Jeff Implant Activation

YEP! That is me hearing sounds for the first time in two years.  My cochlear implant surgery was November 1, 2013.  The surgery was a big success with really no issues at all.  I had to wait for three weeks to get activated, which is when the audiologist turned on the electrode inside my head.  Here is a quick video to explain:

I had high expectations of hearing something on November 22 when my cochlear implant was activated.  Everyone told me, "Keep your expectations low but hope for the best."  I knew that many people don't hear anything DAY 1.  The brain needs to learn sounds that one might not have heard at all or for some time.  I am lucky that I have only been without sound for two years, but never did I expect to hear words and sound so quickly. 

DAY 4 - My hearing of sounds was tested at normal hearing person level.  People still sound like robots and monotone but I know that will improve over time and with practice. 

I am so thankful for Edie Gibson who referred me to an amazing doctor in South Carolina.  It's funny, you don't need to go to the number one place to have surgery. Just find a doctor who takes you seriously and has done a lot of successful implants.  I want to give thanks to Dr. Erin at the Auditory-Verbal Center in Atlanta, GA, who has worked patiently with me answering all my questions;  and to my mom, who travelled from Arizona to Atlanta to take care of me during recovery so my wife could continue to work.  My mom didn't have too difficult a time since I slept a lot.  Finally, thank you Advanced Bionics for having the technology available.  I can't imagine going with another brand, having experienced all the support I have received just days after activation. 

I hope to be an inspiration to others who have reached the point of considering an implant.  I am still deaf because I can take off my device and the world is silence, but now I can choose to enter the world of sound.

New Adventure

 

November 1st, 2013 - Cochlear Implant

I have been deaf for two years.  I lost my hearing suddenly as the result of a massive infection following years of sporadic ear infections.  I never got my hearing back and after using hearing aids for a short time they became useless.  

Nobody plans to go deaf but things happen.  I accepted my deafness and decided to be positive.  I did whatever I could to learn about my deafness and welcomed new ways to communicate.  When I lost my job and had to consider the prospects of new employment with a severe hearing loss while my hearing aids became less and less usable, I decided it was time for cochlear implant.  I wanted to hear my family’s voices, listen to music, and be more employable.  I am friends with many deaf people and they live happy lives without cochlear implants.  I have to say that its available but not for everyone. Getting a cochlear implant is a big step and a personal one.  Even though I have a cochlear implant now, I am still deaf.  I can switch off my device anytime I want and have the world go silent or turn it on and listen to everything.  

It is DAY 4 after surgery and as you can tell I am feeling better.  But here are my thoughts:

1.  “It feels weird having metal in my head.”

2.  “This tinnitus is driving me crazy.”

3.  “Nobody told me about drainage.” BTW, I don’t like fluids.

4.  “I thought it would hurt more”

5.  “I am so tired.  I feel like sleeping all day.”  I am glad I didn’t plan school or other activities during this recovery time.

6.  “I am so ugly.”  Yes, I am vain.  I didn’t expect my head to be shaved quite so extensively so that  my 8-10 stitches are highly visible.  I want my body back together like before.  My daughter thinks I look like the characters in the movie Coraline who’ve had new eyes stitched on with thread.

 



 

 I think she was being kind in calling me a stitched-up person.  I feel more like a:

 

 Dalek from "Dr. Who" TV series.

 

As you can see I am in good spirits.  I am glad to have my mom here from Arizona to help out while my wife goes to work and takes care of the kids.  I go back to see the doctor on November 15th to have these stitches removed.  The exciting day will be November 22nd at 3pm (EST).