New to Heer Peers, Hello from Delaware!

[Megan L.]

Hi All!

I'm new to the Med El community and I've recently been implanted on my left side - 3 weeks ago tomorrow. My surgery went very smooth and my surgeon got the implant wrapped around the cochlea the first try. Amazing! Recovery was rough though - terrible nausea and vertigo Tuesday and part of Wednesday, went away and came back Friday to Sunday. A week after the surgery I really started to feel better, just a little tired. Now at almost week 3, I feel so much better! Almost my normal self. The only thing that bothers me now is the tenderness in certain spots by the incision and the feeling of an alien object on the side of my head. Does that go away???

 

My activation is on Friday, Nov. 11. It's very close and I'm excited but not too excited. My left ear has not really been working for about 20 years and I accept that I may not understand anyone or hear anything at first. Definitely trying to keep expectations in check.

 

Since we're being honest, I almost went with Cochlear Americas. I am SO happy I didn't! At the last minute I changed my mind because the Med El implant was more advanced and better designed. Additionally, the content of the forums and blog articles were better and more useful to me. I was beginning to think no one had a hard time after the surgery until I came on here and read other people's stories. Thank you all for being honest about post-surgery and not minimizing the struggle to feel better after getting implanted! I don't feel so alone now   Looking forward to getting know everyone and learning your stories!

 

*Megan

[Kara of Canada]

Welcome to Hearpeers! I also had a rough recovery. Pain was significant as I had some serious complications in my surgery. They obliterated the mastoid cavity and had to do a fat graft to hold my brain up! So it was 21 days till the pain subsided for me. I still cannot sleep on the implanted side which I am at the one year mark now. Oh well, it's a small price to pay for fabulous hearing!! Best of luck on your activation Megan!! 

[Mary Beth]

Welcome!  Yes that feeling of having something in your head does go away in time.

 

No matter what things sound like at activation, just know that is only your starting point.  I did not understand speech at either activation and I hear great with each of my CIs now.  Best of luck.

[Megan L.]

Hi Kara and Mary Beth!

Thank you both for the warm welcome! Nice to meet you both on here. Glad to hear that feeling of something in your head eventually goes away   It's very encouraging to hear success stories like both of yours - very hopeful! And Mary Beth, that is an excellent point - Activation is a starting point.

Kara - so sorry to hear your surgery had complications. I hope you are doing much better a year later.

Thank you both for the luck! I will update after activation. Stay tuned...

[Valentin]

Welcome Megan. my activation is on Wednesday. We are at the end of the Countdown.  

 

[Mary Beth]

At the end of a countdown and ready for the beginning of a wild, crazy, life-changing ride.  Enjoy your journey 

[Megan L.]

2 hours ago, Valentin said:

Welcome Megan. my activation is on Wednesday. We are at the end of the Countdown.  

 

Thank you Valentin! Good luck on Wednesday. You'll have to let me know how it goes So exciting!

[Megan L.]

1 hour ago, Mary Beth said:

At the end of a countdown and ready for the beginning of a wild, crazy, life-changing ride.  Enjoy your journey 

Thank you Mary Beth! I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure Valentin is too   We'll probably have more questions to ask you as we progress on our journey!

[Mary Beth]

My right CI (that ear had not processed any sound for 24 years) only heard beeps and static at activation but quickly those sounds started matching syllables.  That side started to understand a tiny amount of speech later on activation day.  Everyday brought new wow moments and it was just amazing.

 

My left CI (which had always been aided) heard mostly silence at activation, followed by quiet marimba which was later joined by a whale song.  No speech.  No ability to even know how many syllables were in a word.  But it loved music right away!  It started slowly but by 4 1/2 months it was already caught up to the right ear which had been activated 8 months before the left ear.

 

Together they are amazing.

 

You just never know how the journey is going to start.  Doesn't really matter in the end.  Once it starts, you will be off and running.

[hadron]

Hi Megan,

Glad to see you are doing well after surgery. Activation is an experience unlike any other. It is great if you can bring someone to share it with.

I have not been active on Hearpeers for a while. I am back in the states so hope to be more active. Glad to see you were greeted warmly and that Hearpeers has been very active. The last time I posted Cara Mia was waiting for activation of her first CI and we discussed General Relativity and Quantum Physics. Now I just read she has received a second CI and waiting to be activated. Great to see this progress.

The MED-EL blog is a great resource to educate you and keep you busy while waiting for activation. I believe it has articles about activation. Tips and personal stories are also great features of the blog. If you sign up with the blog, you will be notified when future entries are added. Link is below.

http://www.medel.com/blog/

[Megan L.]

15 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

My right CI (that ear had not processed any sound for 24 years) only heard beeps and static at activation but quickly those sounds started matching syllables.  That side started to understand a tiny amount of speech later on activation day.  Everyday brought new wow moments and it was just amazing.

 

My left CI (which had always been aided) heard mostly silence at activation, followed by quiet marimba which was later joined by a whale song.  No speech.  No ability to even know how many syllables were in a word.  But it loved music right away!  It started slowly but by 4 1/2 months it was already caught up to the right ear which had been activated 8 months before the left ear.

 

Together they are amazing.

 

You just never know how the journey is going to start.  Doesn't really matter in the end.  Once it starts, you will be off and running.

That's amazing you progressed so quickly through beeps and static to syllables and voices for your first implant! It's so interesting how different the experience was for you on the other side. I'm so happy your implant loved music I love music and its scary to me to think that I might not enjoy the sound as much with my new implant. Your experience is so encouraging and I feel hopeful for a good outcome! I have no doubt being bilateral is awesome, it sounds awesome.

Definitely agree - there is no telling how the journey starts but I know exactly where I want to go with it!

[Megan L.]

14 hours ago, hadron said:

Hi Megan,

Glad to see you are doing well after surgery. Activation is an experience unlike any other. It is great if you can bring someone to share it with.

I have not been active on Hearpeers for a while. I am back in the states so hope to be more active. Glad to see you were greeted warmly and that Hearpeers has been very active. The last time I posted Cara Mia was waiting for activation of her first CI and we discussed General Relativity and Quantum Physics. Now I just read she has received a second CI and waiting to be activated. Great to see this progress.

The MED-EL blog is a great resource to educate you and keep you busy while waiting for activation. I believe it has articles about activation. Tips and personal stories are also great features of the blog. If you sign up with the blog, you will be notified when future entries are added. Link is below.

http://www.medel.com/blog/

Hi Hadron!

Thank you   Recovery was rough so I am enjoying feeling almost back to my normal self. I'm bringing my mom to activation, she's been a great support and help through all this. It will be great to share the experience with her.

Welcome back to the States!! Where are you coming back from? I was very relieved to find a warm welcome into the community. Its always nice to have support from people who have gone through it and can offer advice or ideas. Wow, Cara Mia has made so much progress! I'm sure I will meet her on here eventually That's quite a topic - General Relativity and Quantum Physics. Reminds me of the tv show  - The Big Bang Theory. One of my favorites. Science and math were my worst subjects....I'm a creative brain - apparel design and product development.

Thanks for attaching the Med El blog. Very helpful. I'm definitely going to subscribe and read through more articles for ideas and info. I read a few already on music and the workplace, so I know there's a ton more useful articles like that.

How did your activation go?

[Kara of Canada]

On 2016-11-07 at 3:13 PM, Megan L. said:

Hi Kara and Mary Beth!

Thank you both for the warm welcome! Nice to meet you both on here. Glad to hear that feeling of something in your head eventually goes away   It's very encouraging to hear success stories like both of yours - very hopeful! And Mary Beth, that is an excellent point - Activation is a starting point.

Kara - so sorry to hear your surgery had complications. I hope you are doing much better a year later.

Thank you both for the luck! I will update after activation. Stay tuned...

Yes Megan! I'm enjoying life with sound!! I absolutely love my implant. I can hear music again. I can talk on the phone again. Even regular conversations I don't have to ask everyone to repeat themselves every time. I go for my one year mapping in december. I will likely hear then weither they are going to do the second implant surgery or not. So I'm excited about that. This is the best group of people I have ever met. We (as crazy as it sounds!) have laughed and cried together. We have learned so much from each other. I feel like a kid in school again as we have learned so much together. So believe me when I say this you're in the right place!!! ❤️

[Megan L.]

Kara - I can't tell you how hopeful and excited you made me with your success story! The phone is one of my biggest obstacles and sometimes fears. It will be a great feeling when I can conquer the phone conversations with ease. Same goes for conversations/meetings in the workplace and social settings. A second implant - so exciting!!! Good luck at mapping in December. Its encouraging to know that HearPeers a safe place so to speak for people like us. Growing up I was always the only hard of hearing person in the room or whole school, so its nice for a change to be able to talk to people who have shared similar experiences  

[Kara of Canada]

I was bullied my whole childhood for my hearing loss/disability. I had bad balance. So I totally agree with you there Megan. We're a great group of people. 

[Valentin]

Hi guys. Just conected!!

The first few minutes and hours after "the connection" were really bad. Many noises and sounds that could not identify, (as I'm within a pipe, and outside of it were knocking a lot of birds. I hear my voice but seem like Darth Vader of Star Wars.  

The doctor told us that it was completely normal after first connection. 

After some hours I began to identify sounds that this morning I did not know what are them; the best is I understand some words and phrases of my wife and family and in the morning was not possible.

So... I feel happy 

 

[Mary Beth]

How exciting!  You are off to a great start.  Enjoy the ride.

[Valentin]

Good morning guys. 

bip, bip, what is this. It is not Rondo.... It was the microwave.... also with his serious bhbhbhbhbhbhbhb sound....

Ring, Ring... and this one... It's the thelephone 

Today I began to hear and recognize souds again 

Megan, be quiet,  You don't be scared with the first impression tomorrow.

[Megan L.]

18 hours ago, Kara of Canada said:

I was bullied my whole childhood for my hearing loss/disability. I had bad balance. So I totally agree with you there Megan. We're a great group of people. 

Oh no! Kara, I'm so sorry to hear you were bullied for your hearing loss There is nothing wrong with our hearing loss, this is our normal, so ROCK what you've got!!! Be proud of yourself and everything you accomplished! You all are a great group from what I experienced so far, so thank you for that!!!

[Megan L.]

1 hour ago, Valentin said:

Good morning guys. 

bip, bip, what is this. It is not Rondo.... It was the microwave.... also with his serious bhbhbhbhbhbhbhb sound....

Ring, Ring... and this one... It's the thelephone 

Today I began to hear and recognize souds again 

Megan, be quiet,  You don't be scared with the first impression tomorrow.

Yay Yay Yay!!!!!

This is so great Valentin! Wonderful news   Enjoy your new journey and new sounds!

I will try that and see what I can hear tomorrow. I'm more curious than anything else! And thank you Valentin!

[hadron]

Hi Megan,

Enjoy your activation tomorrow.

For my activation the MED-EL regional audiologist/Clinical Account Manager and her supervisor were in attendance.  I did not request it but it was reassuring they were there and was nice to meet them. Maybe yours will attend.

The audiologist will check the incision site to see if it has healed properly. You did mention you had tender spots, is it still tender and did you discuss this with your surgeon at post op appointment?

The audiologist will do an integrity test of the electrodes and will turn off any questionable ones.

Next the comfort levels and thresholds will be set for each electrode. 

Then the audiologist will activate your processor and ask you if you can hear what they are saying. Hopefully you do. Regardless describe in detail what you are hearing. Ask your mother to speak to you as you are familiar with her voice.

The audiologist will create up to four programs for you to listen with before your next appointment.

Please thank everyone in attendance especially your audiologist and mother whom will be key members of your hearing journey.

 

[Kara of Canada]

Valetin and Megan: another word of wisdom is when you hear a new sound it is important for you to find out what it is. For your brains sake. Others may not be able to tell you what it is. So keep that in mind as you journey into sound!! Enjoy the moments too!! 

[Megan L.]

Hi All!

Yesterday was activation and I think it went well   The audiologist ran a test and then had me listen to a series of beeps. It was so interesting because I don't think I ever heard all those levels of beeps! Then he switched it on and I heard his voice clearly and understood words.  However, I could not hear my mom's voice at all even though she was literally a foot away. I could barely hear myself and when I finally could, there was a ringing attached to the word. Kind of hard to explain but it was almost like I heard the word at the bottom and on top was a ring. I'm guessing its a frequency thing. The tv was terrible - constant ringing and noise - nothing intelligible. Music however was good!!!   Again, did not hear any voices just the music itself.

 

Today is a much different story! I can understand voices - YAY! My voice finally sounds like me and my mom finally sounds like my mom - just with an under the sea sound. There is no longer a ring to the word. The tv doesn't sound like noise anymore but rather people talking. My mom said the little elves were hard at work last night while I was sleeping, haha. I still need to lip read so I can match the word to the sound.

 

So far I've heard the clocks chime and which one (we have multiple and they go off a few minutes apart in different areas of the house), I heard the gas click, click, click before it went on, and I can hear my self clicking about on the keyboard as I write this! Amazing!

 

Kara - I've definitely taken your advice of finding the sound myself. Sometimes the hearing person in the room won't know what it is simply because they are immune to the sound that is new to us.

 

Definitely an exciting time! Looking forward to sharing the journey with yous

[Megan L.]

On 11/10/2016 at 5:13 PM, hadron said:

Hi Megan,

Enjoy your activation tomorrow.

For my activation the MED-EL regional audiologist/Clinical Account Manager and her supervisor were in attendance.  I did not request it but it was reassuring they were there and was nice to meet them. Maybe yours will attend.

The audiologist will check the incision site to see if it has healed properly. You did mention you had tender spots, is it still tender and did you discuss this with your surgeon at post op appointment?

The audiologist will do an integrity test of the electrodes and will turn off any questionable ones.

Next the comfort levels and thresholds will be set for each electrode. 

Then the audiologist will activate your processor and ask you if you can hear what they are saying. Hopefully you do. Regardless describe in detail what you are hearing. Ask your mother to speak to you as you are familiar with her voice.

The audiologist will create up to four programs for you to listen with before your next appointment.

Please thank everyone in attendance especially your audiologist and mother whom will be key members of your hearing journey.

 

Hi Hadron,

Thank you! It went well I think   The post before yours I shared more info about the experience.

The tender spots went away, however I seemed to have gotten a scab somehow. I was chewing gum yesterday and I think maybe the rubbing of the processor might have caused it. Good thing I also got the rondo!

I did hear and understand the audiologist yesterday and he sounded like he sucked in a bunch of helium. I couldn't hear my mom or myself at all until much later in the day and even then there was a ringing sound to it. Today its much better and I can hear my mom and myself  

I always thank people. You can never thank people enough especially the ones that help you or serve your food. I used to work retail and it was such a thankless job and people were very rude and unappreciative. I decided a long time ago not to be like them - thankless, unappreciative, and rude. Plus it doesn't get you any where and its unnecessary to be that way.

Hope you're having a good Saturday! 

[Mary Beth]

Megan,

 

You are off to a fabulous start!  Enjoy the ride.  Things will tune themselves in better.  It just takes some time.