An update

Last week was not fun, but I woke up this morning feeling better and hope I will stay that way.

I had my second audiologist's appointment on Friday and came away with a single new program and four different ways to modify it--focus, noise, music and everyday.  This program does not give me the clarity I had with the louder ones I used last week so I find that I cannot understand as much on the car radio or on TV as I did with the earlier ones.  But I know that I must just experiment and see what works best for me.  I am trying to do that.

I find it easier to put the processor on.  Today I succeeded on my first try.  I have bought some mole skin to put on the sore spot behind my ear but haven't affixed it yet.  I got an explanation for the sensitivity on my ear on the side that was implanted: the ear is bent forward while the operation is done behind it and then bent back into place.  It is not exactly "turned inside out" as I thought I had heard, but it is close. (-:

Using the Kindle to practice listening is not as simple as I first thought.  My audiologist is recommending that I read and listen to one paragraph and then reverse the Kindle to the beginning of that paragraph and just listen to it.  I'm not sure I can manipulate my Kindle that finitely and, until today, I haven't have the energy to try.  I will try that later today.  When I try to close my eyes and just listen for a while, I lose my place and have a hard time finding it again.  I may find it is better to use the other programs that are available through Cochlear and the recommendations I've kept on my email of things other recipients have found useful, like listening to children's books being read and calling the weather stations. 

I'm a little bit disappointed in the amount of practice I've put in so far, but I will get there.  That's it for today.