One month since switch on... I'm feeling good!

I realised yesterday that it's been just over 4 weeks since I've been switched on. I can't believe how slowly time has been going, but I also can't believe how much time has also passed! When I think back to what I was hearing through my processor a month ago and compare it to what I hear now, it's amazing. From "beep, beep, beep" and a bird in my ear to sounds that are becoming increasingly better shaped, if that makes sense! What's even more amazing is that it's my brain doing all the work to change the sounds into what they should sound like - in such a short space of time..

I've been to London today and I was happy to order my train ticket at the station with just my processor, I sat on the train and was really annoyed at having to listen to people's conversations on their mobiles! I can't hear voices clearly but I know they're talking and it's bloody annoying when you've settled down with a good magazine and some nice snacks expecting a quiet journey! I did the same again on the train home and as it was rush hour everyone was tired and so no one was talking - giving me time to enjoy the peace and work out what the occasional noises were. Coughs are becoming clearer, they've been a sharp noise up until now but when I hear it, I know it's a cough, not something that makes me jump out of my seat anymore! The only thing I do struggle with (which is a common problem with implantees and hearing people anyway) is multiple voices in the same room, I can't pick out who's who or focus on one particular voice. My mum tells me this will get easier as I get more used to listening with it and I can hear more sounds.

Time for a funny story.. yesterday mum and I were talking about the credit crunch and she mentioned JCB knickers operators have taken a 50% pay cut to avoid redundancy. However, when she said knickers I realised, "that doesn't sound right, knickers taking a pay cut?" So I said "knickers?" and she replied "no, diggers!". It gave us quite a giggle and I was very pleased I had something silly that I'd misheard that I could put on here! My mum's voice is also starting to sound more like I remembering it sounding. I've already mentioned people are sounding weird, almost mechanical and that I couldn't hear feeling in their voices. Well, I think that is changing.. I can hear which words people are emphasising and accents are beginning to come through. I'm trying to find time to practice with my audiobooks that the Emmeline Centre have given me because I know that this will help with my speech recognition. The man reading the story is so slow though that I get bored with it easily so I'm just doing a chapter at a time - the book is: Three men in a boat.

As you can probably tell, I'm having a positive day and I can't wait for my next tune up on Thursday afternoon. Perserverance is a real key with an implant and just when I'm feeling down about the whole thing my bionic ear gives me a new sound or I realise I can hear a sound in better quality since switch on. I wouldn't go as far to say I love it yet, because I'm still enjoying using my other HA (naughty me) and I like it when I have both on because my processor gives me the higher sounds and my hearing aid gives me the lower sounds and everyone/everything sounds human! I'm also pleased to say that kissing Anthony is a much nicer sound to listen to. It sounds like a kiss instead of a beep or whistle and I can hear all of it clearly. Let's see what my physicist does on Thursday and we'll see how the sound changes even more...