Well it's been 3 weeks since my last mapping. Hi Res P has gotten more time to settle in. I haven't had any issues of any sort during that time. There has been no return of the dizzy spells and all of my maps are equally usable. Hi Res P at 80 IDR is still my main program. I do switch to MPS 80 from time to time, as before, while listening to music. But I am finding I am leaning towards Hi Res P more and more in a natural way without forcing myself to use it. MPS can sound to shut in compared to Hi Res P.
I have not been practicing listening anywhere near as much as I should. Randall's ESL site, quite frankly...is not the most engaging experience. It's like listening to an episode of Mr Rogers Neighborhood...with a quiz to go with it. There is no reason why it can't be more fun. I also realize I need to just plain slow down. I want to wake up that part of my brain that listens with ease. So rather than focusing on listening without visual aid...I'm switching gears to reading along with the audio. It was suggested to me before...I just never really considered the value of doing so until now. Reading along would allow me to focus on all those little speech details.
Currently, my brain still has a habit of filtering out these details out of presumption that they aren't even there..so why bother? Obviously it kicks in...or I wouldn't be able to have phone conversations with family. But it should be on for all listening situations. I should be able to watch TV without captions at all, but I cannot just yet.
I mentioned my speech comprehension scores last time around. I'd be lying if I said I don't feel any pressure to do better next time. I mean....I went from up from 0 percent during the candidacy evaluation testing. Any improvement over that is a blessing. Still....it's not good enough for me. I'd like to see my scores closer to 60-70 percent by the 3rd month for both components.
Most of my free time when not at work or tending to whatever needs tending is spent listening to music. This is running before I walk. The enjoyment is not dependent on my ability to understand the lyrics by listening...I either already know every word or have lyrics up front of me to read along with. The focus is more on taking in as much of the auditory experience as I can. The thing is, I really do need to spend some of that time where the focus is on listening to just someone speaking...the details of their voice...both in the consonants and the quality...tone. It should be engaging.
So I've decided to finally go the books on audio cd route that has long been suggested to me. I can read along with it and focus on the speaker telling the story. Ideally...as I read..I would gradually find I need to read along with it less and less. I already know following along with it is not a problem in the least...but following is no longer the point..it's hearing every little detail in the voice. I'm leaning towards the Harry Potter books...they've been recommended to me repeatedly. I've only seen one of the movies, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." I actually liked it and want to go back and see the previous ones. Except many people say the movies are nowhere near as good as the books. So I want to find out what the deal is there. That should hold my attention. Then there is the "Pocket and the Pendant," suggested by Stephen. He heard it read as a podcast. Apparently it's a newer piece of work influenced by the Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find it as an Audio CD, yet.
I haven't practicing too much on the phone. The way I do it, with the hands-free headset stuck to my headpiece, is not really that ideal. It's hard to hear me with the microphone dangling closer to my ear lobe than my mouth. For the frequency of calls to really pick up, I will need to get my Behind The Ear Processor, which will simplify the whole deal.
I did call my brother and sister-in-law on July 4th, though. That went pretty well. Matt seemed quite excited about it. He kept talking about the fact I was calling him. I shy away from talking about it. I guess I get a little embarrassed..or maybe I'm just avoiding getting too mushy about it. I'm actually supposed to be the guy in the family most in touch with his feelings....but I wind up trying to change the topic to "so what are you up to?" Part of that is also not wanting to get too comfortable and have the call turn into a complete bust..fall flat on my face. So I'm like "let's not wave the flag yet."
There was a different kind of success with this call. Matt had been holding the phone too close to his mouth, so I could hear him breathing into it while also his voice just being too sharp and loud. Once I recognized that, I asked him to move the receiver away from his mouth. This made a big difference in how easy it was to understand him. The "ice" was broken though. I believe the next step is really to make these phone conversations more frequent and routine. IMs served us well...but they really don't bring you together the same way. You are still looking at a screen with words. There is nothing like actually hearing the voice of the people you love and care about.
Talking to Nichole was an experience. It has always been difficult for me to understand my sister-in law. I would find myself looking to Matt to clarify her words. Her lips would get hard to read. On the phone, it was actually easier to understand her than my Brother. It was then she gave me the news of my 6 month + old nephew, Will, possibly signing his first word: Milk. She said she isn't totally sure just yet though.
For clarification, Will is hearing. His parents decided to teach him Sign Language as a way to give him an early communication method. They have been taking him to classes. I am personally convinced it's one of the best things anyone can do for their child. My own signing is rudimentary at best....the equivalent of speaking in broken English. It's going to come in quite handy though. My nephew does not see me all that much given I live in Southern CA while they live up in Bend, Oregon. So I'll have to make an impression on him. Having an adult other than his parents or in the classroom sign to him should make for a bonding experience. I'll see him this Christmas (his birthday is two days later) so by then he should be signing plenty along with getting to hear his first words!
The latest development in music-listening is I finally went and picked up a patch cord this weekend so I could plug my cheap Walkman CD player directly into my processor. I had to get an adapter jack to convert it from stereo to mono. This means both the left and right feeds are coming in to the processor so I hear both. It's actually quite enjoyable. I have to burn CDs rather than just play them right off my computer, but it will do for now. If you think about it, I am literally plugging the CD player directly into my brain. This is the equivalent of an addict getting his fix intravenously.
Things have changed from the days of sitting up in the early morning hours with a pair of big headphones blasting into my right ear with people in the next room being able to hear it. There is nothing to be heard by anyone outside no matter how loud I blast it. Incidentally, the volume on the CD player is kept between Zero and One (goes up to 10.) So I'm at the other end as far as volume needs go.
Eventually I will invest in an Ipod or Zen player. I'll always go to the store to buy CDs as long as they will let me (music downloads, such as those at Itunes, are increasing and sales of actual CDs plummeting) but either player will let me play my existing mp3s. It would be like carrying the same library that is on my computer around anywhere I go. Because they are battery powered, there is no risk of damage to my CI.
Music has been a process...those taking their own journeys should keep that in mind and not be discouraged if it doesn't sound like it should. The key is to focus on listening for what you do recognize and go with that. Keep trying. There were plenty of times I would shut the music down with a "blegh, that sounds like shit." I just couldn't take it anymore, but it gets better all the time. Two weeks ago, I was concerned that I wasn't benefiting from the increased information provided by Hi Res. I was still favoring MPS for music and I found that I could only listen to music for so long before it just didn't seem to come together as it had just 30 minutes prior. This left me worried that Hi Res 120, when released later this year..would not work for me as it should. After all, MPS uses only 8 electrodes instead of Hi Res' 16 electrodes. It's like they keep telling you though....you have to let it settle in. MPS is actually sounding less resonant than Hi Res P does, a reversal from how it was before. Hi Res P really doesn't have all that much pitch distortion. I'm able to go for longer and longer periods without the sound quality decreasing.
The pitch is still what I would call...faded. I am not about to take up a "name that pitch" challenge or start playing songs by ear on my guitar, but everything is gradually sounding more and more as it should. I do hear the limitations that I read about when researching the technical side of CIs prior to getting my implant. The more that is happening at once in the music..the more difficult it is to hear all of those layers clearly. For example...a lone acoustic guitar and a single singer can sound quite natural and true to form easily enough. I could close my eyes and get the sense they are in the same room with me. But then add in keyboards, bass guitar, a 2nd guitarist, singers vocalizing, drums, a sax player....Each with their own timbre and contribution to the whole of the songs...that's alot of information for 16 channels to process.
Yet, Hi Res does a very good job of working with those 16 Channels. With my hearing aid, I would often get "lost" while reading the lyrics along with what I was listening to. There were songs that I didn't even bother with because I couldn't pick out the vocals. Music that was boomy and bassy generally was the worst...because that is what my hearing was most able to hear. The less easily heard details would get buried under the what was just too over emphasized by my hearing condition. For 19 years, though I would read it in the lyrics, I never heard Jon Bon Jovi say "Once upon a time, not so long ago" at the beginning of "Living On A Prayer." That detail is now easily heard. There are entire albums that for the most part proved too difficult for me to listen to that are now effortless, both the music and the vocals. In the past, it would be easy for something like the singer throwing in an "Ohhhhh" and it would throw me off if it wasn't printed in the lyrics. I'd start trying to match up the next word in the lyrics with it instead..which would screw me up. Now, rather than my trying to play "match the lyrics up with where they are in the music," that process is practically effortless.
Even with the existing enjoyment I have hearing with Hi Res, Advanced Bionics users have 120 Channels to look forward to. This is what will give those "faded pitches" more vividness. Those layers of instruments will have more channels to deliver the information through. I believe the aim in the end is for 1500 channels in order to most accurately deliver the sound information, but I enjoy it with 16 channels as it is. 104 extra channels could possibly be orgasmic.
I know just where you come from
Where all your yesterday's are gone...
And now you're done
But you've only just begun
It's time you opened up the door...
And now it's all very clear
This journey of a thousand years
Can you feel it coming?
Can you feel it now?
Can you feel it coming?
Or is it the roar of the crowd?
Journey of 1000 Years - KISS
I have not been practicing listening anywhere near as much as I should. Randall's ESL site, quite frankly...is not the most engaging experience. It's like listening to an episode of Mr Rogers Neighborhood...with a quiz to go with it. There is no reason why it can't be more fun. I also realize I need to just plain slow down. I want to wake up that part of my brain that listens with ease. So rather than focusing on listening without visual aid...I'm switching gears to reading along with the audio. It was suggested to me before...I just never really considered the value of doing so until now. Reading along would allow me to focus on all those little speech details.
Currently, my brain still has a habit of filtering out these details out of presumption that they aren't even there..so why bother? Obviously it kicks in...or I wouldn't be able to have phone conversations with family. But it should be on for all listening situations. I should be able to watch TV without captions at all, but I cannot just yet.
I mentioned my speech comprehension scores last time around. I'd be lying if I said I don't feel any pressure to do better next time. I mean....I went from up from 0 percent during the candidacy evaluation testing. Any improvement over that is a blessing. Still....it's not good enough for me. I'd like to see my scores closer to 60-70 percent by the 3rd month for both components.
Most of my free time when not at work or tending to whatever needs tending is spent listening to music. This is running before I walk. The enjoyment is not dependent on my ability to understand the lyrics by listening...I either already know every word or have lyrics up front of me to read along with. The focus is more on taking in as much of the auditory experience as I can. The thing is, I really do need to spend some of that time where the focus is on listening to just someone speaking...the details of their voice...both in the consonants and the quality...tone. It should be engaging.
So I've decided to finally go the books on audio cd route that has long been suggested to me. I can read along with it and focus on the speaker telling the story. Ideally...as I read..I would gradually find I need to read along with it less and less. I already know following along with it is not a problem in the least...but following is no longer the point..it's hearing every little detail in the voice. I'm leaning towards the Harry Potter books...they've been recommended to me repeatedly. I've only seen one of the movies, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." I actually liked it and want to go back and see the previous ones. Except many people say the movies are nowhere near as good as the books. So I want to find out what the deal is there. That should hold my attention. Then there is the "Pocket and the Pendant," suggested by Stephen. He heard it read as a podcast. Apparently it's a newer piece of work influenced by the Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find it as an Audio CD, yet.
I haven't practicing too much on the phone. The way I do it, with the hands-free headset stuck to my headpiece, is not really that ideal. It's hard to hear me with the microphone dangling closer to my ear lobe than my mouth. For the frequency of calls to really pick up, I will need to get my Behind The Ear Processor, which will simplify the whole deal.
I did call my brother and sister-in-law on July 4th, though. That went pretty well. Matt seemed quite excited about it. He kept talking about the fact I was calling him. I shy away from talking about it. I guess I get a little embarrassed..or maybe I'm just avoiding getting too mushy about it. I'm actually supposed to be the guy in the family most in touch with his feelings....but I wind up trying to change the topic to "so what are you up to?" Part of that is also not wanting to get too comfortable and have the call turn into a complete bust..fall flat on my face. So I'm like "let's not wave the flag yet."
There was a different kind of success with this call. Matt had been holding the phone too close to his mouth, so I could hear him breathing into it while also his voice just being too sharp and loud. Once I recognized that, I asked him to move the receiver away from his mouth. This made a big difference in how easy it was to understand him. The "ice" was broken though. I believe the next step is really to make these phone conversations more frequent and routine. IMs served us well...but they really don't bring you together the same way. You are still looking at a screen with words. There is nothing like actually hearing the voice of the people you love and care about.
Talking to Nichole was an experience. It has always been difficult for me to understand my sister-in law. I would find myself looking to Matt to clarify her words. Her lips would get hard to read. On the phone, it was actually easier to understand her than my Brother. It was then she gave me the news of my 6 month + old nephew, Will, possibly signing his first word: Milk. She said she isn't totally sure just yet though.
For clarification, Will is hearing. His parents decided to teach him Sign Language as a way to give him an early communication method. They have been taking him to classes. I am personally convinced it's one of the best things anyone can do for their child. My own signing is rudimentary at best....the equivalent of speaking in broken English. It's going to come in quite handy though. My nephew does not see me all that much given I live in Southern CA while they live up in Bend, Oregon. So I'll have to make an impression on him. Having an adult other than his parents or in the classroom sign to him should make for a bonding experience. I'll see him this Christmas (his birthday is two days later) so by then he should be signing plenty along with getting to hear his first words!
The latest development in music-listening is I finally went and picked up a patch cord this weekend so I could plug my cheap Walkman CD player directly into my processor. I had to get an adapter jack to convert it from stereo to mono. This means both the left and right feeds are coming in to the processor so I hear both. It's actually quite enjoyable. I have to burn CDs rather than just play them right off my computer, but it will do for now. If you think about it, I am literally plugging the CD player directly into my brain. This is the equivalent of an addict getting his fix intravenously.
Things have changed from the days of sitting up in the early morning hours with a pair of big headphones blasting into my right ear with people in the next room being able to hear it. There is nothing to be heard by anyone outside no matter how loud I blast it. Incidentally, the volume on the CD player is kept between Zero and One (goes up to 10.) So I'm at the other end as far as volume needs go.
Eventually I will invest in an Ipod or Zen player. I'll always go to the store to buy CDs as long as they will let me (music downloads, such as those at Itunes, are increasing and sales of actual CDs plummeting) but either player will let me play my existing mp3s. It would be like carrying the same library that is on my computer around anywhere I go. Because they are battery powered, there is no risk of damage to my CI.
Music has been a process...those taking their own journeys should keep that in mind and not be discouraged if it doesn't sound like it should. The key is to focus on listening for what you do recognize and go with that. Keep trying. There were plenty of times I would shut the music down with a "blegh, that sounds like shit." I just couldn't take it anymore, but it gets better all the time. Two weeks ago, I was concerned that I wasn't benefiting from the increased information provided by Hi Res. I was still favoring MPS for music and I found that I could only listen to music for so long before it just didn't seem to come together as it had just 30 minutes prior. This left me worried that Hi Res 120, when released later this year..would not work for me as it should. After all, MPS uses only 8 electrodes instead of Hi Res' 16 electrodes. It's like they keep telling you though....you have to let it settle in. MPS is actually sounding less resonant than Hi Res P does, a reversal from how it was before. Hi Res P really doesn't have all that much pitch distortion. I'm able to go for longer and longer periods without the sound quality decreasing.
The pitch is still what I would call...faded. I am not about to take up a "name that pitch" challenge or start playing songs by ear on my guitar, but everything is gradually sounding more and more as it should. I do hear the limitations that I read about when researching the technical side of CIs prior to getting my implant. The more that is happening at once in the music..the more difficult it is to hear all of those layers clearly. For example...a lone acoustic guitar and a single singer can sound quite natural and true to form easily enough. I could close my eyes and get the sense they are in the same room with me. But then add in keyboards, bass guitar, a 2nd guitarist, singers vocalizing, drums, a sax player....Each with their own timbre and contribution to the whole of the songs...that's alot of information for 16 channels to process.
Yet, Hi Res does a very good job of working with those 16 Channels. With my hearing aid, I would often get "lost" while reading the lyrics along with what I was listening to. There were songs that I didn't even bother with because I couldn't pick out the vocals. Music that was boomy and bassy generally was the worst...because that is what my hearing was most able to hear. The less easily heard details would get buried under the what was just too over emphasized by my hearing condition. For 19 years, though I would read it in the lyrics, I never heard Jon Bon Jovi say "Once upon a time, not so long ago" at the beginning of "Living On A Prayer." That detail is now easily heard. There are entire albums that for the most part proved too difficult for me to listen to that are now effortless, both the music and the vocals. In the past, it would be easy for something like the singer throwing in an "Ohhhhh" and it would throw me off if it wasn't printed in the lyrics. I'd start trying to match up the next word in the lyrics with it instead..which would screw me up. Now, rather than my trying to play "match the lyrics up with where they are in the music," that process is practically effortless.
Even with the existing enjoyment I have hearing with Hi Res, Advanced Bionics users have 120 Channels to look forward to. This is what will give those "faded pitches" more vividness. Those layers of instruments will have more channels to deliver the information through. I believe the aim in the end is for 1500 channels in order to most accurately deliver the sound information, but I enjoy it with 16 channels as it is. 104 extra channels could possibly be orgasmic.
I know just where you come from
Where all your yesterday's are gone...
And now you're done
But you've only just begun
It's time you opened up the door...
And now it's all very clear
This journey of a thousand years
Can you feel it coming?
Can you feel it now?
Can you feel it coming?
Or is it the roar of the crowd?
Journey of 1000 Years - KISS
posted by David R at 12:07 AM
2 Comments:
So, how's it going so far? What new sounds are you hearing?
I love reading your posts...you always make me hopeful. Thankfully, since my surgeon decided to do my worst ear first, I'll still have music in my "good" ear, although it's not good enough to help much. I love music passionately, and I have to admit that part of my decision to go with AB was the good results that you and several other AB users were having music-wise. I'll take what I get when I get it, of course, but I can't help hoping for good things :)!
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