My Cochlear Implant Blog - See the World through my eyes.

My Cochlear Implant Blog - See the World through my eyes. http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php RE my voice http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry081006-035749
I was explaining how my speech is improving (although not my spelling clearly!) and they asked if I had recorded my voice pre implant. (dam) and I thought oh that would have been cool.

I stil could do this I guess prior to the second implant to see if it makes any difference to my speech. I have trouble with so many words its surprising.

here are a few which I struggle with

Remote
Devastating
Schizophrenia
Culmative
Camera
Alaya
Cecilia
Velum

I think I am mildly dyslexic as well although the bulk of my problem would be because I am unable to hear the word well
]]> re voice mail http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080903-085216 RE voice mail http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080816-085029 RE Steam Trains http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080614-032058
It felt like this was the first time I had heard a steam train and all I could think was "I can see why people were frightend of it when it was first seen way back in the 1800's. It shock the ground as it went pass, and the wind forced me back.

I loved every minute.

We went on a steam train when we visited USA, back in 2005 and I could not hear that as well. So it looks as though my ability to seperate sounds has improved.]]> RE Pop Rocks popping candy http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080601-063015
Today I took my partner to an oldy wordly sweetie shop and we brought some pop rocks candy. I sprinkled it on my tounge and I could feel it frizzing - but no matter how hard I tried I could not hear it.

My partner put some on his tongue and held it to my ear :eek:

the popping sound was amazing!!!!!! :clap:

It sounds even better than frizzy drinks.... ah life is good.

:love:

]]> RE Spam http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080412-043421
A load of links were left the comments section and I got 361 views!

To all the scumbags who left spam on my blog - did you really think I would not notice? I get alerted whenever anyone leaves a comment

:boom:

I also recived a few emails - one was very odd as it was not a real email address but had a few questions

On Monday, April 7, 2008, 08:02 PM, Ann McKenna wrote:

I found you page on the internet, I live in South Africa but my grandaughter lives in the UK, her name is Candyshe is 15 in May, she has been hard of hearing since birth and they say she is loosing her hearing compleatly in the one ear, she is a candidate for cochelear implats she has been through all the couselling and will be ready to have the opperation soon but she is getting very nervous and says she does not want the opperation now, she is so worried about it.
I would like to know have you been deaf since birth of just hard of hearing? I would like to know if you are happy about having the opperation and if you knew then what you know now would you still have it done? I thought maybe that is she heard from someone who has have the opperation it might help her. I think it will change her life, she has become very withdrawn and never wants to go out, children at school are very cruel to her and she seems not to have friends.I hope that maybe you can put my mind at rest that convincing her to have the opperation is the right thing to do.
It would be nice to hear from you.
Regards Ann McKenna

My answer to this is:-

I was profoundly deaf from 7-28 I started loosing my hearing at age of four. If you read my blog I think you will find I am very happy with the outcome. Perhaps your granddaugther will find it useful to read it too?

However, it has to be her choice. I have been told that young people who do not want the implant do not do as well as people who really want the implant.

When it is first switched on, it does not sound very good. It takes hard work to make the brain learn to hear again. If your granddaughter is not ready for this, then it may be that when she is older she will be. I could of had the implant much sooner had I choosen to - but I did not want it either.

Your granddaughter may find it helpful to speak to a professional or consultant about her fears and concerns. There is no reason why she can't put the operation on hold until she is ready.

I hope this helps
]]> telephone woes http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080316-223415
I played about with the settings to see if it was any better and I found that setting two (quite mode) on T helps. So it may be that I have to change the settings while using the phone after all.

We tried using the phone on the land line rather than on the internet, but I dont think it made much difference. Maybe the sound quality in Australia is different to the UK?

Using the mobile on setting one with no T works great - I can hear it really well if I am in a quite place.

Unfortuntley my mobile broke and has now been sent of for repairs. My partner has the upgraded model of mine, but I can't hear as well on that one.

I might hunt out the clamshell mobile I had before I moved to Australia because I could hear ok on that.

]]> Re Stand clear of the doors! http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080229-044644
It sturnly told me to "stand clear of the doors today!"

Then I heard the guy next to me say jeeze they sound so american don't they.... See! I knew it had an accent which was not Australian!

:lol:

I was looking through my old blog and thinking about the new blog and I suddenly realised its been two years and 8 months since my first implant. Which means I forgot to celebrate its second birthday! It also means come June 30th it will be three years old.

Its like watching a child grow and develop, they go from tiny and new to suddenly being able to run. You take a moment to look back, and you think jeeze has it really been that long?

Last night we watched a documentry on:

Soul Deep: The Story Of Black Popular Music: The Sound Of Young America. This episode was about Motown's golden age from 1959 - 1967.

Jackie" Wilson singing "Lonely Teardrops" was one of the amazing things I have ever heard. His voice (and body) just oozed sexy and this was in 1958!

My heart is cryin, cryin
Lonely teardrops
My pillows never dry of
Lonely teardrops

I've always been aware that "the blues" never did it for me. I could not get on with the sound even after the processor was switched on. Much to my disapointment because I really wanted to enjoy it.

I never realised that it was actually soul music or Rhythm and Blues I was looking for and I have always loved the sound of bass.

Off the subject but still on the subject of music

James showed me a song the other day which I really liked. Its very much influenced by australian culture. I will have to ask him what it is called and who it is by.

Edit: it was called "blow up the pokies" by the Whitlams. Its such a soft song with piano and violins and I really love it.

And I wish I, wish I knew the right words
To make you feel better, walk out of this place
and defeat them in your secret battle
Show them you can be your own man again

Apparently the Australian Govenment approved these slot machines as a way to generate money which was then used to improve the public transport system.

Along these lines about music I like. The song "I was only 19" haunts me. It was written by an austrlian John Schumann. I first heard it when I was a 18 year old student in the UK and I was too young and too imature to understand the singifcance of it or understand the australian referances.

The referance to "And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?" meant nothing to me until I came to Australia. Seeing and hearing the chopper for the first time sent a shiver down my spine as I realised what it meant. Its enough to make one cry.

And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only nineteen.

I tend to like music that tells a story or has a meaning. I dont have any particular fav artist - I just have a lot of songs that I like.]]> RE no news is good news http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry080226-025407
Well :ooer:

to be honest there has not been much to report on the hearing side of things.

I have been thinking about a blog for the asessment on my right ear rather than posting it in this blog as it might get to confusing.

Here is the link to my second ci implant blog

http://www.tomlinuk.com/blog/index.php]]> RE Blowing Raspberries http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070830-034742 without my implant and I heard it :eek:

I remember when I was about 14-16 and I got my brother to shout as loud as he could in both ears and I could not hear any thing. We also tried turning the TV up with me pressed against the TV, and again I heard nothing.

My partner shouted in the other ear which does not have an implant and I head him say very clearly that he loved me. I could have guessed some of the words I suppose - but the fact I got it any where near correct is amazing.

I think once the hearing parts of the brain get woken up and used on a regular basis somehow the hearing improves on both sides and better hearing results.

I have noticed that when my battery goes in the processor side, although robotic I can hear with out lip-reading on the hearing aid side. Although no where as good as a processor, for the few moments it takes to change three batteries it keeps me in the loop.

Since moving to Australia I have tried to take a walk most days to explore. It’s very difficult to understand everyone at the moment. I come from a part of the UK which is almost predominantly British white. I am now living in a very multicultural city - I guess which would be similar to London perhaps with a very large oriental ( they call them Asian here (!) a label we use for Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.) They use the term to cover Japan, China, and similar places. It gets a bit confusing! Although Australia does not seem to have a big African population, it does have a large Greek, Turkish, and Jewish community.

However, my point was due to this rich diversity of people, you get some interesting combinations of dialect and language mixed with a strong Australian accent on top of their home accent! It makes it very very heard to understand the spoken word sometimes. Australians speak completely differently too, I think they miss the end of words. As I always seem to hear the first part but never the end :eek:

I kidded myself that moving to a country which is mainly English spoken would be easier. Bah! Silly me! Still in a few months I will be looking for work so hopefully I will be better at understanding people even if I don’t know what the hell they are talking about!
]]> RE A trip to the immigration museum http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070825-190000 We went to the immigration museum today and I was unprepared for the emotion it would cause me. It was probably one of the best museums I have been too, plenty to read, pitchers and props of peoples belongings and ordinal passports. History on how things got started like for incense Myer which is a massive big mall like the house of Fraser or John Lewis came about when a guy Sidney Myer and his brother opened the first Myer store in Bendigo, Victoria in 1900.

Myer was born in Kritchev, Russian Poland (now Belarus), the son of a storekeeper of Jewish origin. He migrated to Melbourne in 1899 to join his brother, Elcon, with little money and poor English not that this stopped him from selling his wears clearly he did very well.

Sidney Myer migrated with his family to Australia and sold his wears from a suit case door to door, and decided to open a shop, it was one of the first shops that allowed women to touch the products which were lace, and undies and other bits and bobs that ladies like most. Not surprisingly it did well and developed into one of the biggest chains of clothes shop around. Further searching on good old Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia states that he was a very kind man who gave a lot back to Australian people and developed a foundation to help others.

The museum is full of stories like this, for example there was one about a couple who left their country and the guy was rather worried about his wife as she was leaving her parents and family behind. Together with another guy they built a weaving machine out of wood on the promise that his wife would weave the material needed for the other guy’s fiancée for her wedding dress. Its in the museum this weaving machine, it was built out of love, and it was used up and till she died, she passed the skills on to her own children, a little bit of culture and history and a love story that will last for ever.

(I will get the names and details next time I go as it’s such a big museum that it’s impossible to take it all in at once)

One of the reasons I liked being there so much is because the video was subtitled so I was made to feel much a part of it as any one else. The other reason was because they showed how the inside of what the ship would have looked if you were sailing to Australia in the late 1800 to 1920’s. It made me think of my partner’s great grandmother who sailed across in a ship with her husband, she kept a diary and as I walked round the living quarters of that ship I could hear her words in my head.

It made me think about my own journey to Australia and how the immigration rules have changed a lot since 1900; the process to get in to the country then could not be more different now. Comparing my passport to passports on display in the cabinets and looking at the visas that were granted I can imagine the relief and joy that they must have experienced when finally getting on that ship – especially in times of crisis and war.

I have a lot to learn about Australian history!
]]> RE New sounds! http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070810-050703 Today I tried our intercom door thingy for the first time and I heard it fine so I could buzz someone in. *phew* that will save me going down nine floors everytime the door goes.

I also answered the mobile in the car coz my partner was driving at the time, although it was difficult to hear I could make out some of the simple things he was saying. Ideal if I have to call emgerency services and its a noisy enviroment!]]> re dog panting sounds http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070724-204437
When he decided to lay in a rather muddy puddle and become and chocolate dog we took him to the lake to wash off. I could hear him coughing and snorting as he swam in the water.

It was quite fun to hear him as its not something I have ever noticed before.

I am using the phone a lot more now and when it rings I am answering and hearing the person at the other end. Its working much better with this new program. Normally I would not be able to hear it in a public place but I can with this setting. Wished I done it ages ago!]]> RE New Sounds http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070719-200357 I have since been proved wrong.

The sound of a child's buggy on cobble stones sounds rather odd!

I can now identify the sound of a running tap with ease.

emergency services sound as they should these days - and so clear!

I am hearing the different sounds of the birds as well.

Using the phone gets easier and eaiser.

My implant broke on Wednesday the screen went wonkey and the number / letter would not come up. I went to the center to get a replacement,

while I was there I asked about the multi T loop on the normal setting so that I did not have to keep changing my programme every time the land line rang. They said that this was no problem to do - the only drawback was that the setting looks for a t loop all the time - and if it finds a broken on it can cause strange sounds.

I decided to risk it, so I now have programme one with the mutli T loop thing (which intrestinly seems to also make mobile's sound better)

Programe two ardo? sp/ which I normally use on T for the land line (just in case)

Programe three is my normal programe that I had before.

Programe four is whisper which they keep giving me - but I never use.

So far I really like the first setting - and I wish they told me about it ages ago.

http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/comments ... 331-175914 this is the link from David who suggested that I tried this setting - many :thanx:

for this advice as its brill :clap:

]]> Re How being hearing in one ear is changing who I am http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070708-162344
In order to keep up with what was going on in the world I would read and read and read. Any newspaper I could get my hands on I read. Not being able to hear the radio or watch things that were not subtitled was a major disadvantage. My peer group picked things up around them just by listening to others. I tended to be a few facts behind. This affected my school grades, collage, spelling(!) and university. I struggled to keep up, and it was draining at the best of times.

Since the implant I can be typing away and I find people’s conversations drop into my head and I catch useful information. I am at the top of my game in my career mainly because of research (thank gwald for Google) but these days I am also learning though listening.

It’s a bit like lip-reading with my eyes closed.... sounds odd but true. I find I don’t hear as well unless I concentrate on what I am hearing. Sometimes I can convince myself that I have heard something correct when in fact I've heard it wrong!! The sounds do not turn into words until I have worked my brain to translate the sounds into words. It’s still tiring just the same as lip-reading, but it’s a richer language and far more dynamic than lip-reading ever could give me.

Being able to hear voices has been the greatest gift that I could ever be given, and for that I am eternally grateful to all the professionals that have worked hard to make it possible.

The benefit of the implant is all down to me. The more it’s used the better and richer the sounds become. Even after two years of using it. It’s not surprising I guess after a life time of being left in the dark, that sometimes it takes time to fully appreciate the benefit of hearing.

I can now hear myself when I am speaking on the landline much better. It is getting easier to hear names and places.

I can take myself to a fairly quite place (sometimes) and answer my mobile. But if its busy I have answer and say I will call back when I have found the ideal spot!

Still, life is good, and I would not have it any other way

]]> Re I never knew people were so friendly http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070704-204904 I never knew people were so friendly. I never realised how isolating being deaf made me.

I have this terrible habit of reading a paper while sitting in cafes and normally when I look up my food is there as if by magic before me, and nobody else around.

Now, I dont always hear the first time, but I do hear a person ask me a question or try and get my attention. I tend to say "oh sorry I did not hear you, I am deaf"

I think they go back to the kitchen and let everyone else know, because they make allowances and ensure eye contact. I now get offers of water, salt, and anything else I may want.

People tend to ask more questions and appear intrested in what I am doing. They smile more and are friendly.

I think of all the times when I have thought the person was cold or sharp or just not very nice, and I think it was because they thought I was rude, stuck up or ignorant because I had not answered them - or that I was the one being unfriendly because I was so anti sociable.

Everywhere I go I find people are friendly, I respond to their questions easier now, and they smile and engage in conversation. I speak to people more these days, even a laugh and a joke with strangers over a suitable water proof coat can make my day seem less bleak.

Who would have thought that deafness could have such an impact on mood, personality, socialiseation, a sense of happyness.

]]> RE Music http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070701-181455
Sometimes it has been so nice to hear, it has brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat! I have never been able to hear anything like it.

The other day while in my car I was stuck in traffic. Normally people at work would wonder where I was, and sometimes I would arrive to where I was going very late only to be told that the person had to cancell.

This time I stopped the car and called to explain that I was in traffic and would they be able to wait a bit longer for me. They were able to do this so I did not end up having a wasted journey. I head everyone fine. Then I recived a call to say my next couple had asked if I could make the appointment earlier in the afternoon - so I was able to call them and make it earlier. For me this was amazing because I have never spoken to them before and I had no difficulty.

It is just getting easier and easier with pratice!!!

]]> RE Just when you think things can't get any better! http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070624-165549
I am also able to hear the ring tone on my mobile much better.

I have noticed that when I am in a cafe or shop I am starting to be able to hear the music. Some times it is quite relaxing and I really enjoy it.

I find that I hear soothing soft relaxing music best. Sometimes its so overwhelming that it brings a lump to my throat and makes me tearful!

It is very empowering to be able to hear as much as I do.

I am starting to notice when someone appraoches me in a noisy enviorment, I might not hear what they say the first time - but I am more aware that they are there and speaking to me! This means I dont miss out as much as I used to. For example I got ice and a glass with my water today, normally I would have not answered to the question. Or in panic said no, thus turning down the offer. This time I heard her say would you like ice with that very clearly which was a big thing for me!

Its strange how just when you think it can't possibly get any better - it does.]]> Re insurance and other things http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070602-184848
So far the implant has creaked on a number of occasions due to a design fault and the coil has split also due to a design fault, on two occasions my battery pack gave up the will to live and the NHS has replaced these.

I did have a bit of a battle getting them to give me a spare coil the last time I took my broken one back to be replaced. (they have in the past always given me two) their argument was because coils cost £80 and mine was that if I only have one coil and it breaks it will cost me more than £80 to take the day of work to drive and collect a new coil. I asked for a catalogue so that I could order my own as the cochlear website does not seem to sell on line and I was more than happy to pay for my spare if that’s what it took. In the end they agreed I could have a spare but it would be one of the longer wired stock they had because no body wanted them!!

The only complaint I have is everybody pays their way for the NHS and therefore we should expect a good service when we need it. Money is wasted all the time for various reasons and the NHS should not be struggling like it is and therefore it’s not a good enough excuse for a less than good service.

As it happens I have insured my processor for theft and loss, on the off changes that while I am on holiday somebody steals it while I am in the sea snorkeling or something. Or I accidentally lose the replacement some how or its taken from the hotel (having the holiday loaner cochlear implant did make us nervous so we locked it in the hotel safe)

]]> I have been hearing......... http://www.tomlinuk.com/ciblog/index.php?entry=entry070522-162208
Euro song contest. The lady with the light thingy sent shivers down my spine! it was much more fun listening to it than before the implant.

I went to watch "28 weeks later at the cinema" the subtitles were a bit late and I was disapointed to see that I could not hear it as well as I was hoping. I think it depends on the speakers and I suspect it was to loud for me so the quality of the speech was disorted somehow.

I do cope quite well with the tv when its not subtitled these days and can get by if I have too.

James has a new mobile phone which I tried and it seemed more clear than mine. He also got the neckloop for it which I tried and that really helped. The next test is to try it in a noisy enviroment. I can also plug a cochlear wire in to the neckloop to the processor and it should block out background sounds. If it works then it will be excellent for work and I will be getting a new phone :woowoo:

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