Well, the good news is that it’s working.
Not perfectly. Not even close. But it’s working…and that’s incredibly exciting. The first couple of weeks were honestly pretty rough. Voices sounded wrong. Music sounded wrong (and for those of you that have known me a long time know this was devastating). My brain kept knocking my cochlear implant like, “Yeah…I’m gonna need you to explain yourself.” I was frustrated, aggravated and feeling exhausted. I felt like there was no real movement. Now? Voices still sound a bit muffled but they sound better than before (so a win).
And every single day, I’m starting to notice small changes. For instance, my air conditioner no longer dominates every room I’m in (a huge victory 
). That was rough…having this machine screaming at me louder than anything else was exhausting. Thankfully, I hear it still running, but its importance has just been severely downgraded (FINALLY).
And I noticed that Marina went from sounding like a drowning old man to…an almost normal middle-aged man. (Hey, progress is progress! 
)
Today, though…I listened to music with my cochlear implant only. No hearing aid. I heard James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt singing a duet and could tell they were two different voices in harmony (ok, maybe still singing under water but I’ll take it). I heard Phil Collins’ backing harmonies in Against All Odds that I don’t remember ever consciously noticing before.
I listened to Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp and, for the first time, I could separate individual instruments in the orchestra. I even noticed a bass line that had somehow been hiding from me all these years.
And then I cried…at work. (Fortunately, there were only two of us in the office.) because the really amazing part isn’t that everything sounds normal. It doesn’t. Not even close. The amazing part is that my brain keeps changing. Every day it figures out one more piece of the puzzle.
Eleven days ago I was afraid music might never sound like music again. Today, music made me cry. I’ll take that as a win.
Also, the dizziness and imbalance I’ve been fighting since 7/2 has finally become a small, small background annoyance. I hardly notice it anymore and hope it will be completely resolved soon.
To everyone who’s checked in, sent messages, encouraged me, or just asked how I’m doing…thank you. Every text, every kind word, every bit of support has meant more than you know.
I’m still very much on this journey, but today gave me a glimpse of where it’s headed. And for the first time since activation, I can honestly say…I have a lot of hope.
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