My first talk - 28th January

I had been asked to attend the User Group at the SOECIC to give out a talk about my own experience. I met another CI called Lesley who also been asked to come along and talk her own journey. She was a lovely person to meet. It was really nice to share our own experiences even though we were a little nervous in front of others who were thinking about having a CI! Nikki the Hearing Therapist who conducted the group, asked us some questions. The audience were a mixture of ages and at the beginning, they looked a bit petrified! I think in the end, they were more relaxed as me and Lesley made them understand better listening to CI users. We received a praise as they clapped for us. We felt even lucky as Nikki said that, the audience in the past user groups have never clapped before so we were the first ones!!

Welcome to 2009!

Here I am writing my first post for 2009. Since I had my monthly tune up, there have been some small improvements with my implant and surprisingly, little noises have crept up on me! I have been told by some people that my speech has improved and that I speak more clearly. I’m still picking up the odd word without looking at their lips. More interestingly I have been able to hear my parents’ pretty well from a distance. The other task I wanted to try was to have a group conversation. I managed to get some of it but I know it just takes time. I was in Birmingham for Christmas and we had a big family dinner. There were some people that I hadn’t met before and I had the chance to understand them when meeting for the first time. Although they had a “brummie” accent and it took a while to understand them in the end.

During the past few weeks, I had been catching up with some friends who have young children. I have never been able to understand what young children are saying unless they talk to me very clearly in front of me! I caught up with my friend Joanne with her two twins, Keira and Jack. The twins adore me so much, crying out for my attention. I really loved seeing them. They have said the odd words and I hope when they get older, I will be able to understand them better. On 19th December I became an Aunty for the second time to Dannan (Danny). He is absolutely beautiful! I’m still practising understanding my other nephew Zac who is only 2. I’m determined to interact more with children and communicate better with them.

What have I heard more so far.....? The fireworks on NYE and I have never heard anything so LOUD!!!! I love hearing birds singing in the mornings... the washing machine alerts when I’m in the next room... supermarket announcement - got some of the words “special offer” and “buy one get one free!” I have listened to my IPod more and I can hear some of the lyrics. One morning I had Rice Krispies for breakfast and I actually heard SNAP, CRACKLE and POP!!!!

The best thing that has happened to me in 2008.... Well I would definitely say having the cochlear implant. It was exactly a year ago I had decided to explore my options of having a CI and I'm really pleased I have made it happen.

As the New Year has arrived, I’m really excited to discover more with my implant and have more practice with conversations. I would like to try my luck using the telephone/mobile and communicate with my family and friends more. I’m hoping to get involved more and help others who are thinking about having a CI.