CI Update

Surprise!

Here I am with a CI update already. I bet you weren't expecting
this so soon. Neither was I.

My local audiologist is really cool. She left the "big times" at
the clinic to go into private CI practice. She works out of her
home and takes her equipment to different locations to see
patients all around the area. She also happens to be a family
friend, which is like icing on the cake.

Anyway, she decided she didn't want me to have to wait a week
before our appointment and had me come in today. It's not often
you can get a CI appointment with less than 24 hours notice.
Being human and flexible is part of what makes this audiologist
so good.

So I went in today for a REAL mapping. We did it the way it
should be done. This involves checking all tones for minimum,
comfort and maximum ranges. It is a long and tedious process.
But it is the only way to properly map a cochlear implant.

At this point, I don't experience much difference between
comfortable, loud and too loud. I seem to go straight from soft
to problem. I was spinning throughout the entire mapping. I
thought I needed a seat belt on my chair. It was like being on a
Tilt-a-Whirl at the amusement park. Yikes!

There was another problem, too. Some of the tones made me dizzy.
Others caused facial tics and twitches. I did NOT like that
sensation at all.

Now I have a map to start out with. It's soft but doesn't cause
any pain, dizziness or tics. That's the key for right now. The
auditory nerve needs to get used to being stimulated and my
brain has to learn how to processing sound on that side
again.

I asked my audiologist if all this was normal for in the
beginning. She said it is. She said I'm actually off to a
great start.

My next appointment is in a week. We will slowly increase volume
and continue to play around with the programs. There's still
lots to hope for from this CI. I know I have to work at it and
I'm willing to do whatever it takes.