From when I was a boy until about 15 years ago my hearing were not something I thought a lot about in daily situations. I had a hearing problem, yes, but despite my relatively severe hearing loss I heard clearly, did I also hear wise excellent. It was actually only in larger corporations – when many talk together, that it might be hard to follow the conversation. Moreover, a well known problem especially for the hearing impaired.
However, for some 15 years ago I began periodically to get a “plug in the ear” as when one is very cold, which made it much harder to hear. Around the same time, and perhaps as a consequence of this was a change that meant that my speech discrimination went from being pretty good, hearing loss into consideration and to be part worse.
In the beginning, these “plug in the ear” periods were rather briefly – maybe a week, and 1 or 2 times a year, and then I could hear normally again (as I used to hear). But over time, these periods become longer and longer, and is much harder to get rid of again. Nowadays we’re talking several months.
I have been around visiting doctors during recent years, unfortunately without finding the problem. So with a hearing that in recent years has gradually given me growing problems, and during these periods makes me only with the greatest difficulty hear what people say, I’ve naturally got a bit of focus on my own hearing.
Therefore I now have come to the realization that something must be done, because I hardly believe it will continue to go well in this way. I feel increasingly isolated, when I can not, or find it very hard to follow and participate conversations. I have always been happy to listen to music, so when it is hard to listen to this too during these periods because it sounds distorted and wrong, it can quickly turn into a slightly depressing lonely life.
Therefore, I became interested in Cochlear Implant (CI), which is a solution to be operated into the hearing snail.
I have previously heard of CI on a few occasions, including by the aforementioned doctor visits, where they had said something like “you have to have CI”. But I have rejected this until now for several reasons. For long time it has been such that I thought I generally heard and did too well to have CI, especially when compared with the knowledge I had to CI as something that would give an extremely simplistic sound experience. So I was sure it would be a huge step back in relation to the use of hearing aids.
Until a few years ago I had only read very little about CI, and got the impression that you could only hear 12 tones and that far from would sound like with hearing aids. But as you know, the technology goes fast forward all the time, so the equipment is getting better and better. I have now read several rich user experiences from people who have been able to hear before CI – either generally or with hearing aids. It has helped to give me a much stronger impression of CI as something that now is useful to give a good sound experience – different admittedly, but at least on par with what I know from hearing aid.
Many recounts that they experience a significantly better discrimination. I have read on the net examples of people who have been able to listen to audio books in foreign languages or people who have got a discernment that is above a normal hearing. It sounds like a dream scenario for me, although I will allow myself to be skeptical about the last statement.
To get a CI is not just a simple thing. First of all it must be clarified whether it will actually be an advantage for me to get CI. With the previous statements in mind, I expect, however, the expertise to think that it will be good for me.
In addition, it should also be clarified whether I physically could get a CI surgery. I have decided that I will have a CI on my deaf right ear because I will be able to hear with both ears, which in turn should give a better discernment. So it’s clear that I’m very excited about if its possible at all – that the defect in the right ear is of a kind that it is not possible to get sound with a CI.
But in addition it is also quite important to relate to CI on a personal level. The CI will be much more visible device compared to a conventional hearing aid. But then you gotta actually make up your mind what is the worst: to hear bad or that people might stare uninhibited. Of course it is clearly preferable to be able to hear what is being said.
Although I do not consider myself to be particularly vain, I do have nevertheless difficult to flaunt the large (I think) thing on the back of the head. Therefore, I have now taken another decision that I now have to be long-haired! Now the hair is allowed to grow, and then we will see what it ends up like. I can always change my mind about the visible thing on the back of the head later …
One last, but absolutely essential thing to be clarified with before CI surgery, is the very long recreational training that follows afterwards. I read people’s experiences like that for months will be even more difficult to hear and understand what people say. It is also a period where all sounds must be relearned, before being able to perceive sounds in the same way as before.
So all in all a huge decision for a long and demanding process – but now the decision has been taken …
… A decision to initiate the process to determine if I can get CI, and are eligible for surgery.