Sam's Hearing Life

2011-02-02T16:08:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, my mom and I were due for an upgrade on our cell phones. I usually get it at the same time as her so I can get the free one in the "Buy 1 get 1 Free" special. This time, we got the Blackberry Bold. I had full intentions on getting a Blackberry once I graduate from college and into the "real world" but I was going to wait until then because I didn't think it would be necessary for me since I'm just a student.

Never would I have thought I'd become SO addicted to this Blackberry!

Ever since I have gotten it, I have become addicted with getting all my emails immediately, browsing the internet wherever I go and all the other applications available on the Blackberry.

But the MAIN reason why I love this new phone and why I think its blog-worthy is that I am now able to hear and understand on it A LOT better by using my Cochlear Implant!! Before, I've had to use my Hearing Aid and it would always be a hassel because I would have to be somewhere quiet... which in my case, very rare!

So now, I'm talking on the phone more and building up my phone confidence! And I must say, it's about time! :)

Guess that "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" Special ended up being a "life-saver" for me as it's the perfect time for me to start getting used to using my CI on the phone.

The jobs I never thought I'd have... are the jobs I'm doing!

2009-09-29T14:55:00.009-04:00

Before I got my implant, there were some jobs I thought I would NEVER be able to have and I thought I was going to miss out on the jobs that “everyone starts off with” such as being a waiter, working the front desk answering phones, helping visitors with directions, working the cashier stand at a fast food restaurant, etc.
But since I’ve started college and become more comfortable with my implant/hearing… I’m working one of the jobs I thought I would NEVER have which is working the front desk as a receptionist.

For the past year, I worked the front desk answering phones and assisting visitors who came into the Berry College Alumni Center. Sure, in the beginning it was a little tough getting used to it, and I always got nervous when someone called because I was afraid I wasn’t going to understand them or to be able to answer their questions, etc. But as time went by, it got easier and I got more comfortable answering phones and helping people.

But now, since I’ve switched jobs/departments, I’m no longer working the front desk but I’m answering calls about reservations in the different meeting rooms, dining halls, ballrooms, etc.

So it’s definitely been an adventure working these jobs! Every day it amazes me that ME – a DEAF person – is answering phones, helping people, and training the new freshmen, etc. It makes me feel good that I’m able to do this and it makes me that much more grateful for the opportunities I’m now experiencing because of my Cochlear Implant and having gone through Auditory Verbal Therapy. Without them… I don’t know where I would be working right now.

I guess you can say that deaf people can achieve what we originally thought was impossible! :)

Body-Worn Processor can come in handy

2009-07-23T08:36:00.006-04:00

My Grandpa has had the implant for about 2 years now and seems to be progressing. But unfortunately, because of his age and health, his progress is very slow. But even though it's a slow progress, we can definitely see a difference with his conversations being more at ease. He can hear a lot better then he did with just the two hearing aids and we don't have to worry about him using the FM system as a microphone for everyone at the table. He can definitely do a lot better in the quiet environments but it does get challenging in the noisier environments so we have to make sure we talk slow for him.

Since he has gotten the implant, we have been noticing that he has a hard time managing his BTE processor, oxygen tube and glasses all on his ear. It would sometimes get tangled up and everything falls off. We have tried the earmold for his ear to help hold it on, but it was too difficult for him to use. So as a solution, we traded out the BTE processor for the body-worn hoping this will help. As a result, he doesn't get tangled up on his ears balancing everything and plus, he seems to be hearing better with the body-worn instead of the BTE!

So we're glad this is working out better for him... I guess you never know until you try it!

Jonathan's new job with CutCo!

2009-07-13T19:51:00.002-04:00

My brother just got a job last week working with CutCo. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with CutCo, it's a knife company that involves selling them "door to door." Apparently these knives are very expensive but top of the line... I don't even think you can buy them in stores.

So what he has to do is call people up asking them to make an appointment so he can give them about a 30 minute presentation of the products and hope that they'll be interested enough to buy some. Its a hard job - sometimes they'll buy and sometimes they wont.

But what's amazing is that he's able to do all this -- call people up, make appointments, give about a 30 minute presentation of the knives, and sell them. Literally the job of a salesman!

After 2 days of working, he's made over $3,000 in sales! Now, that's pretty impressive!! I think he not only loves making the sales, but he loves how he gets calls from his boss checking in and complimenting him on how great he's doing!

Jonathan making one of his first sales!

But if you think about it, he would not be able to do this if it weren't for the AB Harmony.

We were all kinda actually kinda nervous in the beginning on how he would do... but he has definitely proved us all wrong - nothing can stop you from doing what you want! So thanks for the Harmony and Jonathan's hardworking personality, he's able to make great money and save up for college and a new car! :)

Keith Urban Concert!

2009-06-15T10:19:00.007-04:00

Since I LOVE Keith Urban's music, my brother and my best friend got me tickets for my birthday to see him in Concert which was last night! And the concert was AMAZING! We had such a great time dancing and singing along with Keith Urban and his songs!

Thanks to the Harmony, both my brother and I could actually enjoy the concert and sing along with his music!

Now, hopefully next year we can try to go to the CMA Music Fest in Nashville, TN and see ALL of our favorite country stars!! :)

"I'm alive and I'm free... Who wouldn't wanna be me"
-Keith Urban

Future Entrepreneur?

2009-05-27T20:54:00.009-04:00

Berry College has several Student Ran Enterprises on campus... Lisa and I started an enterprise creating an Online Alumni Collection. Since the Alumni only have a few "Alumni items", we are creating an online based store to provide more alumni items for both the younger and the older graduates. The other day we were interviewed and published in the Rome, Ga Newspaper!
Check it out:

Ideas bear fruit at Berry
by Bryant Steele

Berry College freshman Samantha Brilling (left) and sophomore Lisa Smith with some of the products from their business venture, the Online Berry Alumni Collection at Oak Hill. Alumni gear is currently available in the alumni office in the Ford Buildings on Berry College's main campus and will soon be available online through Oak Hill's Web site. (Photo by Lindy Dugger Cordell / RN-T)

The whiteboard in Rufus Massey’s office at Berry College (map) is a color-coded mass of lists and boxes with lines and arrows connecting one thing to another or more. It is what Picasso might have come up with had he been a business major.

Massey’s masterpiece is an evolving study in a new student work experience called Enterprise Development.

“We want to build a high-performance team, and we want the students to be more competitive in the workforce when they leave,” Massey, assistant vice president for enterprise development, said.

He said the program shares ideas with the entrepreneurship program at the college’s Campbell School of Business, but the businesses this program builds will stay at Berry after students graduate, always to be run by students with oversight from faculty and staff called co-managers.

“It gives students the opportunity to run their own enterprise,” Massey said. “The students had to develop the project plans.”

The idea, to market Berry’s products and services beyond the Berry family, had its genesis in October. The progress will be evaluated during the summer (summer students are keeping the pilot projects going), and Massey hopes to have more projects up and running by fall.

Most projects have a readily recognizable Berry theme, like the Berry Farms Jersey Milk Co. and Berry Farms Jersey Beef Co. Then there’s Vision Studios, a video production company to visually preserve not only anniversary and birthday celebrations but also property owners’ belongings for insurance purposes.

“For the last six months, we’ve gathered ideas. We have 200 ideas on the business concept list,” Massey said.

Berry Farms Genetic Services can take advantage of the school’s Jersey cattle herd, ranked No. 13 in the nation, he said. “Genetic Services basically would have a veterinarian work with students and harvest embryos and ship them frozen anywhere in the world. The goal is to have Berry Cattle walking all over the world. It’s all about continuing the Berry line.”

The Cottages at Berry – four log cabins — are “not really open to the public,” Massey said. “But with 21,000 alumni, there are plenty of customers.” The cottages are being converted to a student-run enterprise with the goal “to keep them full all the time,” Massey said.

The Berry Bike Shop is an old blacksmith shop that will partner with local bicycle shops and provide minor repairs, tours and rentals, he said.

Berry Farms Jersey Milk “has taken the campus by storm,” Massey said. It’s processed by Cagle Dairy in Canton and offered in whole, 2 percent and chocolate. Details about offering it to the public at large are being worked out.

“What we have in mind” with the Berry Organic Garden “is that the average meal takes 1,500 miles to get to the table. Wouldn’t we rather have food that takes a quarter-mile to get to the table?”

‘Sky’s the limit’

“We are actually selling product now,” said Nathan Clackum, co-manager of Berry Angus Beef Co. “So far we’ve been mainly marketing to faculty, staff, students and alumni. However, we will sell it to the public.

(See Berryangus@berry.edu for sales information.)

“Berry Angus specializes in high-quality ground beef and steaks. Our product is natural, which means that there are no artificial preservatives or artificial ingredients added to the meat. It’s also raised without added hormones.”

The product is seasonal (January through July) and is processed by Sheriff’s Meat Processing in Calhoun, a state -inspected plant, Clackum said.

The school has been marketing animals in larger portions for several years, but the enterprise selling individual cuts just started in May, he said.

Massey would one day like people to see menu items from Berry College Student Enterprises. “It’s not far-fetched. It’s pretty simple to do that.”

“Basically, the sky’s the limit,” Clackum said. “We’re going to grow based on demand. We have the animal numbers right now to do about 40 head per year.”

Jessica Crumbley, general manager of the enterprise and a rising senior, asked to be a part of the pilot project. She thought it would be helpful because she plans to be a veterinarian but doesn’t have a business minor.

“It gets me thinking about all aspects of running a business,” she said. “Raising steers, getting them prepped, the paperwork. It helps me see more than just the health care.

Alumni have bought Berry merchandise for years, but The Alumni Collection at Oak Hill enterprise plans to sell even more caps, shirts, motto plaques, calendars and more.

Operations manager and rising junior Lisa Smith and marketing manager and rising sophomore Samantha Brilling will survey alumni at the upcoming Alumni Weekend for additional merchandise ideas as they also plan to take the business online.

Brilling, a marketing major, thinks the enterprise will help prepare her for her career. Smith said she does it more for the students. “I came from the business world back to school,” she said.

The Berry Enterprises Student Team is a support group majoring in areas like business management, accounting and finance, marketing and communication, Massey said. The group will meet at least once a semester to discuss what’s been accomplished and seek advice from a volunteer board that includes trustees, Campbell School faculty and the Alumni Council.

David Reeves, a rising senior and visual communications manager, is on the

BEST team and is Web designer for the entire project.

“Most purchases will be made online eventually,” he said. “The Web is now the new Yellow Pages that everyone can go to for reference.”

“Our home page will be about how we’ve come about, who we are, have contact information and a link to all the enterprises.” It will include information about how the project helps further education, he said.

‘Premier work institution’

The program has levels of work. Freshmen start at level one and have the opportunity to reach level five and run entire programs.

“The ultimate vision is student-run enterprises,” Massey said. “Academics are still first, but work is a unique component.

“Berry’s vision is to be known as a premier work institution in the nation,” Massey said. “By the time students graduate, up to 95 percent have worked on campus. It’s the culture.”

Connect to a Mentor

2009-05-19T16:33:00.015-04:00

An article from Advanced Bionics:

Advanced Bionics is connecting cochlear implant recipients and candidates from across the country through its new "Connect to Mentor" Web site.

Valencia, Calif. (PRWEB) May 18, 2009 -- In the first such online community of its kind, Advanced Bionics, the only U.S.-based manufacturer of cochlear implants (or "bionic ears"), is connecting cochlear recipients and candidates from across the country through its new "Connect to Mentor" Web site. The new site, part of the BEA (Bionic Ear Association) Mentor Program, allows cochlear implant candidates to contact volunteer "mentors" and communicate directly with hearing professionals.

"Advanced Bionics has an actively engaged population of 6,000 BEA members," said CEO Jeffrey Greiner of Advanced Bionics. "In developing this Web site, the company realized that its most valuable assets are cochlear implant recipients themselves. This site allows them to share their experiences, offer advice to others who might be thinking of being implanted, and help them navigate the process from surgery to entering the hearing world."

http://www.bionicear.com/CTM

Hearing Journey

2009-05-15T10:12:00.004-04:00

Advanced Bionics has a website called the Hearing Journey which is a community website for all AB staff, AB CI users and potential CI users who come together to ask questions and to help others with their questions and concerns. This is also a great way to meet and connect with other people who are going through the same journey with getting the CI.

I'll be honest, at first, I wasn't a fan of the site. I liked the concept of it and thought it was great. But when I first became a member and started looking around at the different topics, I thought it was a bit obnoxious. There were so many people posting comments, I couldn't keep up.

But now, that I've had more time to explore the site... I've started to catch on and is enjoying the site more. It has a lot of helpful topics... even for me!

Some of the topics include:
- Sports & Protection
- Telling people about the CI
- Alarm Clocks
- Surgery Concerns
- Mapping Tips
- Information about the CI parts
---and many more!

So I suggest you to sign up for the Hearing Journey website and read what other people have to say. Or maybe post your questions/concerns so you can get even more feedback from just reading these blogs.

www.HearingJourney.com

Audio Tours in Museums!

2009-05-07T14:29:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, my Mom and I went to the Mummy Museum and we paid for the Audio Tour. We assumed it was going to be a little recording with headphones to listen with as you walk around. I used that when I went to the Art Museum downtown… instead of using the regular headphones that came with it, I would just plug in my direct connect cord from my implant to the recorder so I could hear it better. It was great!

But suprisingly, this place was more advanced and had personal walkie-talkie phone type things we listen too. When they handed this to me, I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. But we figured we’d try it out anyways.

As you can see from the picture below, it was basically like holding a TV remote to our ears and listen to it…. It was like we were from the future! I felt like such a dork walking around with that! haha

But surprisingly, I could understand most of it! In fact, we got more information and details then a person who didn’t have the audio tour! It was like we had our own personal behind-the-scenes tour guide!

So being that I love learning about mummies and Egypt, I was very thankful we got the Audio Tour and that I could hear it! :D

The Wonderful World of BEA Mentors!

2009-04-03T23:55:00.007-04:00

Last weekend I flew out to Valencia, California for Advanced Bionic’s BEA Mentor Training Weekend with about 40 other people who also have the Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant or someone else in their family does. It was so much fun learning about the company, about the things coming out in the future, seeing AB’s headquarters, meeting all the BEA and AB staff and learning how to be a better mentor.

I also had a great time meeting other people who have the CI and hearing about their hearing journey and what it was like for them to go through the process of getting the implant. It’s amazing to me to hear all the stories of what it was like, because it seems like we all have unique situations that we’ve been or are going through. Here are a couple pictures of me with some of the other CI users I met…

I edited my links list which is to the right, below my profile box. As you can see, there are three categories: Resources, Other Bloggers, and Other ways to find me.

In the “Resources” category, there are some important links to check out for when you are going through your CI journey…

The Auditory Verbal Center is the center I went to for Auditory Verbal Therapy to help train my brain to hear and understand with the CI. This is also the center that taught me to hear and speak when I was diagnosed at 2. So I went there for therapy when I was youger to learn to hear and speak with my hearing aids... then when I got my CI, I went back for a couple months for some more therapy.

Advanced Bionics, as you probably already know, is the Cochlear Implant company I have… best choice I ever made! This is the link to their website in case you want some more information anout the company.

Hearing Journey is an online community through Advanced Bionics to where other CI users and potential CI users can post topics and discuss their questions or concerns.

Hearing Exchange is Paula Rosenthal’s site for blogs and recourses of people with a Hearing Loss. On Facebook, she also has two groups you can join called “HearingExchange” and “HearingExchange Teens.” I am a member of both groups, which is cool because you can meet other deaf people and post on discussions within that group. It’s a fun way to meet other deaf people in your area and throughout the country.

Deaf Village is also a website like Hearing Exchange to where you can find information and resources about Hearing Loss and other deaf people.

The next Category is “Other Bloggers" and as you can tell, there are three subcategories for Adults, Young Adult/Teens and Children. So depending on your situation, you can also find someone else w ho might be going through the same challenges as you. They are all great Mentors and some of them I had the privilege of meeting at the BEA Mentor Training this past weekend. So I highly recommend checking them out too! :)

And lastly, “Other ways you can find me” is for anyone who would like to find me outside of my BlogSpot… through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Email, AIM and/or Skype. I love getting emails and meeting new people... so feel free to find me or add me as a friend! :)

I hope these links will be beneficial to you and if you have any other questions or comments, dont hesitate to ask/tell! :)

A Flock of Geese

2009-01-05T14:58:00.007-05:00

My friend John, who just got the implant, was telling me today about how he heard a flock of geese for the first time!

The other day, he went hiking with his dog and heard this weird sound and couldn't figure out what it was. But he noticed his dog looking up, so he looked up to see what he was looking at and saw a whole group of geese flying above him!

He was so excited that he could hear them because before he would have been completely oblivious to them... he would never have known they were flying above him unless he was actually looking at the sky.

Now, if you were out and enjoying nature taking nice hikes through the woods, wouldn't you want to get the full effect and hear all the neat sounds of birds and animals? I know I would! :)

I guess its the little things that we take for granted that mean the most...

It always makes me happy when deaf people hear new sounds for the first time making their faces glow with excitement! I guess you never know what you're missing out on until you hear something for the first time.

Living Apartment Style...

2009-01-03T21:23:00.003-05:00

I always laughed when people would complain about how they could hear their neighbors when they lived in apartments because I never really thought I would have to worry about it. I never really thought it would bother me because at night I would just take my hearing equipment off and I wouldn't hear anything.

But scratch that...

The other week I stayed with some friends in New York City in their apartment which happened to be on the 17th floor. But even though it was pretty high up, I could STILL hear the traffic outside! It was so annoying when I would be reading or just hanging out there when every ten minutes I'd hear someone honk their horn or hear the police or ambulance go by! It was almost like the windows were open, but they weren't! lol

Even though I wouldn't want to listen to that everyday in my own home... I still thought it was kinda cool that I could hear everything outside from the 17th floor! lol I guess that's something you'd just have to learn to deal with living in the big city!

Here's a picture of the view outside the window...

The city was so much fun though... we had the view of the Empire State Building! :)

First Semester of College.... DONE!

2008-12-11T13:46:00.016-05:00

So I survived my first semester of College! SWEET!

It's been a great semester of both good and hard times with basically starting over leaving high school behind, making new friends, living on my own with a roommate, starting a new job (with fancy paychecks!), and keeping up with all my classes... but most of all, just having fun as a college student! :)

When I first enrolled to Berry, I was given several options because of my hearing:
- Option One: Private room
- Option Two: Note-taker, FM system, etc. to help me in classes (like the 504 plan in high school?)
- Option Three: Fire alarm with a blinking light
But I didn't take the first two... just Option Three for safety reasons.

Option One Explanation:
One of the main challenges about college is learning how to live and deal with a roommate. I wanted to experience college to the fullest, so I decided to try it out with a roommate and see how it goes - just so I can say I've tried it.

It was weird and kind of nerve-wrecking at first. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like having to share a room with a girl I didn’t even know. I was also nervous about at night when I take my hearing equipment off. I wasn't sure if I was going to be missing out on stuff or if my roomie would have people in the room or would be going through my stuff while I'm asleep and unaware. And the thought of that kind of freaked me out.

But then as the year went on, living with a roommate is like living with a sister I never had, which had both its good and bad times. haha And about the night time worries… that’s basically a trust issue. I just learned to trust my roommate and set some ground rules in the “roommate contract” that everyone had to do in the beginning of the year, to make sure that we don’t have guest hanging out in the room once one of us is asleep.

But I gotta say, it’s definitely been interesting living in a hearing/deaf roommate situation. As it turns out, she loves having the deaf roommate because it gives her a lot more advantages than me like not having to be quiet when I'm asleep. But I, on the other hand, had to learn how to be SUPER quiet in the morning so I don't wake her up.

We also had a challenge in the beginning with my alarm clock because she could hear it vibrate. Thank goodness I don't have to use the flashing light or the loud noise to wake me up! :P

But even though we had a few challenges, we learned to accept and overcome them.

Option Two Explanation:
I took about 5 classes this semester, and I didn’t use a note-taker or an FM system to help me in any of them. In fact I don’t think my professors even knew about my hearing… if they did, it’s because they either figured it out or someone else told them. In High School I just told my teachers that I was deaf, but they all forgot after a month of having me in their class so I figured I wasn’t going to really worry about it here unless it became a problem.

So I just made sure I sat in the first or second row to where I can hear my professor and to be able to see the board or PowerPoint presentation for notes. And honestly, I didn’t really have a problem with any of them.

So yeah, I guess you can say those would be two obstacles a deaf person would normally face in college… but luckily for me, I did just fine this semester!

Here are some pictures of some of the highlights of this semester…

Freshman Service Day - Some girls and I got grouped together to clean and organize a storage room for a Teen Center. We found these baby dolls so we were having fun with them haha

Giving Blood for the first time! :)

Mountain Day Weekend at Berry - each residence hall had a different theme, and ours was the "InCLARAbles" :D

A "Mock-Cocktail Party" for the girls on our hall

Halloween Dance

Lighting the street with candles for all the Alumni driving in for an Alumni party:

So as you can see.... it's only been one semester and I already have tons of great memories!!

I love College!! :)

Clickers in Class

2008-10-22T08:52:00.006-04:00

So apparently the new thing to do is to use little "clickers" in class...

The clicker we use:

I am taking a Government class on Contemporary World Issues this semester and my professor likes to use this clicker system for class questions, quizzes, and/or debate questions.

How it works is that sometimes she'll post the multiple choice question on the overhead or most of the time she'll read them allowed and we all have to send in our answer to the computer through the clicker. Then once everyone sends in their answer, a bar graph shows up on the overhead showing what everyone chose (anonymously). And that's how she monitors how the class is doing and how we generate debate topics in class.

Sending in your answers:

The class results on the overhead:
(But in my case - without the question showing)

I think its pretty weird to think about how much the world relies on technology. And I also think its pretty cool that I'm able to hear and understand the questions my professor is asking so I can send in my answer through those little-handy-dandy clickers! haha :)

Security Feature?

2008-10-10T08:56:00.003-04:00

I was walking to my car the other night and I didn't see anyone around, so I thought I would be fine - I would just get in my car and drive back to my dorm. But then while I was walking, I realized I was hearing footsteps that weren't mine. So I glanced back and as it turns out, there was this guy walking behind me. I didn't know who he was or if he was following me so just to be on the safe side, I kept walking to the nearest open building. Luckily he just kept walking past me. lol

But even though Berry and Rome seems to be a safe and "homey" campus, it was still kinda freaky. I immediately thought about those stories you hear on other campuses about people disappearing and what-not. So I was really thankful I could hear the footsteps behind me, becuase if I didn't... what could have happend?

Kind of a freaky thought, I know... but you just never know these days... :/

I'm a working girl!

2008-10-02T12:37:00.005-04:00

I got my first *real* job working at the Berry College Alumni Center! :)

I work for a few hours everyday before and in between my classes. Basically I just have to help out around the office/center by entering data into Word or Excel on the computer, delivering mail, stuffing envolopes to send to Alumni and help out with various Alumni events. But usually I'm at the front desk greeting people and answering the phone helping and directing anyone who calls. But then the best part is, when they don't really have anything for you to do - you can work on your homework - and still get paid! haha

At first I was really nervous about working at the front desk becuase I was worried that I might not be able to understand or help people on the phone answering their questions and what-not. But luckily, it's actually not that bad! I've been working here for about a month and a half and it's getting easier to answer the phone - I don't get so nervous! Plus, it's kinda fun when you see people and students passing through the center as they all wave or say Hi to me back!

When someone calls and I'm able to answer their questions or to transfer them to someone they need, I always feel good and proud of myself becuase I was able to answer the phone and to help them out! :)

This is the front desk - where I'm normally working:

Notice the phone?
There's so many lines and buttons to transfer calls too! haha

Strobe Lights

2008-09-08T15:07:00.007-04:00

They just installed some Strobe Lights in my dorm and also in the bathroom for in case if there is a fire.

The guys that installed it, tested it out to show me how it works. So basically when the smoke alarm goes off, the strobe light will make a really loud noise and flash a really bright light until the fire alarm goes off. So now, not only will you hear the normal smoke alarm noise, you'll also hear the strobe light blaring and see it flashing a really bright light.
Which as we all know, means... you evacuate immediately! lol

They put one above my door in my room so if I'm sleeping, the light flashing will wake me up.
And they put it in the bathroom so in case if I'm in the shower, I'll see the light flashing and will know to get out ASAP.

Here is what it looks like:

The Strobe light above our door to our dorm:

The Strobe Light up close:

The Strobe Lights in the bathroom - they put two of them, so you can see the light flashing in all of the showers:

Its kinda weird having the strobe lights on the walls and the ceilings, but at least now I'll know if there's a fire at night or while I'm in the showers so I'll know to get out ASAP! :)

GPS Navigation System

2008-09-03T19:25:00.005-04:00

Ever since my best friend got in a bad car accident (don't worry - she's doing great now) because she was looking at a map trying to figure out where she was going, I am VERY thankful that I can hear my portable Navigation System telling me when to turn and where I'm going. Especially since I have really really really bad sense of direction! haha

I have a weight-stand thing that holds it on the dash so it doesn't slide around, but I also tend to just put it in front of me behind the wheel so it doesn't block my view. But either way, I can hear it fine when its talking to me even while I listen to my music at the same time :)

But I gotta say, this thing DEFINITELY comes in handy... it's also a great feeling knowing I'll always be able to find my way home! hehe :D

Living on the Berry College Campus... :)

2008-08-29T14:40:00.011-04:00

Well, it's been over a week since I've moved into my Berry College Dorm! :)

It's been so crazy and busy this week trying to get situated, ready for classes and work, meeting new people and trying to figure out where everything is! But so far it's been going great!!

My Weekly Schedule:

Monday & Wednesday:
8:00 - 10:00 -- Work in the Alumni Center
10:00 - 10:50 -- Economics
11:00 - 11:50 -- English/Writing
LUNCH BREAK
1:00 - 2:00 -- BCC - Freshmen Class

Tuesday & Thursday:
9:30 - 10:45 -- Psychology
11:00 - 2:00 -- Work in the Alumni Center
2:00 - 3:15 -- Contemporary World Issues (GOV)

Friday:
8:00 - 10:00 -- Work in the Alumni Center
10:00 - 10:50 -- Economics
11:00 - 11:50 -- English/Writing

So I have about 13 credit hours (the max they'll allow for freshmen) and about 12 hours of work a week. Then next week they're having the student involvement fair to see all the clubs that they offer and join the ones you want. So I'm excited about that!! There's two clubs I already want to join which are The Swing Dance Club and the Ballroom Dancing Club! :) But I also want to find some other clubs to join - preferably some clubs that involve community service work, so we'll see...

Work is interesting... I basically help stuff envelopes and mail them out to Alumni and help out with Alumni Events but on Tuesdays and Thursdays I work the front desk greeting people and answering the phones and what-not. So it's pretty cool helping out in an office scene... plus, I get my first pay check in two weeks!! hehe :)

Well, it's been interesting living with a roommate. So far it's been going pretty good. I use my vibrating alarm clock to wake me up and the RA's are going to install one of those strobe lights for the fire alarm in the bathroom and probably one in my dorm room so if I don't have my hearing equipment on, I'll be able to tell if there's a fire.

But it's been fun getting to know everyone on my hall.... the other night, our whole hall got dressed up and went out to dinner before we went to the Freshmen Talent Show. Last night I went to the first Swing Dance and tonight is the Welcome Back Toga Dance! And last night, Dana (Boy's Dorm) invited 3rd Clara (our floor) to their pool party next monday! Dana Dorms had to pick a girl's dorm floor to invite, and we're the ones that got invited!! :D So that was pretty cool!

Here are some pictures of my dorm....

Clara Hall's Main Entrance- We're on the 3rd floor:

Our door - Clara 310:

My half of the room:

Just what everyone loves.... textbooks!

So I guess you can say I'm officially a College Student! :D

I've survived the first week of crazyness and now I get to enjoy a long weekend for Labor Day....
of writing papers that are due next week and reading a bunch of stuff for my classes.... oh boy! :P

Future Pilot Jonathan!

2008-08-18T13:07:00.011-04:00

Well, as some of you may know, my brother is pretty big into the military and hopes to one day be a pilot for the Air Force.
He's a member of the Civil Air Patrol at the PDK Airport in Atlanta and this summer he went to Boot Camp for two weeks. Now, to any other person (including me)... that would be complete torture. But as for Jonathan, he had the greatest time - learning different drills and commands, rescue missions, getting in shape, challenging himself and his team, Army obstacle courses, making friends, etc. In fact, he was actually sad to leave! haha But he's going back in December for the "Frost Bite" camp session where they do the same thing, but in the winter/snow. YIKES!

Jonathan's Barrack, where he slept on small bunks with a bunch of other guys:

"Graduating" Ceremony on the last day:

Marching - he's the last one in the last row - the one smiling lol:

"Goodbye Chant" with some of his friends:

Then for the rest of the summer, he got a job at the PDK Airport basically being an assistant to a private pilot. He's learning all about planes, how they work, how to wax and keep them clean... and on top of that - he's learning how to fly!! Whenever his boss had to fly to another city, Jonathan would go and sit in the Co-Pilot seat while his boss teaches him all the controls and what-not... Jonathan was so excited when his boss let him take control of the plane in the air!

We weren't sure about how he was going to do up there with the Cochlear Implant and headphones.... but surprisingly he could hear everything and could have a conversation over the headset! So that was great news!! :D

He just got his "Pilot Physical" the other day so now he's officially clear to take flying lessons and learn to be a pilot. He's thrilled!!

Well here are some pictures of Jonathan with the plane he waxed and flew to Memphis.... so far he's been to Knoxville, Memphis, St. Louis, and Athens. WOW!

Waxing a plane at one of the conventions:

The plane Jonathan got to fly... can you tell he was excited?! :P

Getting ready for take-off!

Can you imagine jumping on a plane and flying to a city for the day?!
It reminds me of the movie "Pretty Woman" where they fly to San Francisco just to see a play..... now, that's a life! :P

Well, we are all very proud of him... this has been his dream and now it's coming true! Now we just wait two more years till he graduate and see where he ends up! :D

Guess this goes to show, that you shouldn't let anything get in the way of what you want to do with your life! :D

One of the greatest sounds ever...

2008-08-11T21:25:00.008-04:00

is hearing your car beep everytime you lock and unlock the car! :D

I just got a new car for college - Kia Optima - and I LOVE it so much! Its the first car that I've had that has the beeper thing to lock and unlock the car. So I've been having the funnest time locking my car.... sometimes I would just click the lock button a couple times just to hear the beep! haha

Don't you just love that sound?! :P

- Picking up my car -

-The tag in front.... my nickname becuase I love Swing Dancing -

-PROUD STUDENT.... I've waited a long time to be able to put this on -

*beep beep*

*beep beep*

*beep beep*

:D

May 2008 - I DID IT!

2008-07-01T17:26:00.009-04:00

Going through memory lane of my high school years…

9th Grade – I was struggling in school trying to keep my grades at least a B+ while my hearing continued getting worse to where I was missing a lot and my speech discrimination was decreasing. I tired several different hearing aids maxing out the settings and volumes realizing that hearing aids really weren’t helping me. I was not really involved with school clubs and pretty much stayed to myself.

--Summer-– I got the Cochlear Implant.

10th Grade – I had to relearn sounds all over again and get used to life with the Cochlear Implant - 8 hour batteries, no leaning up against the fridge or the car, dealing with hearing my dogs licking themselves all the time, etc. My grades in school were getting better and I was starting to become more confident with my hearing and slowly started getting more involved with clubs.

--Summer-- VolunTEEN for the first time in the OR at the Children’s Hospital.

11th Grade - I got the new Harmony Cochlear Implant. I was hearing great and loved being able to hear and talk to my friends. I made straight A’s in school and became really involved with clubs and planning Prom and Homecoming events. Started taking the SAT and ACT’s getting ready for college.

--Summer–- VolunTEEN again in the OR at the Children’s Hospital. Got asked out for the first time and became obsessed with Swing Dancing.

12th Grade - Still hearing great, making straight A’s in school, staying involved with clubs and Swing Dancing all the time. I got accepted to my dream college (Berry College) getting amazing scholarships for my hearing and academics.

---MAY 24, 2008 – I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL ---

My Grandparents and me by my graduation sign!

My parents and me

My brother, Jonathan, and me
(he was ushering with the ROTC at my Graduation)

Me with some friends after Graduation

Now, as you can probably tell, before I got the Implant my life was pretty boring and I was a bit more kept to myself because I wasn’t hearing that great and I didn’t have much confidence in myself because of my hearing. I was too scared to get involved because I was too afraid I couldn’t hear anyone or that they would laugh at me because I couldn’t hear or understand what everyone was saying.

But once I got the implant, my life began to change. I was hearing so much better, I started becoming more confident in myself, became more involved with clubs and Swing Dancing, started dating, my grades got better, and I was happier about myself and my life.

And now, in about 7 weeks I’m moving out into my dorm on campus and I get to enjoy the next 4 years of College. Only now… I can’t wait to get involved and to meet new people. :)

Senior Prom!

2008-04-29T21:30:00.007-04:00

Hey Everyone!
Well, nothing much going on here... just ready for the last few weeks of school to be over. I believe there are about 16 more days left for Seniors! YAY! :D

We had our Prom last weekend - it was a lot of fun!! I went with my brother and a group of friends which was pretty cool. We had dinner at a Japanese Habatchi (sp?) Steakhouse, that was neat seeing the chef cook the meal in front of us as he entertained us with his skills. Then we went to Prom - we were basically out on the dance floor the whole entire time just dancing and having a great time. During Prom they had the Senior Walk, so all the seniors walked down these stairs and out onto the red carpet and did the Senior Dance. That was pretty neat... especially since I've waited 4 years for that! :) Then after prom my friends and I went bowling in our formals and had an after party at my house. So we just hung out, played games, and watched movies all night long.

So here a few pictures to enjoy from my Senior Prom:

- My brother and I -

- My mom and I -

- My friend Li, and I "fighting" over our Date -

- Everyone at dinner -

- Everyone out on the dance floor -

So yeah, that was definitely a night to remember! :)

--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--

You know, recently someone messaged me about the implant and how he couldn't decide on whether to get the implant now or wait another 5 or 10 years until they come out with something even better.

But honestly, it really annoys me when people think like that... sure, there will be many advances in technology in the future. But when it comes to hearing the world - why wait? I can't imagine all the things I'd be missing out on over the next 5 years just waiting for better technology to come out.

Besides, Advanced Bionics is inventing better technology and coming out with newer upgrades BUT they are keeping the internal piece the same so people can upgrade their implants for the newer style. Like with me, I was implanted the Auria. But becuase they invented the new processor (keeping the internal piece the same) I was able to upgrade to the new Harmony.

So why miss out on all the things you could be hearing now just to see if there will be something better coming out in the future. I rather live for today then to just sit around and miss out...

Berry Bound... 6 more months :)

2008-03-10T21:10:00.007-04:00

Alright, so there's been a change of plans.... instead of going to NGCSU, I'm going to BERRY COLLEGE! I got some amazing scholarships to go there and now my dream has come true. It's been my dream school ever since I was a little girl, but thanks to the scholarships - it's going to happen! :)

The Girl Dorms - Where I'll be staying next year. Now I have a choice of having a private room or having a roomate... which do you think is better?!

The famous mill on campus...

Another part of Clara Hall (the dorms where I'll be staying)...

But yeah, I'm really excited!! I'm going to be majoring in Marketing in the Business department. I've sat in some of the classes and it was so much fun! We had a group discusion about McDonalds and how they market and franchise their company all over the world. I also got to hear about the project they're going to be working on right now - I almost wish I could do it now!! :) I don't think I've ever been so excited about taking a class... and sadly I have to wait two years before I get to start on my "major" courses. lol

So now, only about six more months till I'm college bound! YAY! :)

CI users in risk?!

2008-01-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

(please note, this could be offensive to some... and I'm sorry if it is...)

My mom forwarded this quote to me from a "Deaf Blog" and it literally cracked me up and puzzled me why people would even think like that. But here is the quote and maybe you'll laugh at it too...

"Look forward to the studies of long-term consequences of CI users, especially emotional and congential development. Let's imagine that one of the country or terrorist group use the electronic magnetic pulses (EMP) weapons to attack the civilian population.
The CI users will be mostly vulnerable to the EMP attacks as compared to deaf individuals without CI devices inside themselves. Or the CI users walk accidently past the huge microwaved area, ex. corporate research military base. Their heads surely will explode or fried.
Culturally deaf people will apply their savvy.natural insticts to respond to any arising situation much better than individuals with CI. Real freedom from the technopoly or enslave by the artificial intelligence/technology."

And now, apparently she is going to have her implant removed because of this... : /

First of all... if you are near anything that has a magnetic field such as the MRI or some rollar coasters/theme park rides - there will always be a sign that says its a magnetic field so beware... thats your cue to not go there.

And second of all - I would personally rather put myself in risk for the future "magnetic pulses (EMP) weapons" (if there is such a thing) then to not hear anything at all right now.

I can't imagine all the things I would be missing out on if I thought about ALL the little crazy risks/consequences of getting it.
Its like saying - we are in risk everyday for driving on the streets becuase there are so many DUI and crazy people driving.... so I'm not going to drive my car anymore...I'll just walk. lol

I don't mean to sound sassy about it (so I'm sorry if I have offended anyone by this post)... but it just bugs me that people would give up the chance to hear EVERYTHING over a SMALL risk that would probably never ever happen : /

Update on my Grandpa!

2008-01-08T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone! Sorry about the late update - time flies by way to fast!
But I just wanted to tell you a little bit of whats going on...
(this is based on my understanding of what he's going through from what he's told me)

He got turned on a few weeks ago and he's already doing great and making progress!

At first he went through the normal phases of beeps and robotic voices. When he first got turned on he didn't like it much and after a few days it still sounded scratchy but he DID like it better then what he had before. He said he could understand a little bit better then when he had two hearing aids so he continued to work with the implant to help make it better.

My grandmother and aunt both work with him on therapy at home everyday training his brain to relearn and understand the sounds of the environment and of people's voices. Can you believe at 85 years old, he's learning to hear all over again?! :)

Some of the sounds he's heard so far:
- air conditioning
- dish washer
- family members talking with pretty much all understanding
- watched the news and got all of what they were saying
- recognized an Elvis song in the background of a movie playing
- the president's debate on the TV without closed captians

He's still learning to cope with the implant and trying to figure out which hook he likes best, which programs to use, how to wear his hats with the implant, how to keep the implant on with the oxygen tube and glasses, etc. He's been having difficulty with keeping the implant on with the tubing for his oxygen and glasses becuase they all hook on to his ears. At first it was a mess but he's gotten used to it and has learned to keep it all on. :P

But as of right now, he's understanding pretty good and is progressing really well! He can communicate with us again and we don't have to keep repeating everything we say and deal with him yelling anymore! His voice has gotten softer and its great having our grandpa back! :)

He's still having a hard time with distance becuase it's only been a month but over all he's doing great!

He's also having a great time telling all of his friends at his complex about his experiences and everything that he's going through. And of course, everyone is just AMAZED with the Cochlear Implant and wishes they could get one! :)

Here are some pictures of him and the implant...

He's been to 2 mappings so far and is continueing to progress really well! :)
We're all very happy for him!!

The CI runs in the family...

2007-11-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

My Grandpa got the Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant last Wednesday!

He got the new Harmony and we are all waiting anxiously for the turn on date which is in about 3 weeks! But until then, he's getting his staples out this Thursday and he's going to have to just deal with "hearing" out of one hearing aid.

Here are some of the pictures from the surgery....

My Grandpa Sam Rivituso and my Grandmother Pauline - shortly after recovery

My Granpa with his nurse Katherine... she was really nice

Me, my Grandpa, and my brother leaving the hospital

The scar from when we took off the bandage.... it looked good! (the black line is his glasses, just to let you know lol)

As you can tell from the pictures, we were ALL very EXCITED about him getting the implant! Before, he couldn't hear anything and it was getting very difficult when we tried to talk to him. So we're hoping that after a few weeks he's going to be able to hear again and we can all talk to my grandpa normal again! :)

Congratulations Papa, you finally got the implant!! :)

Now we have three people in the family that has the implant (me, my brother and my grandpa)... and hoepfully my dad will be getting one soon (he's a bit stubborn when it comes to his hearing)....

Can you hear me now?!

2007-11-01T21:23:00.000-04:00

It always cracks me up whenever I take off my implant to show my hearing friends and they try to put it on to see if they can hear from it or sometimes they try to speak into the mic to see if I can still hear them! But I have to explain to them that that's not how it works. lol It has to be connected to the magnet in my head...and they always get this confused look on their face... its so funny! :P

It reminds me of the guy from the Verizon commercials - "Can you hear me now... how about now?!"

And also, when I'm in class and we're all listening to our ipods. I'd be jamming out to my favorite songs and some of my classmates would ask to hear what I'm listening to so I would hand them my direct connect cord and they always get this confused terrified look on their face! They're like "what the heck is that?!" lol And I tell them that its my "headphone set" and they try to stick it in their ear to try to hear from it!!! But then I show them how it connects to my implant and you can see a light bulb pop up above their head!! :P

I love doing that to my friends.... it cracks me up! :)

Only AWESOME people get to hear out of the Cochlear Implants!! hehe :D

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

2007-09-25T16:52:00.000-04:00

But life is going pretty good!

My senior year has been great so far - I have straight A's and I'm enjoying my classes so much this year! I've been so busy lately between clubs, sports, applying to colleges, SATs, ACTs, and what-not. My best friend, Zoe, and I go to the school football games every friday and we still go swing dancing on the weekends. Last Saturday we got tickets to the Thrashers Hockey Game - which was awesome!! I love hockey!! :D This week is also Homecoming at our school so this week has been crazy with getting ready for that! Our game is Friday night and then the dance is Saturday night! YAY! I'm so excited!! :)

My brother is also doing good - he's enjoying his sophomore year. His implant is doing really good too - he had a rough start from the new implant but now he's understanding really well and calls me on the phone like all the time! :) So that definitly shows he's improving!! He's also gotten really big in ROTC. Him and his friend, Colton, are actually going to be performing an Armed Expidition Routine (sp??) for the Drill Team Competition in the spring! And in case if you don't know what that is... its when a team of ROTC boys (in this case 2 boys) do a routine with different calls and steps with the "gun" and spinning it around and doing all these tricks with it. So it should be pretty awesome to see him out there!! :) He's also playing second base man for the ROTC softball team! His tournament is in like 2 weeks! GO JONATHAN!!!

So I'm in the process of applying to colleges. I've narrowed it down to my top three which are North Georgia College and State University (NGCSU), Berry College, and Georgia College and State University (GCSU). I've had my senior meeting with my counselor which was pretty exciting talking about colleges and life after high school and graduation! I was pretty excited about that meeting but my mom was pretty sad! haha :) So I've been writing my essays for the colleges and I thought I'd post one up here and see what yall think!

Here is one of my essays:

Topic for Freshman Essay:

“As a part of our mission to provide students with a liberal arts education, Georgia College & State University strives to create an atmosphere that instills in students exceptional qualities of mind and character including respect for human diversity and individuality. Given your own individual background, life experiences, and personal identity, how will you contribute to the overall diversity of the student body at GCSU?”

College Essay Rough Draft:

No matter who we are, where we’re from, or what our backgrounds are, we all come together to achieve one common goal: a goal of overcoming all obstacles and achieving success. In achieving our goal, we must all work together bringing diversity with different backgrounds and points of view about life, to achieve success and to make a difference. With my background of being born with a disability, a passion of helping or mentoring others and the motivation of being an active member in my society will help bring diversity to the student body of Georgia College and State University (GCSU).
Over the years, I’ve had to overcome my disability of being hearing impaired. I was born profoundly deaf and went through Auditory-Verbal Therapy to learn how to hear and speak and to become an independent communicator without the use of sign language and lip reading. My journey wasn’t over with just hearing aids and years of therapy. In 2005, my hearing started to deteriorate and I went through major surgery to get a Cochlear Implant. The cochlear implant is like a more “high-tech implantable hearing aid” which helps me to hear even better. But along with getting the new cochlear implant, I had to relearn sounds all over again while I was still going to high school, making good grades, and continuing to be an active member in various clubs.
After going through a major surgery, I realized I could help others who are going through the same situations. So I decided to work in the Operating room as a “VolunTEEN” at the Atlanta Children’s Hospital, which I have done for several years. Working there allowed me to help other families deal with emotions that come with having their child go through a major surgery. Even though I volunteered my free time at the Children’s Hospital, I also kept an updated online Blogspot journal (www.samshearinglife.blogspot.com), entitled “Sam’s Hearing Life.” I posted about my experiences while going through surgery and about the process of relearning sounds all over again. This was designed to help mentor other families who are in the same situation as I was, who also choose to become independent communicators me.
During my high school years, I realized that it’s important to not only maintain a good grade point average but to also be an active member in clubs that support community service, such as Key Club and Girl Scouts. As a member I help make my community a better place by cleaning local parks to make it fun and safe for neighborhood children, package up food with Project Open Hands for AIDS victims, and I also help clean local pet shelters such as Paws Atlanta. I also use my leadership skills, organizational skills and creativity to help with school committees such as Homecoming and Prom.
I believe what makes a unique college experience is one with a diverse group of people and backgrounds who all come together to achieve success by working together and helping others. And because of my well rounded background and desire to overcome my disability, I believe I can adjust to any environment, such as GCSU. I would come with enthusiasm and dedication to be able to excel academically as well as to share my experiences to help others overcome their struggles from dealing with a new environment, challenging personalities, and a new way of life away from the comforts of home. I also believe that my passion for helping others and being involved will allow me to continue to be involved with new community service clubs, such as Circle K, to make GCSU and Milledgeville a better place and to be able to call it my new home.

So I hope for the best and just wait and see what the colleges say!! Gosh the wating part is the worst part ever!! eeeeek!

But yeah.... I don't know what else to say at this point. Jonathan and I are both doing great in school, clubs, and with our implants. This year, Jonathan and I are also actually officers for Key Club which is pretty fun becuase it makes us look important! He's 10th grade representative and I'm Bulliten Editor. :)

Oh by the way - Jonathan also just got his liscense this weekend and he's going to get his motorcycle permit this weekend! YIKES! So he's pretty excited about being able to drive...but one thing he's going to have to remember - the second car is MY CAR and I GET PRIORITY!!! hehe :D

Here are some updated pictures of us...

Me, My Mom, and my Brother at a Kareokee party with some family friends!! :)

Me and my best friend Zoe going to the Tucker Football game! YAY!

Jonathan and I when we went hiking in North Carolina - SO BEAUTIFUL THERE!!! :D

My Senior Graduation Picture :D

Spreading the word around...

2007-08-11T23:26:00.001-04:00

Just in case you didn't notice...I posted up some links on the right side on my website.

One is for the Auditory Verbal Center, Inc. Thats the center that taught me to hear and speak.

The next one is the homepage for Advanced Bionics, the implant company that I have (and ABSOLUTLY LOVE!).

And the others are friends with Cochlear Implants and AVC graduates from the center I graduated from. They vary in ages, so you get a wide variety of points of views and lifestyles with the Cochlear Implants.

But they're all really good, so if you're interested...check them out too and see what they have to say! : )

Just thought I'd point that out for those curious minds out there...

Who's ready for Senior Year?!?!

2007-08-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! : )

Yesterday we had registration at school...that was pretty much really hectic! The only awesome thing about registration yesterday was standing in the SENIOR LINE!!! haha I was so excited!! :D I also got to see some old friends that I havn't seen all summer and my teachers from last year!! That was pretty fun!

But today I had to go back beacuse I had an appointment with my new counselor to talk about my schedule, introduce myself, explain my hearing, and what-not. And of course my mom told him my awesome story with the implant and how I was born deaf and how I can now hear and speak...and of course he was just blown away and couldn't believe that my brother and I were born deaf! haha Its amazing how people's face expressions change once you tell them that you're deaf!! haha : )

So here are my classes for next year...
1. AP Microeconomics
2. Environmental Science
3. British Literature
4. Algebra III
5. Banking/ Finance
6. Bussiness Document Processing
7. Introduction to Technology

I'm looking forward to my classes this year....the courses seem like they may be a little challenging but for some reason I'm excited! So we'll see when I start next Monday!

But you know what else?!

Today, I also got my first Parking spot at Lakeside!!! I was soo excited!! I didn't get one last year (even though I could have) but I got one for this year!! YAY!
I got a little sticker to put on my back window and we went out to find the spot...and lucky me, my spot is one of the few that were in the shade!! YAY! YAY!
Heres a picture of me in my parking spot...can you tell I was excited?! haha :D

So yeah, this year should be a pretty intersting year! I'm a senior and my brother is a Sophomore!! I can't wait till football time starts! Then HOMECOMING! My favorite part of the year!! haha

We LOVE our Direct Connect!

2007-08-05T16:25:00.002-04:00

Hey - Just thought you might enjoy a picture of the implant with the direct connet. We went hiking this weekend in North Carolina and so my brother and I both took our ipods to listen to in the car. And lets just say, now that my brother got the new harmony - he has become OBSESSED with the new direct connect!! haha So now both my brother and I won't go anywhere without it!! haha : )

Here is a picture of my brother with his implant and the direct connect attacted to it.
For those of you who don't know - the direct connect is like a headphone set for the Advanced Bionics users. Its the black cord that hangs down from the front of the implant that connects to the ipod or to whatever you're listening to (cell phone, ipod, computer, mp3 player, etc.)...

And just another thing to notice...my brother got his implant about a month and a half ago and his hair and skin is already back to normal! I know there are alot of parents out there that are worried about what their kids are going to look like afterwards and scared about the whole hair thing...but his hair grew back, you can't really see the scar, and he's already had a hair cut since after the surgery.
So your hair will grow back and it'll go back to normal!!

Just another note for those worried parents... : )

VolunTEEN at the Children's Hospital

2007-08-01T17:07:00.000-04:00

My last day as a VolunTEEN at the children's Hospital was today! :( I could only do it for the summer, and becuase of school starting in two weeks, today was the last day for us.
I got to work in the Operating Room with my friend Sumon. We had fun helping all the nurses, watching the different surgeries, helping the hospital move into the new building (which was so confusing lol), and learning about what its like to be a nurse at the hospital! My favorite part was seeing all the surgeries - I got to see intestines, the inside of a stomach, lungs, and a heart!

Who knows, maybe I'll become a nurse working in the OR one day... :)

Here's a picture with me and the people I worked with in our lovely scrubs...

Sumon, Elizabeth, Mrs. June (the lady in charge of us) and then me...

An Emotional Summer...

2007-07-30T15:47:00.000-04:00

So much has happened this summer - I don’t know where to start!

Well...in May of this year, I got my new harmony! I was so excited!! : ) I went to go get it mapped and had my programs set to:
P1 – 120 – 60 IDR
P2 – Hi Res – 60 IDR
P3 – 120 – 80 IDR
But being that I don’t like to change my programs through out the day, I tend to just stay on program 3.

I can’t tell a difference from the Auria and the New Harmony when I’m just talking to people and when I’m in my normal environments. But when I’m listening to music…I can see the changes. I’ve been able to hear the words to the songs better, I’ve also been able to get more of the instruments from the background too! There have been a couple songs that I liked before I got the Harmony, but never really understood the words and what the song was about…but once I listened to it with the Harmony, I understood the words and finally got the meaning of the whole song! And now its one of my favorites! : ) Its so weird to hear different songs on the radio and compare it to what it used to sound like and to what it sounds like now! Some of them have been good changes, but then again, some of them have been kind of wierd...like this one time - I listened to this one song that I liked before and I listened to it with the Harmony and heard what it REALLY sounded like! And with the Harmony, it sounded sooo wierd and different! It sounded so whiny and strange. Lets just say...its not one of my top songs anymore! haha But for most of the songs...they sound so much better! So thats a good thing! : )

But yeah, I really like the Harmony, not only because of the more channels and how the music sounds… but also because of the battery life! The battery life is TRULY AMAZING!! AND SUCH A LIFE-SAVER!! For me, I was lucky because with the Auria I only had to change my battery twice a day….but even still, I always had to worry about my batteries charging at night, making sure I had my batteries with me and what-not. But now, I just use the one on my implant and I’m good for the WHOLE DAY! I still carry one battery with me as an emergency backup if I need it, but honestly I don’t even need to carry an extra battery with me! The one battery lasts all day long and I absolutely LOVE it!! : )

So everything is going great with me….but unfortunately this summer and been a rough few months for my younger brother, Jonathan (16). At the end of May, his C1 internal implant (after 9 ½ years of having it) failed. So after the “confirmation” of the device failure he went into surgery to get the new Harmony. Lucky for him, the doctor was able to just take out the old one and put the new one right in the same spot on the same side. We were really happy about that because we both want to keep the other ear open for down-the-road emergencies and for the more advanced technologies that are coming out. So then after the surgery he waited a few weeks to get turned on. Those few weeks were probably the toughest weeks we all had to go through! He doesn’t lip read or use sign language (because we went through Auditory Verbal therapy to learn to hear and speak) so basically we had to walk around with a pen and paper so we could even communicate with him and to tell him what’s going on! I don't think I've ever seen my brother so depressed and bored! We were also all really nervous about the whole thing because we weren’t sure how this was going to turn out. We didn’t know if he was going to like it, if it was going to even work, or if he’s going to have to relearn the sounds all over again. But then the turning on day came… and it worked! But as it turns out, it did start off to be beeps and it moved into the “robotic” sounds and now it sounds like normal people. Its been about 2 months and he’s now hearing fine! I think because he had the implant for the last 9 ½ years in the same ear, the process of understanding with the new one was quicker and easier for him then for someone just getting it for the first time.

But after this rough and emotional summer, he’s now really liking the implant and seems to be hearing great!
He wears the new color caps, loves the direct-connect to listen to his ipod with, and most of all… he loves the battery life! With the C1, he had to go through 6-8 batteries A DAY and now he only uses one battery for the whole day!

So now, that my brother and I both have the new harmony we have fun with sharing the new color caps and jazzing up our implants!

Now, we're both stylish AB Harmony Implant users!! haha : )

Here is a picture of me and Jonathan swing dancing at a local concert a few days ago....

But on the flip side...even though this summer has been really emotional and crazy for us, we still had a great summer!
This summer, I worked in the Operating Room at the Children's Hospital again and I absolutly love it there! I went to Texas for 2 weeks and cruised around San Antonio with my Mom. And I've also been working at AVC and hanging out with all my friends.
And for Jonathan - for the last five weeks he went to the Riverside Military Academy to take Algebra II and to see whats its like to be in the military. Now, you're probably confused and wondering why he went off to the military academy when he JUST got the implant... well he actually signed up before the imlant failed and nothing was going to stop him from going (even the implant failure). And much to our surprise, the teachers and sargents were all really cool with him about the implant and really worked with him! He took a whole years-worth of Algebra II in 5 weeks ( and PASSED) and had a great time playing sports and working out with all the other guys!

Here is a picture of Jonathan and me from the Military Ball (you can kind of see him in his uniform)...

So yeah, you never know what life is going to bring you.... : )

FINALLY! ...an update! : )

2007-05-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

Wow, I haven’t posted in while! YIKES! I’m sorry…I keep forgetting to post! : /

But yeah, things are going good. Last week I went to get remapped because I felt like I was loosing most of what people are saying. So we changed my settings and put my implant in the cleaner (wow-that cleaner thing really makes a difference! lol). So right now my settings are set the following:
program 3 – 50 - quite environment
program 2 – 60 - noisy
program 1 – 80 - cafeteria or very noisy environment
She set me on these settings because it’s supposed to help me hear better when I’m driving in a car, listening to music, and eating in the cafeteria or a restaurant. So my homework was to experiment with the different programs and see if it helps make a difference.
And right now, I’m in the process of doing that. Although I gotta say, I hate changing the programs throughout the day because for some reason it takes so long for the implant to switch over. And by the time I switch over, I’ve already missed a lot. But I think that that’s something that will get better with more practice on switching BEFORE I get there! : / But I’m working on it…
But other then that, the new mapping seems to work good…it’s defiantly better then what I had!

Oh, the other day I also put an order in for my NEW HARMONY! YAY! Thanks to my mom for helping me get that, maybe now I’ll be able to HEAR EVEN MORE! Now, I’m not even sure if I should be happy or a little nervous! Because quite honestly, it gets kind of annoying to hear my dog lick herself while we’re watching TV! Haha, just kidding…I’m looking forward to it! : ) I should be getting it in the next few weeks, so it should be interesting to see the differences between the Auria and Harmony. They say that the Harmony helps make music a lot more clearer – YAY! And being that music is everything to me…I’m looking REALLY forward to that! : )

But other then that, life has been going good! I just turned 18, I went on my first date, I've been to two Proms, I’m touring colleges, and also I’m taking Swing Dance Lessons! My junior year has definitely been the best so far, and it’s all because of my implant! My freshman year sucked because I had hearing aids (Superos by Phonak), and missed A LOT. Then my sophomore year, I was just getting the implant and I was trying to get used to it. And now, it’s the end of my junior year and I’m doing GREAT with hearing everyone and making all A’s and B’s!!

I went on my first date a few weeks ago. I was soo excited! Because I didn’t know how people would react to me being deaf and this guy asked me out!! I was honestly really nervous about it because I didn’t know if he knew about my hearing or not. But he was actually pretty cool about it! We went to the park and we were talking and he asked what that thing was on my ear. So I explained it to him and his mouth just dropped! Haha, he couldn’t believe that I was deaf! But he was surprisingly cool with it which made me really happy and a lot more confident about my hearing. And what’s so funny about it all is that he’s actually part deaf too! And I didn’t realize that either! He can’t hear out of his left ear either which was kind of neat to find out! : ) So you never know what you might learn about someone else, huh?!? So yeah – I guess I was just imagining the worst when I thought about telling people about my hearing. People are actually more understanding about your hearing then you realize! And that really makes me happy! : )

I’m also touring colleges right now! I went to tour Georgia College and State University (GC&SU) and I absolutely LOVED that place!! I am looking soooo forward to college, no offense to mom, but I am!! We got to tour the dorms, see the classes, and eat in the cafeteria and what-not. The dorms were pretty cool. It’s more of a quad-suite so I would have a roommate. And hopefully my roommate won’t mind my vibrating alarm clock!! Haha! So yeah, right now that’s my first choice in colleges (go GC&SU!) but I’m also touring some others such as University of West Georgia and Berry College. SO we’ll see…

I’m also taking Swing Dance Lessons which is A LOT of fun! My brother is actually my swing dance partner (he also has the implant)! We’re not as good as the dancers on Dancing with the Stars (…not yet at least! hehe) but we’re having fun learning the dance moves and listening to all the jazz and swing dance music! ; )

So yeah, life is going good…I love my implant! I’m definitely enjoying my life a lot more!! I’m making better grades, hearing more things, trying new things such as dance lessons and running for office in clubs, and I’m also getting better at being more vocal about my hearing! : )

Survey....

2007-02-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

My friend wanted me to answer this survey for her project in college, and I thought it'd be interesting to post on here. I thought they were good questions and I figured they might be helpful to you....so enjoy!

1. What age were you when you received the Implant?

I got the implant in april of 2005 when I was just turning 16 years old.

2. Has Getting the implant limited what you can do?

Yes, there are some activites that I have to avoid now becuase I have the implant, for example different things with magnetic fiels such as some rollar coasters, MRI's, and plastic slides.

3. How does the Implant help you with your daily life?

The implant helps me to hear no matter where I am, such as the cafeteria, outside, at home, or even on the phone. I wasn't functioning good with two hearing aids, so thats why I got the implant. And now I can hear alot more and its helped me to understand people, music and environmental sounds better.

4. Is it noticeable to other people when you first meet them?

No, becuase the cochlear implant is a small device that sits behind my ear. And being that I have longer hair, its hard to see it because its being hid. Plus, people don't "look" for the implant becuase they don't realize that I'm deaf when they meet me because my speech quality is so good. I was taught spoken language through the auditory verbal approach to where I don't lip read or use sign language.

5. How has the implant affected your life?

Yes, dramtically. With it my grades have gone up becuase I can hear now, I have been more involved with clubs such as Key Club and Girl Scouts, I have volunteered at differnt places, and I can even get a job now because I can hear what I have to do. And of course music is my favorite thing, now I can really enjoy the music and words.
But then again, its also frustrating because I always have to make sure I have charged batteries to get me through the day. Because if my batteries go dead, I can not hear a thing and I'm in a silent world.

6. If you had not gotten the implant how would your life be different?

If I had not gotten the implant, I would not have been involved with the clubs, volunteering, and plus I probably wouldn't be at the public school that I am now. I also wouldn't have been able to do some things such as going to concerts, movies, and plays. Without the implant, I would have very few friends, I wouldn't be as socialble and I wouldn't be where I am today.

But yeah, it was a short survey but it had some interesting points about the implant...

Interesting Quote...

2006-12-06T21:07:00.000-05:00

Well the other day I was reading this magazine called "Choices" in interior design. And one of the articles in the magazine was about a hearing loss and all the things you do that makes your hearing worse and all the things you can do to prevent a hearing loss. In one part, it was trying to explain what a hearing loss is like and this is how American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) put it....

"It's like a dining room chandelier with bulbs that go out. Every day, it dims a little bit until one day you think, 'it's dark in here,' but then its too late to turn the light back on."

But anyways, I thought it was pretty funny how they relate deaf people as chandeliers!! : P So my friend and I were joking around with each other about this and teasing me about being a chandelier!! At first I laughed and I couldn't believe that they were saying that but once you think about it...in a way a hearing loss is like dying light bulbs!!

But in my case, I got high-tech, life-time guaranteed new light bulbs!! : )

I have my speech which will last a lifetime (thanks to AVC) and my new high-tech Cochlear Implant which will also last me forever!! hehe

So now, I am a very bright and shiny chandelier!!!! : )

When do Direct Connects come in handy??

2006-11-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

Well today, I went on a field trip with my Photography class to the High Museum. That was interesting. But we all had to walk around with recorders and headphones that was talking about all the pictures. I couldn't hear a thing on the head phones so guess what...I pulled out my Direct connect from my purse, plugged it in...and ta-da! I can HEAR!!! YAY! YAY! YAY!

haha, who would ever have thought that that was going to come in handy?? I usually use it just to listen to my music on my MP3 player, I never thought I'd need it for something else.

So for all of you who have the implant....get the Direct Connect!!! You never know when you'll need it!!!

Update

2006-10-24T20:26:00.000-04:00

Well things are going good with me and my Implant. I'm a Junior in High School and school is going great! I'm aceing all of my classes, which is really exciting! YAY! Last week was Homecoming, that was bunches of fun!! Friday night was our homecoming game, my brother and I stood up in the front cheering for the Lakeside Vikings. And believe it or not...we WON!!! YAY! YAY! YAY! That was really really really exciting to win our Homecoming Game!!! : ) Then saturday night, we had our Homecoming Dance. Jonathan (my brother) was my date so we danced and had alot of fun the whole night!!! It was pretty cool to be able to hear the beats and be able to follow along with the music.
Oh, the other day my brother and I spoke on a panel in front of a bunch of therapists, parents, and teachers at this Advanced Bionics Meeting. That was pretty interesting....apparently we were really good!! : ) They asked us questions about how we deal with the implant at school, the differences between the Hearing Aid and the Implant, Our favorite and least favorite things about the implant, etc. so I guess that went well. I was glad that we were there to help answer questions!
But other than that, everything seems to be going pretty good.

Last day as a Volunteen!!

2006-08-09T15:17:00.000-04:00

The other week I had my last day of being a volunteen at Egleston Children's Hospital. I have been working there in the Operating Room every tuesday this summer and it has definatly been the highlight of my summer! I got to help patients get ready for surgery, get the operating rooms ready for surgery and I also got to help nurses during surgery!! And whats so cool about it is that I got to get all dressed up in scrubs, a hat, and a mask! And I still was able to hear everyone!!
But there is one thing that my mentor, June Malcolm, and I will always remember! The story when she learned I was hearing impaired. Ok, on the first day of working there, June was giving me a tour around and telling me everything I've got to do, etc. And we come in front of the OR room where Dr. Todd does his implant surgerys. And June was getting ready to tell me this whole "speel" about what the cochelar implant is and what its for. And immediatly I bursted out "I GOT ONE!!". hahaha, I was so excited to be able to see them getting one that I just bursted that out! And the look on June's face will always stick with me! She was so suprised and couldn't believe that I was deaf and I was working in the Operating Room! So then from then on, she told all the nurses and advisers, etc. about my hearing and about our story! And everyone that she told was always shocked and so suprised that I was deaf!!
So yeah, I guess you can say....nothing will get in the way of getting what you want!! And I wanted to be a volunteen at Egleston and I got it!! And I had the BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!!

This is a picture of June, Me, and Cynthia. Notice the scrubs - don't we look cute!! hehe : )

Swimming with friends....finally!

2006-08-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

I just got back from going to a mountain house with a group of my friends for the weekend. I had an awesome time!! We got to hang out, go swimming, canoeing, hiking, listen to music, etc.
But the main thing I really wanted to share was about the swimming, I've never been much of a swimmer and I always tried to avoid swimming with a bunch of people as much as I could. And the reason being was my hearing. I was to embarresed and almost scared to swim with a bunch of people. I was always worried about missing what people would be saying. I don't lip read and I don't do sign so its kind of hard and wierd to swim with a bunch of people. And plus the fact, I always felt wierd just sitting there while everyone else was having a great time chatting and playing games. But for the first time, I actually swam with a whole group of people! It was alot easier than I thought it would be!
My best friend Zoe was there too, so she kind of stuck by my side to help with what people were saying and kind of guide me to where we were all going, etc. And when ever people would start talking to me while I'm in the water (which would be quite often) zoe would explain to them that I can't hear. And everything would be fine!
But then at one point I sat on the dock (with my aids on) while everyone else swam and I was listening to what everyone was saying. And at one point this guy was talking to us (me and zoe) and zoe was explaing to him about my hearing...and suprisingly he was realy accepting of it! All my life I have tried to keep my hearing as much of a secret as I could becuase I was too embarresed of what people would think of me. But this weekend I was so suprised and it felt so good to be able to tell people and they don't treat me differently! Everyone was really nice and treid to help me with whatever we were doing in the water.

I don't know what I was thinking on how poeple felt about my hearing! I wish I had expeirenced this earlier in my life. Becuase now I feel like I can come out of my "shell", you know? It felt sooo good to be able to swim and hang out with a bunch of friends and knowing that they all know about my hearing and they have no problem with it!

Gosh, this feels great!! : )

Remapping

2006-06-28T13:16:00.000-04:00

The other day I got remapped!

I've been needing it for awhile but I've been dreading it because its usually a pain to do it! But I decided that it was time and I need to add some "tweaks" to it because I wasn't really hearing as good as I usually was. : (
So anyways...I went to a new audiologist and we did all the programming we needed. First I had to say weather or not the beeping I heard was comfortable or not. Then I had to compare between two different beeps to try to "levalize" them. That part was hard because sometimes you had to compare between a low pitch beep and a high pitch beep...And we all know the high pitch beep would seem louder!! But I had to try to levalize them, so my hearing would be all leveled and not all over the place. (???)
So after all that annoying and pain-in-the-butt beeps (no offense to those audiologists reading this)...I finally got it to where I like it!! Everything sounded really clear and it was comfortable and I was finally really really happy with what I was hearing!
Then after that, we added some settings to the other programs. Rene (my audiologist) said that since you have 3 programs to switch to, you should use them! So I thought, what the heck...I'll give it a try! I don't normally switch around to different programs because I like to just put it on in the morning and not have to worry about changing any programs...I've always been like that, even with my hearing aids! But anyways, we put the regular setting on the first program, we put a setting the turns down the background on the second program, and on the third program we put a setting that's really loud - that's apparently really good for music and trying to get everything like in a library.

My Programs:
P1 = 60 - normal
P2 = 50 - noisy places
P3 = 80 - try for music, libarys, etc.

Then we put me in a sound booth and tested to see what all I was actually hearing with my new settings. And it turns out that I was actually doing really well!!! I didn't think I was going to do all that great because I've been wearing my hearing aid, but I guess it really doesn't matter!

My Testing Results:
55 Quiet 94%
45/55 +10 Noise 77%
65 Quiet 100%

So now, I've been wearing only my implant a lot more. I've been more comfortable with it! I mean its still weird not getting any sounds out of my left ear but that'll take time to get used to for anyone! So yeah....I'm happy!! I can finally go without my hearing aid!!! YAY!

So I guess its a good thing to get remapped!! haha

Troop Cruise

2006-06-19T18:12:00.000-04:00

I got back from a cruise with my Girl Scout Troop!! It was alot of fun! I did a bunch of things I've never done before! : ) To me, the highlight of the cruise was the Deck Party, Snorkling, and the Theater!!!

Well first of all....one of the nights, they have a deck party and for the first time....I actually danced to "fast" music. I'm not much of a dancer to start with but since I could here it and I could alctually hear the rythem...I got to dance!! YAY! I danced till 1 in the morning (non stop) YAY ME!!

Then I went snorkling...now, going in the water in public was never a big thing for me becuase I was too afraid that I wouldn't hear anyone or I'd miss something someone said. But I actually went snorkling with my troop leader, and I gotta say it was AWESOME!! I was sooo glad I went!!

Then after dinner, we would all go to the theater...we had comedians for 2 of the nights and I heard everything they said!! Gosh, they were hilarious!! haha, I don't think I've ever enjoyed a show like I did there!! And on the other nights...we had musicals. And I heard everything they were saying!!! : D

But yeah...those were the highlights of the cruise!! But in case if you were wondering, we went on a 5 day cruise down to the bahamas to see Grand Turk, Nassau, and Half Moon Key (my favorite island!!)

Questions and Answers...

2006-05-09T08:39:00.000-04:00

I’ve had some questions about the last post on my hair and the implant, so I thought it might be best if I answered them on here…

Question: Do you wear your implant on top of your hair or underneath it??
Answer: Me personally wear it underneath. When I wear my hair up I try to put it underneath but there have been times, where I would have to put it on top due to the hairstyle (ex. Pigtails or a Ponytail). But when I wear my hair down…its always underneath. I have seen people wear both ways, so I guess it really depends on your preference and your hair!

Question: Do people see it more easily than a hearing aid?
Answer: On me…no, if anything they notice the hearing aid more than the implant! I think a lot of people think that your implant is probably some new technology for listening to music or one of those “blue tooth” things that you see people wearing for their cell phones. And I say this because I know that almost every time we get in an elevator somebody asks Jonathan what he’s listening to…because they see the implant and assume that its like an MP3 player or something. But then that’s when we tell them what it is and what its for and they think its pretty cool and amazing that we can hear and talk even though we are deaf!! : )

I hope that helps a little bit...and if you have any other questions - ASK ME! I love answering questions that anyone has!! : )

Wearing My Hair Up....FINALLY!!! hehe : )

2006-04-18T15:23:00.000-04:00

Well today was the first day I wore my hair up to school since I got the implant!! I never did, becuase I was too afraid of what people would say. And plus, I wasn't sure what was going to happen for when my battery dies...beacuse when it dies, I take the implant off and change the battery. But if my hair is up...then I was afraid I was going to mess up me hair when I take it off!! : / But since the school is re-doing their air conditioning systems....its like "boiling" in the school!!! : ) So I wore my hair up to keep me cool! YAY!

I was kind of nervous and hesitent to wear it up, but I decided it was time to just let everyone see it and just accept what they say.

But as it comes to my shock...nobody said anything!! : D Well except when I was in the bathroom washing my hands...this girl was staring at my head. So I'm thinking she was looking at my hearing aid. hahaha. But I didn't say anything...I just kept on going! hehe : )

But yeah...Its a big differnce between the hearing aid and the cochlear implant!! And my golly...I gotta say, the implant is ALOT nicer looking than the hearing aid and plus the fact...you can color match!!!!! hehe : )

Hearing Aid (pic. 1) AB Cochlear Implant (pic. 2)

2006-04-14T20:36:00.000-04:00

Oh, and I almost forgot....exactly one year ago (last April) I was dreaming about getting the implant....and look where I am now!! My Surgery was April 13th and I was turned on May 17th. It has been exactly One Year and One day since I got the impant!!! Coolies! : )

April 14, 2006

2006-04-14T20:04:00.000-04:00

WOW....its been awhile!! Sorry about that!! I guess I aught to post, huh??

Well lets see, alots been going on...but first things first, my implant is doing great! I can hear everything with it and it sounds normal! And I absolutly love having the implant...and I gotta say that the main think that I like about it is the Direct Connect! I love listening to music now because I don't have to worry about it being too loud for every one else!! hehe.

Then not too long ago, I was in a photo Shoot for Advanced Bionics! That was fun! I wasn't looking forward to it in the beginning becuase I didn't know what to expect but it actually turned out to be quite interesting!! This photographer (Gill-spelling?) went camping with us over spring break to take pictures of us doing things like canoeing, talking on the cell phone, listening to music, making a fire, grilling, etc. so I hope he got some good pictures. I hope we can get coppies, that would be cool! And who knows...maybe you'll see me or my brother in an Advanced Bionics Flier. Coolies!!

Oh, and another thing....I got asked to my first Prom!! YAY! I was really shocked though, becuase I thought I was never going to get asked out or that I wasn't going to hear a guy asking me out becuase of my hearing!!! And I never thought a guy would want to date a deaf girl...but it turns out that I was wrong! haha And it makes me feel good becuase of all that time of worrying, it was really all for nothing! But yeah, the Prom is next weekend and I'm kind of nervous becuase I don't know how the music will sound to me. I went to a Homecoming dance and it was kind of like a bunch of noise....but I hope I'll be able to hear a little bit of the beats and the rythem this time. But I'll make sure I post to let you know. : )

So to all you girls waiting to be asked out...it will happen!! hehe And I guess this proves that the world really doesn't care about you being deaf!! They just think its cool that you can hear them!! : )

Realizing why its a hard change from HA to CI

2005-11-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I like to experiment with my hearing aid and Cochlear Implant by listening with my hearing aid only for a few minutes, then I switch to my cochlear implant for a few minutes and then I switch to both. And you know sometimes I get the wierdest results. Sometimes I can hear better with just the implant and sometimes I can hear better with both. But the hearing aid never win. Its either both or just the implant.
But anyways, I went to the movies the other day and I was experimenting with them to see which one makes the movie sound best. So I turned off my hearing aid and listened for a few minutes to the movie. And that was the wierdest feeling! It sounds like I don't have sound on the other side. Like all the sound comes in on one side. And that makes me very uncomfortable!! I had to keep looking over to see if someone was talking to me. Its really freaky not having sound come in on the other side. I guess its more of a security thing.
So it makes you think if Bilateral is really a good thing or not and if it really makes a difference. But only someone brave enough would get one. I don't think I would ever want to get another implant....Don't get me wrong, because I love my implant but I think I'm too attached to my hearing aid to let it go. You know? And then you know another great thing about having a hearing aid in one ear is when the battery dies, which is always in the middle of my last class, I can still hear a little bit of what the teacher is saying while I'm changing the battery on my implant. So the hearing aid is like my backup.
And since I'm on this topic.....I have never had someone ask me what that thing was on my ear! People have always said something about my hearing aid but not my implant. I thought people would be asking what that was because its bigger and filled with colors. haha. But that's almost a relief. Because I like it when people think of me as a normal person...And not a disability.
But anyways, I thought I'd share that with you.

Progress

2005-11-19T13:42:00.000-05:00

Hey!
Yesterday I had a mapping session. That went ok. We tried to change the program but I didn't like it at all. It sounded too high pitch and mechanical. So instead, we decided to just keep the other program, the one that I walked in with. But since I was wearing it at about 8 o'clock, we moved it to the 12 o'clock spot.
So now I've been wearing just my implant as much as I can. Yesterday I watched a whole movie with just my implant....That may not sound like a lot but for me it is. And whats shocking is that I actually got everything they said! But you know, its really weird wearing just an implant because its like you don't get any sound from the other side. All the sound comes in my right side, so I keep feeling like I forgot to turn on my hearing aid on my left side. And the urge to turn it on is so frustrating! But it really helps to just put the hearing aid in my pocket. So that way, I can't just reach up to turn it on quickly.
But anyways, another thing that we did at my appointment was that we changed the extra magnet to a "half strength" which helps hold my implant on better. Before I had to hold my magnet on with another magnet on the outside. Which got really annoying because it magnetized to EVERYTHING!! I tried to put the magnet on the inside but after 20 or 30 minutes of wearing it, I would get a really bad headache. But now after getting this new magnet, I haven't had a headache and it holds my implant on ALOT better! So I'm really excited about not having to have the outside magnet on. YAY!!
Well I guess this is it for now.

Back into Therapy...

2005-11-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!
Well I don't have much to say at this point. But I had a therapy session not to long ago....and its about time too! My last therapy session was before school started (beginning of August). Once school started I just got to busy and had no time to do it. But I finally put my foot down and got back into therapy.
So last week I had a therapy session and it went great! I think my therapist and my mom was amazed and shocked at how well I was doing with just the implant. And I was too! I was soo nervous about therapy that I was actually dreading it. I haven't been going just with my implant so I wasn't sure how I was going to do. But I actually did well!
Since I'm in school and I have homework and club meetings, we decided to have therapy about once a month or every couple of weeks. So at each session, she would give me alot of homework to do. And whenever we had time, my mom and I would do a little bit. So I'm really excited about how things are going with me and the implant. I've been listening to my music too, so hopefully my goal will be reached before Christmas......I'm hoping!!! (keep your fingers crossed!)
Well I guess this is it for now, I just wanted to let you know what I've been doing lately. Later!

Promise to myself

2005-10-14T22:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I made a promise to myself and I plan on keeping it! You want to know what the promise is?!?!
Well I promise that I will work with my implant by praticing on listening to music, and hearing people without my hearing aid. And if I'm successful at doing this....I'm going to buy myself an ipod! Yeah, I know it may sound weird but I really want to do it, beacuse if I get really good at listening to music with just my implant, I can use the "wireless" headphone set for my implant so I'll look like everyone else. I won't have to deal with those big and bulky headphones. Cool huh?!?! Well I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.
Until then....

September 24, 05

2005-09-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Well things have been going good here. I've been wearing my hearing aid and my implant and it seems to really help me alot. I've noticed that I can't function very well with just my hearing aid so I always have to wear my implant....which is a good thing!! It shows that the implant really deos help me and I hear better with the implant. Its been about 4 months since I've had this implant and I am still noticing more sounds and hearing more. Like yesterday....it was so cool... I was getting ready to make a phone call and so I turned my hearing aid to t-switch and started dialing the numbers, etc. and in the background I have my music playing kind of softly, and then all the sudden Sharon (a friend of ours) was downstairs calling me. And I immediatly responded!!! How cool is that?!?! I've noticed that I can hear alot from downstairs when I'm upstairs. I may not be able to undertand word for word...but hey - if I can hear you from downstairs....I'm happy!! Okay, well I guess this is it for now, there isn't really much to say but things are going good here.
Until then readers.....

Finally sounding like a hearing aid

2005-08-19T20:23:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, Not to long ago I got remapped and now it sounds like hearing aids! YAY! My therapist, Stacy, said that maybe now I'll be moving alot faster! So thats really cool! You're probably woundering what I mean by saying it sound slike hearing aids, right? Well its kind of hard to explain but it deosn't really sound like a "machine" is on my ear. It's like I can't hear it "working". But It sounds normal, so thats a good thing!!! That probably didn't make any sense but what can I say?!? lol. Well I'll write later! bye!

First Day of School

2005-08-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Well yesterday was my first day of school. I'm now a sophomore in hogh school! Yay! It went pretty good. I got good classes and nice teachers. So this year should go really well. I made sure I got close to the front in all my classes. I always have to go up to the teachers after class to tell them that "I'm deaf and I wear hearing aids to help me hear. So I kind of need to be near the front to hear better" you know the usual stuff. But you know it would be alot easier if the counceler or the principle would tell all my teachers so they don't look at me funny. You know? But I guess thats what I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life. thats part of being deaf! But anyways, I think I did pretty well on hearing everyone. I had to wear my hearing aid and my implant becuase I don't really know enough to go completly implant in public. But the only problem I reall had was in noisy enviroments. But I think that is alwasy going to be harder for any deaf person! Okay well I guess this is it for now. And I'll try to post some more later when I have alot more to say. Until then....

AUG. 3, 05

2005-08-03T18:09:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Well things are going good. I had therapy today and it went great. They said I was doing good but the only thing I really need to work on is reconizing when someone is speaking in the background. For example if I'm working at a table and concentrating on my work...I need to be able to tell when someone starts talking to me with out calling out my name to get my attention. Deos that make sense? So now when I'm working people are going to "pop in" and say something to me when I'm working and I have to be able to respond back to them. So we'll see how that goes this week. Wish me luck!
Anyways, a few weeks ago I went to go pick up my brother from camp and I forgot my batteries at home. That was the first time I had to go "deaf". I was quite angry at myself but then later on I learned that I can put my brother's batteries on. And it works! I'm not sure if I told you this or not but ,oh well! But before that, on the way home I started to write a poem. There was nothing else to do - haha. I couldn't talk, listen to the music or anything. All I could do was sit there, so anyways, I decided to share the poem with you. So here it is...

My Worst Fear…
July 7, 2005

I’m standing there
As the cold from my feet
Shiver up my body.
Feeling alone, and scared.
I watch the world go by
Yet I’m still there,
Hopeless and not sure
What to do or where to go.
A man taps on my shoulder,
And begins to speak but
All I can “hear” are
His lips moving,
Not a sound,
Not even a whisper.
I try to explain that
I’m deaf but
He doesn’t understand.
As he continues to talk
I feel more alone,
And depressed
I stare at his mouth
Trying to read what he’s
Saying but it doesn’t
Seem to help.
More people come and
Still they continue to talk.
No one understands,
No one cares,
They just go on with their life.
Now that’s my worst fear!

I don't know if anyone feels the same about this poem. But after the ride home I began to realise how thankful I am for the new technology we have today! Without this implant I wouldn't be able to talk to my friends, listen to my music - which is by the way EVERYTHING to me, haha - I wouldn't be able to baby-sitt, or talk to my long distance family on the phone. I wouldn't be able to hear anything!!! Now what kind of life is that?? So for all of you new implant users..... don't give up! If you do....just think about the life you'll end up with.
So that's my "pep talk", haha. Well I better go. I'll write later and tell you how this week goes. Until then...

July 25th, 2005

2005-07-25T16:34:00.000-04:00

Hey!
Well right now I'm kind of in a "plateau". I seem to be doing ok. I can function fine without my hearing aid... But the thing is that its kind of a hassle to deal with. For example I went on a trip to the Lake Burton. And yesterday we were loading the car and cleaning the lake house. Its like 90 degrees out so my brother told me to take my implant off because of the sweat. That was annoying because I like to hear everything, I don't like to wonder around like a "deaf" person (if you know what I mean). Then when we were out in the boat, I had to be careful because when your hair is wet...You can't put it on, you have to be careful to not splash anyone or make sure it doesn't blow off from the wind of the boat. So to me it was just easier to use my hearing aid. Which wasn't very good!!! : ( But I did use the implant whenever I could. I think it's a "life-saver" to have my brother around (who is by the way also an Advanced Bionics Implant user) because he tells me what I can and can't do with my implant. I always forget, like when we were going to the playground...He reminded me to take it off when I was going down the slide. So I guess special thanks go to my brother. hahaha. Well I guess I better get going. I'll try to keep blogging to keep yall up-to-date!
Talk to you later!

July 14th, 05

2005-07-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. But things have been going great! I've learned that sometimes things can sound better if the volume isn't blaring loud! haha. But anyways, right now I'm hearing lots of sounds. I haven't been wearing my hearing aid and so I keep forgetting I don't have my hearing aid on. SO that's GREAT news!! That means I'm getting better! Yesterday I had therapy and I got remapped. Therapy went good! I'm in the middle of stadge 1 and 3! Yay!! Right now I'm detecting the differences between words but I'm not able to tell you what it is. Does that make sense?? So I guess that's what I need to be working on now. I got lots of homework for the next two weeks (next week's therapy is canceled because I'm on a vacation). So I promise I'll do my therapy! Its really important to do so because then I'll be ready for school to start. I hope I'll be able to hear my friends and teachers very well. So keep your fingers crossed!!! As for the remapping....I think we are going to pretty much stay where we are. Because if I go louder, things get distorted, rattles come in, and I don't hear as good. So where I am right now is good!!! Okay, well I better get going. I have to get back to work. : )

Reasons why I wanted this Implant

2005-07-07T11:29:00.000-04:00

My hearing was borderline on being a candidate for the Advanced Bionic Cochlear Implant for a long time. But the reasons we were holding back was becuase of my speech. We didn't know if it would go down or if it would even improve. Your probably wondering why I would have such a great voice if I'm deaf but the truth is...its all beacuse of my mom! She was the one who made me go through therepy for so many years. My mom, a therapist, and I did Auditory Verbal therapy till I was like 9 years old. Now thats only beacuse they didn't know I was deaf untill the age of 2. Most people are probably in and out of thereapy by the age of 5 or 6. But my speech and hearing has been going downhill for several months. And we all decided it was time to get it. My mom already had to go through this with my brother, so she already did all the resaerch on which implant was the best. So that was one step less for me. We had already decided that we were going to do the Advanced Bionics Implant becuase my brother had such a success with it. Other things that we really liked about the Advanced Bionics Implants were: the service we get (it was fantastic everytime we needed something or even for an answer to a stupid question we had- haha), we also liked the looks (It comes with a variety of colors, and the processor itself looks "sleeker" and more stylish). So you can tell we are big fans of the Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant. But anyways, when thinking about this, there were a whole list of things I wanted to get out of it, such as
- hearing all the annoying noises in the enviroment,
- hearing my friends talk in the Cafeteria,
- hearing someone ask me out with out saying "WHAT?!?!",
- hearing people in a resturant and the waiter taking our order,
- and watching T.V without Captions,
I want to hear everything possible in this world!! So these are my goals through this journey of having the Implant. Maybe this will help you make an easier decision on getting the implant.

Getting used to the Cochlear Implant

2005-07-06T11:04:00.000-04:00

Hey! Well today I'm sitting around the house, nasty weather huh? But you know everyday I've been noticing different sounds that I don't think I've ever heard before. For example...Dogs....THEY ARE QUITE ANNOYING. haha. I can hear them licking themselves and when they walk. I have to site there and tap them to stop licking its so loud. haha. But oh well. I've also relized that I keep forgeting that I only have my implant on! Thats GREAT huh?? Right now my hearing aid is in the dry-box just collecting dust. haha. I've been leaving it there and going all day without it. Yippee!!! Now at this rate, by time school starts I'll be able to hear everyone perfectly!! YAY! Well I better go. Chao!

Interesting Point about dealing with the Cochlear Implant

2005-06-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

Hey!
I was talking to this lady about my Cochlear Implant and she made an interesting point and I thought I'd share with you. She said that the proccess of learning to hear with the implant is like getting glasses. When you don't have your glasses on everything is fussy and when you have them on, you have to learn what the fuzzy thing really was. So with the implant...you may not hear any noise when doing the dishes but when you get the implant you'll hear noises and you have to get used to the fact that the sound is from the water.
And I think that is so true becuase when you get the implant, so don't all the sudden know what each sound is and where it is coming from. It takes time to "train" your brain what all the noises are coming from. So for the new implant users, don't get discouraged, becuase afterall in the the long run we will be able to hear a lot! Hey, maybe even more than the normal hearing people. haha. Wouldn't that be funny?? Well got to go.
Talk to you later!

Today - back to hearing great!

2005-06-29T19:33:00.000-04:00

Hey!
Well today I am doing a whole lot better! I haven't turned on my hearing aid once today. In fact my mom has it. lol. I feel really wierd without my hearing aid but I know its for the best!! I can hear the T.V again - thats great news! Today at work I had to cut peices of paper and it was NOISY! Can you believe it?? I never thought cutting paper was going to be so noisy! At school when we were doing some in-classroom projects and everyone was cutting at the same time, I could kinda hear it and thats with a bunch of people. But now just one person cutting is really loud. lol. Some other nioses I have found to be loud is water. I heard water a little bit with my hearing aid, but that was when I was right next to it. And the other day I was washing the dishes and it was extremly loud! That was a shock to me. lol. That was really the first thing I noticed to be different from my cochlear Implant and my hearing aid. Another thing that I noticed to be louder is a light switch. lol. When I turn on a light switch I hear it. I've never really heard me turn on a light. lol. I could also hear a blinker on in someone elses car. I can never hear the blinker unless I know its on, cuz then I listen for it. But this time I didn't know it was on and I could hear it! But thats all I can think of right now...I'll make sure I have the whole list for you to read next time. ok? Well, got to go. Bye : )

Oh and here is a picture of me and my brother. We both have the Advanced Bionocs Cochlear Implant. He has the BTE and I have the new Auria. (up above) We both love it!

Not so good week

2005-06-29T10:20:00.000-04:00

Hey! Well yesterday I got remapped. Lets just say it went okay. Before I got there I was having problems hearing. I kept getting this rattling, humming sound. I asked people if they heard it, but we couldn't really figure out what it was. They thought it was the air conditioning, or a boy banging a cup. But I don't think that was it. It sounded like my hearing aid when it got moisture in it. The rattling would get so annoying and loud that I couldn't hear or talk to people very well. I couldn't even hear the t.v with just my implant. And before this noise came I would turn off my hearing aid because I could actually hear the t.v better. But for the past week my hearing went down hill. I wasn't able to hear people without trying to figure out what they were saying, so I got fustrated and I went back to my hearing aid. I know I will regret wearing my hearing aid for the past week. But thank god I got remapped yesterday!! We were trying all sorts of programs to try to get rid of this sound but we couldn't really. But then they were talking about if it was my hormones, if it was me being tired, stressed, or whatever. They said that if your tired, sick, stressed, or hormonal your hearing would change. But that's not for everyone. So that could be the possibility why I was doing do bad last week. But now I'm doing better. I'm working at the office and hadn't turned on my hearing aid once. I could even hear Del, Mary, and Mary Ann (all soft speakers somtimes) talking.But It was soft but I could hear them!!! YAY! I would find myself reaching up to turn my hearing aid on to hear them better BUT I forced myself to not turn it on!
Sunday I did therapy (when I wasn't hearing very well) and I did horrible! I couldn't hear them call out the words to save my life!! My grandpa did it, my brother did it, my Aunt did it, and my Mom did it, I still couldn't understand them. We were thinking that it was because I haven't left my hearing aid out long enough. But this morning I did it, and I almost got 100% on the words. YAY! Skip (a good friend) and my Mom both did it. I was so happy because I'm back to where I was on the first week. We also tried to see if I could tell the difference between the voices. Between a mans voice and a womans voice. I could kinds do it. In't always right but I could sorta tell who was talking. So we'll see if I get it absolutely right later this week. Keep your fingers crossed!!! lol.
So what did I learn out of this?? That if your hormonal, tired, sick, lazy, stressed or whatever...Your hearing changes!!! So don't get frustrated like I did. Your hearing isn't going bad, you just may be emotional.
Well, I better go.......Got some listening to do. lol

Listening to Music for the first time!!!

2005-06-22T12:38:00.000-04:00

OH MY GOSH!!! GUESS WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW.....LISTENING TO MUSIC! Yep I am listening to music with my implant!!! YAY!!!! I'm so excited. I put my headphones on to listen to music while I blog and I could actually hear it. I didn't think I would but I did. YES!!! Its hard to understand 100% of what the singer is saying but thats ok!! I love music and I will listen to it whenever I can!! lol. Well got to go to work. Bye!

June 22, 05

2005-06-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

Hey! Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I "went" out of town with my dad. Okay so it was just a road trip to South Carolina and back, but it was fun. We had to pick up Jonathan's (my brother) new dirt bikes. They are awesome!!! I can't wait to ride them myself. lol. Anyways, today I had therepy. I got a little bit in trouble because I didn't go without my hearing aid last week. Ugh. That's what I really need to give up - my hearing aid. After so many years wearing it, it sort of becomes a habit. lol. But oh well, if I want to get better I have to get rid of my hearing aid!!!!
Anyways during therapy we did some games. They were fun. We played Goldfish and a rhyming game. Goldfish was kind of easy but when we got to the rhyming game, that was really hard. But that was only because I went with my hearing aid all week. Bad bad me!!! And of course you get homework - lol - I have to walk around the house to see what noises I hear (like the dishwasher, air conditioner, washing machine, phone, etc.), I have to play card games - the rhyming game and goldfish games. So I really need to be good and do all that before next Wednesday!!! Well I better get going. I'll blog later. Bye! : )

MY WILDEST EXPERIENCE SO FAR

2005-06-17T14:41:00.000-04:00

Hey! You will never guess what happened to me today!!! I was outside with my mom and I was leaning against the car and I looked over the other way (the side with my implant) and all the sudden my implant goes flying off and attaches itself to the car!!! Oh my gosh!! I couldn't believe that happened!! People are always telling me that these kind of things happen but I never thought it would actually happen to me. Can you believe it?? So new implant users - BEWARE! THE IMPLANT IS A MAGNET SO IT WILL ATTACHE ITSELF TO METAL!!! lol.
Talk to you later!

2005-06-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

This is me at my 16th birthday!

My First Day into the New World

2005-06-16T12:17:00.000-04:00

On May the 17th I went to get my Cochlear Implant turned on. I was so excited, sad, nervous, and everything you could possibly imagine. But most of all I was happy and very excited. But I will tell you this - if you are getting the implant PLEASE remember this.... Your parents WILL cry and get very emotional. I know this because my mom is a very strong woman, and she will do everything in her power to keep me happy. When I got into this, I made her promise me to not cry because I hate to see her cry. And what does she do?? She cries. She cries a lot. I think all parents would cry a lot when their kid is going into surgery. But just for the record, be aware that your parents, or your husband or wife will get very emotional from getting the news of having the implant to getting turned on.
But anyways, when my Mom and I arrived there we went into David's (my audiologist) office. It was just like any other appointment, we say hi and ask questions, look around, etc. But the first thing we did was that we got my implant out - most people would probably have to sit there and put it together - but you know me...I just had to put it together the day I got it to see what it was going to look like. I put all of my colors on it just to see what they looked like too. lol. And they all looked cool. But we I put it on my head I was sad. Because it was big. It was a lot bigger than I was expecting but I got over that because as soon as I thought about me hearing everyone and everything that "normal" people hear, I was excited!! I just couldn't wait to get turned on. So we got the implant out and hooked it to the computer with this long cord. Then we did some tests to set the volumes right and see if my nerves were "working". Basically in the test, you hear a bunch or sratchy noises and beeps and the computer reads weather or not your nerves were working. Then we did another test for me to tell how loud the noises are. I got this piece of paper with blue circles in a row. From smallest to the biggest. The smallest being the softest sounds and the biggest circle being the loudest sound. So we went through all these beeps and noise and I had to figure out if it was loud or soft or medium. That was really hard for me because I had no idea what would be really loud or what would be really soft for me. But to some people that may be easier. I don't know. So anyways the turning on point was here!!! David said he was going to turn me on so I waited and waited. David and my mom was looking at me wondering what I'm go to do. Finally I asked "was that it?!?!". I didn't even know he turned me on until they started talking a little bit. All I could hear were beeps for every syllable in a word. For example "Jon-a-than" I was hear "beep..beep..Beep". So I was quite surprised when I found that out! My mom was almost in tears, and I was! I was so sad because I was expecting to really hear a little bit off people talking, not beeps!! So later on we went home and we didn't say much because we were still shocked about what had happened.
But it gets better, and I'll tell you the rest in the next time I blog. Ok?? I guess I'll talk to you later!

June 14 - again

2005-06-14T19:25:00.000-04:00

Hey hey hey! What's up? Today I had a fun day working. I got a lot of stuff done and for most of the day I went with out my hearing aid. YAY!!! So its getting better. It sounds like the other hearing aids that I've tried (p-4, superos, perseros, otcons etc.) It sounds "roboty" like "Darth Vader" hahaha. But I can function with it just fine. It just takes time to get used to it. lol. That's the part I absolutely hate!!! Waiting....And waiting....And waiting for it to sound perfect. But I sure can't wait for those days to come. Anyways I guess I'll blog again tomorrow. Talk to ya later!!! Chao!

June 14

2005-06-14T18:38:00.000-04:00

Well, today I had my hearing aid off. Its hard but its getting easier every time I take it out. I like the looks but the sound is still weird. Right now I have a color cap on it to match my outfit! yay!

Pictures from the first week

2005-06-14T13:22:00.000-04:00

The Week of Surgey

2005-06-14T11:39:00.000-04:00

On April 14th I had my surgery at Northside Hospital. Suprisenly we were all calm but i think deep down we were all very worried. I mean, I'm going into surgery...who wouldn't be?!? when we got there, we went into this big waiting room and the lady would call us for us to go into a room to fill out paper work, then they would call us again for us to go into another room, I think my mom ended up going into like 4 rooms to fill out paperwork. But I sat in the waiting room with my dad. But then we went into a "holding" room. There I had to change into the most ugliest outfits! And they put and IV in me. And later they gave me this drug (I guess) that made me "crazy" and "woozy". haha. Then it was time to go into surgery. We asked if I can get pictures of me in there and with all my nurses and doctor. And let me tell you, even though I was a little "woozy" I still remeber how nice they were! You can even tell by the pictures. They probably thought I was crazy for wanting to get pcitures but they still did it anyways. So now I got all these wonderful pictures for my photo alblums at home. I would definatly regretted it if I didn't get pictures. haha. But anyways, you'll see the pictures in the next blog. Then I was in surgery. The nurses gave my mom a "pager" that would buzz when I was out of surgery so she didn't have to worry if I was done every 5 minutes. haha. The surgery took about 3 hours. And then I was put into another "holding" room until I woke up. When I don't have my hearing aid in I sleep like a baby, and so I never really woke up completly because I couldn't hear anything. So finally they let my mom come in to put my hearing aid in. And then I was basically forced to stay "awake". haha. I remember when the nurse would try to talk to me but I couldn't hear her and so she finally started writing everything she was saying on paper. So that was very helpful. I also rememeber that I had a little pain. But I don't think I was really noticing it until I got my room and was really awake. I didn't move that much at all. If I did I would get very dizzy and sick. So it took me awhile to get on my feet to move. I remmber it was very hard to go to the bathroom or even to sit my head up. But by that night and the next morning I was able to move a little bit. Some of my friends and family came to the hospital to see me. I thought that was really nice knowing that they were there for me. But then when I got home I didn't do much. I just slept and watched some T.V. Although there is never really anything on when I want to watch T.V. Only when I'm not. haha. But I got lots of cards and gifts from all my friends and family. Then after a few days of doing nothing I had to try to go to school again. I remember that was kinda hard becuase going a whole day in high school and going up and down those stairs all day long ws exausting. But for the first day I think i went for a helf a day and went home to rest. But the next day I was able to do a whole day. I was exausted but I could do it. It just takes time to get back on your feet again. So that was the first week of having my Implant.