The Big Switch On!

At last, today was the day to go back to the SOECIC and have my implant switched on and connected to my processor....I was feeling a bit nervous, very excited and slightly emotional about it all, not to mention having had the strangest dreams the past few nights!

So, we arrived nice and early and got talking to a few people while we were waiting, one was a lovely lady who was back for her 1 year follow up and she could do nothing but rave about her CI, so she made me feel very hopeful in that it is a long journey yet but it is definitely worth it all as it all settles down and progresses.
I went in to one of the hearing test rooms with my Mum, Mike and a lady called Mary, who also had a student sitting in with her.....the computer was fired up and the tuning in started. One by one she was setting different levels as to how I found various noises comfortable, this was really strange to have some kind of sound back in that ear, but was quite hard too to know what was too loud or too soft for every day. Anyway, we worked through all 22 electrodes and then she turned it on....all of them together and wow! it was mad......so loud and high pitched beeping and shrieking, so it was all a bit much and was making me wince so it was turned down and some electrodes were turned off for now and it left only 7 switched on!
To start with I did feel disappointed that it was all just beep beep beep, but knew from expectation reviews that everything is gradual and it takes a LOT of getting used to to get these beeps to make any kind of sense and feel normal. So the device was set and I was told that hopefully more should be added on Friday when I go back again and it will have settled down for me. As I type this 7 hours after, all I am hearing still is beeps for different sounds - it is hard work and if i'm honest, it is driving me a bit mad, but I need to stick with it and let my brain do it's thing.

After the tuning session there was rehab with Nicola and that was quite funny, I had to try and pick out different syllables with words she was saying or how many times she was saying a word.....so she was sat there going 'Baa' or 'Baa Baa' or 'Baa Baa Baa' and without looking I had to guess which one she had said....I couldn't hear the actual word but just had to pick up how many she was saying....sounds so simple but as this is going back to totally retraining my brain, I did have to concentrate a lot - I felt like I was at infant school!
Nicola also then moved on to words and I had to point to which one she had said (without looking at her) e.g . Disc, Disco or Discotheque. All of these tests went well and as expected at this stage so I felt happier after that.

Then it was time to head out in to the big wide world....beep beep beep!
I was taking my Mum home in the car as Mike went in to the office straight after and as I was driving, she phoned my Dad and although I clearly couldn't hear words, I could tell she was talking and when.
Then, as I turned the car in to their lane I heard a tick tick (in beep format!) and realised I could hear my indicator! so I was grinning stupidly when we got to the house, it felt daft with something so small but I haven't heard that in years. Then at my parents house my Dad phoned the home phone from his mobile and I heard it ring!! Mad, we all just giggled and grinned and I left there feeling very happy.
I then got home and logged on for work and all afternoon it has been beeps while I type or click my mouse, or the door blows in the wind....all very, very strange as I can't work out what the beeps are unless I know I am doing something but the main thing is that there is sound.
I have been phoning the home phone from my mobile a few times too and I can hear it ringing from the kitchen :-)))
This has been quite a tiring day what with the tuning, rehab and working again for the first time since the op, but all for good reason and hopefully there will be lots of updates to this blog over the next few weeks as I hear various things and get stupidly excited ;-)