3 months on from Cochlear Surgery - some of my fave questions I have been asked.

Before I get into the "meat" of the blog, a quick "thank you" to those of you who have read my previous blogs and reached out. I have been completely overwhelmed with the amount of people that have been interested in this story and the "journey" (I hate that word) that I have been on with my cochlear - blown away really - so thank you!

Ok.. so it has been pretty much 3 months to the day that my cochlear was "turned on" and close to 4 months since the implant surgery... and I have been fielding some very interesting questions - some hilarious, some really great and thoughtful and have noticed some behaviour changes from those around me - so thought it would be interesting for you all to get a little insight into my world 3 months on.

I am going to break the questions down into 3 categories... "Hearing", "Lifestyle" and "Surely they're not seriously asking that..."

Before I get into the questions, I have to say - I actually don't mind getting asked these questions, in fact - I prefer to answer them than not - so please don't let this article stop you asking questions and being curious.

HEARING

My top 3 fave questions related to my hearing;

1. "Soooooo, your hearing is fixed now right?" - um... no. I think this is a misconception shared by quite a few people. Cochlear is still a device designed to help me hear - but it has not corrected my deafness. The cochlear implant bypasses areas of my ear that are damaged to give me more access to sound than I had previously. When my cochlear is off my head - I am profoundly Deaf in my left ear. I am also 90% Deaf in my right ear - however, I use a hearing aid on the right side.
2. "You can hear PERFECTLY now right?" - not quite... one of the big misconceptions is that as soon as the cochlear is turned on you "automagically" hear everything (naively I too thought that) - you do have more access to sound and it's a very overwhelming cool feeling - but it takes time and a lot of therapy to help decipher the sounds. Often it will take up to 12 months of speech therapy to gain the best possible outcome for using the Cochlear to hear.. to give you a little insight... I struggle a little with words and outdoor sounds. My last speech therapy session we worked on outdoor sounds - and I guessed I was hearing "rain" with every sound that was played... spoiler alert... none of the sounds were rain ?????? - they were motobrikes, car horns, bees, everything BUT rain! So it does take time, and patience is definitely needed!
3. "At least you will be able to hear your daughter Norah when she cries in the middle of the night" - ummm... also no. I don't sleep with the Cochlear on - it goes on charge over night, and frankly it would be hella uncomfortable to sleep in. I use the Bellman baby monitor which sends a radio signal to a vibrating alarm clock that sits under my pillow - when Norah cries, I get woken up by my pillow literally shaking me awake - what a ride ??.

LIFESTYLE

My top 3 lifestyle related questions;

1. "Is travel hard now?" - Actually no.. I have traveled to Thailand, Langkawi, Australia and currently on a plane to Bangalore as I write this, and travel has been really easy. At the airport I have a card to show security to let me bypass the x-ray - they wave me through and "pat me down". On the plane... nothing changes... my cochlear is the Nucleus 8 - the latest version, so I can stream directly through to my cochlear - so as long as I have my phone, ipad or laptop I am entertained. Charging my cochlear is really easy too - its simply a USB enabled charger and the battery lasts about 18-20 hours. The one this I would say - there has to be a better way to "dry" my cochlear - every night I put it in a UV dry box - but its huge so I don't take it with me on my travels - we need to find a better option here.
2. "Such a shame you can't do sports now!" - I must have missed this memo.. I have actually participated MORE in sports in the last 3 months than prior. I cycle, run, play tennis and swim... all of which I have done WITH my cochlear. It stays firmly on my head with most activities - and if I was worried about it I can use the stabilizer that comes with it - I don't. I do have jewelry from Deafmetalau that I use heavily - which is designed to help keep both cochlears and hearing aids in place - and they "glam things up nicely". As far as swimming is concerned, Cochlear comes with a waterproofing case - I used this everyday on my holiday in Langkawi where I was in the water 10 days straight, and had zero problems.

3. "Is your daughter confused by this "thing" on your head?" - actually... no. Norah is 18 months old, has been using sign language since she was 6 months, and has seen hearing aids all of the way through. In fact, she gets more concerned when I don't have it on - she will sign "mummy, cochlear?". I am starting think she is getting extra pocket money from my audiologist Kenneth Chua AuD for "dobbing me in for not wearing it" ??????.

Norah also surprised me a little recently, with wanting to "copy the cochlear" by wearing flowers where the behind the ear and processor sits... was very cute. I am obviously cognizant that this could change, so I do take the time to explain why my hearing devices are important and I think she "gets it" - when she notices that I don't have them on, she will tap me on my leg and signs to me that an aeroplane is passing ??♀? ??. I am confident that she will grow up with an inclusive understanding of d/Deaf and HoH as well as a bimodal approach to speaking and signing.

...and finally (the section I know you have all scrolled through to...)

SURELY THEY'RE NOT SERIOUSLY ASKING THAT..

Not all of these are "questions per say" - but comments that I had a little fun with.

1. After telling someone to walk on my right side a NUMBER of times, and them still talking to me into my "cochlear ear" (not able to hear them well...yet) - "Oh sorry I can't hear you... I am getting some radio signals from the police radar and something really interesting is happening - we might have to vacate the area really quickly" (obvs this is UNTRUE). His response "oh wow, we should deploy only Deaf people with cochlears' to work as spies overseas - what a great way to help with disability employment opportunities" ????♀?
2. This was a friend I was traveling with recently.. and was a funny conversation "Oh you need to bypass the x-ray.. why what happens?" - honestly.. with the magnet inside my head... my head will explode. She looks at me in horror - until she worked out I was joking, then asked "actually what happens with other magnets?" - to which I respond with the truth... fridge magnets can stick to my head - great party trick.. and don't walk too close to an umbrella the cochlear will choose a new "host" and will literally jump to the umbrella.. or car.. or fridge.. the hilarity of it all. Dianne Rajaratnam I told you I would mention it ;)
3. "At least you will be able to hear better in meetings etc" - i mean, this isn't so much a funny question, but the answer is. Yesssss I can, but everyone sounds like a robotic chipmunk. So now very serious meetings are highly entertaining for me - but in all seriousness, I still need closed captions for now - I am getting better at understanding words - but it does take time.

Overall, the cochlear "journey" ?? so far, has been great. I am starting to "hear" things I don't hear in my right ear and what is interesting is I actually "miss" my cochlear when I don't have it on.

I am still very much a passionate member of the d/Deaf and HoH community, am still using sign language every day - I just now have more access to sound than ever before.

Now I am looking forward to understanding how we can do more with this technology... the GenAI capabilities and opportunity for growth are blowing my mind!!! Stay tuned!!

Thanks again everyone... if there are any questions you would like me to answer - don't hesitate to reach out.

#last minute edit: as I got off my SIA flight, the flight attendant told me "your hairclip is really lovely" - maybe Cochlear has missed an entire demographic... hair fashion! ??

Naomi

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