Storms and practice ...

Thursday 5^th December.

What a morning!! Pause for a second while I marvel at how tuneful the keyboard is whilst I am typing. The keys don’t all sound the same, they make slightly different pitches!!

So I got up at 7am again to head back to Kilmarnock to stay for the rest of today and tomorrow morning before the flight home Friday afternoon.

First indication of problems were the torrential rain and the bits of buildings (signs, loose bits) lying in the roads!! Got to the station and lots of trains were cancelled. The sign said there were gusts of up to 95 mph so many trains are cancelled. Kilmarnock at 8.12 was one of the few still running. So we wait, and the platform is announced. Go through and stand waiting as the train pulls in. The people on it start streaming out, and then all of a sudden the other people waiting to get on the train start leaving as well!! I hate it when that happens as I have no idea why! I follow everyone else and catch a train staff member – it turns out the station is being evacuated as the wind has broken some of the glass panes in the roof all over the station!

So we are herded out and I managed to snag a spot in the doorway instead of the rain. They think 15 minutes delay so I wait. Then a man says something else and a few people leave so I go to find out. They are advising people to find alternative methods of travel – arrgggh!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I headed to the bus station, only to find the buses were suspended! I ended up in a taxi - £50!! I arrived at 12pm – appointment was 9.30! Went straight to CI clinic to explain why I wasn't there and Arlene saw me anyway – how fab is that!

We just chatted today. She didn't want to change the electrodes today as it would be done again tomorrow, and it was done yesterday which is more than they normally do! I told her a bit about how things had been and she was more than happy. She gave me some more rehab material as Susan had asked her to give it me – it’s more kid friendly and fun so that the kids will enjoy doing the rehab with me which is good. I’ve not looked through it yet, but will do when I have finished this.

I asked about whether it was worth trying the “p” program as well, as I know some people much prefer one over the other and she will speak to Jo and maybe give me that to try tomorrow. 

I’ve just checked on the angel sounds and I can now hear ALL the tone notes, I can also hear all 16 pitches in the CI calibrator!!

I did some of the speech discrimination thumb prints at Level 3 (Same syllable number different consonant / vowel number) and got 100% at warm up, 29/30 on level 3.02. Level 3.03 had no sound so I skipped it(!) and then got 100% at level 3.04 (advanced) and 27/30 right at level 3.04 (expert) so I am more than happy with that!

I discovered that I can hear it fine without the headphones, just into the room – and at volume of 50% - that is mindboggling. With 2 hearing aids my computer is quiet at 100% volume – I could not do any of the listening exercises with hearing aids without headphones / t-link hookup!!!

I guess its true when they say you don't need as much volume with a CI!!

Anyway, it’s now 3pm and I am going to switch off and have a nap for a little bit. I am hear on my own so I will do more listening practice later, but I think I need to rest for a bit first as I am tired after all the morning’s trauma’s!!

So 10pm.  When I had a nap I decided to put the ipod on on speaker next to me so I could listen while I napped – figuring the brain will make sense anyway. I turned it down a bit and was surprised to find that I recognised songs, and not only that, I seemed to be hearing the music quietly like it used to sound underneath the louder sometimes robotic, sometimes normalish, sometimes warbly singing or certain instruments. I thought perhaps it was my brain infilling and thinking it rather than actually hearing, but after taking off the implant and it stopped a couple of times I figure it is my brain. It’s weird cos it’s quite quiet, and sort of just there.  I am so freaking impressed at what my brain can do  I tell you!!

I listened to music for a while; some songs don’t work – beautiful south and Gloria Estefan – nope. But then I switched off and napped properly for an hour – don’t want to overdo it!!

Woke up and had a cuppa and watched an episode of CSI and a bit of the news – but the telly was quite hard to hear voices with. Went and did a chapter of my audio book – much better, could even lose my place and find it again a few times – though I couldn't understand anything without reading it was easier than when I did it on Tuesday.

Did some more listening to music whilst reading, watched some more CSI – getting better all the time. Discovered I can hear the kettle switch off from the corridor – how amazing is that?? With two hearing aids I stood holding the kettle to feel it click off and now I can hear the click from the corridor?!!

Did some more Thumbprints – this was same initial consonant different vowel and that was much  harder .I  got around 50% right on the two warm up levels.  I also discovered that “OOOOOOO” was much quieter in volume than the other sounds. Most often got “AY” right but the rest were all mixed up.

Went back to Angel sounds for vowel detection. Got around 68% on levels 2 and 3 step 1 and I need 80%to move on – this is a really tricky bit for me right now.

Went back to the CI calibrator to check a theory and sure enough, am now detecting only 15 sounds, and some of them are way quieter than others – which suggested some of the electrodes need boosting. Good job I have a remap tomorrow!

I suspect I might end up frustrated over the next two weeks when I go home and have to wait for tune up’s the speed my brain is working! Hopefully they will give me some higher volume on subsequent programs so I can boost it in between appointments.