Yesterday on 5/29/2013, I went for my fourth mapping and it wasn't the best experience but I put my trust into my audiologist in making the sounds more suitable for my hearing needs! On the way home after two hours of the appointment, I felt like I was back at square one hearing things when I first started with my implant. However, TODAY was much better and I shared this post from my FB page:

I am on CLOUD 9 with this NEW MAPPING...and yesterday, I thought I was going to HATE IT!!! So I was sitting on the bed listening to "High School Musical" with my daughter listening ONLY through my implant. I heard the following on the movie: the basketball bouncing, the crowd roaring and laughing, and the piano playing. Then the movie was over and I thought, well, maybe my daughter had the volume up too loud (seemed like it was very loud--like on bar #4 of the volume control). So I went to lower the volume--it was on BAR #2, where I NORMALLY HEAR the volume with my hearing aid!!! I AM HEARING AMAZING THINGS now...this is AWESOME!! The words are coming in more understandably as long as I am reading the captions! Now I am STARTING to BELIEVE my CI friends that it's going to continue to get better!! Yay!!!

Well fans....it's been 3 months since I've been activated and it has been WONDERFUL!! I have worn my CI (cochlear implant) and HA (hearing aid) everyday since activation and gaining NEW SOUNDS that I haven't heard in over 33 years. Today was the FIRST DAY of actually wearing my CI ALONE due to technical difficulties with my hearing aid....enjoy the adventure:

My head is READY to EXPLODE from all these NEW & EXISTING sounds I have heard today. Let me give a recap of my LISTENING SKILLS today...

In a previous conversation with a fellow CI user, Scott Moulton I was challenged to remove my hearing aid and solely rely on my cochlear implant. For those who don't know, I was activated on Feb. 18th, 2013 and as a school teacher, it has been often difficult to solely rely only on the implant as it was originally requested from my audiologists. But they understood my working situation and I used both the hearing aid and implant everyday, until TODAY! 

My hearing aid needs a tubing replacement and I'm holding out until next week's CI appt in another town (2 hours away). So I took upon Scott's challenge and decided for the next 3 days at school & home I will ONLY wear the implant (since hearing aid does keep cutting off). If I did that, Scott Moulton will run a mile each day that I left the aid at home and implant on! Well, today has been an ADVENTURE! So here are so many FIRSTS in hearing today, this is what I have heard: 

1) Understanding speech conversations as long as I am reading the lips or hearing simple words/sounds behind my back. 
2) Fingers tapping on the keyboard 
3) Rain drops outside my door (work in a trailer)/Rain dripping off the over hang (sounds like ping, ping, ping!) 
4) Air conditioner kicking on (humming sound) 
5) My coworker eating and SCRAPING her yogurt out of the plastic container with her spoon.
6) My students (sitting behind me) singing "I like to move, move it!" 
7) Telephone ringing 
8) Heard the bubbles going up in the water dispensing machine (that was cool!) 
9) Coworker patting her hands on her lap (that about drove me crazy) 
10) Student opening a cookie wrapper but kept twisting it (drove me crazy!) 
11) Hearing the announcements on the intercom but can't discriminate what they said...Coworker translated :)
12) Understanding my students' conversations when following their lips 
13) My OWN children talking in another room and can't understand them but recognize their voices.
14) Before coworker left, she did the 6 Ling sounds behind me at two different distances and I was able to DISCRIMINATE!! Yay!!

It has been an UNBELIEVABLE ride and I cannot wait to hear more and truly believe this is a MIRACLE in disguise when I haven't heard CLEARLY (or nearly as good as this) in over 33 years!!!

Good morning, what a HAPPY, SUNNY, day in our area!

Well, this weekend is a BUSY ONE...getting ready for my upcoming surgery this week on Wednesday! So now the question is...how are you feeling about it--nervous, excited, what? My response is "I'm @ peace with the surgery!" Ready to get it over with and begin a new chapter in my life...of hearing again in my right ear--it has been 33 LONG YEARS! So pretty excited!!

Last night, I went to a women's conference and had so much difficulty hearing and beginning to wonder if its my hearing (dropping again) or the hearing aid now working to its full effect--this can't be good!!! So after surgery, I am going to get the aid checked and perhaps, my hearing test again. Aaagghh!!

I have become more aware of my surroundings and the difficulties hearing in different situations....rather frustrating most times!

I will keep you posted on pre-op, surgery, and post-op in the next few days...

Good Morning, everyone...

Well, its 9 more days until my twin (Bionic Lady) arrives!

I was just thinking a few minutes ago...I need to make a list of all the questions I need to ask the audiologist & doctor for my pre-op! Getting excited and want the SURGERY/PAIN part over with...

Yes, I have had some doubts these last few days and wondering if this is REALLY WORTH it...but knowing I have such POSITIVE ENERGY and I am at a PERFECT place now that I need to do this!!

To be continued...(gotta get everyone ready for school)

Happy Monday...

Well, its been ALMOST TWO WEEKS since I last blogged on here!!

Wow! Tomorrow will be the first day of February and in just 12 days, my life will change FOREVER...mixed emotions going through my mind! Amazing NEW ADVENTURES will be here shortly before I even know it...

Recap of this past week: 

Both of my daughters ended up with strep throat--out for two days with them and in the midst of all of this, I had time to reflect and prepare for my next two weeks and contacted my audiologists to make sure about my upcoming appointments for the pre-op. Apparently, I won't be seeing them at my pre-op (BUMMER!); however, they asked me to complete my Neptune Processor form. So what is the NEPTUNE processor...this AMAZING LISTENING DEVICE is WATERPROOF!!! Yes, Advanced Bionics (the proud owners of this type of cochlear implant) has designed the NEPTUNE processor to be worn off the ear (meaning there is NO behind-the-ear device); so basically, I'll have a magnet attached to the internal piece on the side of my head and a long cord (depends on what link you get) connected to the "mini processor" that can be worn on a clip or an armband. One of the reason I chose this processor is because our family does a lot of water activities in the spring/summer and its irritating that I can't hear when I am in the water with my family. I have to CONSTANTLY LIPREAD to understand what they are saying (b/c I cannot wear my hearing aid) or having them YELL at me in the water to get my attention. So with the new AquaMic connecting to the "water processor," I'll be able to swim, splash water, and hold conversations with them!!!

While reviewing the application, I had countless decision-making problems....couldn't DECIDE on color options for the cords. Originally, I wanted to separate the UHP cord colors from the AquaMic, so I wouldn't get confused. However, after talking with several other Neptune clients, it turns out that AB has done an amazing job to design the cord connectors differently. Therefore, if I accidentally plugged in the AquaMic with my UHP cap, it won't work!! So ultimately I decided to with white cords for all of the connectors!! Yay!

Another thing is that ALL MY LIFE, I have worn the light tan/beige colored hearing aids with clear earmolds and since I work with kids who have hearing disability and wear CIs or HAs....why not go with BRIGHT, BOLD colors---its who I am--the FUN-LOVING, OUTGOING GIRL...I don't care what others have to say! If they're aren't walking in my shoes and understanding what I go through...then so be it!!! I am STEPPING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX...and hoping that I can share my stories with many others who are making these LIFETIME DECISIONS!!

So this morning, I OFFICIALLY FAXED my application and the NEXT STEP is Pre-Op Day, then 2 days later is SURGERY DAY!  Happy EARLY Valentine's Day to me!!!

Stay tuned for the NEXT EPISODE...

Wow, I was talking to another CI user this evening and she reminded me that in 30 days, I will become a BIONIC woman! Exactly ONE MONTH from today, my life will change for the BETTER! Oh I am jumping up and down with glee!!! I need to WRITE DOWN a million questions!

I discovered a REALIZATION today... 

I was entering the school's office lounge to fill up my 1 Liter water bottle and I went to the freezer to get ice. While I was "digging around the container" to get the ice (making lots of noise for my left ear to not be able to hear any background noise. I accidentally dropped one of the ice cubes to the floor--heard it hit the floor with my good ear. Well, I didn't even hear another person walk in and when I closed the freezer door and started looking for the ice cube, I looked up at one of our TAs and I heard a ping but was thinking she was cooking her lunch in the microwave. So I said to her did you see the ice cube on the floor (continuing to look on the floor)...she said oh I just picked it up and put in the sink! So as anyone HI person would say...oh, thank you...I didn't hear you come in! Felt a little embarrassed but then an AHA! moment....just in a few short weeks--I might be able to HEAR the person walk in when I am digging through the ice bucket!!! OH I CAN'T WAIT... 

Thinking SO POSITIVE!