My Cochlear Implant Story: Part 11 – One Month On

The audiologist looked up as I entered the room, greeted me, and asked in Spanish, “How’s it going with the cochlear implant?”

“Really good,” I replied, continuing in Spanish.

“Really good?” he asked, as if needing confirmation.

“Yes, fantastic. I love it!” I emphasized, feeling optimistic and grateful.

“Great,” he smiled, as I sat down and he began typing notes on his computer.

Rehabilitation Activities

He asked if I was having any formal rehabilitation with a speech and language therapist. I told him I wasn’t. He continued typing before asking if I had been listening to words and repeating them, which I assured him I had. Ever the eager student, I’m dedicating time each day to listening exercises. I’ve been carrying out the free activities on the Hearoes app, which I can’t recommend enough, along with the ReDi app which provides more challenging activities, though less visually engaging. I’ve also found another app called English Ear, designed for non-native English speakers to improve their listening skills. It has a simple format where you listen to a word and then choose between two similar-sounding words, like “pray” and “play.” I’m finding it both frustrating and addictive. I keep playing, hoping to progress to the next level by misidentifying fewer than three words. I’m currently somewhat stranded on level 17 of 28.

I’ve also started watching TED Talks on YouTube, using captions to make sense of the bits of speech I catch. The talks are great because they’re usually around 15-20 minutes long, which allows me to focus without losing concentration. Given that my attention span is quite short, regular bitesize rehab sessions seem to work best for me. As recommended on activation day, I continue to listen to music through my processor. I’ve even involved my partner, asking him to play songs from my Spotify and for me to guess the tune. He makes up categories, like “Music from the 90s” or his “classics”—songs he frequently plays or earworms I’m used to hearing him sing snippets of throughout the day.

The Hearing Test

In a small soundproof room, I watched my audiologist through the window as he programmed the equipment on the other side. Opposite me was a speaker. He placed a pair of headphones over my hearing ear, leaving my processor exposed to the sound from the speaker, with the left cup pressing against the side of my face. He explained that he would play the sound of wind in my hearing ear while I listened through my cochlear implant to the sound coming from the speaker. I was instructed to raise my hand each time I heard the familiar beep.

The test proceeded as usual. It was a little tricky to distinguish whether I was hearing through my hearing ear or my implant, but I followed my instincts, raising my hand for every beep I heard or sensed in my deaf ear.

“Great,” the audiologist said as he entered the room. “Well done.”

“Do you think you can repeat some words in Spanish?” he asked.

“I can try,” I replied, knowing that at this stage, even English words were challenging, let alone those in my second language.

He returned to his position outside the room, closing the door behind him. He played loud masking noise into my hearing ear to block out any sounds, and I doubted I’d hear anything over it with my implant. A few seconds passed, and I began to wonder if the test had already started. I looked up at him, and as I raised my head, I heard a sentence in Spanish, I think announcing that the test was starting. It caught me off guard.

I focused my gaze on a spot on the floor in front of me, concentrating hard. Moments later, a woman’s voice said, “Quince”—the Spanish word for the number 15. The sound was clear in my processor, accompanied by a gentle vibration in my deaf ear.

“Quince,” I repeated. I glanced at my audiologist, who gave me a thumbs-up and a grin.

We continued, with some words coming through clearly, even over the white noise. Others arrived as fragments, and I did my best to repeat them—aware that my attempts weren’t always actual Spanish words but hoping they would still provide some insight into my hearing progress. About 20 words later, the audiologist opened the door. 

“Well done!” he said. “You’re hearing well!”

Progress and Reflections

We sat back down in his consultation room, and he showed me my results on the computer screen. The usual audiogram (hearing test chart) was displayed, and I recognized the familiar banana-shaped shaded area—the speech banana—where speech sounds typically fall. Before receiving my cochlear implant, the results for my left ear were largely in the 90-110 decibel range, indicating a profound hearing loss. This time, the little blue squares were positioned much higher on the chart. I felt a rush of excitement.

“Our aim is to get results around the 30 mark,” he explained, referring to the decibel levels on the audiogram—a measure of the softest sounds I can hear at different frequencies.

One of my results, at 8,000 Hz (8 kHz)—the highest frequency tested—was already recorded at 25 dB. However, in the lower frequencies, the levels still needed some adjustment. He explained that he would leave the settings where they were for the higher frequencies and focus on increasing the levels in the lower frequencies, where I wasn’t hearing as clearly. He warned that I might experience a sensation of vibration in my head due to the extra bass and that my voice might sound louder at first.

Then, he said something wonderful: “You’re hearing 40 per cent of words, in Spanish!”

He went on to explain that it would likely be closer to 50 per cent if the test had been conducted in English.

40 per cent! Wow!  

“40 per cent?!” I repeated, making sure I had understood correctly.

“Yes,” he confirmed, pointing to the mark on the chart. “It’s good progress.”

I felt an uncontrollable grin spread across my face, the skin around my eyes creasing, and I clapped my hands together like a happy seal. Just one month ago, I had zero word recognition. For over eight years, this ear had not recognized a single word. And now, it was already exceeding all my hopes and being an absolute star!

I needed further reassurance.

“Do you think this is good progress?” I asked.

“Yes!” he said. “And after just one month…”

The audiologist then connected my processor to his computer. “You won’t hear anything now; I’m just checking the internal parts of the implant,” he explained. Curious, I leaned over as he turned the laptop toward me. On the screen was a row of 12 dots—one for each electrode— with a line running through them.

“Everything looks good and normal,” he reassured me with a smile.

Next, we repeated the activation-day exercise where I listened to tones and indicated whether they sounded quiet, normal, loud, or too loud. After completing the task, my processor was updated with a new map—a customized programme designed to improve how I hear sounds based on my specific hearing needs. I was given two programmes to take home: I would start with the first one and, in two weeks, move to the second. If the second programme felt uncomfortable after a few days, I was to revert to the first. A follow-up appointment was scheduled for two months.

He told me to keep listening to and repeating words. “And keep listening to music,” he winked. I thanked him, expressing how special it felt to have hearing again in my deaf ear.

“Hearing in both ears is very important,” he replied, smiling.

Thoughts on Comparing Outcomes 

Throughout this process, I’ve found myself comparing my experiences to those of others. I think it’s only natural to draw comparisons, especially since the people I “know” going through a similar experience are those I follow on social media and other online platforms, such as blogs, forums, and support groups. Reading about other people’s experiences has been incredibly helpful, yet I’ve come to realize we should each be the star of our own show.

It’s inspiring to see the progress others make with their cochlear implants, but every experience with hearing technology is unique. How well a device works varies greatly from person to person and, to my knowledge, it’s not fully understood. It’s thought that success depends on many factors, such as how long someone has been without hearing before getting the implant. I’ve been repeatedly reminded that the longer the hearing loss, the more challenging it can be to achieve good results. People who still have some hearing before the implant often do better after surgery. Ongoing rehab and staying motivated (which, in my opinion, is key!) also play a big role in how well someone does with the implant.

I’ve read stories of people understanding speech from day one, while others hear only noises and beeps for months. Taking longer to understand the meaning of sounds doesn’t necessarily mean someone will have a less successful outcome—it may simply mean their journey takes a bit longer. If you’re reading this and currently hearing beeps and noises through your processor, that’s a great sign—keep going! Your brain will adapt, and those sounds will start to make sense. Similarly, if you’re already hearing clear speech, congratulations on reaching this exciting milestone! 

I’m doing my best not to compare myself to others. Instead, I’m cheering myself on with every song I successfully identify, every environmental sound I hear, and every word or phrase I understand. I’m comparing myself to myself, who up until one month ago had not heard a word in my left ear in 8 years. Right now, I’m exactly where I should be on my hearing adventure.