Advanced Bionics Family Fun Day

Are you considering in getting a cochlear implant? Not sure which brand to go for? Why not spend a day at Sherwood centre parc, Nottingham to find out all the information you needs about Advanced Bionics.

To register click on the links

http://www.advancedbionics.com/content/ab/uk/en/get_connected/event_calendar/june/abfamilyfunday.html




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Advanced Bionics Insight

Want to keep up to date with whats going on with Advanced Bionics?? Click the links to join Advanced Bionics Insight http://abinsight.bionicear.eu/en.html

ClearVoice

It's amazing how ClearVoice could make conversation a lot easier for you. I have had it for over a year now. And even now....thinking about it I realised how much it really does help. I was driving and not realising this untill now that I am able to hear the passenger voice a lot more than I used to. ClearVoice cuts out the sound of the car engine, winds and traffic near by. As soon as the background noise appear clear voice automatically kicks in. High Five to Advanced Bionics for bring ClearVoice out!

Advanced Bionics Website

Some of you may have notice that some of the links for Advanced Bionics on this blog page are not working. The website address has now changed. While am currently sorting this error out. The website links is now

http://www.advancedbionics.com/

Are you deaf....Considering a Cochlear implant? Needs some Advice/Support....Connect to a mentor here:

http://apps.advancedbionics.co​m/CTM/UK/

3 years later!

Can you believe it 3 years ago I went under the knife to get this amazing cochlear implant. I was so nervous and I almost changed my mind. I am so glad I went ahead with it. There nothing to be afraid of when having a surgery - its a bit like getting a headache the next day which doesn't last long. I can't believe how quick has it gone. I'm loving this hearing journey - its the best thing you could ever ask for. With my hearing aid I couldn't hear anything apart from loud noise and I have to lip-read all the time. With the Advanced Bionics I have now has help me to hear all sort of everyday environment sounds and I can actually hear people talking too. I don't always hear every word but I must say I don't lip-read as much as I used to lip-read and I can now hear on the phone. Only to the people I know well. I am still learning and there is more to learn. I never used to be into music and I now can't go on a long journey trip without my I-pod. I've made loads of friends especially world wide after creating this blog and I have met up with a lot of people who are now waiting to get an implant or has just had them. There journey seems to be going so well just like mine! Here to the next 3 years :-)

Continue Blogging

Well, its been a while since I have last posted on here. I haven't stopped blogging. So as from now, I will do my best to keep posting to increase the awareness of what a Cochlear Implant is and also to share my personal experience with wearing a Advanced Bionics Device!

I have changed the layout and I will be adding a TOP TIPS list at the left side of the page. To follow my old post please check the blog archive.

2010 Top Cochlear Implant Award!

I would like to say a big thanks to those that has nominated me for the Top 15 Cochlear Implant Blog award. Doing this blog has inspired a lot of candidate, cochlear implant users.

A BIG thank you to Nottingham Cochlear Implant team, Advanced Bionics, friends and family for supporting me through this an amazing journey.

I also would like to thank Medical Assistant School for giving me this award. To find out more about the Top 10 blog awards click here 'Medical Assistant School'




Thank you all for nominating me and for reading this blog.

All the best

Katie-Louise

I'm back!

Hey all,

It's been a while since I lasted posted on my blog. I know, I have been hiding. Over the past couple of months I have been on a rollercoaster ride - a big one! I had to have time out from alot of things. This is one of the reason why I haven't been blogging. So, what have I been up to over the past couple of months? Hmm, Let's see what I can remenber!

Early march wasn't a good month. I had an accident in football and reptured the ligaments in the knee which forced me out of football for a while and it has left me getting from A to B with these horrible crutches that seems to get in your way all the time. So plenty of physio treatments - they are so mean, especially when they like to hurt you. But then again thats there job and its no pain, no gain! Now my knee fixed I have spent alot of my time working on my fitness - alot of running and strength training and so far I had a great start of the season. Lets hope the rest of the season wil be as positive as it is now. Also got ill as well.

University - I had a bit of a downfall with family menber being ill and I got ill myself which I had to have time out in. I did missed an awful a lot of lectures and had a lot of work to do. So I actually spent my whole summer trying to catch up. I caught up really well and pass the year ...thanks to the wonderful support team at university. Just started started universtiy last week. I was so weird to be back. It's nice to see all my course friends again.

Summer '10 - didn't have much of a summer because the amount of university work I had to catch up on but I did manage to spare one week working at a children deaf camp. We had a full of fun fairs, beaches, day trip which was a HARD experince and hopefully next year i'll be doing some more camp work!

and finally - progress on my COCHLEAR IMPLANT.

As you all know I had a postive experince so far with my cochlear implant having new CI moment hearing new things all the time. Advanced Bionics has become part of me and it is something that made my life much more easier. My confident has grown with communicating with other and of course before the implant I refused to use my voice and now I am forever talking; that's what my friends and family says. ha ha.

Now I have had my cochlear implant for just over two year now which has gone ever so quick! I have still got a lot of things that I need to work. Especially Identfying or understand where the sounds is coming from. Which isn't always easy especially when you haven't heard as much as you can now. I do have to say - not knowing where the sounds is coming from or finding it hard to knowing what the sound is can bother you. When I hear a sound and don't have a clue on what it is...it bugs me, Sometimes it can make you very nervous. So that is one of the reason why I don't like to be on my own. I do like to have company so I have someone to ask what the sound is if I struggle to know what it is.
I do struggle to see where the sound is coming from. Hearing on one side is difficult and I do wonder if going bilateral would make things easier and better. So...I am still waiting to see if I could go bilateral - it'd be nice to hear out of both ears.

Anyway..... ClearVoice came out early this year. Late March I recieved the ClearVoice setting on my processor. I have a medium setting. I do have to say ClearVoice and made a big different in everyday situation, especiallywith background noises. Ever since I had ClearVoice setting I have found that communicating with other has become much more easier. Also because I drive the convosation between me and a friend/family or whoever is sitting in the passenger seat become much more easier too. The backgroud sound while driving such as; car engine, traffic noise, wind has cut out alot. I also notice that the music in my car is easier to listen to now than before the ClearVoice. Not that. I play football and in the changing room I do have problems listening became of how the room is. Since I had CV it has help me to listen much better and now I am much more confident. I have notice, well others has notice too that my voice seems to have gone a bit quieter. I think that because the amount of backgroud sounds has reduce my voice stays quiet and I don't realise on how loud the room actually is without clear voice. So I have to work on the loudness on my voice . So back at the speech theripst again - a wonderful team to help me.


Anyway - BEA as I mention before in my previous post - I am still a mentor so If you would like to ask any question about my cochlear implant journey feel free to post me a message on this link and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

BEA UK

www.BionicEar.com/UK

Right, I'm off for a long run in this horrible rain. It's not long before it snow - yep, xmas is just around the corner. Sorry to mention it early. Ha.

Take Care

Katie-Louise x

BEA UK - Get Connected with a Mentor

www.BionicEar.com/UK

Bionic Ear Association UK - Get connected to a cochlear implant community

Hear and Be Heard

The Bionic Ear Association is a support network dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss by providing valuable information, education, awareness, and guidance on cochlear implants. Staffed with a committed team of audiologists and cochlear implant recipients, the BEA offers important support services to help you hear your best.
The United Kingdom Bionic Ear Association (BEA/UK) offers you a community of cochlear implant recipients, families, volunteers and staff, all from the UK, who can support you throughout your hearing journey.

Connecting with other cochlear implant recipients and families is an important part of the hearing journey. Through BEA UK you can connect with other cochlear implant recipients or parents, who can assist you in navigating the process of choosing and living with cochlear implants.

Read our recipient stories, find a mentor, check out our online community, and participate in the BEA UK community:


www.BionicEar.com/UK

Bionic Ear Association UK - Get connected to a cochlear implant community

Invitation to - An AB Information Morning

Advanced Bionics (AB) invites CI candidates and/or their parents to an information morning (10am-12:30pm) on 14th April at the Ear Foundation, Nottingham.

At this event you will find out more about the unique Harmony Bionic Ear System, the new ClearVoiceTM upgrade, performance & reliability. There will be opportunity to meet and ask questions to ABs Clinical Specialists and existing CI users.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to events co-ordinator; e-mail uk@advancedbionics.com

Advanced Bionics UK Chat-Room/Facebook!

Are you a candidate and is going through your Cochlear Implant assessment but has all these question that you would like to ask and hasn't got any one to talk to well; AB UK CHATROOM is for you.

Join in the chat room every Thursday at 7pm and onwards. There will be some AB users online to answer your questions and to support you all the way.

To join please sign up for www.hearingjourney.com click on "online Community" and then click chat.


Also Advanced Bionics UK has now got their very own facebook group to join there facebook group please click here: AB-UKfacebook

Harmony Batteries!

Has anyone ever accidently picked up a used battery from the charger, and didn't look at the led light to see how much battery life it had and went out without a spare one, thinking the battery is not gonna die on you till the end of the day? How do you all feel when the power cuts off on you during the day?

My cochlear implant battery has never ever died on me through the day, every morning I put on a fully charged battery and it would normally last me a whole day (roughly12 hrs) and if I stay up later, I don't normally replace it and just leave the implant on my head while the battery flat.

Today, for the first time since I have had my Cochlear Implant, the battery power actually went dead on me while at university. I accidently took the wrong battery and it wasn't fully charge.

When it went off, I actually thought there were something up with the processor. I was without my processor for the whole afternoon at university. I didn't bring a spare one with me and I couldn't see if it was just the battery. That afternoon, while I was at university, I had only a note-taker and because I could lip-read the lecturer I had. we had to work in groups and even though all my friends knew me very well that I do lip-read a lot. I did had to warn my friends that my cochlear implant has stopped working that they would need to tap me for my attention rather than calling my name out. Thanks to my lip-reading skill, I managed that afternoon really well. Not hearing through my processor that afternoon actually reminded me what it used to be like before my cochlear implant and how hard I had to concentrate. From now on.... I must check the led light before putting my processor on. I hate being without my cochlear implant now, it really does mean a lot to me and when I have it on I really do relaxs more.

ClearVoice for HiRes Fidelity 120

2010 has come so quick, hasn't it? Anyway, I hope you'd a brilliant Xmas. I have had a good Xmas, spend 2 weeks goin' from Scarbrough to Manchester with my family and Rich's family. I actually lost count on how many Xmas dinner I had, we visited so many places.

Anyway. I would like to say Happy New Year Everyone. I hope you all will have a good year. I've got lots of things to look forward to, especially summer. I just hope this year go pretty quick because this time next year we should hopefully hear from the N.I.C.E guidance (National Institut for Health and Clinical Excellence) and hopefully they will finally say 'YES' to let us adults go "BILATERAL." I really do want a 2nd cochlear implant and I hope to get it before I completed my degree so I could go straight into teaching without havin' to worry about another operation, or going the rehab process. So, fingers cross.

Just looked on Advanced Bionics website, thought I'd share this to you all just incase you haven't seen it - ClearVoice - Revolutionary Technology to Help Patients Hear Speech Clearly to find out more please click on the links; http://www.advancedbionics.com/CMS/Products/ClearVoice/

It looks very interesting and I am interested to see how much this ClearVoice would help me too.

Right. I'd better be off. First day back at university tomorrow. I can't believe how quickly this Xmas hoilday ended.

Ciao x

Skin It - My design!

Those of you that doesn't know what is 'Skin It' Check out this website www.skinit.com.

you can customize your sound processor to match your mood or make a fashion statement. Dress your processor up with your favorite colors, sports teams, or works of art. You can choose from hundreds of designs or even upload your own graphics for a completely unique look.

"Lets show other that we don't only have fashionable clothes, we also have fashionable procesoors"

Check out my design - At the moment I have decided to wear pink zebra and Twilight "Edwards" mixed, I love Twilight, so I thought I put Edwards on.

I have also got a few other designs such as 'St Geogre Flag'that will used when I repersent England again, pink with Derby County logo on and I have a Xmas one which will be used while I am in Scarbrough. (I will try and upload thoses when I have put them on my processor in the future)


Go ahead and Design yours now....

2nd Xmas with my Cochlear Implant

14 days till Xmas and still I haven't finished all my Xmas shopping. University has kept me ever so busy - we had this big Science project, which was interesting but hard and finally we have finished it. Feeling positive about the overall project results. Just one more week left at university then finally we get 3 weeks off, which is needed.


So, what have I been upto over the past few weeks? well, I have had a few trip to Ropewalk Cochlear Implant centre; I had a slight problem with my cochlear implant - struggling to control the sounds and feeling uncomfortable in loud and quiet situation. Somehow when I'm in lecture and the room is quie, it feels like my teacher who is talking to the class that is stand about 5 metres away voice sounds as if she is right next to me and when the voice is loud, I tend to feel it more. Not only that, sitting in a canteen at university the loud background noises got over the top and I got so uncomfortable feeling and hearing it.


So after seening my audiologist about it, it finally got sorted and now I have some new setting and some loudness has been clipped and have a programme where the volume is on lock to stop it turning it up itself which now after 2 weeks with the programme, I have felt so much better and is not seems to be having an problems at all - no more trips to the Implant Centre till my 2year appointment, I hope.


Recently I went to the Ear Foundation Xmas Social and for the 2nd time I've been on the microphone again doing the Xmas Quiz. I could see the different in myself from last years quiz and this years quiz - I felt more confident and I didn't worry too much about my speech. My speech has improved alot - being at university and being surrounded by hearing friends all the time has really helped me though I do still need to work on the loudness of my speech and of course try and say all these biology words properly. Everytime I do a presentation and when I present it sometimes there a word that I struggle to say and sometimes I tend to stutter and give up quite easily and just say "that word" all my mates just laughs, which I don't mind becuase they all understand and my lecture is ok with it and it doesn't effect my marks which is a releif. I don't sign as much anymore so I think that maybe another reason why my speech as improved alot too.

I have added a few pictures of me on the mike and of course you may notice the rudolph on my coil that I created - everyone loves it and have asked me to make some for them. It was a brilliant weekend and It was nice to have Kezia from AB popping in to see us all.

I suppose some of you have noticed my last post "stolen bike" Still no news on that but is feeling positive that I will get it back. However sometime next year I'll be having a knee operation (sports injury) which I hope, the recovery time doesn't take to long - I don't fancy having another year out of sport like I did with my ankle and is hop-ing around everywhere in university on those horrible crutches.

Now Xmas is coming up, I'll be spending my xmas hoilday down in Scarbrough along with the rest of my family and of course go to the church and see If I can keep up with the Xmas song and this year do better at following the lyrics.

So thats it for me now, finally the weekend here and I am off out to see a few friends and enjoy spending sometime with my family and maybe to a bit of online xmas shopping If I have time rather than going out in the cold spending ages searching to buy a certain thing.

Enjoy the Xmas season everyone.

Styling Your Cochlear Implant (Getting Ready for Xmas)

Hey all,
Getting ready for Xmas?? I can't believe Xmas is just round the corner. Anyway, today I went to town today to finish off the last bit of Xmas shopping. Finally I got it all done and now I've gotta do the last part; wrapping them all up - I think I'd end up wrapping myself up since I'm not good at it.


Anyway while I went round town. I saw some Reindeers hair clips - I thought they look so cute then as I looked at them I came up with an idea - lets pimp out my processor into an christmassy Cochlear Implant. I knew I had a party to go to this weekend, so I thought, why not I'll just buy it and when I get home I'll see what I can do with them.

So, instead of wrapping up the xmas present - I decided to turn the reindeer hair clip into a reindeer coil cover. check it out


It is quite simple to make. All I did was buy the clips that has an xmas charactor on then cut down the clip where there is a small peice of metal left on the back of the reindeer, file the edges so it isn't sharp to either scratch or cut something and then just stick it on your magnetic coil. So after making it, heres the result.........

Now have fun and you try it.

Please Note that this does not damage your processor!

Merry Xmas everyone,
katie-louise

Stolen Motobike!

Note *This is not a CI related*

Last night I had my motocross bike stolen. Thoses that lives in the Derby Are, Please help and spread the word to try and find my bike!

STOLEN KAWASAKI KX125 (Team Green with Gold petrol cap and black pannels with the number "7" ) Stolen in Chaddesden Area (Derby) between 7:30 - 9:30pm

If anyone seen it please call crime number; 0345 123 33 33 or 07852157548. Please help and spread the word!

Questions and Unusual Coil Picture!

Afternoon all,

I just like to say sorry to thoses that has sent me an e-mail with your question about the cochlear implants in the past month or so and hasn't yet had a reply from me. I've been ever so busy at university working on a project and also had other things to do.

so, I'll try and answer you question as soon as I am free.

Anyway, thought I'd share this with you - I wouldn't say its a good thing, but everyone who has had a cochlear implant has bound to had something stuck on their coil by accident or someone would put it on, on purpose.

One night I was out at a friend house a few months ago and they decided to put a WKD bottle top on my coil -which made my coil stand out which to us WKD means WICKED to us! Enjoy the picture....


Anyway, i'd better be off - hope you all like the picture. I'll be updating my blog sometimes over the next few days on what I've been up to over past month. So, watch this space!

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 !

Lets start with managing C.I - I do have small ears, and everyday I wear a small 'Huggie that attaches 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, wearing 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 material elastic band instead of those big headband. I place the band over my head by but putting the coil wire underneath. That also stops the implant from falling 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 coming through to your ears. I found that big material head bands tend to make a lot of rustling noise and it still made the implant falls off.

I wear the band in all the sports I play all sort of sports such as football, tennis, running, gym etc. I would recommend it to other C.I users that are playing sports to wear it.

Recently Advanced Bionics has been testing the new T-mic ear mould (pictured below) This can be another way to prevent your cochlear implant from falling 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 knowing 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 a lot. 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 with my team mates. I teaching my team some deaf awareness 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 because 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 else. 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.

I 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.