CD's Ear Blog

No Neptune swim

2013-06-09T20:32:00.001-06:00

Headed off for my trip and made it to Yankton, SD with my grandparents and aunt on Thursday evening. Granda, Aunt B and I decided to go down to the pool at the hotel, so I took myAB travel case out of my pack pack so I would waterproof the Neptune. The battery had just died too so I was needing a fresh battery. I searched through the entire case and realized jaws missing something... An important piece that makes the Neptune waterproof after removing the Control.... A cover cap! Oh no! How didi manage that?! I was so looking forward to experiencing the sounds of the pool with the Neptune. I'm fairly certain it's still in the Neptune case that I left at home.

I ended up deciding I wanted to bring both processors for the trip, so I redid the packing of my implant processors. I packed the Harmony in the Harmony dry case and put that into the AB travel case. I stored 7 or 8 extra AAA in the Little Things wallet thingy, and that went in the travel case. The AquaMic and spare UHP was packed into the travel case. But somehow, I forgot to take the waterproof cover out of Neptune case, so that got left behind. Dang!

I had considered calling AB to see if they would overnight a cover cap for me. Ha ha. I didn't. I'll just have to take my nephew swimming when I get back home and give the Neptune a try then. The quest for swimming with the Neptune has been delayed.

Getting ready for vacation

2013-05-29T14:48:00.000-06:00

Next week I will be heading out for a short vacation to another state, which should be fun! I have a cousin that is getting married, so that is where I am headed. The hotel has a pool, which has me excited. Hopefully I'll have some free time so I can take the Neptune processor for a swim. I have really been wanting to try the Neptune in a pool setting, but haven't had the opportunity to do so. So hopefully I'll get the chance next week. I haven't gone swimming in such a long time. I basically have quit swimming because I hated having to take my hearing aid off and not being able to hear what's going on. Last time I swam, I think it was when I did the brief swim test in high school, and haven't been in a pool since then. That's a long time. But now that I have the Neptune, I really ought to start going to the Aquatic Center or the Y and go for a swim. My mom has been checking into taking swim lessons and I'd like to take them with her. Having the Neptune would definitely be very useful and helpful during the lessons.

Am also debating on whether I should just take the Neptune, or both processors? Seems to make more sense to just bring the Neptune, as I'll also be bringing my FM with me so I can listen to music during the trip, and that sort of thing. Bringing both processors, I'd have to bring both cases, both sets of batteries, etc., I think I would just go crazy trying to keep track of everything! Yeah, think I may just do the Neptune alone, and make sure to pack plenty of AAA batteries.

I also have a new earmold in the make as well. Finally saw my hearing aid audie last week to get the earmold impression made. I have requested a red cat-eye design for it, so we'll see how it turns out when Westone sends it back to the audie's office. I probably won't get the earmold before I head out, which would be a bummer, but that's ok. At least I'll have a new earmold at some point!

Got the CI tweaked!

2013-05-06T18:52:00.001-06:00

Had my MAPping appointment today, and it went well! Audie did the same test with my CI that she did when I was still in the OR, testing the nerve response. She said each response looked beautiful and was very happy with it. Then we got to making new MAPs. P1 is the old program (60 IDR, HiRes-P), P2 is the new one (70 IDR, HiRes-P), and P3 is 70 IDR, HiRes-S. This way I can experiment between HiRes P and S and see which one I like, and see how I tolerate the IDR 70. So far I'm tolerating it, and have switched between P2 and P3 just for experiment's sake. Tomorrow night's ASL Silent Dinner at On The Border should be a good place for me to experiment with the different programs, as well as the bowling alley this coming Saturday for deaf social and so on. I didn't need more volume; been using the same volume level since October basically. So now we can focus on trying different things, see which programming works best, that sort of thing. She brought up all of the frequency levels a bit, and the very last one was brought up quite a bit as I was able to tolerate better today.

My very good friend, who's been my interpreter for me in school from K-12, came as well. She wanted to ask the audie a few questions, and I didn't mind her tagging along. She was curious about the different programming strategies and that sort of thing too.

I can definitely say this.. P2 with HiRes-P, is loud. P3 with HiRes-S is quieter, and audie brought up the volume levels for P3 too. Thinking maybe she could have brought up the volume some more for P3, but that's ok. That's what the volume dial is for. Just have to remember to turn it down before switching back to P2! Now let's make sure I'm not getting P1 and P3 mixed up on the Neptune... I always forget which slot is P1 and which is P3. P2 is obvious, as it's in the middle. But the other 2, I get them mixed up. Will have to look in the Neptune instructions book to make sure I have it right.

Also, last Friday was WYHI Day. I went, and had a great time! Usually WYHI is for deaf/hoh students in grades K-12, even preschoolers. But plenty of adults still like to come too. I really enjoyed myself, chatting with different people. There was one person who came up to me and another interpreter (we were chatting, and she was asking if I knew who that person was and I said no), and I got t looking at him... Well, his face certainly is familiar, but his hair wasn't! He was one of the coaches for the Wyoming team for the Deaf Academic Bowl in 2003 and 2004, and he was completely bald then. I almost didn't recognize him with his hair. But it was great chatting with him for a bit! And my former school for the deaf teacher has told me to get to planning a reunion for our group from the deaf school days. I've already been texting with one friend, asking if she'd help me plan it and recruit everyone. I'm pretty excited with the reunion idea, and sure hope I hear back from everyone I've sent messages to. So far I've only heard from one classmate. Hopefully the others will chime in soon enough. The friend that's helping, she'll contact her sister and brother, and another classmate, since they're all in Colorado, and will text yet another since I'm not sure how often he gets on facebook. It would be fun if we all could get together.

New sounds, auditory rehab

2013-04-27T20:24:00.002-06:00

There was a deaf ice cream social at the Dairy Queen today that I went to. It was fun, just hanging out, socializing a bit and just watching everyone socialize.

I picked up on a couple of new sounds. I heard the 1 year old girl smacking her lips as she ate her ice cream cone. I was a few chairs away from her and her mom, but I could hear her little lips smacking. And I only had the implant on, the hearing aid was off. I also teased a deaf friend a bit for being noisy.. He was just playing with the empty aluminum can he had. I kept hearing this sound, and it took me a few minutes of looking around until I realized it was just him crinkling the can.

Seems like I've been using the hearing aid much less than usual these days. Just focusing on listening with the implant and trying to make sense of what I'm hearing. I spent about half an hour using the Able rehab app on my iPad last night, just listening and doing my best to tap on the word I think is being said. As I get further along on the first level, it gets more trickier. Tike and dike, took and cook, key and tea.... the words that sound extremely similar are still tricky for me to get. But I'm still working at it. I also played around a bit with a piano app I have on the iPad, just to see if I could hear the difference between the keys right next to each other. I can't hear the difference between 2 keys right next to each other, but if I play 1 key, then aother that's further away from the first I can hear that difference. I think I can hear the slight difference with the implant though, but it's hard to tell.

I haven't done much with any auditory rehab tools lately. With school in the mornings, and work in the afternoons, by the time I get home I have dinner, do some homework, and then I'm just tired and want to take it easy. But I do try to watch TV with just the implant alone (unless a new episode is on, then I'm more likely to have the hearing aid on too).

Just got a statement from Medicare today, for the Prevnar 13 vaccine that I got in March.... $300?! Whew. Glad Medicare covered it.

New Listening app from AB!

2013-04-07T22:30:00.001-06:00

Advanced Bioncs now has a listening rehab app which can be downloaded for free from the App store iPads. Do search in the app store for 'Advanced Bionics' or 'able' and it should come up. I've only tried 1 level so far, but so far I'm liking it. It's similar to the Clix tool from AB's Listening Room. Download the app and add it to your auditory rehab toolbox!

Updated 4-8-13: Here's the link for the able app from iTunes.

Trying FM on Neptune again

2013-03-28T12:50:00.002-06:00

After a few more attempts of trying to get the Phonak FM system to work with my Neptune with no results, and after a few emails back and forth with an AB regional specialist, he called AB and asked them to send me a new Neptune Connect, in hopes that would solve my FM problem. Yesterday when I got home, there was a FedEx package waiting for me under my welcome mat. Yay new Neptune Connect is here! I dropped everything else I had with me onto my chair, then got the Neptune from the book case where I keep all my CI stuff on and got to work. Took the original Connect off, put the new one on, plugged the MLxi FM receiver into the FM port on the Neptune connect, turned everything on and voila! FM was working great. Something must have gotten loose or something like that in the original Connect. Hopefully I don't encounter this problem again. I remember the first time I tried using the FM set up on my Neptune, months before I even got the new transmitter, and had no problems with getting the FM to work. Worked great right off the bat but then a few months later (after getting the new Phonak transmitter), lots of trouble. Hmmm... The original Neptune Connect is being mailed back to AB today.

Was going to play with the FM today with my iPod... This morning, the iPod still had enough battery power that it should have lasted while I worked. Tried turning the iPod on a few minutes ago, and nada. Oh great. It's charging now, but I can't play with it while it's charging, since it's an older iPod. Wish my iPod Touch's audio port wasn't broken, it didn't matter if it was charging or not, it would still be playable. Ah maybe I should just load some music to my iPhone instead... but alas, my desktop tower seems to be dead (and my iTunes is on that computer with all the music loaded on it). I'll have to spend some time updating the iTunes on my laptop and resyncing the music over (good thing I have an external hard drive that has all of my music and photos!). There's no school tomorrow, due to it being Good Friday, so perhaps I'll have some time to get my iTunes all set up on my laptop and get some music synced to the iPhone.

Technology.... most of the time it's fantastic, but there are moments when it's just a pain to deal with.

Georgia Tech team drastically improving cochlear implant device that assists thousands of hearing impaired

2013-03-20T15:34:00.001-06:00

The cochlear implant is widely considered to be the most successful neural prosthetic on the market. The implant, which helps deaf individuals perceive sound, translates auditory information into electrical signals that go directly to the brain, bypassing cells that don't serve this function as they should because they are damaged.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants since these devices were introduced in the early 1980s, including roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children in the United States.

Despite their prevalence, cochlear implants have a long way to go before their performance is comparable to that of the intact human ear. Led by Pamela Bhatti, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new type of interface between the device and the brain that could dramatically improve the sound quality of the next generation of implants.

A normal ear processes sound the way a Rube Goldberg machine flips a light switch – via a perfectly-timed chain reaction involving a number of pieces and parts. First, sound travels down the canal of the outer ear, striking the eardrum and causing it to vibrate. The vibration of the eardrum causes small bones in the middle ear to vibrate, which in turn, creates movement in the fluid of the inner ear, or cochlea. This causes movement in tiny structures called hair cells, which translate the movement into electrical signals that travel to the brain via the auditory nerve.

Dysfunctional hair cells are the most common culprit in a type of hearing loss called sensorineural deafness, named for the resulting breakdown in communication between the ear and the brain. Sometimes the hair cells don't function properly from birth, but severe trauma or a bad infection can cause irreparable damage to these delicate structures as well.

Contemporary cochlear implants

Traditional hearing aids, which work by amplifying sound, rely on the presence of some functioning hair cells. A cochlear implant, on the other hand, bypasses the hair cells completely. Rather than restoring function, it works by translating sound vibrations captured by a microphone outside the ear into electrical signals. These signals are transmitted to the brain by the auditory nerve, which interprets them as sound.

Cochlear implants are only recommended for individuals with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, meaning those who aren't able to hear sounds below 70 decibels. (Conversational speech typically occurs between 20 and 60 decibels.)

The device itself consists of an external component that attaches via a magnetic disk to an internal component, implanted under the skin behind the ear. The external component detects sounds and selectively amplifies speech. The internal component converts this information into electrical impulses, which are sent to a bundle of thin wire electrodes threaded through the cochlea.

Improving the interface

As an electrical engineer, Bhatti sees the current electrode configuration as a significant barrier to clear sound transmission in the current device.

"In an intact ear, the hair cells are plentiful, and are in close contact with the nerves that transmit sound information to the brain," says Bhatti. "The challenge with the implant is getting efficient coupling between the electrodes and the nerves."

Contemporary implants contain between 12 and 22 wire electrodes, each of which conveys a signal for a different pitch. The idea is the more electrodes, the clearer the message.

So why not add more wire electrodes to the current design and call it a day?

Much like house-hunting in New York City, the problem comes down to a serious lack of available real estate. At its widest, the cochlea is 2 millimeters in diameter, or about the thickness of a nickel. As it coils, it tapers down to a mere 200 micrometers, about the width of a human hair.

"While we'd like to be able to increase the number of electrodes, the space issue is a major challenge from an engineering perspective," says Bhatti.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Bhatti and her team have developed a new, thin-film, electrode array that is up to three times more sensitive than traditional wire electrodes, without adding bulk.

Unlike wire electrodes, the new array is also flexible, meaning it can get closer to the inner wall of the cochlea. The researchers believe this will create better coupling between the array and the nervous system, leading to a crisper signal.

According to Bhatti, one of the biggest challenges is actually implanting the device into the spiral-shaped cochlea.

"We could have created the best array in the world, but it wouldn't have mattered if the surgeon couldn't get it in the right spot," says Bhatti.

To combat this problem, the team has invented an insertion method that protects the array and serves as a guide for surgeons to ensure proper placement. The research is being done in collaboration with Georgia Regents University.

Before it's approved for use in humans, it will need to undergo rigorous testing to ensure that it is both safe and effective; however, Bhatti is already thinking about what's next. She envisions that one day, the electrodes won't need to be attached to an array at all. Instead, they will be anchored directly to the cochlea with a biocompatible material that will allow them to more seamlessly integrate with the brain.

The most important thing, according to Bhatti, is not to lose sight of the big picture.

"We are always designing with the end-user in mind," says Bhatti. "The human component is the most important one to consider when we translate science into practice."

Source: http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=200301

HiRes Optima™ Sound Processing from Advanced Bionics Receives Worldwide Approval

2013-03-20T15:32:00.004-06:00

VALENCIA, Calif., March 20, 2013 – Advanced Bionics (AB), a global leader in cochlear implant technology and a company of the Sonova Group, announced today that it received FDA, Health Canada and TÜV approval for the global distribution of HiRes Optima™* sound processing. The world’s newest sound strategy for cochlear implant recipients, HiRes Optima delivers optimized battery life with the same great performance as AB’s patented HiRes Fidelity 120™* processing. AB cochlear implant recipients using this new technology enjoy an average improvement of 55% in battery life, giving them considerably more time to hear their world before needing to change a battery.

As part of a company-wide commitment to providing the best performance, Advanced Bionics continually innovates sound processing technology to help recipients experience as close to normal hearing as possible. AB built HiRes Optima processing on the HiRes Fidelity 120 platform to benefit from its built-in performance capabilities. As the industry’s only sound strategy that uses 120 spectral bands to deliver five times more sound resolution than any other cochlear implant system, HiRes Fidelity 120 has been developed to reveal all the dimensions of sound, from the rich layers of music to the subtle nuances of tone during a conversation. HiRes Optima provides the same rich and detailed sound with an improved battery life.

“Nothing on the market can compete with the sound quality from our HiRes Fidelity 120 technology. To deliver the same performance and substantially increase battery life for our recipients is a great accomplishment,” said Hansjuerg Emch, President of Advanced Bionics and Group Vice President of the Sonova Medical Division within which AB resides. “HiRes Optima perfectly represents the intense effort and engineering expertise that make AB the leading innovator in our industry.”

Benefiting from the HiRes Fidelity 120 platform, HiRes Optima also delivers AB’s proprietary current steering technology. Other implants use a single current source to stimulate only one electrode at a time, limiting the number of potential spectral bands. Like AB’s HiRes Fidelity 120, HiRes Optima has multiple current sources, enabling two or more electrodes to be stimulated at the same time. This simultaneous stimulation allows current to be “steered” between electrodes, giving AB cochlear implant recipients the opportunity to hear more pitches. Recipients using research software have demonstrated the ability to perceive up to 450 pitches.¹

HiRes Optima will be available for use with AB’s next-generation sound processor as well as Neptune™ and Harmony™ processors.

For more information about HiRes Optima sound processing, or any Advanced Bionics product, contact a local AB representative or visit AdvancedBionics.com.

Source: http://www.advancedbionics.com/com/en/system/footer/about_us/corporate_news/2013/hires_optima_worldwide.html

Prevnar-13 vaccine

2013-03-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

This past fall, a link from the CDC website was being shared on various CI-related facebook groups and such. The CDC updated their pneumococcal vaccine guidelines, and recommended that those who are getting a cochlear implant, or those who already have the implants, should get both the Prevnar-13 and the Pneumovax vaccines. I shared this link with my CI audiologist in email late last October, and she was going to bring it up at the next team meeting at the CI Center.

Well, last week I got mail from the center, and enclosed was the information on the updated vaccination recommendations for cochlear implant users. I then shot off an email to my primary doctor's nurse about this, and she had to do some research before finding another doctor's office that has the adult Prevnar-13 vaccine. She was able to get me an appointment with them.

Yesterday, I went to this doctor's office, filled out some paper work, and then got the vaccine. The nurse was wondering why I was getting it and asked if I was immunocompromised, so I told her it was because of the cochlear implant and the CDC updating the recommendations. Turns out she has a son with hearing loss, but he doesn't qualify for an implant just yet, but maybe a few years down the road. Anyway, I got the vaccine, and she covered the injection site with a Daffy Duck bandaid. Cool! Then I was on my way. Now I'm covered!

I may not like shots, but I most certainly do not want to take any chances when it comes to pneumococcal meningitis, so I was fine with getting this vaccine (even if it resulted in my arm being pretty sore).

Interesting....

2013-03-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

I was almost at work.... I had just turned onto the street in front of the newspaper when I saw an ambulance in the distance. I pulled over to the curb (I was already out of the ambulance's way), and waited until the ambulance went by. I wanted to see if I could hear the sirens with my implant. Nope, not really. When it was right behind me, I heard the sirens, but it was really quiet and low pitched. Interesting! Anything that has a high pitched sound (like female voices and such), they just sound low to me. Perhaps my audiologist can try to fix that when I see her again in April. Even listening to certain music, music that was made when the artists were kids, they sound like they have low voices even though they actually had high voices at the time. I get amused listening to such music, knowing the voices were originally high but they sound low with the implant on.

As for the FM use with my Neptune processor... Well, I have discovered that the set up doesn't always work. If the Neptune doesn't recognize the MLx receiver, I have to fiddle with it, taking the Neptune apart and everything. Sometimes it takes a few rounds of disassembling, then reassembling, the Neptune and FM receiver before it finally works. Not something I want to do during English class, I have no time to be messing around! I haven't used the Neptune with the FM the last couple of weeks or so. I use the FM with my hearing aid, then the implant is just the implant with no FM input, and it works out I think. The set up just has been finicky. Don't know if it's the Neptune processor, or if it's the FM receiver, but it gets kind of annoying when it doesn't work when I want it to.

ASL class visit

2013-02-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I went to a local high school in the morning as the ASL teacher at that school had asked me to come by and talk to her class. I arrived a bit earlier than expected, but that was ok. She was thrilled to see me, and had to send out a student to retrieve the 2 students she sent out earlier to get me. Anyway, it was a fun visit! The class asked me questions about my being deaf, how did I become deaf, what sort of education I had growing up, etc. They were also curious about my CI experiences as well. It was just fun, and I'm glad I went. I'm always more than happy to talk of my experiences. The teacher likes to invite different d/Deaf individuals from the local deaf community to visit her classes, so the students can get to know more about them. The classes also have the choice to attend the few deaf socials that are held each month (typically all year round there is deaf bowling; then either deaf ice cream or coffee depending on time of year), so they can practice their ASL skills with the deaf community and improve them. I'd be more than happy to visit with the class again (or any other ASL classes in the community) when I have the time.

Oohh technology...

2013-01-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

Been 2 weeks of school so far... for the most part it's going well enough, although I do get a bit frustrated here and there. Frustrated with some of the math, trying to make sense of it. Seriously, fractions are NOT my friend! Also, the captioning set up for English is weird. Seems like I encounter some sort of issue with the set up during each English class. Last Monday, it was working fine for a few minutes, then boom nada. Turns out I didn't have the microphone charged. Ok. Last Wednesday and Friday, everything seemed to run smoothly enough, with hiccup here and there (the transcriber would disconnect the call on Skype, call me back and then it's running smoothly again). This past Wednesday, it seems like there was some trouble with the internet connection? The disabilities coordinator at the college had the IT department put in a blue network cable into the classroom so I could use it to connect my laptop to the internet instead of relying on wireless (the wireless signals in the room is very weak). Set up worked fine at first, then we ran into issues, but got everything working again. But today, nada. No luck right from the start. We tried everything, reconnecting, restarting the laptop, no such luck. I sent an email to the disabilities coordinator about the troubles, and told him if we keep encountering problems that I just may not want to keep using the captioning service. It's just not worth my time or the trouble, to have an issue arise and then having to spend time troubleshooting and trying to figure out what's going on, distracting me from the discussions going on in the classroom. I may be able to get by in that class with the FM only. The transcriber isn't able to hear the other students in the class when they have something to say, so either way I still miss out on what the students are saying. If I continue to encounter problems next week in English class with the captioning, I'm calling it quits with the service. It's a great service when it works well, but if I'm just going to be encountering issues every so often, forget it.

Now, as for the FM set up... I went back to the audiologist the 14th... The ML10i came in, and we got that attached to my hearing aid. Tested it with the Smartlink+, and it worked great! We tried fussing with the old MLx receiver for my Neptune yet again, and got no results. So we were quite stumped. The audiologist even spent some time on the phone with Phonak for some help as well. Oh well, I was sent on my way with the Smartlink+ and the new receiver attached to my hearing aid. We were starting to think perhaps the old receiver just isn't compatible with the Smartlink+. But during the week, I played around with the FM system some more at home, and boom I got it working! Excellent, now I didn't have to worry about needing to get a new receiver afterall!

Today, I'm usig the FM set up with my ipod, and it's fantastic. I connected the ipod to the Smartlink+, and music is playing in my ears without my needing to wear wires. Oh how nice it is to be wire-free! I love it! I don't need a separate set up for each ear device anymore. Sweet!

Update: The College's IT person checked the connection in the classroom, and even moved the network cable to a different desk. It seems my laptop was sharing the connection with the teacher/classroom computer, but now I should have my own network connection separate from the classroom computer. Will try it out on Monday and see how that goes, and hope the set up works better.

No luck with the FM today

2013-01-11T11:07:00.002-07:00

Well, this morning was a mess with the FM. Phonak sent the wrong receiver for my hearing aid (they sent the ML11i instead of the ML10i), and they also sent the SmartLink transmitter instead of the Inspiro. They said the Smartlink is more sophisicated, and the Inspiro is old and outdated. Whichever, I can accept the Smartlink.

We also tried getting the FM to work with the Neptune processor. No-go at all there. We kept trying different things, audie even called Phonak for some support. Nada. After the appointment (she kept the Smartlink, and I'll see her again Monday afternoon so we can be sure everything works with the proper receiver for my hearing aid). I went home, and got out the old HandyMic transmitter and played with it to see if I could get the FM working with the Neptune. Again, nada. What?! I had it working in very late Oct./early Nov. when I tried it out with the T-Comm for the Neptune; plugged the MLx receiver into the Neptune controller, plugged transmitter into my iPod and music was flowing to my ear! But today, I got absolutely nothing. So I'm wondering if there's something going on with the Neptune, at least with the controller. I've taken the control off, put it back on and saw the green light flash saying it was synced to the Neptune, but I still was getting nothing. So I'm stumped.

I did email Allison about this, as well as the Wyo/Colo AB clinic specialist, see what they have to say. Just weird. If I end up just using the FM with the hearing aid only, and using the CI for hearing what's going around on around me in the classroom (like students saying something during a discussion or whichever), that might work too. But it would be nice to have the FM working for both ears. Hmm......

Preparing for college

2013-01-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

College classes start on Monday! Ack! I'll be taking Elementary Algebra, English: Basic Writing II, and Medical Terminology. I want to go for the radiography program, but of course I need to get some classes out of the way first. So I'll be taking classes for the next year before I can apply for the Radiography program if all goes well.

The disabilities counselor has the college has been a great help, helping me get registered for classes and such. On Monday I met with him in his office, and he got me set up with the ACS Captioning service, and checked out a RevoLabs Xtag microphone to me to use for English class. I will use Skype on my laptop to "call" the person that will be doing the captioning for me, log in at the ACS Caption website so I can see the captioning, and the instructor will wear the microphone (this is how the captioner hears what's going on). It's a pretty useful program and I am really happy the college offers this. No interpreter needed! And after class is over, the person who did the captioning will email me the transcript so I can refer back to it! Excellent! The counselor also requested a network cable be available in the English classroom so I can use it with my laptop for better internet connection instead of relying on the WiFi.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be going to my hearing aid audiologist's office to get my Phonak FM system. I'm sure there will be some programming going on, adding an FM setting onto my hearing aid and all. I'll be sure to wear my Neptune processor tomorrow so I can test the Phonak MLx receiver on it with the Inspiro transmitter to make sure it works, along with the hearing aid's ML10i receiver as well.

When I go to campus on Monday, I will definitely be loaded with techology.

Laptop
Phonak FM unit
RevoLabs Xtag mic for captioning
Hearing aid
Cochlear implant

Better make sure I have spare batteries in my backpack for my ears!

English is only 3 days a week, so I won't be needing to bring my laptop on campus every day, which is good. My laptop is 17 inches, so it's big and heavy. The math course is mostly done on the computer, and there are occasional video lectures but I've been assured the videos are captioned.

This is what my schedule looks like:

Monday - Math, English
Tuesday - Math
Wednesday - Math, English
Thursday - Math
Friday - English

Medical terminology is an online course so I'll be checking in frequently.

ASL Silent Dinner

2012-12-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

I went to an ASL Silent Dinner tonight, which one of the ASL instructor's put on at the On The Border restaurant. I've never been to this sort of thing before, so it was a first for me. I've been wanting to socialize more, so thought this dinner would be fun. At first I wasn't too sure what it was going to be like.. Knowing me, I prefer to speak. I use sign too, but I still usually end up using my voice while I'm also signing. But tonight, I managed to keep my voice turned off. This dinner was for ASL students' benefit, to use their ASL skills they've learned, without using their voice, and having the opportunity to interact with deaf individuals that were invited and showed up. Three of us that are deaf showed up. It was quite fun! At first, I felt a bit awkward being there. I've always been a pretty shy person, but I do want to come out of my shell. Only way to do that is to get out there, and socialize! It was just a really fun experience, and I most definitely will like to attend future ASL Silent Dinners. I think there's another one in May so hopefully I'll be able to attend again. Just fun seeing the ASL students communicating in sign with one another and having a conversation. Even the waitress that waited on us was an ASL student at a local high school, so even she got plenty of practice tonight!

Off topic: I did pick up on a "new" sound with my implant after I left work. Emergency vehicle sirens. I was pulling to a stop in the left turn lane at a red light, and up ahead an ambulance and a fire truck was approaching the intersection and making a right turn. I heard the sirens with just the implant on! I've heard sirens with the hearing aid in the past (but only when the emergency vehicles are really close by). I didn't hear them until they were right at the intersection making the turn. It wasn't very loud, kind of quiet really. Not as high pitched either, but that's just how it is with my implant at this time. I was at a wedding last night too, and they had bells for the guests to ring for the bride and groom. The bell is high pitched with the hearing aid, but not as high with the implant. It's just fun to find different things that make sounds and compare them with the hearing aid and with the implant.

Registered!

2012-12-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

I finally got registered for 2 our of 3 classes at the local college! I was supposed to go to the college on the afternoon of Nov. 30 to meet with an advisor and to get registered. Well, unfortunately, there was a murder-suicide that happened on campus in a classroom that morning, so all events and classes for the rest of the day were cancelled. I was then scheduled to see the disabilities coordinator last Thursday afternoon... That got rescheduled as well. So finally I saw the disabilities coordinator today and got registered. I was planning to take an Elementary Algebra course redesign class, English Basic Skills 2, and Medicial Terminology. Medical Terminology was all full, but I am on the wait list in case a spot opens up. So for now, it looks like it'll be two classes for the Spring 2013 semester. The disabilties coordinator and I also talked of using the captioning service for at least the English class, and got a plan wrote up and signed off on. The math class is mostly done on the computer at my own pace, with some video lectures (which has captioning), so I really only need accommodations for the English class. No interpreter, I think the captioning will be enough. I do better when I can read the text, the signing just doesn't stick with me.

The disabilities coordinator did type up a letter to send to the English instructor of why I needed the captioning accommodation, mentioning that I just recently got my cochlear implant and need the captioning for support. He asked me a bit about my implant and how I was doing, how does it compare to the hearing aid, etc.

Now I just need to meet with my Vocational Rehab. counselor next week and actually sign my plan, and hopefully get an FM unit ordered as well. And I see the disabilities coordinator at the college again the week before classes start so he can get me set up with the captioning device. Cool beans!

latest going ons

2012-12-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

This morning, I headed over to the local college to the ASL Class Christmas Party. I only just found out about it on Friday, and the instructor said anyone from the deaf community were welcome to come by. I thought why not! I need to get out and socialize more. So I went!

And not once did I turn on my hearing aid the whole time. Shoot, I haven't touched the hearing aid the entire day today. I did fairly well at the party with just the CI alone. But then, it was an ASL class so people were signing. I did see an old friend from middle school there, she's been taking the ASL class. Awesome! We chatted for a little while, which was fun, and hopefully we can keep in touch via Facebook. I chatted with a few other students there too. One is the son of an audiologist in town, and he was curious about my implant. It was just fun. I did have to ask for repeats here and there, but everyone was fine with that. I'm glad I went! Also, on Thursday evening, another ASL instructor (from a nearby town) is doing an ASL Silent Dinner at a Mexican restaurant too, and she has invited deaf folks to come as well so the students can interact with Deaf folks using ASL. I plan on going.

I did also stop by the deaf school library to visit with Jo. I haven't seen her in maybe 2 months, so it's been a while. We had a nice time chatting and visiting. And she even pulled up an email which contained a link to an interview of a few deaf employees of Boeing (here's the link in case you want to watch, it's pretty interesting to watch! http://deafnation.com/joelbarish/usa-tour/boeing-deaf-workers-fly-high/). One of my longest time friends works for Boeing! I had no idea he worked on the planes, so it was interesting to watch the video. She also asked me if I would email her twin brother about the cochlear implant, as he's possibly thinking of getting one and his place of employment's insurance would help pay for it. So I'll have to send him an email and answer any questions he may have.

What was that sound?!

2012-11-26T14:03:00.001-07:00

On Saturday morning, I headed over to the mall to meet up with my mom and sister to do a little shopping. Mostly we were trying to find something to wear to my step-brother's wedding next month. We hit up a variety of stores at the mall, browsed around, found something here and there. At one point, we ended up at Payless to look at shoes. Found a pair of shoes that I could wear for the wedding, which mom bought for me. While we were at Payless though, I was hearing this high pitched type of sound. I asked mom and sister what the sound was, but they didn't hear it. I was starting to think maybe it was just the tinnitus in my right ear. After mom purchased my shoes, we went back out into the mall and were waiting on my sister. There was a Salvation Army person ringing a bell in front of Sears. Aha! That was it! It was the bell I was hearing. Mom told her about my implant and that I was hearing the bell inside Payless, and she thought that was pretty neat. She rang the bell for me and that was definitely what I was hearing. My sister was impressed that I could hear it in Payless, which was quite a distance away from the bell. Mystery solved! That was pretty cool though.

I also was hearing my mom's car keys and remotes hitting each other and making noise. The little things I'm picking up on! Pretty amazing technology!

I now have the T-Comm!

2012-10-29T18:28:00.000-06:00

I was oh so very rudely awaken by my dog at about noonish today. I was oh so cozy in my bed, dreaming away, when all of a sudden I was hearing my dog barking up a storm and he was also bouncing all over my bed. BRYAN!!! STOP! Then I realized he must've been excited due to someone being at the door. So I bolted upright, jumped out of bed and fled to the front door. Grabbed hold of Bryan's collar so he couldn't attack whoever was at the door, took a quick peek through the peephole... Hey it's Fed-Ex Man! Opened the door, gave him my signature and took the package from him. Yay! My T-Comm has arrived!

Fed-Ex Man left so I closed the door. I didn't tear into the package just yet though. I had to feed the dog and get myself together. After I had gotten dressed, I then opened the packaging, and started assembling the T-Comm with the Neptune processor. Found my spare headpiece (which was still new in its original box), found a spare Harmony headpiece cable, got the Neptune and the UHP neptune cable out of the Neptune case, and got everything plugged in where they needed to go. Then of course I had to fight with the Neptune a bit, to get the Control to sync. Finally, it synced! I ran over to my computer, pulled up iTunes and found all of my random cables/etc that I use for listening to music. I wanted to try the T-coil setting, so I tried the MusicLink telecoil earhook. Heard nothing.. uuhh.. Got my headphones out and tried that. Still nothing. Checked the volume on my computer and it wasn't registering the music playing from iTunes. My desktop is a little funny about that sometimes, so I shut down iTunes and opened it back up again. Then finally I was able to hear the music! Switched out to the telecoil earhook again, aww yeah! It was great!

the T-comm in its packaging

found a spare magnet from one of my headpieces that is broken... nice!

Neptune with the T-Comm, and the Harmony

T-Comm on the ear

Now I need to find my Phonak FM unit so I can experiment with the FM set up again with the Neptune and T-Comm.

The T-comm!

2012-10-24T21:57:00.000-06:00

The T-comm accessory for the Neptune processor from Advanced Bionics is now available in the United States and Canada! There's an introductory price of $150 now until April, then it'll be $300. You'll need a headpiece with a BTE cable, a T-mic and a UHP cable to use with the T-comm. I'm pretty excited! I already have one ordered, and from my understanding, you can use it right away without having to program the Neptune to use it (and it can also be used with the PSP processor as well). The T-comm also has telecoil built into it, ready for use as well. Pretty cool! The T-mic capability will definitely come in handy when I use the FM on the Neptune in college. I'm definitely looking forward to using the T-comm!

Also, the T-comm comes in the same 3 colors as the Harmony; dark sienna, silver and beige. Check out these spy photos of the T-comm from the HLAA convention in June. There's a switch on the T-comm so you can use T-coil alone, T-coil + T-mic, or T-mic alone. When you use the T-comm, the headpiece mic will be disabled and the T-mic will take over. You cannot use an aux only program with the T-comm.

Call or email AB's customer service to order a T-comm (or 2 if you're bilateral) at 877.839.0036 or customerservice@advancedbionics.com.

Updates

2012-10-23T14:03:00.005-06:00

On Sunday, I was over at my mom's house hanging out a bit. And helping her and my stepdad clean out their garage a bit. Boy, there was a bunch of sounds! Mom opened the garage, oh that was loud. Things got moved around (and some of the things being moved were quite noisy and loud!), taken inside and put into the storage room downstairs, swept up, etc. Eventually the floor was cleaned off and stepdad was hosing it down and getting all the dirt out. Mom and I had also started making some plans on Halloween decorations as well, figuring out what to put out, where will everything go, etc. At one point, I was looking at the leaves on the ground, and then started steping on them. Oh, I heard that! It sounded kind of like a crinkley kind of sound I thought. So I kept finding more leaves to step on so I could listen. Then mom went over to the pile of leaves next to the house and stepped in the pile. That was really noisy! I preferred the sound of stepping on individual leaves.

Yesterday, Allison the audiologist came to town to do mapping appointments with her clients. This is her third visit here, and yesterday was quite busy for her! More people are coming here now to see her, which is great. And she still stops in Cheyenne too. Anyway, I got to work and noticed I had an email message from someone at the implant center saying Allison had a cancellation and if I could see her at noon. Oops, it was 12:30 then. Nope, I'll stick with the 4:30, but was asked to arrive at 4:15. No problem! I got to the Special Education building by maybe 4ish, I forget. Chatted with a mother and her daughter a bit while they were waiting for the daughter's appointment time with Allison. They saw her, and my good friend Jo showed up. She's been wanting to see one of my appointments, so I let her know when my appointment was, so she could come if she wanted. And she came. She also peeked in on the daughter's appointment, since she knew of the mother and daughter. Soon enough, it was my turn! Allison did a quick beep/tone test with my implant on, and then made some adjustments to my MAPs. No major changes. She just brought up some of the lower frequencies. The higher frequencies were left alone. She said she could write a letter stating I need an FM unit for college if needed, she's very supportive of that.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the hearing aid audiologist's office about the pricing of the FM unit. I stopped by on Friday and left a piece of paper with the assistant with the specific FM transmitter and receiver I was looking at so she could get the pricing information, and wrote down my email address for her. Still haven't heard anything yet. I'll give it a few more days. Hopefully I'll hear back soon enough so I can get the information to vocational rehab.

I also have contacted the head of the math department at the college about my Compass test scores, and of my Algebra experience in the past. She said there is a 0920 course redesign, which is self-accelerated and I could possibly get both Elementary and Intermediate Algebra done in one semester. I could work quickly through the more simpler stuff, spend a bit more time on the stuff that I have trouble with. I contacted one of the instructors that deals with the course redesign for more information, and I'm considering taking this course next semester. I think it'll be right up my alley. I have forgotten a lot of the elementary algebra, but I'm sure I can pick up on it quickly enough. Slowly making progress with college plans!

FMs

2012-10-18T14:58:00.000-06:00

Vocational Rehab says they may be able to help with the costs on the FM unit for college. I'm looking at the Inspirio transmitter from Phonak, and the ML10i receiver to use with my Naida hearing aid. I already have an MLx receiver at home, which I used with my Supero hearing aid. I have tested it with the Neptune processor a few months ago, and it worked well. My HandyMic transmitter is too old, and doesn't even hold a charge anymore. I first got it in 2000/01 when I got my Claro hearing aid (and it's been replaced a couple of times too). I didn't really quite like it enough for classroom use (after using it in different classes in 9th grade), so it was mostly used for listening to music with. But with the Inspirio, it should be a better system. I also have a Comtek FM unit at home as well, but the receiver is a bit beat up and I don't have a T-coil mode on my implant processors. Plus, I would rather use actual FM receivers instead of T-coil, you just never know if there will be electronic interferences on T-coil mode, which can interfere with listening to the instructors at college!

I have called my hearing aid audie's office and asked about costs, and the receptioninst said she would have the audie's assistant get back to me on the information. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon enough. CI audie Allison did mention in an email that the cost for both FM and receiver would be around $2400. Once I have the cost info, I'll let my vocational rehab counselor know and we'll take it from there.

Will be doing the Compass test at the college at about 5 today. I went earlier, but found out they are doing some construction in the Compass testing room. So they told me to come back at about 5 to take it.

Figuring out my life

2012-10-16T16:21:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been trying to figure out what to do with myself. Last month I had an appointment with a counselor at the local Vocational Rehab. to discuss the possibilty of going back to college. Since then, I've slowly been thinking things out, and trying to make plans. I would like to head back to college starting next semester, with a goal of going for the radiography program. The radiography (x-rays) program combines my interests of medical, photography and technology. And it's a 2-year program, which I think I can handle. I've also been in contact with the local college's disabilities coordinator getting some more ideas and suggestions as well. I found out I'd need to take at least 3 math classes, an english class, and some health related type classes before I can even apply for the radiography program. Pre-calc is a prerequisite for the program, so I'd need to have Elementary and Intermediate Algebra. I've already done Elementary several years ago, and passed it, but it's been too long so I'd have to retake it (and started to take Intermediate, but the class I ended up in was more fast paced and I just got lost yikes). I plan to go to the college on Thursday morning to take the Compass test as the Admissions office needs that on file. I also have filled out an application for FAFSA and for college admissions as well. Vocational Rehab will work with me on my goals.

I do know the college has CART (captioning) for use for students, and I plan to use this accommodation in the classes I take. I don't think I'll ask for an interpreter. Having an interpreter isn't always useful/helpful for me, but seeing the actual words/text will. So I think CART will be great! Really wish the college had CART when I tried college several years ago. May try an FM system too, if I can get a hold of one. I should ask if Vocational Rehab. would help with this. Don't know if the college will have a unit I could use with both hearing aid and CI. Got some things I need to inquire about, or figure out!

I'm pretty eager to get things going, and really do hope I can get into the radiography program. The program's application process takes place in February of each year, so hopefully by 2014 I'll be ready to apply. I also looked into the Occupational Therapist Assistant program as well, but I think I'm still leaning for radiography. Hmm!

X-ray ideo of CI electrode going into a cochlea

2012-10-16T16:08:00.001-06:00

This is a pretty neat video! It's an x-ray video of a Med-el cochlear implant electrode going into a cochlea. Check it out!

I think this is pretty darn cool!

Angel Sound

2012-09-02T22:31:00.000-06:00

Here's a closer look at the Angel Sound Training auditory rehab tool available for download:

different module options

auditory training similar to Sound and Way Beyond

noise module

melodic module

open onset module

music module

Angel Sound Training has a lot more to offer in terms of auditory training than Sound and Way Beyond, including more advanced sessions as well as an expanded music training section. Very useful!