On May 31, 2013, I had the hearing test that confirmed the loss of my natural hearing in my left ear. For years, I wore a hearing aid in that ear while my other ear was completely deaf due to a surgery in the late ‘90s. In 2011, I was approved for a cochlear implant because the technology was finally advanced enough to have a cochlear implant in one ear while I still had some usable hearing in the other ear.
In my left ear, I experienced Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, which can come out of nowhere. In my case, I went through a year of vertigo attacks, which were followed by hearing fluctuations for several years after that until it finally dropped to the point where I could no longer understand speech with my hearing aid.
After that point I relied on my right cochlear implant to help me continue to hear and communicate until I could get my left ear implanted at the end of 2013. Since then I have had bilateral cochlear implants that have completely changed my perception of sound and ability to communicate in general. Although, I still have a phone phobia—not sure if that is from hearing loss, being a millennial, or both. Probably both.
Now on to the exciting part. I just ordered my new CI processors, and am geeking out on the fact that I’ll be able to stream them directly to the TV without any kind of intermediary device. They are also waterproof and the rechargeable batteries will last a full day. In the past, the max was 7 hours, which doesn’t get me through a work day. Bye Bye disposable batteries.
There is a lot of work and research happening to improve hearing technology, as well as technology for other disabilities. I look forward to “hearing” about what comes next.
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