Melissa's Cochlear Implant

Hearing Aid
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I got my brand new hearing aid, after losing it many weeks ago. It was weird when I turned it on again! The audiologist kept asking me is it okay? is it okay? he was starting to bug me but I wasn't there long. I am not liking the earmould although I have had it before. It's really hard to take out of my ear, it hurts and some certain noises tend to "tickle" my ear, I ...
Wed, Oct 13 2010

Earmould & Lost Hearing Aid.
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I lost my hearing aid 2 weeks ago, I have nearly lost it many times but I have never lost a hearing aid in my 20 years of hearing aid use(aided at 1 year old)Anyway, I may have to pay a fee which charges for lost hearing aid/damaged through neglect. The cost will be £106, just wondering how much would you have to pay if you lost/damaged yours? I know for children it i...
Mon, Sep 27 2010

The week has gone FAST! Had Monday off and I was ill...
Melissa's Cochlear Implant The week has gone FAST! Had Monday off and I was ill tuesday so couldn't go to work. I was in the baby room and a child's mum to came pick him up. She spoke to me and said "Have I seen you before?" I replied with a "No, don't think so"(didn't recognise her) and this morning I was thinking and all I could see was her face in my head. Turns out she's an audiologis...
Thu, Sep 23 2010

Work Work Work and Hearing Aid
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Work is still going great, sometimes the day just d r a g on but today went quite quickly. I am used to the routines, the children, and the staff. I am 3 weeks in, I was meant to finish tomorrow but I get to work Tues-Fri next week!! More money!!!I have lost my hearing aid again and I think it will do me good, although I am currently wearing my processor 10+ hou...
Thu, Sep 16 2010

Major Relief!!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Hello!! I went for my 6pm appointment for my echocardiogram at the hospital. I could see my heart beating on the screen, pretty cool. My mother was REALLY fascinated, she said it looked like a horse galloping and a Scream Face somewhere in there.The person doing the ultrasound said there is NOTHING wrong with my heart. It's good to know that!!Next step ...
Wed, Sep 08 2010

Blog Badge&Update
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Hello, this morning I visited Liz's deaf blog and decided that the blog badge that I got recently was false. Go and read why she thinks it is at Liz's Deaf blogMy first week at work was good!! I quite enjoyed it, I have till next Friday, but they will be keeping my details in case they need me again. Long days at work and getting home late, but it's £££ :)My hear...
Mon, Sep 06 2010

1 implant for TWO ears
Melissa's Cochlear Implant [link] happened on Friday, and when I saw it on the news, I thought this was quite interesting. I have never heard this before and hopefully it will become a new thing since bilateral CI's in adults are not allowed here unless you have blindness or other disabilities.I wonder if the patient involved will be revealing how her two implants work for her??
Sat, Aug 28 2010

Award
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I don't know when it was sent but I read my emails and was given a blog aware from Medical Assistants, I have never heard of this so I don't know if it's genuineBlog AwardsQuite a lot of Bloggers have won this award
Thu, Aug 26 2010

Finally!!!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Just thought this is interesting to share. I was asked if I would like to go bilateral in October 2009, I said I would like to then went for assessment on 7th Dec 2009 then my case went for funding on Feb 25th 2010 and it was declined on April 6th 2010. I have only just found out today, I don't know why it took them so long to get to me but oh well. Hope NICE will cha...
Wed, Aug 18 2010

Gloomy Monday
Melissa's Cochlear Implant When I rolled out of bed at 9am this morning, it was sunny and bright. I rushed to get ready and was out of the house for 9.40am to make my 10.30 appointment. Walked to bus stop, it was a good 10 minute walk- well I do have small legs! I had to wait 15-25 mins for the bus, which was okay. I got into town with 10 minutes to spare, so I job searched on the computer...
Tue, Aug 10 2010

Childhood
Melissa's Cochlear Implant In the past as a young deaf child, my mum had to advocate for me and show me the right thing to say to people. She told me as a little child maybe four/five years old, I was waiting for my sister in her school yard (I must have been off ill or something) so I went over to ask one of the teachers where my sister was. My mum tells me that the teacher looked at me in a h...
Wed, Jul 14 2010

The Silence-Part One
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I am going to write about my thoughts and opinions from last night's first showing of The Silence. It will run every night until Thursday. It is about 18 year old Amelia who is deaf, just had her CI turned on (activated) and is trying to cope with life in hearing world and hearing for the first time. She witnesses a murder.There were some mistakes in the programme but...
Tue, Jul 13 2010

Pizzaa!!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Yesterday Evening, my mum, I and my 2 1/2 year old foster brother decided we'd go out for pizza... So we went to Pizza Hut, which is around 15 minutes away. Due to the location where we live, it does take 15 minutes to get to either towns.It was nice spending time just with the three of us. We shared a large pizza and cheesy garlic bread.Every 2 minutes the little guy...
Mon, Jul 12 2010

My day with Please Slow Down Blogger
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Hey, on Saturday I had a day out with Please Slow Down's Blogger, MelissaWe have always got on very well online, this is the second time we've met. Last time, I had no spare batteries in my CI and batts ran out, so we had to get by writing and using phone to reiterate what we said. It was loads better at this meet since I had a fully working processor and it was a lot...
Mon, Jul 12 2010

Friends
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Are very special people in my life, no matter how long I have known them for, I always will care about them.BEST FRIENDS are the people I will ALWAYS love, care, nag daily and meet up often.I have 4 best friends.V- We met in Nursery at my primary school in April '93, we were three years old, and we were really close even at three. We were in the same classes and...
Thu, Jul 08 2010

Interview
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I finished college a year ago, today actually. I have been looking for job since then and thinking about what I really want to do in life. Well I applied for a load of jobs and I have my first ever interview at a children's nursery at 10am on Monday, I am dreading it, but know I will be fine since if I do not get it, it will be a learning experience for me, practising...
Fri, Jul 02 2010

Remembering Activation
Melissa's Cochlear Implant As I am on Cochlear Community, which is part of cochlear.com, I'm reading people's experiences on the BIG DAY which for us is ACTIVATION, the day our implant(s) are switched on for the very first time. For some it's the day their ears are "born" meaning the first day of hearing, maybe their hearing aids didnt benefit them, or it's the first day they start to hear prop...
Fri, Jun 25 2010

Growing Up in Both Worlds
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I have not really spoken much about my years growing up. I was brought up in a hearing family, which at times was so frustrating and sometimes very useful. As I have a sister (my twin) it was very easy to catch up with her, since she modelled language for me and still to this day helps me say words correctly, as a joke I call her my "speech therapist".The highlight of...
Thu, Jun 24 2010

New Blog!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Here's a new blog that has just been started by my good friend, Melissa. We've only known each other just over the past year. We found each other online and met recently, It was nice to meet a new person not that far from my home town, her blog isPlease Slow DownShe has a weird hearing loss which is reverse slope, and she feels she is not deaf but still experiences th...
Wed, Jun 23 2010

My Audiogram
Melissa's Cochlear Implant This is a blog post to follow up E's blog post [link] she wanted to see other deaf people's audiograms . She posted a very good explanation to her hearing loss. You can read about it hereDescription of my deafnessI have a profound hearing loss in both ears, this audiogram is not accurate, especially at 125hz and 250hz for my right ear since previous tests showe...
Sat, Jun 12 2010

Interpreters
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I JUST have to share this, it's just ridiculous. [link] really angers to see this stuff is actually happening to deaf people all over the world. Oh my word, this is just crazy.
Sat, Jun 12 2010

To those interested
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Here's my scar after 9 1/2 years. Not a very good pic but will do it again with a CAMERA
Wed, Jun 09 2010

DEAF TEENS IS UP
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Bit late but here you go. It's finally up and running(has been for a while)Go and visitDeaf Teens- where teens connect....It is not just for teens although it is aimed at them, there's a parents corner and a doctor's corner for any questions you may have!! Also many stories ranging from a child to adult! :)
Tue, May 25 2010

Back!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I am back from my holiday in Fuerteventura which was in the Canary Islands! We got back last night almost an hour early :) The holiday was great!! It was very windy since it is known as the windy country- I only found out when my sister told me the day we landed!! Thank you all for the comments regarding airport security and scanners. I did not have time to ...
Sat, Apr 03 2010

Genetic Testing
Melissa's Cochlear Implant A lot of people on their blogs are now posting questions, wondering if they should have genetic counselling. I have posted this before, you can read it after the follow letter. I have combined the previous post that I did into this post.I am going to copy down my report that was written when I was just in Year 7(12 years old) The previous blog post I did on genetic te...
Wed, Mar 17 2010

Security Control and Planes
Melissa's Cochlear Implant My upcoming holiday is in 12 days, I have gotten a lot of different pieces of advice about this. At the airport after you check in you have to go to Security control and there is metal detectors. I have always been told and have a letter from Manchester about this, stating that I should NOT go through and be patted down instead. I have always been patted down and neve...
Sun, Mar 14 2010

My Family:Want a Deaf Baby
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I came across this video My Family: Wanting a Deaf Baby I thought it was quite interesting to watch, although I did not agree with some of the points that the parents in the video made. This is just MY opinions, it does not mean that they are right. I understand why the parents wanted their baby to be deaf, but I didn't think it was appropriate to wish your child...
Sun, Mar 07 2010

Misconceptions of Hearing Loss, just had to copy it!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I copied this from Danielle17 Misconceptions about People with Hearing LossBy: Janice SchacterMisconceptions about people who are deaf or hard of hearing are common place - some antiquated stereotypes, others are just incorrect assumptions. It's easy enough to get the wrong idea as hearing loss can be an invisible disability - unlike the wheelchair that signals a...
Sun, Mar 07 2010

David's Project
Melissa's Cochlear Implant On facebook last week I was invited to join a group on Facebook. David is deaf, has bilateral cochlear implants and had has an idea to create a website for the deaf and hard of hearing. This site is mainly aimed at teenagers and their families. Go and check it out!! People of all ages are encouraged to submitt their story to his website.Here's the link David's E...
Tue, Mar 02 2010

March
Melissa's Cochlear Implant It's March!! Spring is almost here!! I cannot wait, sick of the cold and snowy weather!! Also March brings many things for me! Birthdays and holidays :)It's mine and my sister's 20th birthday, I cannot believe it. We will not be teenagers anymore!! Seem like only yesterday that I was getting hammered celebrating my 18th birthday!My sister, my sister's friends(about 7 ...
Mon, Mar 01 2010

Update on today's appointment!!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Everything's fine, I have a new processor, no signs of infection, my incision is normal, my electrodes and internal implant are perfectly fine!! They have no clue what it could be. So I just got a new processor and instructions to contact them if it happens again!!
Wed, Feb 24 2010

Help/Advice?
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Mostly I really enjoy wearing my implant, sounds are much clear and better whilst wearing my implant. I can hear people's voices and the tones sometimes, I love to hear the phone ring, music goin on although I am not a fan.But for just over six months or so, I've hated wearing my implant? Why? Because of what I've been experiencing, I just do not want to put it on due...
Wed, Feb 17 2010

Today's appointment
Melissa's Cochlear Implant was a waste of time in general. 1 hour 20 min wait for a 2 minute talk. and my mother says that amount of time is "normal" I just cannot believe it. Anyway the consultant said that they just have to write a report and submit it to the Primary Care Trust(PCT) and to see if they agree or not. He also said that PCT have been saying no to other people so I'm not holding m...
Tue, Feb 02 2010

Random topic
Melissa's Cochlear Implant On Monday I went on a night out in town with my sister and a friend of ours, Sara.The night out went quiet good, there was not many people in the clubs, the music was quiet low which was good. But even with the background noise I still found a different to hear what was being said. I guess I need to get a programme for my implant to see if it will help. Nuc...
Fri, Jan 22 2010

Right ear timeline
Melissa's Cochlear Implant As you may know, I was diagnosed at 9 months with sensioneural hearing loss in both ears(bilaterally) It was severe. This meant I would not be able to hear much, if anything without any form of hearing equipment such as hearing aids or a cochlear implant.Fast forward until now, I have a profound hearing loss in my right ear which is the ear where I wear my Spirit 3 SP...
Thu, Jan 14 2010

Dancing and CI
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Especially to anybody interested. Nowadays there are many ideas on how to keep an CI attached such as headbands for keeping coils on and the processor itself. When I started Irish Dancing at the age of 8 I wore hearing aids so I use my eyes a lot to know when to start dancing etc. When I received my implant at ten, i was still dancing and in quite a lot of lessons tha...
Sun, Jan 10 2010

Just wanted to say to those reading my blog who have just...
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Thank you for reading my blog, you are always free to ask me questions either on here or via email at lissa90@live.co.uk. I am always up to answering questions about cochlear implants and deafness or anything in general.I have been implanted 9 years, this has been a huge journey, even sometimes I still hear things I may have not heard before and my hearing is always i...
Mon, Dec 21 2009

Bilateral Update.
Melissa's Cochlear Implant At my 9th year annual check up at my CI centre back in October, I was basically asked if I wanted an CI for my right ear, so I would be a bilateral CI user. I said I was not so sure, so I went on the assessment list and then if I changed my mind I could email them and say no.My first audiology appointment for my non-implanted ear is on Monday. I am wondering what it w...
Fri, Dec 04 2009

On October 10th it was my yearly visit to the Cochlear...
Melissa's Cochlear Implant On October 10th it was my yearly visit to the Cochlear Implant programme. It was my 9th year review. I was asked a question. I assumed she was going to ask if you know about Nucleus 5. I grinned and waited for her to mention Nucleus 5, but it did not come.Instead the question was "Do you know about BILATERAL COCHLEAR IMPLANTS. I looked at her unsurely and replie...
Sun, Nov 01 2009

Earmould, Flamingo Land and House
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Hey, I just wanted to update on what's being going on!I am still hearing weird noises from my hearing aid. So the day after I got my new hearing and I noticed I was still hearing the noises, we went back to the audiology dept and spoke to one of the audi staff, she suggested a new earmould. So I had an earmould impression done and now I've got a 2 week wait for an ear...
Fri, Oct 30 2009

9 year appointment
Melissa's Cochlear Implant 9 year annual review, went well, I got the answers answered of what I wanted to know. I wanted to know if they could turn off the electrode that causes my eye twitch when all electrodes are on at the same time. She replied no, as the twitching occurs on several electrodes so turning them off is not really an option. Also I understand a little bit more of why the twitc...
Fri, Oct 30 2009

Cochlear celebration and recent events!!
Melissa's Cochlear Implant Friday 25th September was the bionics meet up for a chinese buffet!! It was great to finally meet the people I'v been chatting to online for a while!Cochlear Celebration was on October 3rd at the Heart of England Centre in Coventry. There were many workshops to pick and choose from.We went to one workshop which was Bigstix Drumming. Some of this was interesting, it wa...
Fri, Oct 30 2009

Hearing Aid....
Melissa's Cochlear Implant I went to the hospital to pick up my replacement hearing aid. My previous HA is going to be checked. When I got home, i removed my CI as I can only hear the buzzing/whistling with just my HA on, surprise surprise it is still making the noise. Hmm, making me wonder if it is actually the earmould. It has been happening since Monday, my mum said it could have been ...
Fri, Oct 30 2009

See Hear
Melissa's Cochlear Implant See Hear is a TV programme for British deaf people and their families.It is on every Wednesday. It used to be on a Saturday but they changed it to 1pm on a Wednesday morning where most people are either working or at school which is kinda stupid! They also reduce the time from 50 mins down to 30 mins so there isnt long to actually do a good show. But there's always IP...
Fri, Oct 30 2009