CI Activation

ncff07

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Its been 3 weeks yesterday since I was implanted and my activation is scheduled for Friday. Those with CI's, what happened at your initial activation? How did they test it or set it up? What happened from the time you walked in until the time you left the initial turn on? What should I expect? I'm getting kinda antsy.
 
First and foremost, walk into your activation with high hopes and low expectations. If your expectations are too high, you will be greatly disappointed.

My first CI activation consisted of my audi playing various beep tones and letting her know the softest and loudest beep tones that I could hear.

When she turned my initial CI on, the first thing I noticed was how LOUD everything was. When my audi spoke, her voice sounded metallic and I couldn't understand anything she or my CI surgeon said. However, I could clearly hear the "sh" sound -- a sound I haven't heard in 10 years.

If you'd like to read a detailed account of my CI activation, you can visit:

Welcome to CI Hear 's CI Stories Page

and click on the link, "Lisa's Activation Day."

You can also read about my first day of sound by clicking the link, "Lisa's First Day of Sound."

Good luck on Friday! :)
 
Can't join in the party on this regarding your questions, but I would still like to express my YAY!!! for your activation day on Friday!

We'll all be :cheers: and it's also the end of the week so... double YAY! :D

Jamie

To HA: Now I finally know your name :D I'll check out your story tonight!!! Can't wait!!!
 
My first switch on until 1st month post Activication was scary/awful, I had experinced non-auditory stimiluation. Since i was born deaf i couldn't tell what i am suppose to hear apart from this high pitched beeps and my brain had just woken up after 30 years of profound deafness, it was really scary.
My audi was really good, she only turned on 10 of my electrodes on first day and rest 48 hours later.
It will be over whelming. So keep it low and take it slowly. She told me to wear HA on my other ear to help a bit for me to adjust the low frequency sounds, she had put quiet program, then other 2 louder programs, i went through it quicker than normal hence lots of trips back to Audi.
At my one month i was still experincing non-auditory stimiluation so Audi did the sweeping electrodes, i was able to tell her which electrodes was giving me the problems, I had 4 of those electrodes turned off and since then it had been fantastic, I started to hear stuff that i never heard!.

Good luck...

Edited to say it's going to be very tiring i would advise not to go to work after your appt.
 
Hear Again, i read your article about your switch on day and the day after, it's awesome, I love hearing about other people lives with their CI especially i am in awe with you since you are blind. I am not sure if you realise that i have a blog or is it not accessiable to you?
 
Thanks, Charlotte! I've read your blog and think you're doing an excellent job wit it! I hope you'll keep writing because I love reading about your experiences! :D
 
Oh i am so relieved that you can "read" my blog, I keep it updated now and then, I use it to keep my BIG family from all over the world in the loop.

Better keep this on topic. Hear again and I are sorry for hijacking your post Ncff07.
 
Hear Again, or Lisa if I may use your name, I read those pages and it does sound (no pun intended) promising. I hope it works as well for me as it has for you. As far as expectations, I'm just afraid that it wont work at all once its hooked up. They tested it while I was in surgery and it passed that test to hopefully it will work fine.

overthepond, I ask my audiologist months ago about how they turned it on, just a few electrodes in the array or the whole thing, she said they turned them all on at once and go from there with what works for me. Start low and go up from there since what seems too loud the first day will see too soft after awhile. And I was planning on just going myself, if its really tiring should I take someone with me? Oh and btw those blogs were still on topic so hijack away! LOL I did read some of those, yours and hear again's are very helpful. We'll see how it goes Friday, I'll post something that evening or Saturday about how it went.

Thank you both for your help its much appreciated!

Oh, JamieLynn, the drinks are on you this weekend! :cheers:
 
My best advice is to expect it to sound REALLY crappy at first. After that, you know it has to get better..even if it is just baby steps. It will all sound weird and wonderful all at the same time. Mechanical, high on helium, perhaps, but wonderful because you are hearing something. Good luck and please do keep us posted.
 
ncff07,

Feel free to call me Lisa. :)

My audi warned me that after my CI was activated, I'd hate how it sounded, but I would eventually become used to it after sounds began to normalize. I was scared the moment before my CI was turned on, but the experience wasn't as frightening as I thought it would be. If truth be told, it was wonderful! :D
 
Well you can still drive afterwards, go by yourself, it's quite tiring being activicated but that's down to personal experinces. I was pretty whacked out and i had rehabilation afterwards.

Each Audi have different ways of turning electrodes. Mine was first 10 ransom electrodes was turned on the first day then 48 hours later she turned rest on straight away.

ooh, i am so excited for you and hope to read your experinces on the sunday (i am racing all weekend :-( )
 
Mine was a disapointment. As said above, I expected too much. I had been deaf for so long that it nearly knocked me off the chair when she turned it on. It sounded like a firetruck in my head. Very loud. They had to turn it down a lot until I got used to it.

Others seemed to do better than me. Either way the results after a month beats any discomfort of the whole ordeal. :)
 
Are you getting excited at all? I bet you are :D ... Yes, I haven't forgotten about it ;)

JamieLynn

PS. What times is your activation tomorrow?
 
Tomorrow is the day.

My first activation, we set the soft levels (T) and then did the loud levels (C). The activation went really well, maybe text book perfect or really close. I could hear the moment it was turned on, was extremely clear and worked wonderfully pretty much ever since. Could use the phone and could have a conversation in a noisy restaurant within a couple days which was totally out of the question before.

My second activation, a different Audiologist used the automatic nerve response to see where the max was then we went back to set the T and C levels. I will say that after hearing the auto response levels, I set the C levels to those levels and talk about way to loud and didn't sound right from the start. Probably totally normal though. The computer fan was like a freight train which took a long time to get adjusted to. I'm still not hearing as well as I think I could be but it is getting better, just not as fast as I would like but of course that is how I would feel. 8 weeks post activation, I'm hearing pretty well, maybe as good as I did 8 weeks after the first activation but I'm also not 100% dependent on it either and getting use to only that one input so probably pretty normal.

My most recent adjustment on my new CI was to try a different (slower) speed and that has been really nice, easier to listen to and can understand people somewhat better. I also have a much faster speed and I can hear quite well on that one too. The speed that I have my first CI set at, I am finding that I have trouble hearing at that speed with my new one. My next visit, I may try seeing if we can make a few adjustments to the original speed and see if we can get it to sound better.

You have read similar comments before but learning to adapt to a CI is a road and the length of the road varies from person to person. Best advise, stay with it, I'm sure you will, don't jump off, work with your audiologist right out of the box because this is where the fastest learning takes place, try new things/settings, ask questions, provide examples of situations where you can hear fine and ones where you really find it challenging. Each piece of information helps paint a picture. Sometimes what you try will be directionally the wrong way but each time you will learn something new. In time, it will get better. Try and don't let the Audiologist limit your choices with short appointments. Mine are normally around 1.5 hours and have stretched to 2 hours before. As I've said before, choose a late appointment incase you run long, your not bumping another patient.

I'm pretty sure you will like what you hear. Again in time.
Steve
 
I also see my audi for 2 hours -- sometimes 3. In order to get a good map, longer appointments are essential.
 
I'm gonna be short for now. I'm tired and its been a long day. Went this morning and my audiologist had everything laid out already. She put the magnet in and hooked it up and attached it to my head and started out with the testing again of different tones getting really loud and then soft again. After that she tested each electrode and I told her when I heard each set of beeps. Then she turned it on while it was still hooked up to her computer and I could hear.. It went very well. There was/is a horrible metallic/ hollow sound when i hear something with it but I can still hear and make out voices already with it. We took out my right hearing aid and just used the CI to hear with and I was able to hear her already with reading lips a little to sit and have a conversation even on the lowest setting she started me out with. That metallic/ hollow sound tries to cover up the voices but she said that will be better over time when i get used to it. She gave me 2 controllers and processors and 2 coils and magnets and a box of other things. A case to store my back up CI, a dryer to put the one i use the most in at night. 2 rechargable batteries and a box of 60 disposable batteries. 8 filters, 4 battery holders, some of the snug fit things for it and some more of the hooks which i think are different sizes ive not went through the box yet to see. And some more stuff and manuals and papers for it. She kept the cables to use with an ipod and tv or cell phone for now untill im ready for those.

And its weird.. i can hear stuff lol i got home and my dog started jumping on me and i could actually hear her panting! took me awhile to figure out what that sound was! and then heard her walking accross the kitchen floor. and when i took my jacket off i heard the fabric rubbing accross my shirt. so yea.. i can hear now! LOL

So much for being short!
 
Chuckles.... thats brilliant... hope you'll hear your dog on the tiles very soon... I love hearing that...

Well done. Now you can chill out and enjoy absorbing the world of sounds...
 
Welcome to the world of (noisy) sounds :D

You seem so happy! There's a lot for you to explore again!!!!!!! I bet you can't wait!

<big hug> Jamie
 
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