My Hearing Journey — the point

I’ve flooded my blog with all these words about my hearing journey in order to say this; I’m getting a cochlear implant!

The hearing aids only did so much for me. They tend to give me access to noise I don’t need (traffic, keyboards clicking, cats snoring) and not enough clarity of language.

They recently tested me with the hearing aids in, and a group of people talking in the background. My job was to repeat the words of the sentences I hear of the person in the foreground. I failed that test miserably! I can only comprehend 52% of the words I hear, WITH the hearing aids in!

It was shocking to see that number. I hear only 52% of the words spoken to me. The other 48% I make up, based on context and common sense.

52%

As challenging as the hearing aids were, the cochlear implant will be that much more challenging. They will drill a hole in my head about the size of a quarter, but it’s outpatient surgery and will take about an hour.

I’ll have about 10 stitches in my head but will be able to shower and wash my hair three days after the surgery. They’ll wait about 3 weeks after the surgery to “turn it on.” And then the hard work begins!

My ENT (Ricardo Cristobal) is working very hard to manage my expectations, so he says it will take about 18 months for my brain to adjust to the way the world sounds with a cochlear implant.

I am see-sawing between overwhelmed and excited, and I’m doing what I always do during emotional times, I’m writing about it!

As such, there will be more to come!

(PS: if you read all the way to this point, thank you!)