SWITCHED ON, TUNED IN AND SPACED OUT!

"I was once a man of sound but it was cruelly taken from me.
I have searched these last long years and it is now returned to me.
May I grasp its silken threads once more and never let it go."
RB 2015 

This blog started with this day in mind. Unknown, uncharted territory for me, approached with uncertainty but great expectation. Encouraged by stories and experiences from those who have been there. Those early pioneers and more recent travellers.

 

That sounds like the description of the Yukon Gold Rush and a chance to make a fortune. First I had had too suffer the hardships and difficulties of the journey into the unknown before I could finally see the glint of gold in my hands.

On the day of my operation for the cochlear implant there was a rail strike planned. So there was no surprise to find on this day there was an Underground rail strike. Nothing was going to keep me away. Deaf travelling is not an issue with me. I have long since got that sorted with advanced bookings for tickets and last minute updates.

It was in the Hospital waiting room that the first thoughts came to me. I was in my usual place. The ventilation overhead was blasting away and drowning out all comprehension and everywhere there was noise. I turned down my only hearing aid for a bit of comfort. I was safe in the knowledge that my wife was with me and listening (like a hearing assistance dog!) to anything I needed to respond to. We had a notebook and pen to be sure of understanding what was said to me. I sat with my back to the wall and facing the door I knew the audiologist would come through. This was my usual strategy so that I can see people approaching and know they are looking at me. I can lip read my name called if I am looking for it. I was helped by having no other patients waiting in the room. My wife was alert and it was her reaction I saw first because I had momentarily looked away just at the wrong moment.

I was led into the quiet room and sat down in that familiar chair in my normal responsive way. Hearing very little, only recognising words by lip reading the person facing me or turning around to look at and read my wife. These were all routine and innocent. I was shown my Nucleus 6 device and was connected to it. All this had been explained and handled and inspected long ago in the preparation before surgery. The magnet was changed for a stronger one to get a better more secure fit. There was nothing to feel, it was like a normal hearing aid but had no ear mould to hold it in place. The inductive coil found its place almost by instinct and had obviously been placed in a perfect well established position. My other hearing aid was removed so now there was no sound at all.

Firstly I was played simple pure tones just the same as an audiogram. I heard them, which was no surprise but I still hadn't cottoned on to what was happening. Next the sounds were repeated and I was asked to indicate on a chart whether the sound was soft, comfortable, loud or uncomfortable. These sounds were so familiar that they did not register a reaction in me. There was nothing aggressive or unsettling just 'normal'. Then there was a silent pause.

Out of the air a machine spoke to me, "Can you hear this?" it said. Clearly, precisely and so definitely there, coming from somewhere I could not identify precisely. A little left and forward of me with no other noise, interference or distraction. Perhaps I looked surprised? Because then the machine said "Are you hearing the words?" I am not sure what happened next, I could not see through the tears and there was an arm around my shoulders that was not my wife's!

A short interlude for composure!

It was explained to me (yes, to me! I was hearing the instructions loud and clear) that at this early stage all the electrodes were checked and functioning on the implant array. I was only connected to a select band of programming so as not to overwhelm my brain with information and the volume was set low to avoid to many background uncomfortable sounds. This would enable speech to come through better.

I was shown the function switches on the processor and remote control. Only two channels of which were operating, plus the T-loop function that would come on by its self automatically when the public hearing system was detected. Then there were the rechargeable batteries and their charger with the cell batteries for back-up like those for a normal hearing aid. These were all presented in a travel case and put into an enormous flight bag to hold all the bits.

Then it was time to go out and meet my new world for a few minutes before the next stage. A speech therapy session to understand the process of relearning what all these sounds were about.