this is cool
I've been able to avoid using my hearing aid lately. We were supposed to have our ISO audit this week, but it was postponed, so I have left my hearing aid out and just let people repeat things occasionally. I think it's helping, I'm forcing my brain to use the CI and it's resulting in some progress.
Two things I noticed on my commute today. I listen to music in the car, and while in general it sounds pretty appalling and beepy, I've begun to notice that some songs just sound fuller, more expansive, as though the music fills my head rather than just playing out there. More body, if that makes sense. I suspect it's the quality of the mp3 file (I have a USB port in the car and have a thumb drive with several hundred songs on it, and some are commercial mp3s and others are from CDs that I ripped myself, and I've never used anything but free software for that, and I imagine that's the difference I'm hearing.
I never noticed it with my hearing aid, though, so this is new.
Now, the sound quality of the music I'm listening to still isn't great. But one song played today that came up in my rotation a week or so ago, and it was horrific the last time I heard it, barely recognizable. This time, it sounded better. Not GOOD, mind you - still beepy but at a couple of points the voice sounded almost right. It was there, just out of reach, but it felt incredibly good to recognize some improvement.
That's happening with the people I'm talking to as well, but I think because the music sounds really bad with the beeps - speaking voices just sound peculiar, but the music's actively bothering me in some cases.
Then we had our dinner on the deck tonight. It was a spectacular evening, warm but not hot, and our deck's a nice spot, surrounded by trees so we get shade. We had our dinner and sat outside finishing our wine, and talking and not only could I hear my husband, but - and this hasn't happened in YEARS - the neighbor kids were yelling and screaming and were really, really annoying. Which, sure, annoying is annoying, but all I could think was, you know, I never used to be able to hear well enough to be bothered.
It may be weeks or months before this sounds truly normal, but I can begin to form a sense of what's coming. And unless the progress ends and the whole thing blows up in my face, this is going to be incredible.
Two things I noticed on my commute today. I listen to music in the car, and while in general it sounds pretty appalling and beepy, I've begun to notice that some songs just sound fuller, more expansive, as though the music fills my head rather than just playing out there. More body, if that makes sense. I suspect it's the quality of the mp3 file (I have a USB port in the car and have a thumb drive with several hundred songs on it, and some are commercial mp3s and others are from CDs that I ripped myself, and I've never used anything but free software for that, and I imagine that's the difference I'm hearing.
I never noticed it with my hearing aid, though, so this is new.
Now, the sound quality of the music I'm listening to still isn't great. But one song played today that came up in my rotation a week or so ago, and it was horrific the last time I heard it, barely recognizable. This time, it sounded better. Not GOOD, mind you - still beepy but at a couple of points the voice sounded almost right. It was there, just out of reach, but it felt incredibly good to recognize some improvement.
That's happening with the people I'm talking to as well, but I think because the music sounds really bad with the beeps - speaking voices just sound peculiar, but the music's actively bothering me in some cases.
Then we had our dinner on the deck tonight. It was a spectacular evening, warm but not hot, and our deck's a nice spot, surrounded by trees so we get shade. We had our dinner and sat outside finishing our wine, and talking and not only could I hear my husband, but - and this hasn't happened in YEARS - the neighbor kids were yelling and screaming and were really, really annoying. Which, sure, annoying is annoying, but all I could think was, you know, I never used to be able to hear well enough to be bothered.
It may be weeks or months before this sounds truly normal, but I can begin to form a sense of what's coming. And unless the progress ends and the whole thing blows up in my face, this is going to be incredible.
There isn’t really any chance of it failing as per your last sentence, is there? It seems like your progress has been pretty steady.
ReplyDeleteNo, about the worst that could happen at this point is that it will stop getting better. Which I don't expect, I just keep wanting to mentally knock on wood, you know?
DeleteI wonder what's coming for those neighbor kids? ;)
ReplyDeleteI think these are recreational screams, not screams of fear.
Delete