Playing sports with your C.I

Over the past few weeks, I have seen people asking about how do I wear my C.I while playing any sports and also how do I know about the refereee and team situation when playing in matches even if I didn't hear the whistle!

Lets start with the C.I - I do have small ears, and everyday I wear a small huggie that attachs to my C.I which looks like this:

Wearing a huggie with my C.I has made a big different to me. Even though I had a smaller T-mic, the implant would still fly off - so, adding a huggie with your implant to wrap round your ears should help you
Not only I wear a huggie while playing sports. With my huggie I tend to wear a small sports lastic band instead of those big headband. I tend to place the band over my head by but putting the coil wire underneath. Thats stops also stops the implant from fallin off and of course the coil doesn't come off as much as it used to. Placing the handband on top the coil wire doesn't affect the sounds comin through to your ears. I found that big material head bands tend to make alot of rustling noise and it still made the implant falls off.

I wear the band in all the sports I play such as football, tennis, running, gym etc. I've never had any problems after wearing that band. I would recommend it to other C.I users that are playing
sports

Recently Advanced Bionics has been testing the new T-mic earmould (pictured below) This can be another way to prevent your cochlear implant from fallin' off.



Sometimes while playing sports, you don't always hear the whistle even if your wearing your implant, as you too busy focusing on the game. There has been times where I was playing football and I had the ball, continued to run and the referee would blow his whistle and I am still running with it.

So, what should I do to prevent this?

To help me from know when to stop, or when its a foul. I ask my referee to hold up a flag which he hold throughout the match. Every time he blows the whistle he would raise the flag up in the air too.; that helps me alot. Sometimes when they are behind you and you don't hear the whistle or hear the flag you would still continue to run. This problem, I manage to solve by I teaching my team some deaf awarness and ask them, if I had the ball and the referee blows his whistle, all my team mates would stop and stand still. That way, I can see why the game has been stopped becuase no-one moving around.

playing as a team, you get players shouting my out my name when they want the ball, then when I don't hear it, it goes someone where esle. After I had problems with this situation. I taught my team mates to wave at me as they are shouting my name which made the teamwork much better.

So, thats it from my experinces. I do have more. There are loads of issue out there that can be dealt with. if you have any question about this post. e-mail me, hopefully i'll get back to you

katie-louise x.

C.I actor wanted!

My mum has found this , great to know that they are looking to get an actor with a Cochlear Implant!

BBC searches for CI recipient to play lead role in new drama

The BBC is looking to cast an aspiring deaf (or hearing impaired) actress in the lead female role of new drama, The Silence.
The girl should be aged around 16 to 19 and does not have to have had acting experience, but should have a lively and outgoing personality and be up for the challenge of working with a film crew and professional actors in Dublin.
In the drama, the character has a cochlear implant and is learning to talk, so the girl should ideally have some speech.
Shooting will take place from mid November to early January 2010. There will be a break for Christmas and New Year.
The production is being made for BBC One by Company Pictures, who produce Skins and Shameless. It will be directed by Dearbhla Walsh, who has just won the Emmy Award for Little Dorritt.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in being seen for this project please get in touch with us, and we'll forward you everything you need to know! Email us at hello@thedeafblog.co.uk.

Friendship!

Summer over, can you believe that! Already I am now back at University. I have just started my first week of my 2nd year degree with new modules, lectures and of course new class group/new faces.

I do have to say, before I had my implant when I was at college I used to find it very hard to make friends with hearing peers. I didn't have much confidents to communicate with them and refused to use my voice. So, I spent alot of my college life with deaf peers but did hang around with hearing while I were playing it the college football team.

Since I had my implant and moved to higher education at university, my confidents got better. I was able to make friends easier, and now I have the confident to hang out with hearing peers and use my voices all the time. I do go out alot more now. Since then I don't spend much time with deaf peers now though I do go to the deaf club now and again, but not as much as I used to.

After a year successful, I am so pleased I went ahead with going for a cochlear implant. Now I am busy with university I'll do my best to try and update this blogs as much as I can and also to try and help others that went through the same boat as me!

Summer Almost Over

Can't you believe it that ten weeks of summer is almost over. I have just two week left before going back to university! uh-oh!

I am looking forward to see all my uni friends again; missed them so much. I am certaintly not looking forward to the amount of work to be done in my 2nd year (lets hope it easy)

I'd a great summer so far, I've done soo much and have been sooooo busy! I spend the summer working and had at least 2 weeks hoilday.

I did alot of football coaching over the summer with young children and then spend a few weeks at a Deaf camp doing all sorts such as canoning, climbing, treking, cycling, swimming, visiting places etc. I have enjoyed it some much. Being a team leader gives you loads of responsibility and you can learn some much, looking forward to doing that again next year, but at a different place - I think next year I would be doing that in USA

Not only I have been working. Advanced Bionics/Manchester cochlear implant centre have asked me to join the football teens day that they had in manchester. Good time, it was great to meet the young teenagers that had C.I and also enjoys football too.I had a bit of a kick around with them and then visited Manchester City Stadium. Learnt so much about Man City!

Also, I was invited to a sports award and repesented Derby County for the 2nd time.

2 weeks of hoilday at Golden Sands with family and friends was awsome - It was nice to relax on the beach and enjoy the sunshine - the night entertainment was great too. Thanks to my implant, I am able to understand it more than I used to. I did have an accident with my implant - lost 2 batteries which fall out of Richard bag which had a hole in. Another call to the implant centre, grr.

There was one night were the was a party in the dark, so we all had these light things. I ended up putting one light on my coil - check out the picture!


Now I have only 2 weeks left, I have a few plans. I'll be visiting Advanced Bionics for a small meeting twice this month - and I'll be sorting out my university books (I really do want another 10 weeks off) and erm.... Get my self back at the gym, had 2 months off and I've missed my gym routine. I love the workout and swimming. Football season has just started so back in the game again!

Thats it for me now, check out the next post on how well I am doing with my ears

Talking in Groups

Being in a group chats has always been hard for a deaf person. Lip reading one person to another person is like watching table-tennis following the ball and If you lost where the ball is, then you have just missed out on some information. Before I got implanted with this wonderful Advanced Bionic device, it was so hard to keep up . when I were in a group of hearing peers I used to lip-read all the time but always miss out some information and when I get tired of lipreading I miss more information. I used to hate sitting in groups and would prefer to talk to a friend 1-1. Sitting in groups, my confident wasn't so good and I used to sit there and be quiet, I was afriad to ask them to repeat.

After having a cochlear implant, lip-reading has become alot easisr! I don't get tired so quick and I do get more involved. There are times where I don't understand what they are saying but I do have to say that I am much more confident asking them to repeat, I ain't afriad to ask.

The only thing I find hard at the moment is university there is a student union bar where you sit and chill out with friends. The student union seats & tables are like a "C" shapes and when go with my group of friends to sit round thoses table. I've notices that everytime I sit in the middle - I always hear and keep up with the people on my implanted side and tend to miss some information on my non-implant side. I do try and make sure I sit on the edge, making sure all my friends are on my implant side. It does help, but still not all places have "C" shapes seating. They can be round and that makes it worst when there is no edges to make sure everyone sits where your implanted side is.

Maybe a 2nd implant would help in that situation? Has anyone out there notices the different in group situation after getting your 2nd CI done? It would be great if you could share your experince!

Total Wipeout Gameshow!

Ever heard of a Gameshow that on every Satuday evening on BBC ONE?

its involved: Crashes, smashes and hilarious mud splashes are on the cards as twenty contestants take on one of television's largest and most extreme obstacle courses. They journey across the globe to the purpose-built Total Wipeout course in Argentina to put their strength, balance and bravery to the test in the hope of winning the 10,000 pounds cash prize and being crowned this week's Total Wipeout champion.

I have never really watched it and my dad always wanted to me to try and get on the show. He said he always like to see a deaf person on the show to raise the awareness that "deaf people can do anything except hear" He'd downloaded the application form the other day. He asked me to go for it, and so I did. I can't believe I actually posted the form off, am I mad?

I am an outgoing person and always up for a challenge. So, I thought why not and give it go. After watching a bit of the show on Youtube. I thought If I ever did do the show - it would be good to tell people what a cochlear implant is. It could make Advanced Bionic more visable and maybe more people would be aware on a cochlear implant is.

Another question my dad ask me. If I ever won 10,000 pound, what would I spend it on? I said I would pay to have a second cochlear implant done and my dad was just shocked and couldn't believe I would choose to have that done instead of something esle like a new car or something.

Having a second implant would mean alot to me. Waiting till the N.I.C.E report change in 2011 is a long time to wait and it could take forever to appeal against it. So, it worth a try. If I fail to make it the gameshow there always another way round to it. Better luck for me!

Contact Network!

Last weekend, I travelled all the way down to Cambridge to join the Contact Network group. Friday evening they had a social meet up with a BBQ. I have never really met any of the contact network group before apart from Tiz who I have met at the EF and the two other AB users who I have met during my assessment at the Ear foudation to help me decide wheather I wanted a cochlear implant or not. Oh and there was Elaine from CIUG who I have spoken to loads of time asking her tons of question about the implant. I didn't realise they would be there

When I got to the Mellor Centre, I signed in and went to my bedroom and dropped my bags off. The time we got in our room, it was almost time to join the crew. Richard and I were walking towards the study centre, well we were trying to find the place and as we got near the building, there was a lady walking by waving at me saying "Hi katie-louise" I were like, erm... "Hi" (I didn't have a clue who she was) Untill I got close and I realise after she told me who she was. Michelee has been reading my blogs and so thats how she knew me. (It was great to meet you Michelle) We both walked up to the study centre along with my partner Richard who were also with us for the weekend. As soon as we got into the study centre, Tiz was already by the door way - so, that was alright for me, as there was someone esle already knew - Tiz took control and introduce me to his boss (nice to meet you boss :-) After I got a drink, I spotted my great old audiologist that did my assessment to get a cochlear implant and who has left me for her new job just before my switch on, but hey at least shes working for the 'RIGHT' company, it was great to catch up with kezia again. (hopefully see you again sometimes)

The room was full other AB users. I managed to get chance to talk to most of them. they all seem nice and it was great to know all of their experince too. we also had a good game on the Wii, playing against to the other AB users was so much fun. While we were eating up our dinner, Tiz join us and was asking if kezia has told me something. Kezia and Yvoone soon jumped in quick and told Tiz to shush. They had something exciting to tell us the next morning. I kinda guess what it was, so thanks tiz for the hint :-P They all know how crazy I am with the colours on my implant and what I did to one of the cover (yes, spraying it pink) Thats me and I love to stay in fashion, not just with clothes, but with my implant too.

The next morning, I was ment to go for a run, but after seening the meeting was gonna be from 9ish till 4. I thought I better not and take the weekend off. Sunday morning, I did actually went out and did the extra hour run to make up from what I lost.

Breakfast was nice, so there were more time for us users to enjoy chatting awaying. Finally after breakfast it was time to join the group for a meeting. The people who worked for AB/contact network had lot of presentation to show us - its was all about the history, achievements, future of AB and many more. I thought it was so interesting. I have learnt so much, and still I can't believe how much I didn't know even though I had the cochlear implant for a year and there is still so much more to learn. I was actually impressed with the future equipments for the processor etc - next on my list I want a pink, hehe :-) and also other things they have such as the new T-mic earmould that we're going to try out. Poor kezia haven't done made and ear mould for over 10 months, but she has done so well - It was a good job I learnt how to lip-read, so I could keep up with what the others were talking about while my implant were off. After having the ear mould made, I also made a bouncing ball with the left overs lol. I actually gave that to Nicolas, who is stopping at my families home to play with. The music session was also interesting. I am not really into music that much. I only know a bit of Duffy and The Saturdays because I quite like the beats they played and my sister helped me with the lyrics etc.

The CD software they have and what they showed us seems to be so interesting. She played a few tracks to see if we could guess them and we had to imagine whats happening during that sounds. I thought that was really userful so I am gonna give that a try and then make a post on what I think about it. (watch out for the next post)
In the meeting room, they had a quite a few instruments out, so, myself and the other AB users decided to play with them and make some sounds. Some of thoses instruments I have never heard before. Some sounded good and some were awful. we had fun with them though. We made sooo much racket and I felt sorry for kezia, tiz and the others - I bet we were getting on their nerves. They must be so glad when we had stopped playing them lol.

The Future of AB - justs gets better! I am impress on what they are working on! I am looking forward to help more, and go to more of there meetings! A big thanks for the AB crew - Hopefully see you all again so soon!