Guest guest Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 In a message dated 9/27/2004 5:44:46 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, alice@... writes: > Well.. we will be here 24/7 so don't hesitate to ask. > > Alice Thanks! I have a feeling there will be lots of learning going on up here very soon.. both for me and for her. The mappings are on a schedule so far which goes thus: Surgery on November 17th.. stay 5 days (15th thru the 19th) Return to Seattle on December 13th for a week of daily testing and maps then home to Anchorage. (13th thru the 17th) Return to Seattle in mid January for two days of evaluation and more programming. Then three months later my first visit to the audiologist up here, then another in 3 months, and then 6 months later and yearly after that. We'll see... I really would like to have monthly visits with my audiologist here for the first 6 months but maybe that is expecting too much. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 In a message dated 9/27/2004 7:34:19 PM Pacific Daylight Time, nucleus24@... writes: Many audiologists are doing the NRT mapping immediately. Saves HOURS. So ask your audi if she/he knows how to do the mapping that way. For Pam's comfort,,, VMMC do those.... :-) Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 In a message dated 9/27/2004 7:08:19 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, spottedlee@... writes: > Many audiologists are doing the NRT mapping immediately. Saves > HOURS. So ask your audi if she/he knows how to do the mapping that way. > > > > For Pam's comfort,,, VMMC do those.... :-) > > Lee gosh I'm glad someone else has been through this with Virginia Mason! Thanks! Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 In a message dated 10/11/2004 5:17:31 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, nucleus24@... writes: > Hi Pam, > Went to the dentist today. He said to stop knocking my teeth. Seems > I cracked one. Go figure. > But if you can't hear it now, then I'm willing to be you won't be able > to hear it later either. I probably have some residual hearing in my > right ear, which was not implanted. WAY too little to amplify, but still > there. > You'd better take good care of those teeth ! The only think I can hear without my HA is the slam of a car door or myself if I scream at the top of my lungs.. and then it's like I'm hearing the faintest echo.. It's amazing that with so little to work with the Impact HA can give me so much environmental sound... a plane fying over, the dog barking etc.. course I had to learn what those sounds were too because they don't sound like what they are. I suppose it will be similar with the CI... and hopefully much much better. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 In a message dated 10/11/2004 7:31:16 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, Lehfeldt@... writes: > When is your surgery? > > going under the knife 10/20 Surgery is November 17th.. You'll be getting ready for activation by the time I have surgery. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 ImpaCt HAs, huh? Wow... yeah, after a lifetime of those analog HA's with only low frequency sounds, the ImpaCt aids were like watching color tv for the first time after watching black and white. More environmental sounds within reach for me -- eight years! -- but still, they are all in low frequency tones, though the higher frequency tones have been " transposed " into lower frequencies for my benefit. I can't wait to wait and see what REAL high frequency sounds REALLY sound like along my auditory nerve, never being used at all, like that of a newborn babe... Last " new " sound I heard was, occuring several months ago, the squeak that one makes when washing dishes, and drying them off, at a precise moment when the wetness turns into dryness with the towel. An unique sound... remember, just with my ImpaCt HAs! Anticipatingly, Chris On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 21:22:00 EDT, plsav42@... <plsav42@...> wrote: > > In a message dated 10/11/2004 5:17:31 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, > nucleus24@... writes: > > > Hi Pam, > > Went to the dentist today. He said to stop knocking my teeth. Seems > > I cracked one. Go figure. > > But if you can't hear it now, then I'm willing to be you won't be able > > to hear it later either. I probably have some residual hearing in my > > right ear, which was not implanted. WAY too little to amplify, but still > > there. > > > > You'd better take good care of those teeth ! > > The only think I can hear without my HA is the slam of a car door or myself > if I scream at the top of my lungs.. and then it's like I'm hearing the > faintest echo.. > > It's amazing that with so little to work with the Impact HA can give me so > much environmental sound... a plane fying over, the dog barking etc.. course I > had to learn what those sounds were too because they don't sound like what they > are. I suppose it will be similar with the CI... and hopefully much much > better. > > Pam > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 When is your surgery? going under the knife 10/20 On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 23:00:33 EDT, plsav42@... <plsav42@...> wrote: > > In a message dated 10/11/2004 6:47:22 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, > Lehfeldt@... writes: > > > More > > environmental sounds within reach for me -- eight years! -- but still, > > they are all in low frequency tones, though the higher frequency tones > > have been " transposed " into lower frequencies for my benefit. > > so true! and most of the sounds are hugely amplified and drown out the > voices. Environmental is pretty good with Impact but my old Resound plus t-coil did > far better with the voices. > > I'll be interested to compare the CI results with what I've been " hearing " > for 10 years. Yipee! Bring it on! > > Pam Also anticipatingly) > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 Oooh! I'll be thinking of you. I hope to have my parents to come here for my hook up day -- wouldn't that be nice? To sort of make amends for the day when they were told " your baby boy is deaf " so many years ago... so that day will depend on my healing response, etc. etc. Definitely in time for Thanksgiving. Chris On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:03:16 EDT, plsav42@... <plsav42@...> wrote: > > In a message dated 10/11/2004 7:31:16 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, > Lehfeldt@... writes: > > > When is your surgery? > > > > going under the knife 10/20 > > Surgery is November 17th.. You'll be getting ready for activation by the > time I have surgery. > > Pam > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 ..... What good is hearing a dog bark if you can't understand speech? > I'm shocked! I love hearing the dogs bark and when I lost all my hearing and could no longer hear them, I felt unbalanced. To me, barking dogs signal that all is well in the neighborhood. I've not been able to hear and understand speech for approximately 35 years but I could always hear the dogs barking with my hearing aids. Life is noisy and noise IS life! Gayle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 Amen to both being true to your teeth and the ImpaCt HAs giving you lots of environmental sounds with so little work involved. Yes, I think the CI would give one so much more input from the outside world. I asked someone last week " how much more " she could hear with her CI having worn ImpaCt HAs previously, and she thought for a few minutes, and responded, " About 40% more. " I'll let you know my thoughts when I'm hooked up and in the swim of things! Ignore your teeth, and they will go away. waiting till 10/20 On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:03:13 -0000, Gayle <gayle227@...> wrote: > > > > > .... What good is hearing a dog bark if you can't understand > speech? > > > I'm shocked! I love hearing the dogs bark and when I lost all my > hearing and could no longer hear them, I felt unbalanced. To me, > barking dogs signal that all is well in the neighborhood. I've not > been able to hear and understand speech for approximately 35 years > but I could always hear the dogs barking with my hearing aids. Life > is noisy and noise IS life! > > Gayle > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 In a message dated 10/12/2004 4:04:02 PM Alaskan Daylight Time, gayle227@... writes: > > > .... What good is hearing a dog bark if you can't understand > speech? > > > > I'm shocked! I love hearing the dogs bark and when I lost all my > hearing and could no longer hear them, I felt unbalanced. To me, > barking dogs signal that all is well in the neighborhood. I've not > been able to hear and understand speech for approximately 35 years > but I could always hear the dogs barking with my hearing aids. Life > is noisy and noise IS life! > > Gayle So true Gayle; Hearing that dog bark was like hanging on to that last shred of hearing. Even though I couldn't understand speech, putting on my hearing aid every day was like opening a window to the stone house I lived in. Having been hearing all my life, going deaf at 52 was like suddenly moving into a stone house with no doors or windows, just a peep hole to look through and watch the rest of the world go by. I loved the sound of the barking dog. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 In a message dated 11/6/2004 4:42:34 AM Alaskan Standard Time, nucleus24@... writes: > Go to Seattle early. Go shopping . Retail therapy works wonders > for me. > I am going early but have no money left! This is expensive going all the way from Anchorage and staying a week in Seattle twice! lol! What price hearing!? I've even cancelled Christmas this year! :-) Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 In a message dated 11/6/2004 11:36:36 AM Pacific Standard Time, plsav42@... writes: I've even cancelled Christmas this year! :-) no you haven't! your gift in your head is your Christmas! Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 In a message dated 11/6/2004 10:40:19 AM Alaskan Standard Time, spottedlee@... writes: > no you haven't! your gift in your head is your Christmas! That's what I'm telling everyone! lol! I am the gift! Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 12:02:54 PM Pacific Standard Time, alice@... writes: Sooooo close now, Pam. How are you doing? Yeah pam.. how are you doing? Shall I bring rope to bring you down from Cloud 9 next week? You can't have surgery up there, you know....... Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 11:02:54 AM Alaskan Standard Time, alice@... writes: > Sooooo close now, Pam. How are you doing? > > Alice Hi Alice and all! I'm very pleased to be so close and I am grateful for having gone thru this process. A year ago, September, I moved to Alaska from Montana and that was the beginning of a whole new life. February 2003 I made an appointment with a new ENT specialist because I knew that periodically someone would have to sign my disability reports. That doctor told me about the CI program here in Alaska and when I expressed interest, she sent my name and information to Virginia Mason. VM then contacted me and sent me paperwork and invited me to a CI seminar in April. I remained unsure and even scared, for several months and later, joined this list to find out more. Finally I made the decision that my life needed to change, or at least try to change. I felt isolated and lonely because all my friends and acquaintances are hearing people with busy active lives. In social settings, I wasn't able to keep up with them any more and often felt left out, well, because in fact, I was left out. They couldn't help that and often when together, they enjoyed spontaneous conversation about work and goals, while I sat by waiting for a summary of what was talked about but never able to engage with them. They always tried to bring me into the conversation but sometimes I would growl at them and sulk off into a corner and read a book.. (read read read! how much reading we all do when deaf!) Being profoundly deaf but also profoundly independent, I set out on my own and started making appointments, first for the MRI and then the physicals etc. I hadn't seen any doctors for about 9 years so was starting from scratch with no medical records. All the people I am close to have extremely busy lives and have all they can do to keep their own lives together without having to do my phone calls and other complexities, plus I wanted all the information to be first hand, from their mouths to my ears/brain :-) with no third party interpreting the conversation. I didn't own a TDD until just recently because Alaska had no program for handing out TDDs to the deaf unless a person was destitute. I made appointments with Voc Rehab and went thru their program and will work on employment after this CI. Voc Rehab bought me the TDD, the AlphaSmart and several other pieces of equipment and they are helping me get my Alaska RN license activated. I did this entire process thru emails and faxing and on foot since I don't like to use the relay for medical purposes. I can't tell you how many times I have trekked to Dr. offices because I couldn't get an answer by fax. I've emailed hundreds of notes back and forth to my audi in Seattle. So anyway I feel like I have built a house, board by board, and now the time has come to *live in that house*.. and here I am on my way to Seattle tomorrow. I'm nervous but looking forward to this no matter what the outcome. I intend to work hard and get the most benefit possible from this Cochlear Implant. By the way, I will be signing off the list tomorrow and will be gone a week. I'll sign back in as soon as I am able to let people know how it went. I hope to make contact with Lee the day before surgery so she can possibly let you know that I at least made it to Seattle.. flying has never been my strong suit either. The time lags for me because the movies are never captioned! lol! (more reading!) Thanks for asking, but you may have gotten more than you wanted to know! lol! Pam S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 11:14:22 AM Alaskan Standard Time, spottedlee@... writes: > > Yeah pam.. how are you doing? Shall I bring rope to bring you down from > Cloud 9 next week? You can't have surgery up there, you know....... > > Lee Hi Lee, I think I'd rather do what you suggest with the rope, than fly.. hahahahaha But truly this time I look forward to flying! I hope the trip home is as much fun as the trip down.. lol! Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 2:05:27 PM Alaskan Standard Time, Lehfeldt@... writes: > My thoughts are with you, and I'll be thinking of you -- we are but > just few weeks apart in surgeries! > > When is your activation date? > > Mine is 12/8. Thank you! activation 12/13 (back to Seattle for another week of initiation!) Pam S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 >>So anyway I feel like I have built a house, board by board, and now the time has come to *live in that house*<< Pam, Your CI is going to bring a new, positive change in your life. No more loneliness! No more having to wait for someone to interpret conversations for you! Only 5 more days to go!! Congrats!! <smile> I look forward to reading about how your surgery goes. Good luck!! Surgery date: 12/22/04 Activation date: 1/18/05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 >>Shall I bring rope to bring you down from Cloud 9 next week?<< Lee and Pam, Lee: Let Pam enjoy Cloud 9 next week. She can join me. LOL! Oh...did I forget to tell you? I'm back on Cloud 9 and won't return back to reality until ???. Pam: Care to join me? <grin> I'm so excited for you!! 5 days and counting!! Surgery date: 12/22/04 Activation date: 1/18/05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 12:25:13 PM Alaskan Standard Time, lisak70@... writes: > Pam, > > Your CI is going to bring a new, positive change in your life. No more > loneliness! No more having to wait for someone to interpret conversations > for you! > > Only 5 more days to go!! Congrats!! <smile> > > I look forward to reading about how your surgery goes. Good luck!! I'll be back to yell the story! Thanks! Pam S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 12:26:11 PM Alaskan Standard Time, lisak70@... writes: > Lee and Pam, > > Lee: Let Pam enjoy Cloud 9 next week. She can join me. LOL! Oh...did I > forget to tell you? I'm back on Cloud 9 and won't return back to reality > until ???. Heck! I may never come down! Pam S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Pam, I want to wish you good luck and the best of surgeries. You haven't made a mistake and will soon find out that the CI was the right step to take. Your social experiences sound very much like mine (being left out and being told don't worry, it wasn't important). I think we've all been there and " not heard " that. The ability to hear is the missing piece in our lives and I'm glad you will soon have yours back. Take care and good luck. --Gayle ====================================================================== > In a message dated 11/12/2004 11:02:54 AM Alaskan Standard Time, > alice@a... writes: > > > Sooooo close now, Pam. How are you doing? > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 3:12:34 PM Alaskan Standard Time, alice@... writes: > It's an exciting time but it's also scary and I look at you as a pioneer > about to embark an amazing adventure and I want to hear everything about it. > Best wishes for a successful surgery and an very easy recovery. > > Alice > Alice, thanks for the well wishes! I'll gladly accept all the help I can get! :-) And thank you for this wonderful list where I have learned so much and found out about things I never dreamed of! Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 In a message dated 11/12/2004 12:44:07 PM Alaskan Standard Time, gayle227@... writes: > I want to wish you good luck and the best of surgeries. You haven't > made a mistake and will soon find out that the CI was the right step > to take. Thanks Gayle! Yup, I know we've all been there! My story parallels the rest! Even though we all share the same story it always seems like hearing it anew with each individual's account. Onward, ever onward! Pam S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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