Three month review!

It's actually a bit more than three months but I've been fiddling around with the setting of my 'maps' so my three month post switch on testing has been somewhat delayed to allow for me to get used to my new maps.

Setting up a 'map'

Setting up a 'map' is basically a way of working out how changes in current levels changes the threshold of a sound. An electrical signal is delivered to each electrode (there are 22 in my implant) at a particular current level. Just like a hearing test you have to work out the quietest level that you can detect the sound (known as the T-level) and then a level which is loud but comfortable (known as the C-level). As you get used to listening to the implant these points change and the aim is for you to be able to hear a range of sounds from quiet through to loud. Over time my 'dynamic range' - the difference between the 'T's and C's' has increased which has led to sounds becoming clearer and a reduction in some of the 'beepiness'. Here's some more information about this if you want to read more

http://cochlearimplantonline.com/site/mapping-a-cochlear-implant/

How is it sounding?

I wish I could say it sounds wonderful! For many people on their cochlear implant journey they love the sound of their implant at three months. I think there's a fair few that still have some way to go though and I'm one of them. For me, the clarity of speech is improving slowly but I still have a beeping sound over the top of speech which makes it hard to hear clearly with the implant. It's not like how it was when I started listening with the implant but it's not yet what I hoped it would sound like.

It's very difficult to know whether my experiences are to do with the 'map' of the implant not quite being optimum or just due to my brain not quite learning what to do with all the new sounds I'm hearing. I suspect it's probably a bit of both. At the moment I don't know how good the implant will get and how realistic my expectations are. Prior to having surgery, implant centres are keen to ensure that patients have 'realistic' expections. Problem is - no-one really knows what a realistic expectation is. It's very difficult to predict, even now, what point I will get to with the implant. My hope is that there will be a point when I will be a confident listener with the implant alone but there's no way for me to know if that will happen!

Is everything else back to normal?

In the early stages of the switch-on and following the surgery I had loud tinnitus in my left ear. I'm pleased to say that this has now largely disappeared. There are times it seems to reappear - if I'm very tired or when I immediately take my implant off but on the whole it's mostly gone. My balance is pretty much back to my pre-implant state - so a little dodgy but no dizziness any more.