A couple of weeks ago I spoke with a man around the same age as myself, just before he was undergoing his first CI surgery. He was a little unsure which CI producer to choose and wanted to question and take a closer look at Advanced Bionics. Bionics was the newest CI on the market when I had to choose, while the alternatives, Med-El and Cochlear, at that time had quite old models. Though not long after my CI surgery Cochlear launched a new CI sound processor, Nucleus Freedom. But this young man was incredibly lucky and got to choose Cochlears even newer sound processor, Nucleus 5, and a much thinner implant just before his surgery. When I read its spesifications and features I got to admit I got a little jealous. When something that small features three different battery solutions (one of them lasts up to 60 hours(!) while I use two rechargable batteries each day) and different programs for different sound situations, we are really seeing a development in CI. I just hope Advanced Bionics soon launch something new at least that good or better!

I still experience progress with music, albeit small. My music experience is almost as good as before CI, but has also improved in certain areas. Only recently I realized how much of the different nuances I can hear in music. I can perceive instruments, song and rythm separately, and I can even sometimes hear what the voices are singing. It’s been a pleasant experience to listen to good “old-fashioned” music and really appreciate guitarplay and voices from e.g. Pink Floyd. Music I normally listen to, such as trance, yield not quite the same experience. On the other side, what I still find difficult with CI and music is that I still use some time to “understand” unfamiliar music. Luckily I no longer have problems recognizing the genre, but there’s some areas I’m not as good at, especially when the music is playing in treble. But I guess it’ll come. I’d for sure hear music much better with two ears instead of only one.

I’ve started using hearing aid on my right ear again. It whistles every time I smile or laugh (yes, that’s pretty inconvient) and I’m not used to getting “clots in the ear”. But using the hearing aid at a lower volume I experience more sound and as the same time relaxing the CI ear a little, even though the hearing aid receive a lot of noise. You see, I have to put the CI’s volume pretty high, almost up to where it gets uncomfortable, in order to compensate for absolutely no hearing on my other ear. It’s in these situations I realize I need to hear on my right ear as well.

Otherwise I’m still hopefully waiting for a letter from one of Norway’s three CI hospitals. I sent an application for CI no. 2 in August and have heard of other people getting a denial letter quite fast. So now I’m walking around worrying whether they have received my application instead of worrying what it would say. Anyway I’m 90% sure I’m getting a denial. But those remaining 10 percents some times pop up to tease me.