Since I just got mine activate a couple of weeks ago and I've experienced some things. Some that I expected and some I did not expect. I figured it would be a good time to share these things while they are fresh in my mind. I figured there will be others in here who are about to get theirs activated and might be helpful to know some of these things. All of you have a CI please share your experiences as well. I'm hoping this will be helpful to those who might benefit from this.
First of all we are all going to have some differences in our experience. But I feel this can at least show what some have been through. So if anyone who gets their CI activated could say "Yea, I know this is normal because I read that it happened to others".
For me the surgery was a breeze. Everything went very smoothly. Of course any surgery can be a little scary so the hardest part for me was before the surgery when I was laying in that bed with an IV in my arm. It wasn't to bad. More anticipation then real fear. But like I said, it's always a little scary knowing what is about to be done to you.
When I woke up I felt no pain. In fact I felt no real pain during the entire healing process. I had a few things happen that I could call a little annoying but nothing major. For example you have to keep the first big bandage on your head for 24 hours. All that annoyed me about that was my ear itched a little and I couldn't get to it.
The pain killers took care of that for the most part though.
Speaking of pain killers. You'll be a little tipsy for a couple of days. I didn't feel actually "Drunk" but kind of "Happy" LOL When you move for the first couple of days it'll feel kind of funny. Not annoying, painful or scary. Just a little funny. Move slowly. Don't get up fast and take it easy. I'll put it this way though. I was able to come on line and watch a little TV just a few hours after the surgery. I took it easy but its wasn't like my mind was shut off or anything.
The second annoying thing might not happen to everyone. When you take the big bandage off after 24 hours you'll still have a small bandage behind your ear covering the stitches. This you'll have to keep on there for about a week. Why this annoyed me was a little blood had dried on the edge of the bandage and was rubbing the back of my ear. To remedy this I took a little gauze and wedged it over the rough edge. It's just a small thing but if it happens to you that's a small solution to the problem.
The next annoying thing was the wait for activation day which will be 3 to 6 weeks. Usually a month. The anticipation was just building up.
During this wait I have a suggestion for you. If you're deaf like me then research and keep realistic expectations. If you're like me and can't hear speech at all. You'll likely hope that when it's activated that you'll be able to hear speech. This could very well happen but it might not. So focus on "Sounds" rather then speech. Look forward to hearing small everyday sounds. I say this because if you don't have realistic expectations you could possible get a little depressed when you discover that you can't understand what people are saying. In most cases it's possible to someday be able to hear and understand speech but that's usually a long term goal. Take me for example. I just got activated a couple weeks ago. I can hear everyone's voice but I can't make out what they are saying. If for example someone said "I love you" to me all I hear is "Wah Wah woo" in a kind of buzzing sound. This is normal.
For the first week after activation most things where just a strange buzz noise. But every day since then sounds are getting a little clearer. Last week I couldn't tell the difference between the sound of water running from a faucet and a dog barking. But not I can tell the difference. Heck, I can tell the difference between the fan on my computer and a room fan now. So be patient and enjoy the sound discoveries you'll make every day. Don't get discouraged if you can't make out what the sound is you are hearing because it's likely you won't be able to tell for a while. So like I said, it's important to have realistic expectations. Make small sounds your focus of anticipation and if and when it gets better then you expected then it's a bonus.
When you hear something that doesn't sound right to you. Be patient and come back to that sound every few days. You'll start to notice it becoming a little clearer and more distinct. Pick up objects and tap them together. Then tap it on another object and concentrate on the difference. Use the hearing training software that will likely come with yours. It's actually pretty fun and exciting sometimes.
You'll have to take many trips to your Audiologist. I had 4 appointments on my frist two days (Two on activation day and two the day after). The surgeon will make sure it's healing well, You'll likely get an X-ray of your head. I had a second mapping the day after activation. The first day mine was turned up to 5% volume and the second day up to 10%. Tomorrow (A couple of weeks later) I'm going in for my third mapping. So if you have to take a long drive to your audiologist like I do (Mine is 2 hours away) plan ahead for that.
I'm sure I'll think of more things to mention but this is a long post already and I'm sure others have things to share. So I'll stop here for now.
Ron
First of all we are all going to have some differences in our experience. But I feel this can at least show what some have been through. So if anyone who gets their CI activated could say "Yea, I know this is normal because I read that it happened to others".
For me the surgery was a breeze. Everything went very smoothly. Of course any surgery can be a little scary so the hardest part for me was before the surgery when I was laying in that bed with an IV in my arm. It wasn't to bad. More anticipation then real fear. But like I said, it's always a little scary knowing what is about to be done to you.
When I woke up I felt no pain. In fact I felt no real pain during the entire healing process. I had a few things happen that I could call a little annoying but nothing major. For example you have to keep the first big bandage on your head for 24 hours. All that annoyed me about that was my ear itched a little and I couldn't get to it.
The pain killers took care of that for the most part though.Speaking of pain killers. You'll be a little tipsy for a couple of days. I didn't feel actually "Drunk" but kind of "Happy" LOL When you move for the first couple of days it'll feel kind of funny. Not annoying, painful or scary. Just a little funny. Move slowly. Don't get up fast and take it easy. I'll put it this way though. I was able to come on line and watch a little TV just a few hours after the surgery. I took it easy but its wasn't like my mind was shut off or anything.
The second annoying thing might not happen to everyone. When you take the big bandage off after 24 hours you'll still have a small bandage behind your ear covering the stitches. This you'll have to keep on there for about a week. Why this annoyed me was a little blood had dried on the edge of the bandage and was rubbing the back of my ear. To remedy this I took a little gauze and wedged it over the rough edge. It's just a small thing but if it happens to you that's a small solution to the problem.
The next annoying thing was the wait for activation day which will be 3 to 6 weeks. Usually a month. The anticipation was just building up.
During this wait I have a suggestion for you. If you're deaf like me then research and keep realistic expectations. If you're like me and can't hear speech at all. You'll likely hope that when it's activated that you'll be able to hear speech. This could very well happen but it might not. So focus on "Sounds" rather then speech. Look forward to hearing small everyday sounds. I say this because if you don't have realistic expectations you could possible get a little depressed when you discover that you can't understand what people are saying. In most cases it's possible to someday be able to hear and understand speech but that's usually a long term goal. Take me for example. I just got activated a couple weeks ago. I can hear everyone's voice but I can't make out what they are saying. If for example someone said "I love you" to me all I hear is "Wah Wah woo" in a kind of buzzing sound. This is normal.
For the first week after activation most things where just a strange buzz noise. But every day since then sounds are getting a little clearer. Last week I couldn't tell the difference between the sound of water running from a faucet and a dog barking. But not I can tell the difference. Heck, I can tell the difference between the fan on my computer and a room fan now. So be patient and enjoy the sound discoveries you'll make every day. Don't get discouraged if you can't make out what the sound is you are hearing because it's likely you won't be able to tell for a while. So like I said, it's important to have realistic expectations. Make small sounds your focus of anticipation and if and when it gets better then you expected then it's a bonus.
When you hear something that doesn't sound right to you. Be patient and come back to that sound every few days. You'll start to notice it becoming a little clearer and more distinct. Pick up objects and tap them together. Then tap it on another object and concentrate on the difference. Use the hearing training software that will likely come with yours. It's actually pretty fun and exciting sometimes.
You'll have to take many trips to your Audiologist. I had 4 appointments on my frist two days (Two on activation day and two the day after). The surgeon will make sure it's healing well, You'll likely get an X-ray of your head. I had a second mapping the day after activation. The first day mine was turned up to 5% volume and the second day up to 10%. Tomorrow (A couple of weeks later) I'm going in for my third mapping. So if you have to take a long drive to your audiologist like I do (Mine is 2 hours away) plan ahead for that.
I'm sure I'll think of more things to mention but this is a long post already and I'm sure others have things to share. So I'll stop here for now.
Ron
