MUSIC :)

Hello friends and family,

Last week, my hearing aid was not working well and I could not use it. This was the first time since I got implanted that I had to experience hearing unilaterally (one-sided). It was an eye-opening experience because it made me realize how much auditory benefit my hearing aid gave me and that I do not only rely on hearing through the implant. It was a frustrating few days of not hearing on both sides. I became a little crabby and it made me terribly tired because I had to focus harder on listening. So, I was thrilled to get my hearing aid back and have it reprogrammed. It is actually better than before, I do not notice that one side is more dull and quieter. My personal audiologist said it is probably how my brain is functioning and picking up new sounds with the implant that it may influence how I hear with my left ear.

Often I am asked about how the cochlear implant helps me. Initially, I thought that the implant would fix my hearing and bring it to perfect hearing. The implant is like a very powerful hearing aid. I am still a little hard of hearing especially in situations where many people are talking at once and there is a lot of background noise. However, I do hear much better than I ever had. This morning, I caught myself focusing on the words in the songs on the radio. I usually listen to the beat and most of time cannot make out the words. It was kind of a fun experience to catch myself singing along and figuring out the lyrics. One thing I realized was that lyrics are not sung in full sentences and there is a lot of repetition. There was a song that I used to like, but when I figured out the words, I was like "that's kind of cheesy" and really don't care to hear it again, ha.

I hope this finds you well!
K