Old Voices, New Experiences

Hi everyone!

It's been a few weeks since my last posting. This month, I had the opportunity to go home to Erie, PA for the first time since my surgery and visit with family and friends. It was exciting and nerve-wracking all at once. Sometimes I worry that people will have the wrong impression of what my hearing abilities are with the cochlear implant. While I can now hear amazing things like birds or the dripping of a leaky faucet, I still struggle with basic human conversation. There have been days where I felt like I took ten steps backwards as far as my comprehension of the spoken language. Then there were days where I felt like I could understand everyone around with me with incredible ease! I'm sure how well I understand speech is dependent on a variety of things, such as alertness level, environmental factors, or the lighting of a room. The point being that my comprehension is not a predictable, static ability. While driving home to Erie, I wondered if I would disappoint friends or relatives with any gaps in comprehension. What did they expect?

Needless to say, I was worried about nothing because I had a fantastic trip home. Everyone sounded so different! People who stood out were my father's voice, my grandfather's voice, and my one of my old friend's voice. You know how when you read a book, you develop "voices" for the characters in your head? Then if you go see the movie, and the characters on the screen are dramatically different from what you developed in your mind, its a bit of a shock? Well, thats the best way I can explain my experience with talking to some of my relatives and friends for the first time since surgery. One night, my extended family gathered at my house for a pizza party and I had a wonderful time because I was able to follow large group conversations with my aunts in a way I never had before. I was in awe when I caught comments or jokes that would normally have otherwise passed me by unnoticed. My confidence level has soared! Over the weekend in Erie, we attended a wedding for a dear old family friend and I was able to carry on full conversations with many people, despite the dim lighting, the loud music in the background, and the multiple glasses of wine! This weekend in Erie was not one where I felt I took ten steps backwards!

On Memorial Day, Matthew and I went into DC to watch the National Parade. While we were there, we stopped in Smithsonian's Natural History museum to grab lunch on the food court. When we walked into the building, we lined up to have our bags checked and walk through the metal detector. At the last possible second, it suddenly hit me that I couldn't go through it! I looked at the security guard and said, "I can't go through! I have a cochlear implant!" Of course he looked back at me blankly. I have not been issued a medical card for these situations yet (mental note to self--get this taken care of!) so I had a brief moment of panic. Then I did the only thing I could think of: I flipped my hair up, pulled the external processor off my head and then put it back on, demonstrating my magnetic trick to the guard...then proclaimed: "I can't go through because I have metal in my head!" He was kind enough to nod me through. That was definitely a first for me!

I finally purchased my own MP3 player, a Nano! I'm in love with it. My good friend sent me this incredible list of songs to play while I'm out running. My Sunday morning runs have become one of my favorite times during the week. I've always loved music and lyrics...being able to take music with me on a run has transformed the experience. I've been trying to listen to songs that used to sound terrible to me -- any Jimi Hendrix songs, alternative music, or hard rock. A predominant instrument in those types of music is the electric guitar and through my hearing aids, they sounded terrible. Worse than pots and pans. I couldn't hear the singer on those songs either because they were drowned out by the terrible "music." But with my processor, I can hear the singers now, and the electric guitars don't sound so screechy and muffled anymore. So I've been having fun with ITunes...and probably helping their stock with how many songs I've been buying!

On June 11th, I return to Johns Hopkins for my next activation appointment. I'm looking forward to this one because after just over a month of using the implant, I'm excited to fine tune the programs even more. Remember how I commented that I have three different programs on my processor and how I couldn't tell the difference? Well, that has changed. I can definitely tell the difference between them which means my auditory nerves have been adapting and rewiring themselves. Baby steps!

Love to you all!

Say WHAT???

I had a jaw-dropping moment last night while opening the mail.


Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance Bill

• Amount Provider Paid (Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore MD) - $39, 579.00.
• Amount Network Paid - $563.00.
• Amount You May Pay - $100.00

Oh ... my ... gosh.

God bless health insurance and the state of Virginia!