Checking in on Cara Mia

[Mary Beth]

Hi Cara,

How are things progressing for you? What aural rehab activities are you finding the most helpful? You've been quiet. I miss reading your posts.

[Cara Mia]

Hi Mary Beth and all, all, all.  I am almost here. My life is just a little bit intense these days. Will try to get back tonight I think about all of you each day... And we need to check in on Nikki

[Ivana Marinac]

Yes, both of you - I was thinking yesterday: where did you evaporated?

[Kara of Canada]

I have been keeping tabs on Nikki. She is doing well.

[Mary Beth]

Can't wait to hear more from you Cara.

[Cara Mia]

So, I am definitely progressing. In two in half months after activation I am not just hoping, but strongly feeling that my implanted ear is going to be my good and reliable ear. Two days ago something discreet happened and suddenly I have started taking low and middle frequencies. Now, when I listen to music, it sounds like it should be.  No psychedelic cacophony anymore. 

About my most helpful rehab activity: I noticed, that spending time with my regular ear plugged using only my implanted ear makes a big difference in my speech recognition ability.  I like Angel Sound - now doing it for the second round to see if I can do the tests better. I can.

Also, I asked several people with voices that hard for my understanding to record  voice mails for me so I can replay it again and again on my phone until I can get each word.

[Mary Beth]

Recorded voice mails is a terrific idea! Glad all is progressing nicely.

[Kara of Canada]

Sounds like you're doing well Cara!!

[Ivana Marinac]

Good - everybody is on their positions and progressing Doctor's visit ended with pure pleasure. 

[Cara Mia]

Thank you, Kara. Yes, I am doing well. The problem is that I am doing better and better.

Hope, you are very glad with your advancement CI gives you, too.

 

Ivana, I am very lucky to visit only good doctors. Always a pleasure to talk to smart people.

 

Mary Beth, for me that voicemails work better than program for phone training  - more comfortable psychologically and closer to my real experience with particular people and the sound of my phone. But it doesn't help me to regain the courage to go further. Hope, in the near future I will be able to push myself to start phone as before.

[Mary Beth]

Cara,

Starting using the phone for real life calls with our CIs is a bit of a leap of faith. At some point we all had to just jump in and make the call and see what happens. You will know when you are ready. Then after you make successful calls with the CI, especially to unfamiliar voices like when scheduling appointments, you will be very proud of the accomplishment. It's a big deal. Smile.

[Cara Mia]

Mary Beth, I feel that same way as you put it - I need just jump in and make the call. It is hard to decide if I am ready for that or not. Sometimes I think I need to start just making the calls to some not very important places just to overcome my psychological block which makes me feel that I am not ready yet despite my progress. Somehow I need to leave my comfort zone of not being on the phone. I have gotten some pressure at work about using the phone. My boss has started calling me when I am at home asking some insignificant questions. I believe it is his way to help me to gain my confidence in phone conversation back..... I don't know. Even when I get a positive experience with phone calls my avoidance (or escapism) is still more stronger feeling.

Would be good to get to Hands on hearing workshop to learn in practice how to use Quattro and T-links for phone conversation. I understand in general how to do this but when I try to use it, everything is so uncomfortable - push some buttons, switch to Mt/T mode.... My Quattro doesn't hold phone conversation for a long time and disconnects suddenly..... Takes to much time to answer the call. Perhaps, if I find the way not to be in a constant hurry it will work better for me.... Ok, I will work it gradually.... Again, waiting for wireless connectivity available as the more convenient way of communication.

[Mary Beth]

One day I leaped. Sink or swim. The next time it was easier. Now I use any phone, staying on M, without even thinking about it. You will get there. It's great you can understand your boss on the phone already.

[Mary Beth]

An idea to try. Connect to phone with regular over the ear headphones, like BOSE comfort noise cancelling headphones. People fell in love with them at the workshop for music and phone use. Just stay on M.

[Ivana Marinac]

Like this?

 

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/featured/quietcomfort.html

[Sandy]

Cara, it sounds like you are progressing quite well. You will know when you are ready for the next step.

[Mary Beth]

Mine are so old they were version 2, like this:

http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?isRefine=true&_nkw=bose+quietcomfort+2+headphones&_mwBanner=1

[Ivana Marinac]

Mine are so old they were version 2, like this:

http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?isRefine=true&_nkw=bose+quietcomfort+2+headphones&_mwBanner=1

 

Ok - it is same product line just to make a clear picture whoever is interested in this matter.

[Kara of Canada]

I had the same problem Cara. I was using the cochlear phone training program and found that helped. But I was almost terrified to make a live phone call. On day I took the leap and called someone. It was actually really good. I was afraid still of automated calls. So I availed those. Then I started listening to voicemails and sure enough I got mist of the conversation. So now I am making regular calls. I still have some apprehension but I do it for the sake of doing it. Still have some issues with people who talk really fast but generally I get it all. I don't use any add one. Just phone to the head no changing programs. Works best for me. I tried it the other way and found I got this strange static noise so I stopped. I didn't start using the phone till the third month after activation in training that is. So good luck Cara!! Hope this might help.

[Adam]

Glad to hear things are progressing well Cara Mia. I know the feeling about things being crazy. Not able to respond as much as I would like.

[Cara Mia]

Sink or swim. Sounds it is what I need to do - sink until I am able to swim like a dolphin. Ok, need to go to prepare the floating devises and appoint somebody with a CPR certificate to be my lifeguard in critical situations.

 

Going to devote this weekend to a phone conversation practicing in all modes (M, MT, T) with all ALDs I have to find out what is the best way for me to go. I make some phone calls, but talking only with people I know very well or in situations when I know the context of conversation and the responses from the other end are limited and anticipated.

 

Mary Beth, thank you for another good idea. I will try headphones on T. Before reading your post I didn't think about this option.

Kara, I practice with that Phone training program you mentioned in your several posts. It is helpful. But when I get in the "real world" things looks somehow different

 

Sandy, I like what you said me a lot. But the truth is that if I go that way, allowing myself to wait until I know that I am ready, I will never leave my comfort zone. I need to accept that despite all inconveniences not-speaking-over-the-phone poses, it became my comfort zone

 

Adam, sorry that your things are also getting crazy from time to time and we don't hear from you for a while. By the way, Ci has changed me and my habits somehow. I fell more and more that I want to slow down my life to pay more attention to small but lovely things around me, spend more time connecting with people, listen to a whisper of grass and stars..... But so far I advanced not so much in that direction... but I am moving toward this

 

Everybody, thank you for being always here  ​

[Kara of Canada]

I found that with using the program for a month straight it trained my brain enough for me to handle the real world calls as well.and I completely. Agree with what was said by sandy. I was terrified to use automated call centres. So until last week I didn't. I was actually ok! So I took a leap of faith!!

[Kara of Canada]

Awe you're great Cara!!

[Ivana Marinac]

Ok people - let's all move out of our comfort zones and start practising:

 

      

[Mary Beth]

I like to move it move it! These CIs are amazing!

Here's my wow moment related to music

I was driving to work and deep in thought so I had not turned up the volume on the radio yet. (I always lower it before I turn off the car so it doesn't jolt me first thing in the morning.). I was stopped at a red light and could barely hear anything from the radio . Then I started singing a song. I turned up the volume and what do you know?! They were playing that song exactly the part I was singing! Blew my mind! I was hearing when I didn't even realize I was hearing!