Living with a Cochlear Implant

When Michael Chorost's book "Rebuilt" came out, I read it with 
great interest, but it was his website that caught my attention even more.   I
found out he was also in the same AB 120 (actually it is 121 channels) channel 
software trials that I am in, and I was interested on his take.  Apparently  he
knows more than I do about it...if you have not seen it...here is what he had
to say: 

>>I spent the day today at _Advanced Bionics_
(http://www.advancedbionics.com/) , the maker of my  implant, testing out how my ear is doing with its new
121-channel software. My  pitch discrimination has improved from 70 hertz to 30
hertz when listening to  tones between 2000 and 2450 hertz. In other words,
within that frequency range,  I can now reliably distinguish between pure tones
that are only 30 cycles per  second apart instead of 70.

So how does that compare to normal hearing? In my Psych 101 class at Brown, 
which I took in 1984, I learned that the normal discrimination threshold for 
tones around 2000 hertz is 16 hertz; that is, people with normal hearing can 
usually tell the difference between tones of 2000 and 2016 hertz, or 2016 and 
2032 hertz. My discrimination threshold of 30 hertz therefore still falls
well  short of normal hearing — but it’s a huge improvement over 70 hertz. That
is  definitely one of the reasons why music sounds so much better to me on the
new  software. <<

I can imagine that Michael C. is looking at this from the scientific 
angle...he wants numbers.  The only number I wanted was to know how many  channels I
am using....there will be wide variations in how many extra pitch  percepts
anyone can use, (each channel is an extra previously unheard  pitch)...I am
happy to say my poor old broken down cochlea has exceeded my hopes  and I have
jumped from using 16 channels with HiRes to 113 with the  new software! 

   
Three years with my CI has been the most amazing experience!  Switching  from
CIS to HiRes was also an adventure.  It took me about a month to get  the
hang of HiRes, I needed some frequency boosts etc and once they got me  situated
with the right mapping, there was no going back...I was  hooked!  

 
I went about testing the 120 channel software the same way I compared CIS to 
HiRes.  My first step...and the exact same thing I did the day they turned 
on HiRes, was get my cell phone out and make some phone calls.  My HiRes 
experience was that I had to wait until the next day to understand anything on  the
phone.  All in all, it took me about a month to get things with  speech back
up and beyond what I had with CIS.   With the 120 software  I was able to
understand on the phone within minutes.  Not sure if this can  be attributed to my
brain being more used to CI hearing or what.  I had  only been using a CI for
six months when I started with HiRes. 

  
I have had my CI for over three years now.  I have been told that the  longer
you use a particular speech strategy the harder it will be to  switch.  But
that doesn't seem to be the case with the 120 channel  software...at least for
me.  So far for me it has been an  easy adjustment.   I am sure there will be
a lot of different  experiences once the software is released...as with
anything else!  

As Michael noted...MUSIC is better!  Yep....it is better for me  too!!  
HiRes gave me better music than I was hearing with the  standard CIS
strategy....but the song lyrics still gave me trouble.  Just  like with most people with a
CI...the instruments are easier to hear than the  lyrics.   With the 120
channel software, the lyrics have  improved!  

I got out my old music...the stuff I was listening to when I was first 
activated (and knew from when I had normal hearing) and listening to Elvis  ( The
Very Best of Love) was quite interesting!   The music  changed...his voice was
better and closer than I had yet heard, to being the way  it is supposed to
be.  Music is just more beautiful...that is the only way  I can put it.  It
sounds richer and has more vibrancy.  

I got a new CD by James Taylor I had not heard yet and popped that into the 
CD player.  Most of the songs were new for me.  I was pleasantly  surprised
that I got, I would say, about 25-30% more of the lyrics on the first  try than
I would usually get.  I have not printed out the lyrics yet to  double check
this...but the lyrics/words sounded clear and came through much  easier.  It
was very noticeable!   My friend Judy is  also in the trials and she has had a
similar experience....good  stuff! 

  
Fleetwood Mac has changed...vocals much more evident and clear. Stevie 
Nick's voice is clearer and not as "husky" sounding.   I can't compare  them to
when I had normal hearing...I lost my hearing before they got big...but  can
compare it to CIS and HiRes....sounding pretty yummy right  now!    ABBA is also a
new adventure!   I grew up  listening to Patsy Cline and Elvis.  My mom was a
big Patsy fan and I was  spoon fed in a highchair listening to her fantastic
voice.  Her voice  sounds great...little things in her voice that were not as
apparent with HiRes  are there now.  I didn't miss them until I heard them and
realized they  were "new".  There is more power in her voice. 

Hearing in noise is better...no way to say it is better by any certain 
percentage, but I have noticed on several occasions that I had not wanted to 
switch over to my noise program as I usually do.  One experience at the 
mall...kind of funny.   I went to the mall and saw a fellow I know  that is an
acupuncturist, we started talking.   He has a  very heavy Chinese accent and the mall
was screaming with noise, and kids  crying, music, and water fountains.  We all
know what I mean.  It has  to be the worse place to have a conversation other
than a rock concert, but I  was able to filter out most of the background
sounds and hear his voice  fine.  I showed him my CI and he thought it was to
help me  SEE!!   He thought I had an "ocular implant"!!   LOL  I  was saying "C"
and "I"..and he got "see" "eye" !

I asked Judy if she had any comments about the new trial software she is 
using and she says:
>>I am hearing more words in songs, I did good with HiRes, but this  is
better and seems to be balanced... and its an awesome experience once again.. 
smile..  its just getting better and better..  amazing me all the  time.. found
out my doorbell is broken and I actually heard a car in my  driveway!!! from the
bathroom!   I decided to check out the  noise sure enough..  (that's when I
found out my doorbell was broken)  but it was a lady at the wrong house. lol..
We are still very much in the middle of these trials...don't know when they 
will be over.  I have three different types of 120 channel programs that I 
can try, and as with HiRes, I am settling down on one I seem to prefer.  So  far
so good!!  : )