CI soon...CI friendly only please

AllDeaf,
I agree it takes some time for your brain to learn the sounds. It took me two weeks to a month to get adapted at first. It was a rough experience for me in the beginning. But I was impressed that I was able to learn and memorize the sounds so fast. I thought this will take a year. Really it varies with different individuals and their CI's.

Then this past month May 19th,2006 I had my 3rd surgery on my right side and then two weeks later I was switched on. The next day I was on program 4 instead of one. I thought that was fast. I can hear and memorize in couple of days.

If I were you, I would wear it everyday and take it off for a half day three times a week. Then the next week would be twice a week, week after next week would be once a week until you are comfortable.

It was hard at first, headaches, spinning around (dizzy). I could not drive or work for a whole month. My parents, friends and boyfriend had to drive me to work until I was able to drive, that was my first CI on my left side in 2003. Then the second implant on my right side in 2004, I was ready to go to work the next day after surgery. Both of my structures are completely different.

Any surgeries can take time to recover and cochlear implants is waking up your brain for the first time can take time. Just be patient and keep it low until you are comfortable.

Hope this helps? I am praying for you.
:angel:
 
Thanks for sharing your experience Mre4339 - you are a real veteran with 3 surgeries! And that is good advice about having a break 3 times a week to begin with - I will remember that if I happen to feel a bit overwhelmed.

It sounds like your progress has been faster every time you've done it too. I hope that you get to speed with the Freedom and get to a level of sharpness that you are happy with. Hopefully skillful mapping will do the trick for you.
 
R2D2 said:
Just wanted wish Stacieleigh all the best with her hook up on Weds! You'll let us know all the details won't you? Now you do know that it's not going to sound the best for a while don't you? My audie has told me that it will sound terrible to begin with, but that it will improve as the brain adjusts to the new medium of sound.

I won't be too far behind you - Thursday next week!
Click to expand...

Oh my! It is tomorrow for Stacieleigh! :dance2:
and R2D2 next Thursday! :dance2:

Thank you for sharing your experience with us -- this will help me know what to expect for my grandson and my son...
 
Mre4339 said:
AllDeaf,
I agree it takes some time for your brain to learn the sounds. It took me two weeks to a month to get adapted at first. It was a rough experience for me in the beginning. But I was impressed that I was able to learn and memorize the sounds so fast. I thought this will take a year. Really it varies with different individuals and their CI's.

Then this past month May 19th,2006 I had my 3rd surgery on my right side and then two weeks later I was switched on. The next day I was on program 4 instead of one. I thought that was fast. I can hear and memorize in couple of days.

If I were you, I would wear it everyday and take it off for a half day three times a week. Then the next week would be twice a week, week after next week would be once a week until you are comfortable.

It was hard at first, headaches, spinning around (dizzy). I could not drive or work for a whole month. My parents, friends and boyfriend had to drive me to work until I was able to drive, that was my first CI on my left side in 2003. Then the second implant on my right side in 2004, I was ready to go to work the next day after surgery. Both of my structures are completely different.

Any surgeries can take time to recover and cochlear implants is waking up your brain for the first time can take time. Just be patient and keep it low until you are comfortable.

Hope this helps? I am praying for you.
:angel:
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your story, Mre4339! I'm very interested in hearing everyones' experience with their CI surgeries and progresses afterwards. From what I have read so far in here is everyone is different but they all have the same goal.
:type:
 
greema said:
Oh my! It is tomorrow for Stacieleigh! :dance2:
and R2D2 next Thursday! :dance2:

Thank you for sharing your experience with us -- this will help me know what to expect for my grandson and my son...
Click to expand...

Thanks for being so supportive Greema! Will write a detailed account - as I am sure Stacieleigh will.
 
First day update

Hey all

It's really strange! lol, i expected strange noises, but this is weird lol.
To me it sounds like a constant motorcycle idling and when noises happen, it sounds like that motorcycle is reving up! I can't understand anything at all yet, but I know in time I will and looking forward to that.

I go back to my second mapping in August, is that typical or pretty long of a wait?

I'm hoping by tomorrow, I will understand a little better, if not, I'll keep working at it :)

I actually took it off for a little bit to watch a little tv and I actually was missing wearing my CI, so I put it back on after only having it off 10 mins lol.

I do have to whisper, if I don't, that motorcycle rev noise go all crazy, lol.

All in all, it's really cool to even hear something, even weird something, in that ear. Pretty happy and yeah, overwhelmed.

I'll update again!

Stacie
 
StacieLeigh said:
Hey all

It's really strange! lol, i expected strange noises, but this is weird lol.
To me it sounds like a constant motorcycle idling and when noises happen, it sounds like that motorcycle is reving up! I can't understand anything at all yet, but I know in time I will and looking forward to that.

I go back to my second mapping in August, is that typical or pretty long of a wait?

I'm hoping by tomorrow, I will understand a little better, if not, I'll keep working at it :)

I actually took it off for a little bit to watch a little tv and I actually was missing wearing my CI, so I put it back on after only having it off 10 mins lol.

I do have to whisper, if I don't, that motorcycle rev noise go all crazy, lol.

All in all, it's really cool to even hear something, even weird something, in that ear. Pretty happy and yeah, overwhelmed.

I'll update again!

Stacie
Click to expand...
Glad to know everything went well for you. If i remember correctly, i think we had to wait about 6 weeks for my daughters second mapping, so it seems about right. You can always schedule a sooner appointment if anything is bothering you. It takes time to get used to it. I had to take my daughter back sooner because i noticed her eye twitch everytime we spoke to her. They just had to change the mapping a little because the sounds were a little "too loud" for her. Everyone is different but in time they will find a map that works well for you. Good Luck! :)
 
Glad you are back Stacie and it sounds a pretty normal start from the many of the experiences I have read. Only the lucky ones hear voices right away. Hopefully the revving will progress to more distinct sounds for you soon. I think the motorbike probably sounds better than the beeping, clanging and static that some people have upon activation! Does it sound like a Harley Davidson or a Yamaha? :whistle:

My second mapping will be a week after the activation but I think that every centre varies considerably. As Kayla says if you are feeling bothered by what you are hearing you can always go back for what they call an "emergency map".

I'm going crazy now waiting for activation! I'm going to have to go to the library and get out some books to keep me busy. Maybe a long Russian novel like War and Peace??
 
cong. i remember that day i had it activiacted. and the sounds are very weird.. like the airplane engine is reving allday long the first day.. very annoying.. and wow.. just a little more than a year ago.. time flies.

i remember i had my 2nd mapping 2 days after my first day hook-up guess it varies in each centre.

there's so much to learn and many more.. :cheers:
 
StacieLeigh said:
Hey all

It's really strange! lol, i expected strange noises, but this is weird lol.
To me it sounds like a constant motorcycle idling and when noises happen, it sounds like that motorcycle is reving up! I can't understand anything at all yet, but I know in time I will and looking forward to that.

I go back to my second mapping in August, is that typical or pretty long of a wait?

I'm hoping by tomorrow, I will understand a little better, if not, I'll keep working at it :)

I actually took it off for a little bit to watch a little tv and I actually was missing wearing my CI, so I put it back on after only having it off 10 mins lol.

I do have to whisper, if I don't, that motorcycle rev noise go all crazy, lol.

All in all, it's really cool to even hear something, even weird something, in that ear. Pretty happy and yeah, overwhelmed.

I'll update again!

Stacie
Click to expand...

Glad to see that you're hearing again. Just be patient and it will come. Your brain is adapting to the signals and when it figures it out....away you go! Ah, I remember whispering at first too. When I could handle myself speaking, the worst part was that it wasn't the voice I remembered with my HA. I kept thinking who is that speaking? :D Took me about a week to get used to my different voice.
 
R2D2 said:
...
Only the lucky ones hear voices right away.
...
Click to expand...

Yep, that describes me. I was able to understand my audi, my wife and my son (seven at the time) the first day. My daughter (not quite five at the time) voice was at a higher pitch and it took me about three days to really understand her.

In the day after hookup, I was at work talking to everybody and was floored to understand (every nuance and inflection) this one guy who I could never be comfortable with when I had my HA. Day one and two (post hookup) totally vindicated my decision right off the bat which was the greatest feeling in the world.

Fortunate indeed...I had it easy compared to others...

R2D2 said:
...
I'm going crazy now waiting for activation! I'm going to have to go to the library and get out some books to keep me busy. Maybe a long Russian novel like War and Peace??
Click to expand...

Been there and done that. I was fine the first two weeks and had five days to go. Those five days were the longest in my life. I just wanted to hear something...it was driving me crazy. I never forget getting home from work and saying to my wife "I'm so sick of not hearing anything".
 
StacieLeigh said:
Hey all

It's really strange! lol, i expected strange noises, but this is weird lol.
To me it sounds like a constant motorcycle idling and when noises happen, it sounds like that motorcycle is reving up! I can't understand anything at all yet, but I know in time I will and looking forward to that.

I go back to my second mapping in August, is that typical or pretty long of a wait?

I'm hoping by tomorrow, I will understand a little better, if not, I'll keep working at it :)

I actually took it off for a little bit to watch a little tv and I actually was missing wearing my CI, so I put it back on after only having it off 10 mins lol.

I do have to whisper, if I don't, that motorcycle rev noise go all crazy, lol.

All in all, it's really cool to even hear something, even weird something, in that ear. Pretty happy and yeah, overwhelmed.

I'll update again!

Stacie
Click to expand...
That's good news... next few days will get better and better...
 
StacieLeigh said:
Hey all

It's really strange! lol, i expected strange noises, but this is weird lol.
To me it sounds like a constant motorcycle idling and when noises happen, it sounds like that motorcycle is reving up! I can't understand anything at all yet, but I know in time I will and looking forward to that.

I go back to my second mapping in August, is that typical or pretty long of a wait?

I'm hoping by tomorrow, I will understand a little better, if not, I'll keep working at it :)



Stacie
Click to expand...

Hi Stacie,
I had my activation one day, she just put in a program and I went back the next day when she put in 3 different hrtz. My big problem was the should it triggered got in the way of the speech, even speech triggered it. There were certain situations where I couldn't use it at all. :) But with the HA in the other ear the speech was clearer and my mind did adjust some to the extra noise, in my case i'd say it was like a siren on the police car with higher frequecies sounding more like that and lower ones sounding lower of course. :)

I stuck this out for the 3 weeks til next mapping. While speech clarity was improved the sirens were driving me nuts. We made some big changes in the mapping session. The lower frequencies were lowered alot,( note: if you feel the beep it is to loud in my experience. The sound itself was not loud to me, but i did feel the sound on my head where the thing connects. So if you went by sound and were feeling the sound you maybe should go back sooner then aug) My audiologist told me I should have called and come back in earlier since the sound was that bad to me. Also at that mapping she put in the adro, auto sensitivity and 2 straight programs. plus added a m/t to the adro and auto sensitivity which helps alot when used in very windy conditions and really noisy situations.

Anyway. good luck, hope today went better. :) I would think 2 weeks would be a good adjustment time before trying to get in and see if they can't get rid of the harley it's setting off. :cheers:
 
Day 2 update

Hey all

I plugged my CI to the puter speaker tonight and watched a newsclip from NBC Nightly News and Chip Reid was reporting and it's was pretty awesome, I was able to get some of what he was saying and I thought he talked pretty fast lol. So I tried bunch of other news clip I could find online and I couldn't understand any of them, just this Chip Reid guy, must be the way he sound that I'm able to catch it lol. I just kept saying to myself "this is awesome!"
It really made my week!

I finally had to take it off for a bit right now, break time. I take about a 15 mins break every 3 or 4 hours and get back to work trying to understand lol. It helps to get rid of the ringing noise in my head, loud sucker lol. It usually goes away a couple minutes of taking it off.

Thanks again for all the supports and advices!

Gettin' there,

Stacie
 
Cool Stacie - that is pretty good that you were able to understand a few words on the newsclip the day after activation. I have some of my daughter's CD stories ready to use - they come with a book as well so I can follow the dialogue.

I had my friend over tonight and she showed me her CI journal from when she was activated last year - what a big difference between the first entries and later entries. I think it's a good idea to keep a journal like that. I hope to do this also.

6 more days to go!
 
Great Stacie!

Little by little you will get there. Sounds very encouraging and I'm glad you understand something to "hang" your hat on and feel good about it. Makes all the difference in the world doesn't it?

Keep on trucking!

Hey R2D2 - Have you gotten to the point that you're "Sick of not hearing yet?" :D
 
sr171soars said:
Hey R2D2 - Have you gotten to the point that you're "Sick of not hearing yet?" :D
Click to expand...

Tell me about it! Right after the surgery I thought to myself "3 weeks will go past really quickly, I will just focus on recovering and activation will be here before I know it". Hah! Now that I'm feeling pretty good every day until activation is now just taaaaking forever.
 
Stacie, so glad to hear you're doing so well and I want to thanks the others for their inputs. Loved the one about using the daughter's CDs and the books that go with them -- I am gonna go and get started on the CD/book collection for my grandson and my son to share!
All of you guys/guyettes rock! :h5:
 
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