You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not!

The Neptune Seminar!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! We had over 30 people at the Neptune seminar in Rockville.I was able to see children that already got their bilateral Neptunes!!! I love the fact you can clip your processor anywhere!! I did a demonstration to a few people how I would wear my Neptune if I had one!!! I only wish!!!!I also got to meet a candidate that was interested in AB's implants. He happens to work ...
Thu, Feb 02 2012

HLAA Magazine - January/February Issue
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I'm working on getting the article online. Hang on tight! Here is the cover of the magazine :)
Fri, Jan 13 2012

BEA's Fall Gathering!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Today was the BEA's Fall Gathering since AB has been on the market. We had the event held at a pumpkin farm in Howard County... They had a huge pumpkin patch, hayrides, farm animals, and a cute gift shop. We actually gave away Arlene's 2nd Book at this event and had a great turn out.We also had a visitor from Massachusetts that has a bilateral surgery scheduled for No...
Mon, Jan 02 2012

Wedding!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I finally tied the knot to my best friend I met 6 years ago thru an CART reporter in college. If it weren't for Fran, my transcriber - I would have never met Tom who can understand my frustrations, challenges, and goals in my life. Tom also has a hearing loss whom wears bilateral hearing aids. Our wedding day couldn't be more perfect. We had the perfect we...
Mon, Jan 02 2012

Neptune!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! FDA released AB's Neptune to the market for United States... if you haven't heard about it.... you are gonna love it! Its the first SWIMMABLE implant! You can wear this in the pool and hear in the water. It's pretty awesome and will be great for kids when they play with their friends at the pool or the water park. They won't miss out ANYTHING!H...
Mon, Jan 02 2012

3rd Visit to Advanced Bionics HQ in Valencia, California
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I got invited to go back to Valencia for my third time and I am grateful for the opportunity to go back and learn about their products and how the implants work. The best part of the trip is to see others that I've met in the last two visits.The primary goal is show us the Neptune, AB's new baby on the market. Its being shipped in the beginning of January ...
Mon, Jan 02 2012

The Honeymoon to the Bahamas!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! We had the most wonderful time on our cruise from Carnival to the Bahamas from Baltimore. We also requested an interpreter since it was recommended by several people. We are so glad we had Kristin. There are so many accents on that ship! I did meet one father that had a daughter with one implant from Cochlear. I offered to share my interpreter ...
Mon, Jan 02 2012

HLAA in Crystal City
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! The HLAA conference in Crystal City was a BLAST!!!! This was my first time attending the event but I wasn't going there as a attendee.. I volunteered my time with Advanced Bionics booth to show the consumers how great AB's implant is! Even though we are not 'back' on the market. We were able to show off our SKIN-ITs which are like really durable and thick ...
Wed, Dec 21 2011

Rumors....
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I'm hearing rumors about a totally swimmable CI! There isn't any material for the US but I was able to find some stuff on the UK websites and UK blogs about it.Is it worth getting the 'NEPTUNE' by Advanced Bionics??
Wed, Dec 21 2011

4 more months to go!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! 4 more months til my wedding day! I'm all prepared and getting my last map soon before the big day! Had make up trials and hair trials too!I did get an interpreter for my wedding.. I figured with everything going on that I am going to hear that day is going to completely exhaust me out. I thought having an interpreter for someone does the speeches will help me n...
Wed, Dec 21 2011

Advanced Bionics Recall
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Unfortunately, AB is on a voluntary recall due to TWO failures. One here in the US and one in UK. The two patients are experiencing severe pain, loud sounds and shocking sensations within 8-10 days after being activated.At least that AB is being honest and pulling it off the shelf before anyone else gets hurt like the other two people. Not naming any companies, o...
Wed, Dec 21 2011

Support Group at the Arbutus Library
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! We used a new location for the Winter BEA support group. This library is spanking brand new and CLEAN!We had BethAnne from AB come and talk about the changes with AB. There are so many new changes... if you don't know... Sonova has acquired AB and they are also patterned with Phonak (the top digital hearing aid company on the market) which will mean that i...
Wed, Dec 21 2011

Support Group was a Success!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! It was a great turn out... but we had some visitors there that we had to kick out since I had a permit to have the space for the entire day. They weren't too happy. Sorry!We had Meredith - who has a rare kind of dwarfism called Morquio Syndrome that is thinking of getting an CI. Her only challenge is that she had a spinal fusion which means if you have surgery and get...
Sat, Dec 17 2011

Second Mapping and SUV
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Today's the second mapping, I feel that I need more information on the new ear (left ear) which is good. I'm hoping Steve can make it better so I can be able to distinguish sounds that I need to hear.I think I'm more excited about getting my new truck later today! Ive waited so long to get this since I am constantly adding oil and antifreeze everyday to the car. I am ...
Sat, Dec 17 2011

The Actual Activation
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Today's activation went well... it was different from the first one. I didn't get the sensation as bad like I got with the first one. Steve programmed me with Fidelity 120 instead of 90K since he knew that I would improve faster since I am already using Fidelity 120 in my right ear.He had an assistant in the room and was teaching her how to use the AB's so...
Sat, Dec 17 2011

Activation!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! It's the big day!!! Im not nervous like I was with my first activation. Just going solo this time. No family, fiancee, etc. Since I already know what to expect and Im also bring my flip video camera for my activation to compare it with my first one. Which i had a lot of sensation on my forehead which causes me to have migraines. I still get them only when ...
Sat, Dec 17 2011

Surgery Day!
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Yup, today is my surgery day! Whoot!I'm so pysched!Sugars are running normal and will have my CGM and Pump during surgery!Wish me luck!
Tue, Jun 01 2010

Surgery Day - Part Two
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Surgery was successful! No problems with my sugar! The OR nurse LOVED my CGM. Well worth it!I was up and going home before 1155am! Got home at 1230pm! No complications, less bleeding than the other surgery which was less bleeding than normal. Thats pretty good! Dr. Limb liked how the procedure went and was pleased with the results. ...
Tue, Jun 01 2010

Activation - June 25th
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Activation day is about 24 more days away. I am actually nervous! I know I've been thru it before.. I guess I'm just silly!
Tue, Jun 01 2010

Bilateral Surgery
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I got my bilateral surgery! Its on May 18th! I am psyched! Ill finally be 'stereo'! Dr. Limb will be doing my surgery again. He did a great job with the first one and has awesome bedside manners.
Tue, Mar 23 2010

Audiogram Comparison
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I know its been forever since my last post but will update my blog eventually.I did a comparison of my audiograms so far to this point and thought it would be great to share with everyone.
Fri, Mar 19 2010

First Programming...
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I went to programming without my family.... just me and my fiancée. Steve, my audie likes my progress so far... I told him that I heard that sound at AuBonPain that far away.....He did mapping I think, where he finds the level of tolerance in each decibel. Then about 10 minutes later.. he turns it on... OH MY GOSH! It sounds SOOOO MUCH BETTER! But stronger than a h...
Fri, Oct 02 2009

One week since activation
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! The first week was rough. Everything I heard did not make any sense. I'm starting to wonder if I made the right decision here. I know it may be too soon. But I'm sorta lost here. I was all excited about activation and can I hear? Well yea but it don't sound right....just a bunch of freaking noise. Come on here. Second. My implant keeps falling off when my hair is...
Wed, Sep 30 2009

Today's Activation
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Alrighty, it was really wierd. I felt the sounds and along with that I also felt a sensation or a pulsing on my forehead.I was so nervous this morning and didn't eat breakfast at all! That's not a good thing for a diabetic. I got this huge box of stuff in it. WOW! All these chargers, hooks, cap covers, batteries were included. I'm not going to lie here, still can't...
Fri, Sep 04 2009

T-Minus 16 hours til activation
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! You heard it right. About 16 more hours til activation of my Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant! Will have some videos up soon!
Thu, Sep 03 2009

Surgical Incision Healing
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I watched the progress of my surgical incision with the help of my fiancée Tom. Since I could not see it well, he took photos for me so I can see how much better it looked.August 6, 2009 - 2 days post-op. Finally took bandage off.Whew....the pressure off of my head is finally gone!!August 8, 2009 - 4 days post-op. Saw the surgeon onAugust 7, 2009 and was pleased with...
Mon, Aug 31 2009

T-minus 4 Days...
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Activation Time! 4 more days! This Friday at 9am. I am sorta nervous and excited at the same time. Can you believe it took me 6 months to get to this point from my very first appointment and now to the activation date? People don't realize that this is a LIFETIME commitment! Its just not going there for programming, it requires you to go back every 6 months to a...
Mon, Aug 31 2009

T-minus 8 days.
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Yup. You heard it right, 8 more days til activation. I'm ready to see what I can hear. On the other hand. I'm still in very little pain. Some days are good and some are bad. The implanted side has scalp soreness. But it's not even close to the implant. I don't know if anyone else has experienced that before. I can feel the shape and the actual implant itself. It's sor...
Thu, Aug 27 2009

2.5 weeks Post-Op
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! It's been a whirlwind two weeks of pain and discomfort. I'm not gonna tell everyone that it didn't hurt. But it did. Today is the 17th day post-op. I finally woke up with no pain. And also slept on my implanted ear for a few hours. I was happy with my progress so far.I asked my audiologist so many wierd and dumb questions like can I blow my nose now? Can I go back to...
Fri, Aug 21 2009

Post Op visit with Dr.Limb
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! The post-operative visit with Dr.Limb went very well. He was pleased with the outcome of my surgery. No complications during surgery. Also said that I had less bleeding than normal.Here is a photo at the hospital. You can see that my face is swollen on the left. Surgery was on Tuesday morning, this photo was taken on Friday morning... not too bad 3 days post-op.But I...
Sun, Aug 09 2009

Post-Op {24 hours later}
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! My goodness, I will tell you what a difficult night I had after surgery. Barely slept at all. Could not get comfortable with the pain.After the 24 hours, I started to feel a lot of relief, the pain reduced in about half and got more color back in my skin. Was able to stay awake longer.Its 2:40am, I couldn't sleep, I am here at my desk blogging and doing my scrapbook...
Thu, Aug 06 2009

Surgery Day
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! What a day.... this morning, I had a bad dream/nightmare... I dreamt that I was at JHH and there was this really weird people... and then waiting in pre-op area and a woman named Mary Rattell came out and told me that the surgery was cancelled cuz Dr. Limb was sick.Good news that I had my surgery (performed by Dr.Charles Limb) this morning. I was in recovery for som...
Wed, Aug 05 2009

T-Minus 10 Days...
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! 10 more days til my surgery date! Wow, I am just counting the days! I am really excited to get it over with.A lot of people are always asking if I am nervous about it ... Not really since this is my 2nd surgery. I had shoulder surgery done almost 3 years ago and I know what to expect during recovery wise like sore throat, in and out of sleep during the first few da...
Sat, Jul 25 2009

Melody - Advanced Bionics Bilateral Doll
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Have you met Buddy's sister?? Her name is Melody. She is a year old now and is bilateral. I recieved her several weeks ago. Boy she is a cutie! Enjoy the photos!
Wed, Jul 22 2009

Advice from a CI friend...
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I got some advice from my friend that has a CI. It was actually other peoples' advices that they have given her when she was in the process. I thought I would pass it along to everyone else! Here it is gang.. Pre-operative 1. Purchase things like triple-antibiotic ointment, hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, q-tips, over the counter pain relievers, shower caps, gauze,...
Wed, Jul 15 2009

Activation Date
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! I know, I know... it took me a while to sit down and actually type this up, I guess its the lazy summer days.I got the activation date.....September 4th. Killer part about the date is... the fact is just before the weekend. And I have plans to go to the beach for the weekend. I am sure I am going to be turning heads a lot there and trying to figure out this stuff.2...
Wed, Jul 15 2009

The Surgery Date
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Yeap! I am already posting my surgery date! I got a call this morning from Dr.Limb's office and its been 24 hours since my appointment with Steve...Drumroll please!August 4, 2009 at 730am. Means that I have to be at JHH at 530am!Almost a month away!I called my mom and she was like thats so soon! Uhhh... yea! Exactly what I wanted. I wanted the surgery before September...
Wed, Jul 01 2009

Last appointment at JHH
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Yup. You heard it loud and clear! Last appointment was with Steve Bowditch. He did an aided auditory testing also speech perception tests. The aided part, the right ear (which will be the implanted side) shows a drop around 2000Hz from 60-80db. The speech perception....well I felt that I did terrible cuz I really didn't recognize the words. Only a few of t...
Tue, Jun 30 2009

Dr. Charles Limb - My Surgeon Appointment
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Sorry for not posting... I finally had my appointment with Dr. Limb. Quite a remarkable guy with a great academic background from Harvard and Yale. My parents were pretty impressed with him. He asked a bunch of questions about how I grew up, how I became deaf, etc.I was almost 3 months premature baby which gave me a few health problems. My hearing loss and diabetes....
Sat, Jun 13 2009

Dr. Charles Limb
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Here is the article on John Hopkins Magazine on Dr. Charles Limb.  Click to read article.
Sun, May 17 2009

Two More Appointments Made...
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Two  more appointments were made for the audiologist and surgeon.  The receptionist made them on the same day, but the killer part was it was July 24th.  I was like what?  She mentioned that Steve Bowditch (my audiologist) is rather booked up. She also asked me if I want to be on a cancellation list for Steve's appointments.  I was like sure, why not, it wouldn't hurt...
Sun, May 17 2009

John Hopkins Visit
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Today was the day for initial consultation. My parents and fiancée went with me this morning.Meeting Steve Bowditch was a pleasure. I think he reassured my family by answering their questions. My dad had a lot which surprised me cuz I didn't think he would be interested in the process of me getting a CI.Two more appointments, one with Steve and the other with the surg...
Sun, May 17 2009

Cochlear Implant Picnic
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! It was a blast!  I got to meet a lot of people and finally Elizabeth McDonald from AB.  It was so nice to meet someone with a face!I was right about the burgers, but not CI shaped... But they did have burgers.. wished they had the cheese to go with it...I got a few freebies, some freebies for Echo and Kaitu, drawstring bags, bubbles.There was a mixture of age groups, ...
Sun, May 17 2009

John Hopkins Hospital
You gotta b'lieve Hon, or not! Whew!  After 6 LONG weeks of waiting!  I finally got an email from JHH.  I go in Thursday for my evaluation appointment, which will include new audiogram.  I am eager to find how how my hearing loss has been since March.  Is it stable or has it gotten worse.  I will find out that day if I am indeed a candidate for the CI.Wish me luck you all, it happens to be the day ...
Sun, May 17 2009