GET AN EARFUL
Going BILATERAL
March 3rd 2021, two years after my first implant.
Once again I was able to understand speech from switch on. In fact I was able to understand speech very well.
The experience was very different from the first time. The voices sounded gravelly (coarse) especially female voices. The sound was also higher pitched.
Had problems with loud high pitched sounds, could actually feel pressure in my head.
During the third mapping the top electrode was switched off, I was unable to hear any note just a feeling of pressure.
After the mapping session the feeling of pressure went away.
I could follow the TV with the mini-mic and listen to audio books with left ear only.
With two ears working , it was amazing any distortion from the left ear was unnoticeable .
Music with the left ear was good and with both ears and headphones was really good. Still have problems with singing voices and large orchestral pieces. Light orchestral is really good.
One Year since the activation of my second implant.
During the mapping session the top electrode was responding and switched on.
I now have 3 programs I can choose from.
1. The normal Scan program.
2. A music program with noise suppression. When I listen to the PC it cuts out the sound of the fan. There are lots of other situations that benefit.
3. A music program with maximum possible dynamic range and no filters. It works extremely well with my headphones.
For Rehab I listen to audio books and podcasts. Still need the mini mic for TV dramas.
The decision to go bilateral was the best thing ever , it is so much better than monaural.
November 2022, one and a half years since left ear activation.
The strange pressure I found with loud sounds was caused by the top electrode (highest frequency) so it was switched off permanently.
Still improvements happening. Following TV better, my voice sounds louder and slightly lower in pitch.
Listening to lots of music and encountering lots of interesting things.
It's got to the stage where I can start to list things that don't sound right.
My nylon strung guitar still sounds bad. Large orchestral passages sound squelchy. Vocals vary , some artists sound quite good and others as soon as they increase their volume start to distort and sound gravelly.
I recently aquired an old Iphone 6 and listening with streaming in stereo is great , another notch better than my headphones.
I'm now able to say that I can spend hours listening to music and really enjoy it.
I'm still expecting to carry on improving, very day is a joy to be able to hear so many sounds.
March 2023
Went for new yearly mapping. Audiologist said I wasn't doing enough listening and recommended I make an effort to listen to more on-line audio.
Re assessed my rating of music on bluetooth, it's definitely better on headphones the disadvantage is external noise and other people can also hear the music which may be annoying.. The advantage of bluetooth is that you can eliminate the microphone and it is completely silent for others.
Still hearing improvements with different instruments, but still have difficulty with voices, and my guitar.