Haven’t updated in a while because there hasn’t been much new to report; for the last few months I’ve kind of felt like I hit a plateau with the CI, with no discernible improvement. But I had my 6-month mapping appointment last week, and she tested me in the booth, and it turns out there has been some improvement: at my last appointment 3 months ago, I got 64% on the word recognition, and this time I got 74%. I also got over 90% on the sentence recognition, which means I was correct in thinking I tend to do better when I have context — even if I don’t get every word, I can often work out the ones I didn’t get from the rest.

A couple months ago during a discussion on the Advanced Bionics (AB) forums, I posted my CI programs, and a couple people there told me that all my programs were “P”, which means the electrodes fire in pairs; the other option is “S” where they fire one at a time. Apparently P is the default, but some people do better with S and the suggestion was that I ask for S just to try it. So since I had an open program slot, I got an S program. I’ve only had it a few days but I do think it’s a bit clearer than P, and music definitely sounds a lot better with it (though still not great).

In general, though my comprehension has increased, the overall sound quality is still pretty poor. It’s like voices have two layers: one that sounds nearly normal, and the other is sort of scratchy (still rather Gollum-like). I’m easily able to distinguish between male and female voices, and even to recognize voices I know well, like my husband’s, but if I’m watching an animated movie, for instance, I can’t necessarily recognize famous actors’ voices like I used to be able to. Music still sounds kinda bad; I can distinguish between most instruments, but the notes sound all wrong. With the P program, I couldn’t really hear harmonies at all; with the S one, I almost can.

I’ve found some novel ways to use my accessories. I stream Bluetooth from my phone with the CI Connect a lot, mostly audiobooks or music, and also the TV (using the TV Connector, another accessory). And the Roger Select has proved to be pretty versatile; not only does it work as an external microphone that I can place close to a person or sound source (like, for instance, the car speaker) so I can hear it better, but it also plugs into the headphone jack of any device that has one and streams the device’s sound directly to my CI. Turns out it works really well with those assisted-listening devices they have at theaters — it sounded much clearer when I tried that than just listening normally. I tend to have an easier time with comprehension if I stream than if I use speakers.

I’ve got a cruise coming up in a few weeks, and I had been dreading the thought of swimming or snorkeling because after my post-implant hearing loss in the other ear, I can hear very little without the CI or hearing aid. (During our last trip, as we were walking down a noisy, crowded street, I took off both the CI and HA and it was suddenly eerily silent; I could only hear people if they were not more than a few feet from me.) I was kind of resigned to either being nearly deaf while in the water or else avoiding the pool and hot tub, but then I decided to order AB’s AquaCase. Because I had to get not only the case but also the accessories that make it work (it requires a special cable, a waterproof headpiece/microphone, and a smaller battery to fit in the case), it was not cheap, but if it works it will make a huge difference and allow me to go in the water without being mostly deaf. The downside is I’m going to have to give up one of my programs to use it — it requires a special one for the headpiece microphone. I’m still trying to decide which one to sacrifice.

But the upside is I might actually be able to use the AquaCase for other things besides water sports; because it comes with a clip and lanyard to secure the processor, I might be able to wear it on roller coasters. Since there’s nothing but a relatively weak magnet holding it in place normally, I take it off if there’s any chance of it going flying, but if I have something to secure it, I might be able to keep it on.

I’m also a little nervous about the cruise in general. This cruise is very entertainment-oriented and there will be a lot of people we know from past cruises on board. That means shows without captions (they do have assisted-listening devices, though I have no idea how well they’ll work) as well as a lot of chatting with people in noisy areas, which is not easy for me. I know people will be patient and understanding with me, but everyone’s patience has a limit and I’m afraid folks will decide it’s easier to avoid me than to have to keep repeating themselves…or I’ll resort to the old standby of pretending I understand when I really don’t.

Guess I’ll post after I get back and update about how the AquaCase worked and how the cruise went in general.