Comments on: Activation Appointment – May 4, 2009

By: Ronda Roush

Ronda Roush — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:12:55 +0000

Sara, this blog has been so inspiring and helpful. I too am a musician, a professional pianist. I am still able to do my job, I use a headset and my own cool little monitor which I can tune everyone out except what I need. The hardest part of being a hearing impaired musician is hearing directions or verbal changes etc. Or having people call me to tell me rehearsal changes instead of emailing or texting! I will be having the hybrid CI surgery this next week. I have waited for 10 years for it to be invented and ready for me to be part of the study, so this is exciting, but your blog helps me to realize I probably won’t go wafting off on an auditory cloud of perfection. But I will be glad for any help I can get, just nervous about how music will sound and other things. Thanks for being willing to share what you have learned. Thanks, Ronda

By: Adam Fitzgerald

Adam Fitzgerald — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:41:20 +0000

I am scheduled for my CI surgery on June 2nd 2011. I will be getting a Med-El implant as well. I have some questions for you as far as your experiences with the opus 2. My email is adamfitzgerald@seacoast.org. if you have time, I would love to ask a few questions.

Adam

By: speakuplibrarian

speakuplibrarian — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:34:22 +0000

Thank you for sharing what the first sounds sound like. I would think the beeping would be a bit disconcerting. You are doing great. Thanks again for sharing your recovery and progress. Take care, Sarah speakuplibrarian’s last blog post: Is Surgery Worth the Risk?

By: Nabeel

Nabeel — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:05:54 +0000

Wow, so soon! I'm nowhere near ready to get activated anytime soon, the swelling still needs to go down. Anyway, I heard from other people who got implanted that everything sounds high pitched and beeping, and then after a while, it sounds more natural. Nabeel’s last blog post: Day 6 is a charm

By: Meredith

Meredith — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:00:04 +0000

May I recommend the new X-Men movie? It was pretty good. Only if you like X-Men, of course.

I demand pictures of your new head! And you MUST let me know when you are coming back up here, I want to sit down and have a chat with you about everything! You didn’t get the hybrid, I know that, but I still want to ask you things.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:05:40 +0000

Did it end up coherent? I didn’t proofread

I am surprised at how melodic everything sounds. I expected more mechanical sounds, more harsh sounds. Everything sounds like a pure synthesizer tone – or a bunch of them being pressed together randomly.

Right now I’m surprised that music is easier to listen to than speech. It sounds totally bizarre but if it’s a song I have memorized (there are many of course) I can follow along with the words easily.

Mostly at this point it’s hard to fathom that this will be normal soon… but I can tell it’s changing already – more chipmunks and less robots seems to be the trend.

Not disappointed, but entirely overwhelmed. Don said that my own voice sounds ‘more deaf’ which I guess shows how little of my own voice I am hearing. He also said that I sounded like I do when I’m about to cry – and I’ve been crying since, so I guess that’s accurate.

Going to need a break soon… or maybe a movie that doesn’t make me cry anyway.

By: Mog

Mog — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:57:53 +0000

I have been so looking forward to reading your account of the activation, so thanks for posting so coherently. It is exciting though, first steps and all that. Do you feel disappointed in anyway, is it what you expected?? Mog’s last blog post: and now for something completely cheerful