Cochlear Implant Activation!

We woke up early this morning, had breakfast at the hotel and then headed over to Mayo.  My appointment was at 8am.  I had to wait for 30 minutes before my audiologist was ready to see me.  I was so excited, I had butterflies in my stomach!  I didn't know what to expect.  I knew that it might be difficult, based on what my friend Laura went through during her activation.  It took her a couple of weeks before she could really understand speech.  She said that her kids sounded like chipmunks and her husband sounded like Darth Vader.  So I guess I was expecting my kids and Fred to sound really funny!  I told the kids they might sound like chipmunks to me, and they were really hoping that they would!  Ha!!

So anyway, I sat down in Dr. Peterson's office, and she attached the processor to my head.  I was wondering if the magnetic part would hurt, if it would pull on my skin.  That was not the case at all- I didn't even feel it.  My incision is still sensitive, but the processor didn't bother it too much.

She attached the wire from the processor to her computer for programming- or "mapping".  She started an intensive test to set the 22 electrodes (they are what stimulate the nerve endings in my cochlea) at the right volume and tone.  They all have to flow together smoothly.  I didn't even know when she started the test- I didn't know what to listen for.  I was supposed to tell her how many times I heard a sound.  I told her I didn't really hear anything but there was pulsing in my head.  She said that is the sound I needed to listen for.  I was surprised because it was totally different than what I was expecting.  See, I'm used to sound coming in through my ear with the hearing aid.  The sound was coming from a totally different route, so it didn't register as "sound" to me.  So once I knew what to listen for- the pulsing in my head- I had to tell her how many times I heard the sound.  She did this with each of the 22 electrodes, so it took a while.  It was a very exhausting test.  Once she completed the "mapping," she said she was ready to turn it on!  I sat with anticipation, thinking that it would sound different than the pulsing I heard during the test.  

She turned it on, and started talking, and she sounded horrible!  She sounded like a bell clanging in my head.  Then I started talking, and it sounded even louder.  Oh, it was very unpleasant!  Then Fred started talking, and I had to shush him because he was too loud!  I had mixed feelings.  I was excited I could hear sounds, but they did not sound anything like people...or chipmunks or Darth Vader!  Everyone sounded the same--like bells clanging and ringing.  Dr. Peterson said this is very normal at the beginning.  It will take time and perseverence to let my brain adjust to the new sounds.  

If Dr. Peterson told me not to wear my hearing aid on my other ear, I would be totally lost.  The volume setting is very low- but is loud to me.  But I cannot understand speech at all--not yet.  I'm so glad I can wear my hearing aid.  Dr. Peterson said it would be good for me to wear my hearing and continue to lipread.  She said my brain will learn quickly what the sounds are with help from my aided ear.  My aided ear will help "train" my CI ear.  So I will need to be patient!  I am still very excited about hearing better down the road.  It's kind of like a race.  You can't just start running to win a race without training first.  First you have to train and then you can race to try to win the prize.  I need to continue to wear the CI even though its making everyone sound like bells.  I know that the brain will eventually recognize speech.  Hearing speech and understanding is my prize at the end!  Just gotta keep training!  

I didn't realize just how deaf I was in that ear.  I have fooled my brain into thinking that I can hear better than I really can with hearing aids and lip-reading, ha!!

During the whole session, my parents were watching live through Skype.  We had our laptop set up right in front of me, so they had a full view of my activation.  They wanted to be here so badly, but they flew up here from Atlanta when I had my surgery 3 weeks ago.  We are so thankful that technology has enabled us to connect even though we are 22 hours apart!

You would think that after getting the CI, I would want to stay in a quiet place all day.  Well, after taking a short nap to rest my tired brain, we did something so ridiculous.  We went to Chuck E. Cheese!  With all the loud beeps and music and alarms and kids laughing and screaming!  Laura thought I was absolutely NUTS!  Haha!  I could have taken off my CI, but I wanted to stay strong and keep it on.  I kept it on the entire 2 1/2 hours we were there!  I was so tempted to tear that thing off, but I didn't!  Eventually all the bells "clanging" in my head blended in with all the noise, and then after a while I got used to it.  I didn't even get a headache!  

It was a joy to see my kids so happy.  We wanted to let them have one last hoorah before school started next week.  Fred and I even had a basketball shooting contest...and I beat him everytime.  :)

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with Dr. Beatty, my surgeon.  He will check my ear and my incision to make sure it's all healing properly.  Then I will meet with Dr. Peterson again at 2pm for another long mapping session.  She will increase the volume tomorrow.  Maybe I will hear some speech tomorrow, but I don't expect to.  I will need to come back here to Mayo several more times for mapping and adjustments.  

I am very hopeful and still very excited!  I will persevere and ask God to help me.  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" is my verse during this time!!  (Phil 4:13)  God is so good.  I'm so thankful He allowed me to have this done.  I want to give Him all the glory and praise through my whole experience.  I will give Him glory and praise even if its hard!!  I look forward to the day when I can hear music and sing wholeheartedly to Him!  It will come!