Training the Brain: CI Experience
I have been wearing my Cochlear Implant for almost two years. I will say I hear more in general. If you want to get down to the specifics, well that is still a learning process for me. I have worn hearing aids from the age of four. I didn't get my first cochlear implant until the age of twenty-eight. So, with twenty-four years of wearing hearing aids bilaterally to going bimodal (one hearing aid/one CI), that is twenty-four years of decreasing ability to hear well. That is also twenty-four years of missing out on sounds that most people are used to hearing and probably take it for grant. So, think about it, while the sound does not sound normal at first with the CI, the brain still has to process all the sounds you are hearing either for the first time ever or the first time in a long time.
The brain has long been a mystery in medical sciences; how it works, how it functions and what it is capable of doing at different stages in life. With a cochlear implant, depending on how long you've been deaf to sounds or how long you've been slowly losing your hearing while wearing hearing aid(s) (hearing aids don't cause future deafness), the CI will be like a reboot to your auditory nerve. It will sound robotic at first but over time as you get used to wearing it more and more, the sounds will soon "normalize" for you. This process does not happen overnight. It does take several weeks of either training or retraining the brain to recognize sounds and to be able to identify not only where the sound is coming from but what kind of sound it is. However, that training goes on for as long as you may have it. Many speech pathologists and audiologists encourages those to practice listening to audiobooks, familiar music and music styles, your home and outdoor environments for real life stimulation so that you can pin-point where you are struggling and where you do well. Knowing what sounds good and what doesn't helps your CI audiologist to make the appropriate adjustments to your processor which is the external piece of the cochlear implant system.
With today's newest lines of processors from some of the companies, if not all, the processors have a built-in chip that collects data on which kind of program you use, what kind of environment you are in (quiet or noise), how often you use one or more of your programs and how often you are adjusting your volume and/or sensitivity. This data has the ability to help your CI audiologist to pinpoint what works and what doesn't. Plus, data alone isn't going to always be on point. I believe as a client, your feedback on how you are hearing will give your CI audiologist a better idea and sense of what potential changes they can make to your mapping. A mapping is an adjustment made to your processor to enhance the ability to pick up speech and sounds more clearly. It's like a sound check board you go across all the frequencies to get the sounds to come out (in this case in) as comfortable, as normal as possible. In order to get the best out of your map, be honest with your CI audiologist let them know what you are hearing and what you are not. All this is done on a computer with a special cord hooking your processor up to the computer and the program specifically designed for the cochlear implants make and model.
With each new map, your brain has to go through an adjustment period. Usually a few weeks at most but for some it may take longer. This is why many stretch the importance of having patience. Patience is much needed and there are those who want to return back to an active lifestyle as soon as possible as they are usually the first to get frustrated. Don't be discourage. Be realistic, know that it will take some getting used to and know that your brain is also undergoing a process of its own. You will have some ups and downs, do not keep this to yourself, let your CI audiologist know when you are having issues or struggling with something. I myself have had a few ups and downs, like right now, speech comes in clear at first and then it gets slurry. This means a new map is needed. Which I will be getting soon. Another one is I accidentally dropped my remote while visiting Canada with a good friend of mine and I had to get it replaced...thanks God for warranty! There are times where I do take my processor off and need to take a rest....and that is OKAY! Sometimes it helps to give the brain a rest because when sounds don't seem to be making much sense and you are tired, take off your processor(s) and just rest for a while. Some people can wear it all the time, some can wear it for most of the day but have to take it off for a rest, while some may have to take multiple breaks throughout the day (this is usually after activation) until they get used to wearing it longer. Everyone is different and everyone response differently, each individual is unique.
So in closing, the brain is constantly at work to process sounds everyday. Some may struggle, while some may not as much, but it is all a process and it all requires PATIENCE. Take the advice from your CI team, talk to those who understand the process and make connections to online communities where many gather to share their experiences and more. If there is anything such as pain to the site of the magnet or redness or swelling or headaches (followed by ear pain) going on around your implant ear(s), please keep in mind those issues should be directed to your ENT Specialist/Surgeon.
The brain has long been a mystery in medical sciences; how it works, how it functions and what it is capable of doing at different stages in life. With a cochlear implant, depending on how long you've been deaf to sounds or how long you've been slowly losing your hearing while wearing hearing aid(s) (hearing aids don't cause future deafness), the CI will be like a reboot to your auditory nerve. It will sound robotic at first but over time as you get used to wearing it more and more, the sounds will soon "normalize" for you. This process does not happen overnight. It does take several weeks of either training or retraining the brain to recognize sounds and to be able to identify not only where the sound is coming from but what kind of sound it is. However, that training goes on for as long as you may have it. Many speech pathologists and audiologists encourages those to practice listening to audiobooks, familiar music and music styles, your home and outdoor environments for real life stimulation so that you can pin-point where you are struggling and where you do well. Knowing what sounds good and what doesn't helps your CI audiologist to make the appropriate adjustments to your processor which is the external piece of the cochlear implant system.
With today's newest lines of processors from some of the companies, if not all, the processors have a built-in chip that collects data on which kind of program you use, what kind of environment you are in (quiet or noise), how often you use one or more of your programs and how often you are adjusting your volume and/or sensitivity. This data has the ability to help your CI audiologist to pinpoint what works and what doesn't. Plus, data alone isn't going to always be on point. I believe as a client, your feedback on how you are hearing will give your CI audiologist a better idea and sense of what potential changes they can make to your mapping. A mapping is an adjustment made to your processor to enhance the ability to pick up speech and sounds more clearly. It's like a sound check board you go across all the frequencies to get the sounds to come out (in this case in) as comfortable, as normal as possible. In order to get the best out of your map, be honest with your CI audiologist let them know what you are hearing and what you are not. All this is done on a computer with a special cord hooking your processor up to the computer and the program specifically designed for the cochlear implants make and model.
With each new map, your brain has to go through an adjustment period. Usually a few weeks at most but for some it may take longer. This is why many stretch the importance of having patience. Patience is much needed and there are those who want to return back to an active lifestyle as soon as possible as they are usually the first to get frustrated. Don't be discourage. Be realistic, know that it will take some getting used to and know that your brain is also undergoing a process of its own. You will have some ups and downs, do not keep this to yourself, let your CI audiologist know when you are having issues or struggling with something. I myself have had a few ups and downs, like right now, speech comes in clear at first and then it gets slurry. This means a new map is needed. Which I will be getting soon. Another one is I accidentally dropped my remote while visiting Canada with a good friend of mine and I had to get it replaced...thanks God for warranty! There are times where I do take my processor off and need to take a rest....and that is OKAY! Sometimes it helps to give the brain a rest because when sounds don't seem to be making much sense and you are tired, take off your processor(s) and just rest for a while. Some people can wear it all the time, some can wear it for most of the day but have to take it off for a rest, while some may have to take multiple breaks throughout the day (this is usually after activation) until they get used to wearing it longer. Everyone is different and everyone response differently, each individual is unique.
So in closing, the brain is constantly at work to process sounds everyday. Some may struggle, while some may not as much, but it is all a process and it all requires PATIENCE. Take the advice from your CI team, talk to those who understand the process and make connections to online communities where many gather to share their experiences and more. If there is anything such as pain to the site of the magnet or redness or swelling or headaches (followed by ear pain) going on around your implant ear(s), please keep in mind those issues should be directed to your ENT Specialist/Surgeon.
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