The Rainbow of Sounds

What sound is this?

2009-01-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

My cochlear device is working much better than the first two days. Today is my seventh day since the switch on ..

With the cochlear device:
1- I can hear sounds from far away, whether my room's door is opened or closed.
2- I can hear our own bird whistling! Even if my room's door is closed!
3- If the television is switched on, with a low volume, I can hear some sounds.
4- I can hear my breathe clearer than before.
5- I can hear sounds of people from outside our house!

But still, I can't understand the sounds .. but it is getting clearer than the first day!

What annoys me is the "BEEP SOUND"! I don't know when it will end .. Does anyone knows?

I'll write soon :)

My Switch On Day!

2009-01-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hey!

lol I hear very strange sounds :p!

Let me tell you from the beginning of my switch on till now! .. At 9 o'clock in the morning I had a meeting with the programmers. When the device has turned on I said "THANKS GOD! MY COCHLEAR IMPLANT IS WORKING WELL!" .. I heard very strange sounds, my father's voice or men generally was like women lol ;p I laughed and said "Why do I hear like that? even my voice is funny!" :D I wasn't completely shocked because I had expected that I will hear sounds in different way, different than my hearing aids. COMPLETELY different than my hearing aids! I am really bothered by these voices. But by the time, it will work better and my brain will recognize more sounds.

Now I use both my hearing aid and the cochlear implant device. They told me that some said it is better to wear hearing aids so that you can know voices and some said that it is better to wear only the cochlear implant device so that you will depend on it more. Anyway, I wear my hearing aid because I feel it is better to wear it.

I can hear sounds, but I can't understand them. I have realized that when I text messages from my mobile I can hear the "tick tick" sounds more than with hearing aids!

It is really annoying me! But I should be patience and wait for my next switch on which will be after one month! Too long!

I'm Back!

2008-12-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

I was busy for all these days, I needed to catch up my college works.

My switch on date was delayed to 6\1\2008 .. Which is 6 days left :)

Dizziness and tinnitus completely went away, and there is no more pain! Also the scar has gone, and my new hair appeared ;p ..

I am still waiting for MY SWITCH ON!!

OH SIX DAYZ LEFT! MY HEART IS BEATING! ......

16 Days Left ..

2008-12-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

My switch on day will be on Tuesday 23-12-2008! 16 days left!

Everything is going well .. except the dizziness! Yesterday I was going to fall but I held a table in front of me! It is normal .. dizziness will slowly disappear, and will completely disappear after I put on my external device. Now I wear my hearing aid in my left ear .. I can hear well with one ear!

I AM WAITING FOR MY SWITH ON DAY!!!

I hope that everything will go well on that day ... I really want to hear new sounds like birds, cats, the wind, the rain when I am inside home, and a lot more!

"What is a Cochlear Implant?"

2008-12-05T02:30:00.000-08:00

I will write some information and put some links about "cochlear implant" for those who don't know what is it.

What is a cochlear implant?
A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin (see figure).

How does a cochlear implant work?
A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. However, it allows many people to recognize warning signals, understand other sounds in the environment, and enjoy a conversation in person or by telephone.

You can see more information at:

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp

and check this one:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/otolaryngology/patient_cochlear.cfm

TECHNONLOGY IS AMAZING! :D

Flowers Everywhere!

2008-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

In our living room, there are a lot of flowers for me from family and friends. It became a small cute garden. The pain is slowly decreasing. Sometimes I lose my balance that is because of the cochlear implant, it is normal. I was happy because I wanted to stay between my family.. hospital makes me sick! It makes even a normal person to feel sick! I missed my bedroom, my teddy bears, my desk, and my mirror lol :p ..

I had a lunch with my family .. I MISSED MY MOM'S FOOD! She is a great cooker mashalla!

Most of the time I relax on the sofa or bed.

At night visitors come ..

It is very uncomfortable for me to sleep at night .. I should sleep on my left side only .. It hurts because I need to move!

Yesterday I had a doctor appointment to check my ear. Everything is going well .. the doctor removed the tape that was on the scar.

Did you know what he told me?

Be normal!! It means that I CAN HAVE A SHOWER! I CAN PLAY SPORTS! I CAN SLEEP ON MY RIGHT SIDE!! YESS!!

I came back home and was very satisfied. From that day, I acted normally :D ..

24-11-2008-My Surgery Day!

2008-12-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

At 6:00 in the morning the nurse woke me, she gave me injection - antibiotics I think - she shaved my hair near my right ear, and gave me some pills to make me sleep. I was on the bed trying to sleep, I can remember that I was dreaming a very noisy dream! In the operation room the doctor gave me another injection and 1 2 3 I SLEPT! I think they started at 8:00.

The surgery was about 3 and half hours. I woke up at 12:00 with a funny band around my head lol ;p .. I wasn't completely awake, I saw my father and my uncle kissing me, and also my mother but it was very soft kiss because she was afraid to hurt me lool :p ..

I was in the room with my mother she was reading "Quran" and praying for god to remove my pain. After 30 mins my young brother came and gave me a red flower. I cried a little bit because I was sick because of the pain in my ear, head, and stomach. I threw up the whole day and ate nothing. Some visitors came, but I wished them to GO! I needed to relax and sleep ;) ..

The next day 25-11-2008 the doctor removed the band. I felt that the doctor is removing my ear with the bad :p I couldnt move my head well, and I was moving like an old woman! I couldnt sleep well that night .. The next day I went back home ..

One Day Before the Surgery!!

2008-12-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

I didnt tell all of my family and friends that I am going to have cochlear implant. I dont know why I didnt tell them lol ! .. Anyway, the day before the surgery was very long. I had to do many things. I did blood, weight and some other checkups, I had a shower, I packed my bag, I had my lunch with my family, and I went to the hospital to see my room and stay there till the next day, which is the surgery day. My sister stayed with me that night in the hospital and she was studying for her exams. I have received many messages from my friends and family "YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE SURGERY TOMORROW? WHY YOU DIDNT TELL ME??" they never expected that lool :p...

I was on my bed, watching TV and talking with my sister. I wasn't afraid, I didnt have feelings .. I was not myself .. I am a person that doesnt like to see about surgery or talk about it .. my sister went, and I was alone ...

The Days Before the Surgery (2) ...

2008-12-01T04:24:00.001-08:00

Yes, my opinion about cochlear implant begins to change! After I got a lot of ideas about it and its advantages, I told my parents that I want it...

A week after, me and my father went to the hospital and had a meeting with Dr.Amina, and Dr. Yaqoub Al-Qattan. These docotors knew me since I was 4 years old. They are very excellent team. They said that they will call to tell us about the surgery, when it will be, and like that.

Befor two weeks there was a call for my father, they said that I should come tomorrow for some checkups. I did many checkups with and without hearing aids. Every thing was fine except that neither me nor the doctors know which ear I should have cochlear implant! The checkup shows that my right ear is poor but I said that I can hear with it better than my left ear!! The mistake was from my hearing aids. The same day I adjusted my hearing aids and did the checkup again. At last I decided to have cochlear implant in my right ear!

The Days Before the Surgery (1) ...

2008-11-30T13:09:00.001-08:00

In Kuwait, it has been just about one year to accept the cochlear implants. It is very new here. As you know, I wear hearing aids in both ears and I depend about 95% on lipreading. Before two months, me and my father went to Al-Sabah Hospital to check my hearing. Doctors said that it is better to have cochlear implant so I will hear better and without depending on lipreading. I have heard about it before, but I dont know what is it and what does it looks like! The doctors didnt give me much information, they just told me to think about it. I cried. I dont know why! Maybe because it is very strange? I dont know!

When I came back home and searched through the internet about cochlear implant, do you know what happened? I felt bad toward it! I can't believe doctors inserting that thing in my ear! The other thing I can't believe is the external device with its wire! It is very very strange to me and not accpetable!

The next day, my parents asked me for my opinion about cochlear implant. I told them that I dont know, I can hear well with my hearing aids. We talked much about it .. I did more search about cochlear implant. I found a blog for a cochlear implant user Rachel Chaikoff .. I emailed her and she gave me a lot of very helpful information about cochlear implant, she also gave me blogs for people who use that, and are similar to me in the level of hearing. I got a bunch of information about cochlear implant and its external device. Slowly my opinion about cochlear implant begins to change ...

Little About Me =)

2008-11-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Sarah. Im from kuwait, and was born in July 1989. I have a hearing parents. When I was 3 and a half years old, my hearing suddenly was decreasing. My parents didnt realize that until my KG teacher called my parents. She told them that whenever she calls me I dont reply, she thought that I am naughty or something like that. After few weeks, my parents felt that there is something wrong with my ears. They took me to several hospitals, to a hospital in my country, in Saudi Arabia, and in Germany. Finally they knew that I should wear hearing aids forever. Now I study in Kuwait College of Arts, second year... I had my cochlear implant on 24\11\2008, 7 days ago.. I'll tell you my journey with this cochlear implant :)