We just got home from my implant activation. I will write more later, but here are initial impressions. Everything sounds like a bell with a ton of reverberation. My grandma had a Wurlitzer organ that we played with all the time, and it had different buttons to change the reverb. Being the really annoying kids that we were, we always turned the reverb level as high as we could. That's what I'm hearing right now.
Voices sound like low-toned bells. I could hear the audiologist's voice, but soft-spoken William is still hard to hear. Every other noise that I hear sounds like a bell: footsteps, typing on my keyboard, William turning the key in the ignition, the garage door. Here's another way to think of it: a microphone that's turned up too high. Just before the feedback starts, the speaker's voice sounds whiny and words are not necessarily intelligible.
The volume is turned way down on my processor, so I will start listening at a level that's comfortable and then turn it up incrementally. I can still wear my left hearing aid, which will be very helpful while I'm figuring out how this wonderful world really sounds. And that's how Day One goes.
so how does your hearing today compare to the hearing you had in your right ear when you had a hearing aid? SO excited for you!
ReplyDeleteHopefully the reverb will end soon. That doesn't sound like fun. Do you turn it up incrementally or do you go back and they do it for you? How often will the volume get cranked up?
ReplyDeleteThis is so amazing. Thanks so much for sharing your story. We miss you guys!
ReplyDelete