Using phone with Cochlear Implant

Everyone is always asking how a person with a hearing loss will be able to use the telephone. Just that little word that scared the life out of us. "Would you phone a taxi? " "Phone? me? phone someone?" No way. Its impossible. I have been profoundly deaf most of my life and I relied on lipsreading. Never mind trying to listen to someone without lipsreading. How would I manage that?

For many years, I've managed to avoid using the phone and get someone to speak on my behalf but these days, noone would speak to that person on my behalf anymore for data protection legal reason. Me mam used to call the bank in the past and we had a lot of trouble to get someone to provide us a service we required.

Time went by and technology have improved. I have discovered this amazing product which its prefect for anyone who have hearing aids or cochlear implant. Any Brands! Advanced Bionic, Freedom or Med-le. Its work! All you have to do change your setting to T coil (loop system)

This product is called Geemarc Bluehook and it work just like any bluetooth we have seen everyday. Bluetooth ear peice we have seen driver who use it as handfree to have conversation via mobile phone. Like Bluetooth, this product can be use with mobile phone without attaching the wire to the phone. You set up your mobile phone to paired the bluehook together and you can use it forever as long you have the power switched on. You can also use it with computer/laptop. This idea came along to stop people using the direct lead to the computer that is plugged in to the main power and to avoid an electric shock. Get this product for around £50 at this website

So far, I have contacted my partner, me mam and friends, for ten minutes each. So each time with practice, I would improved myself to listen and learn how we communicate on the phone. I use this quite a lot and never went anywhere without it so I won't be out of reach incase anyone need to get in touch. Phone call is actually a lot quicker than typing sms. I use it to listen to music on my imac and noone else could hear what I am listening to. Great, eh?

Katie - Louise Bailey isn't confident on using the phone so I let her to try out my bluehook and see if she can have conversation while on the phone. I was using this to distracted her while I was taking pictures of her. I hope she will be growing with confident to be able to contact anyone with this.

At present, I am doing a project to promote Advanced Bionic in our everyday life and what we can hear, use, sport or music and whatever age we are. I want to photograph you. Please contact me to model for me.

Here are the rest of the images that I have done so far.

AEGphotos is supported by Prince's Trust and Ear Foundation
Http://www.aegphotos.co.uk

A day after the operation

Hello World!

The Bionic Manda is here at last. I am relief to be back home now the hardest bit is over. I never thought I would have gone through this, but first I must tell you how its went.

The day of the operation:- I went in to the hospital an hour half early. This would give you a clue of how much I actually get any sleep which was actually none whatsoever. I was so scared and were walking around the room trying to find a way to get some sleep but the operation was playing on my mind. My flatmate, Simon, didn't even get any sleep and were all worried. We then left the house at 5.30am and we had to be at the hospital. We pretty much walked most of the way. We got there an hour later, showed to the bed at the ward then were waiting to find out when I would be going under.

I was supposed to be second on the list but the person who was to go first did not arrived on time and were not nil by mouth longer. I was nil by mouth since 7pm the night before. I could carry on eating or drinking til midnight if I want to but thought it would be wise not to eat or drink anything after 9pm

So I was first to go and they prep me up. By this time I was shaking like a leaf. I was so scared but I knew I would be in their safe hand. I went in at 8.45am and were out into the recovery room at 11.15am. The nurse woke me up half an hour later and i was telling her that I had a lovely dream about the Coldplay gig. She was laughing. A girl who has gone for cochlear implant and she dreamed about music. That might sound a bit odd to her, I guess.

Anyway, 5 mins later I was back in the ward and I was demanding for food, drinks everything. I was so dry I could drink out of the horse buckle. I wanted anything and everything. The doctor came by and told me how it went. It was perfect he says. Excellent news. He told me that I would get some dizzy spells and some bad taste in the mouth. Some people get this for a while and there was no knowing how long it would last. I had them in the first 4 hrs and after that I was fine. The taste disappeared and that was because I was eating and drinking so much. The more I eat the better it taste. For the dizzy spells, well what can I say....I had to ask for the nurse to help me walk to the little girl room as my balance were all over the place. The more I visited the better my balance would be. I would advice everyone to do this when they go for the operation. Keep your body active as much as possible.

This is me, happy to be out of the operation and very much proud of my new hair style! My friends and family all thought I looked quite trendy and very cheeky. I do what I do best is entertaining other people including the people in the ward and the nurses. I could not sit in my bed too long as I was not used to sitting in one place. That just to show you how active I am! Anyway the ward was very cold at night and I couldn't sleep at all. Well I have managed to get at least 3hrs sleep with a little help from my ipod using my other ear. It was the discomfort of my head being so heavy from the bandage and the pressure i feel in my ear. It feel like as if I was on the plane and the air pressure was so tight I had felt like blowing my nose to pop it but I would imagine it would hurt. I would avoid this if I were you. There is some kind of white noise that I hear inside my head and its very annoying. I don't normally get them . This is what we called it the tinnitus. It make ringing type of nosie. a bit like marigine without the flashing yellow light. Before the operation and whenever that I don't wear the hearing aids and I'm fully awake, I would get a little tinnitus. Only very quiet but not annoying. This is usually mean that the brain is looking for it feed. A feed to hear. Once I have put on the hearing aids it would disappeared. Without the device the tinnitus would get worse. I would imagine I will have this until my switch on date. I can't wait.

Reading this back, I must admit that I am glad to be home before my birthday. Glad to have it all over and done with. Glad to know that I have many friends who have been very supportive. Thank you guys. My phone haven't stopped buzzing during my stay!

For those who are curious about the size of the scar or how much hair I have lost... well... it was massive! They have shaved everything! I am kidding! Nah its only small. They have shaved a little just behind the ear and the scar is around the same length at my ear. Just think of it, 8 years ago people had their operation and they had lost half their hair and now, its quite small. I'm really pleased!

To Simon, my flatmate, thanks for being there for me all the way and sorry if I have worn you out for being worried. Now thats over, we can begin the journey of the Bionic World. Here I come!

Group Situation

Being in the group with hearing aids is difficult to hear what was being said. I was in the restaurant the other day and it was very posh. The ceiling were so high. I got a little worry there as I wasn't expected the ceiling to be glass and so high up. You could imagine the sound would bounced around the room so often its produced echo. This to me sound like being in the swimming pool. I used to walk around the pool to see what sound that i would be missing out before I take my hearing aids off to go swimming.

I tried to set my hearing aids to cut off the background but its failed to pick up what people were saying as they were so quiet. I wasn't sure if it just me or were people were speaking quiet so other tables won't hear their conversation. That was something I have picked up while working in a office. People tend to speak very quietly when they don't want anyone else to hear them... I would constantly said "sorry, but could you speak up?"

In the group situation, its never easy. I would be quite happy taking pictures than sitting at the table wondering what I have missed out. Even lipsreading doesn't work.
But in this situation, it is much easier to say nothing at all. Just incase, I would get it wrong and its too much an effort for other to explain to me what was being said. Many people like me would understand and have been through this many many time and they tend to avoid going out so they won't feel puzzled, left out while their friends or family are enjoying themselves. Or that these people tell me that they would tell me later but they do often forget to explain what was happened or only give the summary but not quite as funny as it first came out. There isn't much anyone can do about that. But I have been told by having the implant, this situation have been improved. Using the implant to enable to hear what was being said in the noisy places and be on a same page as everyone else. This is great news. This will take a lot of practices!

I am not too sure about meeting people who only just been told that I have hearing loss and they automatic go hi and then talk to someone else. Meaning they are avoiding to talk to me. Usually I meet people and never tell them that I have a hearing loss. I rather people just talk to me and figure it out themselves. It usually work. Some people are narrow mind or dunno what to do. Just treat us like human. We are no different.