I have jokingly been referring to the procedure as getting a bionic ear. When I talk about the implant one of the first questions that frequently pop out of people's mouths is "Will you still need Cherelle to be a hearing dog?" Well yes and sometimes no. "Huh?" The person will say as their brow wrinkles in puzzlement. Understandable because the general myth about a cochlear implant is that it gives the recipient "normal" hearing. Alas, it does not. Make no mistake I will be able to hear sounds in my left ear that I have not heard in almost 30 years. And every CI wearer that I have personally spoken with has said their ability to understand speech increased tremendously after the implant. This speech understanding has usually come about after a multitude of hours doing what I refer to as "listening rehabilitation". Some of that rehabilitation is done with an audiologist and some will be at home on the person's own time and initiative. Oh goodie homework. It's been awhile since I've had to do any of that. The sounds heard via the circuitry of a CI are different than what is heard through hearing aids and there is learning curve. 100 percent hearing? Nope. Noisy listening environments? Still a challenge but hopefully less so.
But here's the deal. Without the technology; hearing aids and cochlear implants. I am and still will be partially deaf, partially hearing. Except after the CI I will be more on the deaf spectrum. The procedure that will allow me to hear much better on my left side will destroy the little hearing that I do have remaining in that ear. It means that every night as I prepare for bed, (or when taking a shower) whenever I remove the external processor that communicates with the implant from the left side of my head and take out my hearing aid from my right ear, I will be deaf. Still unable to hear the smoke and Co2 alarms. Still unable to have an alarm clock wake me up. Clueless if someone should try to rouse me by pounding on the front door or ringing the door bell. Continued total dependence on my husband for a sense of safety. Heaven forbids if he needs or wants to go out of town! And how could he reach me in an emergency? So yes, I still feel I need Cherelle to alert me to all those sounds.
And yet no. The sounds that she works for me, that I cannot hear now while wearing hearing aids, I will be able to hear once I put on the external part of my CI. Will I know from where the sound is originating? Only time will tell but I will hear those sounds and so will have less need for Hearing Dog Extraordinaire,Cherelle. As long as I am "plugged in" and the batteries working. Yep more batteries!
My plan is to still let her "work the sounds"; Cher hears kitchen alarm, she taps me with her nose, heads towards kitchen with me in pursuit, she gets praise and yummy treat. However at almost nine years old she is beginning to slow down. Lately I have noticed that she is slow to respond if she has been sleeping and there has been a time or two where she has missed an alert. Her eyes are beginning to cloud and a full day out in public takes its toll. I have begun the process of preparing her for retirement. Although not my main rational for having the surgery, a cochlear implant will allow me to handle her retirement better. As to the time when Cher is no longer with me, hopefully a few more years off, will I get another hearing dog? I'll have to wait and just play it by ear (pun intended). In the meantime she and I will continue traveling through our lives as a hearing dog team.
Warmest Regards from me.
Tail wags from Cherelle aka Cher
