Wednesday, December 7th, 2016 was the time to get my CI’s re-adjusted. You continuously re-adjust the CI processors in order to adapt them as I get used to the sound.
Again I went there with my parents, but this time they mostly followed because of the trip itself. We came into the hearing clinic at Odense University Hospital in Odense, where there were two things on the program, in order:
• CI re-adjustment.
• Talk with a hearing therapist about the waterproof Aqua+ equipment.
Re-adjustment of CI processors
After a short waiting time, we went into the same sound adjustment room than the month before. Also the audiologist, who had set my CI processors, was the same again.
We had a brief chat about the past month.
We also talked about my problem with the magnets had difficulty getting stuck on my head.
The audiologist told me that even promised they did not have more powerful magnets ready for me. Partly because they first wanted to see if there was any swelling in my head that had disappeared in the past month. But also because they had to be ordered along with the waterproof Aqua+ equipment, which therefore did not lay ready for me too.
Instead we decided the strength of the new magnets that I would later receive per mail, along with Aqua+ equipment.
With this done, we started the re-adjustment of CI processors.
As last month, we started with my right CI. Left CI was meanwhile turned off.
The procedure was exactly the same as last time, where the first step in setting up is to find out how much power the individual electrodes may have.
The audiologist turned up the volume gradually while I continuously told if the strength should be turned further up. I could now go much further up in strength than the last time. I went up to the edge, where it was at high level, though without being uncomfortable. There was no doubt that NOW I would get sound in my right ear – I ended up at a level that was significantly higher than before!
Another new thing was what I last time heard this as a kind of “plop” sounds, which now sounded more like the sounds I heard in the left ear. However, I still was not completely over the feeling of something new and unfamiliar in the right side of the head. I.e. what felt like a kind of electric tics into the right side of the head, in the area of the cheek and right eye.
When the electrode strength was set, we had to make sure that the different tones were at the same level. This was done by listening to five different tones in succession, and then I should tell how they should be adjusted in relation to each other. The adjustment was repeated until I experienced that the five tones had the same level. When they were aligned, there would be five new tones with a different frequency, which I had to do the same with.
Then the CI processor was switched on as usual. Wow, there was sound now! It was right on the edge to being too vigorously. But I knew that I would soon get used to it, so I did not ask to get volume turned down. On the other hand, I could hear a lot more of what the audiologist and my parents said! The audiologist told me to try to turn left CI on – which at this point was not re-adjusted yet. The overall sound with both ears is louder than with the ears individually, so there was plenty of sound. But I quickly noticed that the difference in volume on the right and left ear was not huge any longer.
But now the left CI processor also had to be re-adjusted. So, the right processor was switched off. Otherwise, the process was the same as described above.
However, it took a little longer at the point where I should listen to five different tones in succession. We went through this adjustment several times at each frequency because I got some difficulties by hearing and decide whether the five tones had the same level or not. I think it was because at one point I confused pitch and volume.
My parents who sat as spectators to this, and could not hear any of these sounds were bored a lot – it took a while to get through this!
When we were finished with the left CI, it was still clear that the right ear is lagging behind – the volume of the left ear can still be adjusted significantly higher than on the right ear. But the difference between the two CI’s is now much less than before.
Thereafter I had four new progressive programs that work as before with 4 levels, containing 10 volume steps each. But right and left CI are now split up, so that can adjust up/down each side separately.
This is something I will use until the next re-adjustment in Odense at February 8th, to increase volume faster on the right CI. It will certainly take longer to reach level, but I hope this way that the right ear can hopefully come to left ear level in volume.
Of course I also told about my annoyance that the CI’s cuts down on noise as told in “The first month with CI-sound” that made it difficult to hear certain sounds and also music without using the audio cable. But the audiologist was not prepared to change this!
I was explained that the volume is still so low on the CI’s that the dampening has a relatively large percentage of this volume. So it should be less noticeable, as I am increasing the CI volume – and thus the dampening will be a smaller percentage of the volume.
Another reason not to change it was because it would incorporate one or more of the 4 possible programs in CI’s.
So I have to wait with this kind of programs until I’m at full power. These programs are options to set CI’s for specific listening situations. I also had this on the last digital hearing aids, containing options like for example music, FM and wire loop programs. Used respectively for listening to music, TV/audio-listening and telephone listening.
When we were finished here, we seated in the hall again while waiting to speak to the hearing therapist.
Talk with Hearing Therapist
Here I was instructed in the use of the waterproof Aqua+ equipment that I will primarily be using for sailing. Actually it is quite simple, since it mainly consists of a silicone case for the CI-processor, and a special waterproof coil/magnet. The hearing therapist told me that I would receive the equipment by mail.
Thus finished here, we could drive home.
The result was that I now hear things clearer. The right ear is now really turned up on the volume. It sounds a little shrill and metallic, but is almost a blast of sound compared to before re-adjustment. So now I can start training right ear in earnest!