Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a great Christmas break, especially the freedom from all the hard work! I have to admit, I sure am a lacking student when I became too lazy to do my art homework. But it isn't so bad, all I need to do is take a couple of photos and that is all. So, I'm quite safe.

I had many great presents, as a lot of them were absolutely useful for me to use in my lifestyle, such as jogging clothing, and photography equipments. Also, few clothing that I found really nice, especially that cute puppy eared hoodie top!

So, this is a second year of my bilateral implant life. Let's hope there's more improvement, I really do hope so... What I aim to do for this year, is to start practising my new implant alone for ten minutes from the start daily, so my brain can learn the new sounds. And definitely get back to my jogging schedule, as it stopped since the operation and the GCSE's last year.

Things I am looking forward to this year, is definitely college, because every lessons come with new things to learn, it's just the best feeling. College is way better because they teach you a lot more new things that you have never heard of. However, I do feel less of a photographer because everyone knows me as an 'expert' in photography, but in Photography lessons, I so disagree with them. I never even knew about manual settings on a SLR... I've always used Automatic mode... Oh well, I will come out of college with many photography techniques and also in other subjects.

Also, I am hoping to catch up with more deaf friends as I've been so busy at college.

TIP: Please please please do your homework at the start of holidays...

Merry Christmas!

Nearly Christmas, I hope you all are having great time.

I've just been to another routine programming appointment last Monday. I have to say, it went fairly well, and I've been managing to take the tests and came with fairly good results. My audiologist was impressed with me, because apparently it's rare that many people with sequential bilateral implants would get on well like me. I'm not that bothered, as I am only focusing on my hearing alone, I really am determined to get a better hearing because it frustrates me how I cannot understand people much. My audiologist has kindly made his effort in trying to get rid of high pitch noises in my bilateral implant which I have had since the switch-on. He has been walking back and forth from the testing room to computer room. I felt a bit guilty on having to make him walk in repeated pattern for ten minutes or so. But I was a little happier with the results, as the high pitches are no longer annoying, but fairly reduced. Which means he actually turned off two electrodes from me, but he allowed them two to be on if I change programs on the processor.

I have finally completed my college work for the term, which I am so relieved about because I warn you, college work, especially art and photography sure does torture you with balancing work. But I'm definitely pleased with my effort and work, as I believe they look the best I could make.

TIP: If the high pitches are getting to you, talk with your audiologist to try reduce it as possible.

Almost one year...

I've been all tied up with many college work, especially trying to finish my photography assignment before the deadline last Friday! But I believe that I'm coping well in college, just the matter of being given so much work to do that I'm starting to lose my free time. I don't mind though, just as long as I enjoy doing work in the subjects, as obviously I love art and photography. I need to make a start in revising for Business exam coming up in January as I think I'm not ready for it right now!

I was just having deep thoughts about my second cochlear implant, because I noticed recently that I'm not entirely sure if I'm improving much so far. It feels the exactly same since probably March or so. This quite frustrates me because I was really hoping to improve my hearing more by now, but it seems it is really taking its time. Also, I seem to be getting headaches, it feels different from at the beginning because that was like it was attacking your head endlessly, but this time, these headaches are like so tense and pumping through really hard. This still occurs with my old implant alone, which is quite unusual to me because I never get headaches from the old implant. I'm not really sure if I made the right choice to getting second implant as these problems are getting to me that I'm slightly regretting it. But I'm still happy because my hearing definitely improved, it's just not really progressing much at all at the moment. I wonder if it's just normal, or it's because of the small number of electrodes I have, or it's something else.

I don't have my routine programming until next year in July, I thought I heard them say six months which would be end of this year where I had my switch-on. But right now, I'm just too busy to do something about it as college is really making me busy.

TIP: If you get headaches, it's always best to let your cochlear implant centre know, so they can find out how the implant is causing you headaches and try to help you as much as they can!