Six months with Number 2 [with results]

OK
Now it's six months since number two was implanted and coming up to two years for number one.
Maybe I should give them names but they can't be names which means this one is better than that one, must be equal.

Switch-on #2

Well it's taken me seven years to get it together but here is the movie, as put together, for the switch-on from March 2010. My second implant.

Latest results just in

Now, today [9 December] I had the latest in my run of tests of this cochlear implant [still on number one, right ear] and my hearing experience with it.

The tests were as prescribed in CUNY sentences [Central University of New York]
in quiet and noisy situations

Results

quiet sentences 65dB SPL	100%
with noise +10%SNR	98%
with noise +5%SNR	27%

CNC words [consonant nucleus consonant]
Interesting link [word doc]

words	58%
vowels	84%
consonants	73%
phonemes	77%

Abbreviations

SPL - Sound Pressure Level

SNR - Signal Noise Ratio

Interesting Cochlear document link
Phonemes Wikipedia definition here
Decibels Wikipedia page here


Pretty good results apparently.
The sentences were easy, but context and lack of distraction helped.
Because I did so well with sentences and noise, Monica upped the noise an extra 5% and that was that. I was able to get a word here and then, but...

In the words section my results are about average that someone who has two implants might expect, so that's a pretty good result. However when I have number two maybe my increased capacity won't be as dramatic.

Well we'll just have to see.

3 month tune-up

Today it was time for the three month tune-up.
More personalisation of the settings [there are four modes plus telecoil only], refining the settings I do have to suit my hearing experience.

I also underwent the Speech Recognition test in the soundproof booth.
It consisted of four tests
Individual words
Sentences
Sentences with noise overlay [in which a recorded voice speaks sentences with a raucous noise playing at the same time]

I found that letters such as F and S, M and N, and D and T were the trouble areas but I think that is to be expected. Overall results were good with 60% above average in the 'individual words' test.

Next scheduled tune-up is May 2009.

Tune-up #4

So I have had re-mapping [I call them tune-ups] number 4 on the 8th January. The settings I have settled onto are now arranged thusly

Setting	Purpose	Note
1	General Purpose	This is the setting that is on when I turn on the device. I use it for general day-to-day listening.
2	General + Telecoil	This is the same as #1 telecoil is on as well. This allows me to hear something on the phone but also in the nearby environment. So I can speak to someone on the phone and someone nearby too.
3	TV	This is meant for watching television with but I find TV noisy and annoying. I prefer subtitles/captions I think.
4	Noisy	This one is for noisy situations. However the situations I find myself in are SO noisy I asked Monica to turn it down. It's not an antidote for aeroplanes and traffic
Telecoil	Phone	This setting is for standard [not mobiles or cordless] and at the movies. Theoretically it's able to be used at banks and other counters where the coil is in use but I ain't found none.

Third tune-up Wednesday

Back to Gladesville SCIC I had the third tune-up yesterday.
More of the same, twiddling with knobs and sparks flying out the back of the computer. Monica set more settings and the hearing is a bit clearer if that's possible.
I also tried out a few gadgets. I don't know what's wrong with my phone - whenever I try a new bluetooth device the humming is unbearable!
We shall plug-on until a good combination is found...

Tune-up, the second

Well after three days using the setting from the first tune-up, the second tune-up came around and off we went again.

As I write this it is clearer - I can hear someone in the other room and it isn't tinnitus!!

Amazing.

Now I'm looking into health insurance so that I can get a second implant to re-activate hearing in the left ear. It's been out of action for over a year, so require a bit more training than the right one. But if the results are as good, or even not as good as the right one, I kind of have to do it.

Imagine what it's like in a mono world - sometimes I cant hear from which direction sound is coming. I can hear it but look the other way.

Sometimes it's like there's a wall running along the middle of me head - I can hear stuff on the right but everything on the left is muffled/blank.

So we start along the path to number two...

A remarkable result!

Today, Friday 21 Nov was the first tune-up session for the implant.

Following on from 'Switch-on' settings were tweaked and settings were set. The diagram on the computer showed that even in the last week my ear has accepted and adopted the implant and is improving.

The Audiologist later asked me to repeat a set of phrases, which apparently is a test for 4 or 5 weeks after 'Switch-on'. I was able to repeat the phrases word-perfect in all but a few cases.
A remarkable result!

Later in the day, after more practice, I found the hearing different. It is more trebley. TV is very noisy. I was able to speak on the phone. It's still fuzzy but I'm able to discern what my father said. No mean feat!