Life as Bionic - part 2

On the July 14th, which it a month passed since I've received cochlear implant surgery, was the day of cochlear activation. In the waiting room, I have been thoughts from time by time thought what I have been questioned these people's experiences through the cochlear activation. These experiences were variable such as feel or headaches or etc. It made me wonder what would happen to me compare to these, the moment I been gotten into deeper thoughts at same time I was told by my mother and interpreter that they were called my name. I felt like I see the doorway that is no way to turn back away from the cochlear implant activation because I have came that far. I have been profoundly deaf for 24 years and 7 days since I were born. These hearing aids that I have been worn for many years and I knew these sounds weren't what I expect compare what my mother been gave me the description of sounds what she heard. As soon I entered in the cochlear activation room, for some reason my body's blood started boil up for no reason. At least my heart didn't beat that too fast because I knew everything will be good and I have been kept in my mind that I came that far.

Why did I said that? Alright let's start with it, at the age of 4, my father encouraged me to get cochlear implant but for some reason I have been rejected by my doctor after took exams by audiogram. All the throughout my life to wear the hearing aids and I always wanted to remove my hearing aids because it annoyed me lot. Back in High school, I have stopped wear the hearing aids after joined football team. After graduated from the high school, I got offered a job as welder for metals, I decided to wear my old hearing aids again due for safety reason such as fork lifter or other sounds. After long suffers from trying to understand worker's lip, I am telling you truth, I hate when people has something in their mouth or covered by their own bread were difficult for me to read the lips. Some of workers were willing to shave it off the bread for best communication and some of other pissed me off by ask them removed the snuff tobacco or called crewing tobacco while talk with me. It was pain in the butt for doing that way for about 2 years before I decided to join college since it was best things for me to do that way instead end up blue collar worker. As soon I applied for Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), they requested me to take audiogram first thing before mail these application papers. So, I did it, then I was told that my hearing aids were out dated technology, I received new digital hearing aids. These digital hearing aids device were quite interesting compare to my old known as analog, what's different between them? Analog hearing aids device is measure the sound from range of 0.1-1.5 voltage out of the batteries which it can generate about 14 possible sounds. The digital hearing aids that I heard pretty most new sounds for first time in my life, this device only can do by binary codes known as 0101. So I do have 24 electrical signals, but the cochlear device itself what I had is 22 signals therefore it gives 2^22 (4,194,304) of possible sounds. The future will provide the newer verison of cochlear implant device with 24 channels (that goes to 16,777,216!).

I explained to my audiogram and she never expected that I could have been done of my research. Of course, the science, mathematic, and technology are my things which it made me to do research everything to understand how the things are function. She decided immediately to put me into speech therapy program under National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), which I have been listed on the wait list for therapy like four months after signed up for it since joined RIT. My motivation have been increased rapidly with these speech therapy, my speech skills were still lack but it already strengthen my lips reading skills. Somewhere on my second year of college, I have seen about over 300 cochlear implanted students and counting at RIT. I have been questioned these students throughout the academics year about relates to the CI to see what's the compare of different between digital hearing aids and the CI. That's how it leaded me into CI. I asked my audiogram at NTID for more information after all.

Now you see how my path has been leaded to the cochlear implant activation room. My mother sat behind me and the interpreter was on my side, the audiogram just sat right front of me with her laptop and the cochlear implant device. I could see that and I don't know why my hands were trying to avoid to touch these device. I felt like something inside of my body was trying over protection myself because the cochlear implant surgery was the only first time in my life to receive a surgery. Of course I have been broke several of my bones, deep cuts, wounded alot, and many thing but surgery. As soon the audiogram put the cochlear implant right on my left head. I told her that I would rather to have informed me before they turns it on which it would be easier to have my mind prepared instead of freak entire of my mind out. So she did, I had to twist both of my legs on the each of chair's stand, my hand were tighten up the chair's arm stand. When I tighten the arm stand, I felt like I could able to rip it off the stainless steel arm stander.

From the moment when my cochlear implant been turned on, it just like electrical zapping entire of my behind brain. It was zapping for about fewest second, could be nanosecond, then stopped, I could able to hear both of audiogram and my mother said something that I don't even understand but I could tell where the sound directions came from. Both of them had higher pitch voice with different tones of sound. I turned my head to my mother, and I said "Mom, you got yourself higher pitch compare to the audiogram" then she said "It about time for 24 years to get you recognized my voice, your the last person in the family that complained my sound!" We all were cracked up big time together. It was good moment, after all, I took three trips to Nashville, Tenn for CI re-mapping. This Thanksgiving break will be my last CI mapping before transfer these programs to my audiogram at the NTID.

So far, It only month after the cochlear activation, I have been picked up multi-sounds and learned how to sorts it out these sounds. I was so glad to not get annoyed by winds that it been annoyed when I wear the hearing aids.