My Two Year Update on my Cochlear Ear Implant

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you would know that two years ago I received my first cochlear ear imp. They weren’t. Before that, I was stone Deaf. Well, the correct term is Profoundly Deaf. I was born that way. The Drs are not sure why. I grew up attending a Deaf school and even went to a Deaf University (Gallaudet University). I was forced to wear hearing aids that fail to do shit. I would put them on and..nada, but yet my mom thought I might miraculously pick up a sound. I want ted to say here that the technology for both hearing aids and implants were shitty in the 80’and 90’s. In the 00’s they were slightly better. Well, the hearing aids are as I could hear a tiny bit. I could hear well enough to hear music if it was turned up all the was on one of those big ass speakers. This my enjoyment of music began. As the technology improved, I could hear more and more. Granted I could NOT understand spoken English at all, but I could ear when Spotify was playing on a big ass speaker. Then one day about seven years ago I put my newish hearing aids on and…nothing. I thought they might both be broke. I now realize that both hearings aids breaking at the same time was not statically in my favor, but denial is a powerful thing. I took them to my audiologist, and after testing them, they were both working fine. They checked my ears for earwax, and my ears are clear. They then administered a hearing test which I promptly failed, I mean I got a zero out of 100 words. I was as I admit. I canceled my Spotify account, and for the next five years, I lived in silence. I knew ASL, and I had grown up no hearing, so it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Then about three years ago there was groundbreaking in Cochlear Ear Implants. It was so good that some of my friends at Gally got one and were gushing how she could hear. She claimed it was “Hearing Aidis on steroids” Then more and more people I knew from college received theirs and the verdict was the same, The new implant technology was indescribable. Finally, after around 15 people I knew said the same thing and I got jealous and cooled name of an Implant Center and came up with Cleveland Clinic which ranked 2nd in the whole country. I promptly made an appointment. Because it had been more than five years since the last audiogram they gave me another one and again I got I big fat zero. Over the next four months, I had to take about six hearing tests, and they were all the same 0..0..0..0 you get the idea. So anyway to make a long story short I qualified for implants, but everyone was like yes you will hear your music, but that is probably it since you were born Deaf. I was like that is fine sign me up! And so my surgery date was given to me. At pre-op, I failed the let us see your windpipe test. They had about 6 Drs checking me and all new lie your windpipe is very small. This was at an outpatient surgery center n Beachwood. It was determined that I would need to have it done at the primary clinic in Cleveland. I was so sad as it was another 4 months to the next opening. Finally, surgery day came, and Mt excitement turned into sheer tenor as I realized I was gonna have my head drilled open. Iy was so bad my blood pressure which was fine before shot up to dangerous levels and The O.R nurse had to. Give Mr a big shot of Ativan That worked and soon I was under some strong anthesis. Everything then went fine.
When they first turned the first one WAS NOT impressed, and for the first 6 months, it felt like I was not making any progress on understanding spoken speech despite all the practicing I was doing. Then at around 7 months, my brain started recognizing words!

 Recently this past May, I went for an auditory appt. They did the usual 3-hour hearing test. I found out the better you do, the more tests they run, so that is why it was three hours instead of the usual 20 minutes. After the test was over the Dr told me my results. I now had a 95 percent speech requisition! I could tell everyone was struggling not to show shock, but I was like daaamn. I HAD been listening to lots of audiobooks and podcasts but to have my Doctor confirm I was hearing so well especially after only two years was…AMAZING. I was like yeah!! I am an implant superstar!! 
I can now talk on a phone, ear my apartment buzzer and well everything. With my implants on I score what a hearing person would hear so if you can hear it and I have the implants  chances are That I can too. This after a lifetime at having to tap me the shoulder or something to get m attention was a 180-degree shift. My family is still adjusting as they will say something then be ohh shit she has her implants on!
I feel that all the pain and tears were worth the first six months of pain and frustration. I can’t say I would do it a third time if I had more ears but the two I do have I LOVE.