One thing I’ve noticed since getting CIs is that I’ve never been as deaf in my life as when I don’t have them on. It isn’t so much the change in my hearing but more the fact that I was never without my hearing aids and never without spare batteries. I even slept with my hearing aids on.
Part of my issue comes from having to develop new habits. I’ve gotten pretty good at changing the rechargeable batteries in the morning and after work. I usually have a spare with me too. But when I travel I switch to the disposables, and somehow 3 days is a hard number to keep track of.
I’d like to have my two CIs on opposite battery schedules so that if one died the other wouldn’t die at the same time. But how would I ever keep track of that??
Sadly my lipreading skills have already started vanishing on me. Luckily I don’t get too worried about being deaf. I can always have someone write things down. Or they can tell me later.
This post was prompted by spending half a day skiing without either CI working because I forgot to put batteries in my pocket and wasn’t about to waste time going back to the room to get them. It was a gorgeous day and being deaf didn’t detract from that at all.
(PS how does one sign with mittens?)
