As this year comes to an end, we all look forward to the beginning of a new year. We set new goals for ourselves and think of how to make the next year our best one yet. For some, however, the start of 2016 has a whole new meaning. For these individuals, it is the beginning of their new journey with a cochlear implant.
After the excitement of activation has passed, there are so many new sounds to hear. While speech perception and language understanding are the ultimate goal for implantation, for many this takes time and lots of work. Detection and identification of new sounds can come more easily and be equally as satisfying.
Stop, take the time to listen and notice all of these new sounds that your cochlear implant brings to you. Keep a journal. Ask those around you to help you to identify those sounds which you can not identify yourself. Listen for the sounds below and make note of others you encounter where you live.
- A dog barking
- An airplane/helicopter flying
- The telephone ringing
- The doorbell ringing
- The birds chirping
- The cicadas singing
- The clock ticking
- The rain falling
- The wind blowing
- A fan spinning
- Water running
- Leaves rustling
- Yourself or others breathing
- The sound of appliances (refrigerator, heat)
- The computer keyboard clicking
- A pencil scribbling
- A pet scratching
- The sound of footsteps
- The sound of flip flops
Do any of you hear your own voice? What about music?
Daryl, I got my CI last May and, yes, you hear yourself. Music is a bit stuffed up for me as I now hear all the high notes I hadn’t heard for 30 years. It’s getting better. Many CI users play instruments as therapy.