Updates and CI Moments

All day Monday was really no change from that whistling, motorized whine I got from the CI (Pete).

Tuesday I tried to turn off my hearing aid for a while just to see if I could sort out anything.

CI Moment: I took a sip from my cup and set it down. I heard a mechanical “clunk” as I set it down. And later on, towards the evening, I tried it again. I clapped my hand. I could hear the sound from the clap, but it was not clear. Then I could hear a sort of a difference in the underwater buzzing drill when the kids started talking. I couldn’t hear what they said, but the buzzing whine was different. And I thought I could almost detect some "heliumization" in their voices. (Did I make it to Toon Town yet? LOL)

Last night I plugged in the battery recharger (pictures below). I have two batteries with the starter kit, though I could separately purchase more on my own and maybe insurance might cover cochlear implant items under durable medical equipment. I hope they do. The rechargeable batteries cost just under $200 apiece. (Yes, it’s expensive being deaf.) My recharger can hold four batteries at one time. They last about 10-12 hours. I do have disposable batteries and they can last about three days. But the length of time really depends on how much power my map (the program that the audie sets my CI on) uses. Some maps use more power so it drains the battery faster. Right now my map is set at a low setting, so it shouldn't be draining so fast.

I also set up the Dry and Store (pictures below). This has a special brick inside of it that helps take the moisture out of the CI. The audie said that I could also put my hearing aid in it. I have to take the batteries out, though. It’s really like a dehumidifier for the hearing devices.

Today: I looked at the calendar for some reason and noticed that I had an appointment today. Good thing I looked. I forgot all about it. I guess the CI and the kids’ school routine takes precedence here.

I turned the CI on and felt around for the gravitational pull from my head. (Dare I consider my head like a planet. I wonder if I can cause the tide to come in and out? Just kidding.) Once I heard that familiar motorized noise, I knew the magnet found the internal magnet in my head. Two things I want to say: One, I don’t miss the constant slimy wetness from the earmold from the hearing aid (HA). When the earmold is in the ear all day, it gets damp/sweaty; it is just something we have to deal with when we wear HAs.. I still have that with my other ear, so I guess I’ll have to deal with it. Two, the processor is a lot bigger than my hearing aid and though it feels lighter, by the end of the day I feel the weight and the tips of my ears get sore.

I noticed that if I put my hair up, the magnet holds better. If I have my hair down (I have THICK hair) it doesn’t stay on very well. I have to dig around, moving hair out of the magnetic area. When I lay down, the magnet slips. So this is something I’ll bring up at the next mapping appointment. A magnet that is too strong could irritate the skin, though.

Just now, I find that I have another CI moment. It’s not clear, but I can hear the clacking of the keys as I type. It sounds high-pitched, kind of echo-y. If you have ever heard the TTY (teletypewriter for the deaf), that’s what the sound is similar to, but still distorted. It is still different than what I hear with my hearing aid.

So sounds are starting to sort out. Again, I still get that buzzing motor sound, but it’s getting better. :)

Most of the time, it’s a shrill whistling sound, then I get a lower buzzing sound that changes as a sound is made. I can’t make sense of that sound unless I knew where it came from and what it was. It doesn’t; sound the same as the sound I hear with my HA in the other ear, though.

I forgot to mention this: I did not get a word recognition test when I was getting activated. The audie could just tell that I would not hear anything.


Below I added some pixtures of the items so you can get a visual idea of what I was talking about.

This is the Dry and Store (closed)

This is the Dry and Store (opened, with a Dry Brik inside)

This is the Freedom processor with the cable and coil and magnet.

The internal implant and electrodes are shown here, too, but this just shows how the magnet connects to the coil/cable and processor.

Click diagram above to bigify.

This is the batteries that can be put into the battery holder below.

Battery Holder (Can be used instead of rechargeables)

Snaps into the bottom of the processor. Three batteries are used at a time.

Battery Charger (plug not shown)



Rechargeable batteries

(Snaps into the bottom of the processor or in the slots for the charger)

Have a great day. HUGs.

Sources of pictures: Cochlear Americas and other distributers. If pictures are clicked, the web address should show where they come from.