!!
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Left ear implanted 9th June 2006 Activated 29th June 2006
Right ear implanted 31st August 2007 Activated 18th September Both Nucleus Freedom


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