Which of these two implants do I have in my head?

Hm, that’s a good question. Maybe I have them both? No that was a joke. I only have one implant in my left ear but as you know by now I had two surgeries so that is why I have those two different serial number for two implants, the first that I got, that somehow made a “tip foldover” and had to be replaced by a new one. There was a time when I wondered which is the one that I have but I figured it out by looking at the registration number, the higher one is the one that I have inside my skull. That one is the new one.

Yes I edited the picture a little bit, even though you know who I am I still prefer to be anonymous :P

Almost three months ago I had my surgery and it somehow seems like yesterday but so many things have already changed. I could hear from the very first day even though the electrode made a tip foldover. I felt that I could hear better with my first implant than with the second which I got a week later. After my second implant I waited two days before I got the processor as I had lots of pain. When we tried it out I could hear but it felt really weird, exactly the way it has to be when the implant is working properly :) I started to hear Mickey Mouse voices, I swear. I still remember how it sounded, how my audiologist sounded, how I sounded. That was just three months ago and I can hear. I could already hear at that time and understand too. We did a hearing test on a CD and I have already scored well and could repeat most of what’s been said. I all the numbers, all the single words only with full sentences I had here and there my problems but it was already a success. My God, I couldn’t believe it as I’ve heard stories about other people and how they struggled and couldn’t manage to get along with their new hearing. For me it was going well, it was a new journey and I was fully open to it. To be honest I enjoyed the journey of new and wicked sounds. I really thought that was funny and it helped me a lot to think in this way as it was easier to accept the recovery process. I adjusted very soon to the sounds and the first week or two was really horrible. I chose to be in silence one week as I didn’t like the sounds, or how the sounds sounded. So I chose to wait a week until the stitches were taken out before I fully embark this new journey. I wanted some silence. Only here and there I was wearing the CI, i.e. when I went out to meet with my friends. My surgeon and my audiologist were all keen to see my progress but I chose to wait. I was very sure that I’d hear as it was proved two days after my second surgery so I stayed in silence for a week. It was going just too fast for me that I wasn’t really prepared for that. Then one week after the stitches have been taken out I started to wear it every day and the journey began.

Today e.g. I am so amazed that I can understand the cartoons on the TV without even looking at the TV. I tried to close my eyes and listen to the TV. I could hear everything. When I don’t pay much attention and get too distracted I don’t hear but when it’s silent I hear everything. In loud environment it’s still hard sometimes but even then I can understand. Even if people are talking silently I can hear. Isn’t that just amazing? When I first got the implant I couldn’t hear a single word of what has been said on the TV and now after almost 3 months I CAN!! WOW!! That went so fast!! :)