Normal (nearly).

My six-month testing appointment confirmed what I've known for a while now: I'm hearing GREAT.

I got all the sentences right in quiet (except for the one I spaced out on halfway through). I got a whopping 97% correct with background noise, and I even understood 50% of the sentences in which the speaker's voice was only 5 decibels louder than the background noise. This is, apparently, right around "normal." And considering that I understood exactly 0% of sentences with my right ear, pre-implant, it's pretty incredible.

I'm hearing so much, so well. I'm constantly amazed at how much more and better I'm able to hear and understand. Movies, television, the radio, my friends and family, judges, colleagues, and more. For the first time, I've discovered that people everywhere are having fascinating conversations about really personal stuff, oblivious to the people around them (like me!) who can hear it all. I've also learned that people have really annoying, loud conversations on their cell phones on the bus, in cafes, and on the streets. I had no idea there was so much free entertainment being offered!

Every once in a while, I find myself in a situation in which no sensitivity-setting reduction or other adjustment improves my ability to hear and understand. A recent happy hour fell into this category, as did a recent court function. The downside of expecting to hear so much better, even in background noise situations, is that when I can't, I'm even more frustrated and disappointed than I was before the surgery. I hope these circumstances remain few and far between, and that as I continue to progress, they will become ever rarer.

At Thursday's appointment, my audiologist gave me a program for the Ipod I'm hoping will be among my birthday gifts (hint hint). Listening to music regularly will be a fairly new experience for me, and a new test of the CI's capabilities. I expect to have more to say on this subject soon.

Comments

[Kate]

From a sometime lurker of your blog - congratulations. I'm so pleased that the CI has been a success it sounds like it's made a huge difference to your quality of life.

Just discovered your blog... love it! I got a CI a year before you. Mine's been great. You mentioned here getting an iPod to test with your CI.... how do you fit it to the CI??? And to the hearing aid in the other ear???