Just a quick post on something rather extraordinary wrapped up in the guise of something very ordinary, namely paying for my Saturday paper at a till in W H Smith.

The thing is, I’ve always been quite a chatty and outgoing person, but interacting with people behind the tills in shops always used to be a bit fraught. Inevitably they’d mumble the amount and you’d have to say: “How much? You haven’t pressed the button that makes it come up on the screen facing me”, or start asking if I wanted to take advantage of their latest offer. But I must have missed loads of attempts to pass the time of day while looking at my PIN pad.

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CochlearImplantHELP.com, a new and comprehensive website aimed at helping current and future users of cochlear implants and their families, announces their website launch.

A need was identified to help others better navigate their journey to receiving a cochlear implant, whether for themselves or for a family member such as their child. And cochlearimplantHELP has been created to help them wherever they are on their cochlear implant journey.

Whether just starting to learn about cochlear implants or a seasoned cochlear implant user looking for ways to connect to a favorite piece of electronic equipment, cochlearimplantHELP has what you need.

Please take a few moments to peruse the site, and feel free to link to it or share it freely. CochlearImplantHELP.com can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.cochlearimplantHELP.com

I’ve been shaving with a double-edged safety razor for a few months now. While I generally focus on technique, a BBS (baby’s-bottom smooth) shave is always a goal. And I frequently get large BBS areas, but even after some touch-up, there is always a spot or two that interrupts the otherwise pristine landscape. But I know that a true BBS shave is possible, at least.

My usual experience is rather Zen-like. With no hearing, I thought that I was focused on the tactile feedback of the razor, while enjoying the scent of the soap or cream of the day. I watch the brush whip up a lather in the ceramic bowl, and enjoy the silky smoothness of silvertip badger as it glides across my face while applying the lather.

I took a deep breath this morning, and put on my processors before my shave.

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One woman’s CI adventures with Music!

Going from normal hearing to zero hearing while I slept was quite the reality to wake up to!    My days of singing, playing guitar and clarinet came to an abrupt halt.  Just like that.   I was only 17 and it was the most unexpected thing you can imagine!

I had already spent fourteen years in silence (no hearing aids) when my sister read an article in the newspaper about a man in a neighboring town that got a cochlear implant.  This was 1985.  We immediately contacted the surgeon and make arrangements for an assessment for me.

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A query came in from a reader -

Auditory brainstem implants is finally going to become a reality for me,  I’m on the urgent list for another MRI. The ABI surgeon is currently being registered under a neurosurgeon for the procedure later in the month.  I don’t have NFII but have had meningitis and 3 failed CI’s within 6 months post implantation, I would be interested to know if there is anyone that is also in the NT (Non-Tumour) group who wouldn’t mind sharing their experience, the journey, then the ABI and a whole new and difficult beginning all over again.  How successful is it for them etc and if they wanted to share about the surgery and activation, how many days re-admission to hospital did it require, did they require a further aesthetic pre-activation, such as the children have? CJ

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I learnt a lot about my mother during her funeral service – her soundscape, so long hidden from me, was revealed as her favourite pieces of music were played. Dad picked the music, as he knew where I did not, and I suggested the hymn, which would also have met with her approval – Thine Be The Glory, set to Handel’s rousing music. Not only was it an appropriate funeral hymn, it also reflected the day on which Mum died.

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Do you remember how hard it was when you were younger and deaf? Before you found your way in life? Before you became successful?

Or are you young and deaf, and you’re wondering how you can be successful, but don’t know if this is possible.

Check out Ted Evan’s wonderful film which looks at deaf role models.

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It was an Easter Sunday like no other. The Bear and I tootled down to the Cathedral in my home town, one of the ‘Parish Church Cathedrals’. As such, it is small – no high tower, no soaring pillars, no Victorian screens dividing nave and chancel (we can spot a good bit of Scottery a mile off – George Gilbert Scott’s Gothic Revival interventions are supremely distinctive. . . ), so the acoustics were pretty much perfect: nowhere for sound to disappear upwards, no vaulting for the sound to bounce off, nothing to cut the choir off from the congregation.

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Ive got a job!

Part time, cleaning down at a beautiful place called Castle Toward. Its fab to be able to work with other people and ACTUALLY HEAR what they are saying rather than hiding away muttering to myself. Its scary too and I’m still getting to know how some of them talk.

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Over my morning coffee, I thought about how much I am enjoying being able to hear now, even though some days I have to bite my tongue when it gets too loud.

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