Ten Percent

Archive note, updated September 2026: This pre-activation update was originally published in 2016. The spelling and formatting have been refreshed, but the results and feelings described are from that time.

Before surgery, I had about ten percent of my hearing left in my right ear. I depended on my left cochlear implant for access to sound on that side. It was not easy to listen with very different levels of access in each ear, and I was amazed by how well I managed with the hearing I had.

After surgery, I was completely without sound when I was not wearing my left cochlear implant processor. I expected to have access to sound from both sides after my new implant was activated a few weeks later.

One thing I did better with that remaining hearing was combine sound with lip-reading. It was not easy to say goodbye to the ten percent because I did not know what complete silence would feel like.

The change created some communication challenges for my family and friends:

  • If I was not wearing my processors, they needed to write down what they wanted to say or use sign language.

  • They needed to be patient with me. At that point, I had been deaf for only five years and was still adjusting.

  • I needed conversation and listening practice as I prepared for activation.

I could not wait to begin hearing through my new bionic ears.

This post records my personal hearing history and expectations in 2016. Cochlear implant outcomes differ from person to person.