It’s interesting how “wow” moments just occur at random. When I’ve watched video clips for example, I’ll catch something that I haven’t before.
I’m blessed that this device has been extremely successful in all of the major ways – the auditory nerve is able to process all the new sensations sent to it and respond with sound, I am able to hear all the frequencies, I am successfully working on my comprehension skills to adjust to hearing these new frequencies with the device (it’s a continuing process that lasts forever really). I also have developed excellent visual compensation tools to use in conjunction with auditory tools to lead me through life. There will always be a benefit to using combined visual and auditory communication – seeing someone’s face and hearing them speak, but the auditory will be so much better now. Also, I’ve so far retained residual hearing so I can continue to amplify my low frequencies rather than depend on new signals from the device to compensate. This is the hopeful outcome of the new hybrid set up.
Right now, the biggest struggle is not what you would think, the adjustment to hearing and the aforementioned, but it’s with the component of the device that amplifies the lower frequencies like a hearing aid does. The acoustic component is still uncomfortable and I have tried 12 different ear pieces in the process to find a comfortable fit. Hopefully, the company will release one that is more comfortable soon. But it’s ridiculous that this continues to be the most tiring part of the process as it’s one that hearing aid companies solved years ago.
In the past, comfortable earmolds for hearing aids were a given. Any issues were a minor fix. With my new hybrid CI, I find myself having to wait months for comfort.
I also now find myself inching closer to coming home to my normal environment, which will be new because of this device. “How will I function?” I often ask myself. I will need to give myself ample time to adjust which leads to a need for continued patience.
