Sheila M - Cochlear Volunteer

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My Story

Personal history of hearing loss Moderate loss:

 

At age 12, my parents took me to five different specialists in the Atlanta area, and all said I had nerve deafness, would eventually need hearing aids, and might possibly lose all my hearing. Requested preferential seating in all classrooms through high school.

 

Severe loss: At age 17, started wearing 2 hearing aids and depended on lipreading. Words were distorted, and I couldn't distinguish the d and t endings on words very well.

 

Profound loss: At age 27, no longer able to understand words on TV, radio, telephone and increased difficulty with voices in person. Began learning sign language in anticipation of deafness.


From age 32 - 42, I worked a full time job and went to college at night. During the first 2 years of going to college at night, I just always requested a seat in front of the professor and did okay. The college said they didn't have funds to provide a note taker or sign language interpreter, so I dropped out for 7 years. When the college became a 4-yr. university, I went back to their special needs counselor knowing they couldn't refuse assistance to me while they were getting federal funds. They gave me a note taker and sign language interpreter to finish my Associates in Business Administration degree. I had an interpreter at church and at work whenever training classes were required. I used a TTY/TDD to make telephone calls at work and home.

 

At age 47, I picked an ear specialist out of my PPO insurance directory because I was experiencing some dizziness. The doctor I randomly selected just happened to be a renown cochlear surgeon. After he examined me for the dizziness and found no cause, he explained the cochlear implant process to me. I had never heard of it before. He said my hearing aids weren't doing me any good anymore and that he could put me back into the hearing world - and he did!


I had a successful cochlear implant on my right ear on September 27, 1995. At that time, I did not have any hearing in the left ear, and I was totally dependent on the implanted ear. My children were in their 20's before I was ever able to talk to them on the telephone!

 

Now I am bilateral after having my 2nd implant on February 13, 2008. I can hear and understand voices on the telephone and am improving gradually by listening to radio and TV. I have a stereo, radio, regular telephone, cell phone, and an iPod with 4,000 songs.

 

The implants enable me to hear my two little granddaughters sing, my cats meow, birds chirp, wind chimes, rain, wind rustling the leaves of a tree. I never heard those sounds with hearing aids. I no longer need a sign language interpreter or TTY/TDD machine, but I am thankful I know how to sign when I encounter deaf folks who are not oral. I love living in stereo!

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Blog Entries
Whistling
4 Days Ago
Infrequently, I have co-workers come to my desk for corrections needed in the system. They don't have the access rights to change every typo or error,...
Cindawella
5 Days Ago
Hi, everyone! I received the Cochlear Community announcement about changes to this site and decided I better check in. Gosh, it's been about 5...
Whisper in the dark
5 Months Ago
I'm going to try this with one of my granddaughters (the 6 yr. old). She likes to spend the night with Mimi for a little I-get-all-of-your-attention...
I'm on FACEBOOK
One Year Ago
I saw that Carla Magliano Birchfield is on Facebook, too. If you are a member there, search for me Sheila Meador in Georgia or try this link...
I just returned from 5 days in Panama City with my girlfriends. We were cheerleaders together over 40 years ago (don't calculate my age ahem!). It is so...
If you want to make friends here, you might want to reconsider your Privacy Settings (see the blue text menu items My Home - Profile - Messages, etc.) in the...
I created this yesterday with my Google account (using Google Docs) and posted it on Facebook to share with my friends. See if you can open this link...
Sheila & the Porsche
One Year Ago
No, no! I didn't sell all my belongings and buy a Porsche. Heck, there would be no profit from that kind of sale to even make ONE monthly payment on such...
Music Appreciation
One Year Ago
I wonder sometimes if others love music the way I do. I carried musical memories in my auditory memory for about 25 years. I remember trying to hum a song I...
With cochlear implants I am, once again, a friendly, outgoing, confident person. In talking with strangers in the elevator, on the street, on the daily bus...
Sounds of nature
One Year Ago
Springtime in Atlanta is beautiful between the sneezes  Some tiny, brown birds built a nest in my note basket by the front door, and I'm amazed at their...
About two weeks ago, I decided to join Facebook. I have already reconnected with 19 family members (we're talking long-lost cousins here), high school...
I downloaded CBC Vinyl Cafe' stories (think that's Canada) and did very well following the stories and understood about 95% of the words which amazed me. I...
I've been on a senior networking site that is primarily for dating purposes although some great penpals have been made there!   It's so hard to write...
Friday, November 21, 2008 I had the soundproof booth testing (don't know the fancy smancy name for that) on my new Freedom implant of 2/13/08 (activated...
I took little pumpkins to my granddaughters tonight, and 5-yr. old Payton surprised me by reading a book. She is learning to read in kindergarten and has...
Snugfit Ears
2 Years Ago
I started wearing the Snugfit earhooks today although they were only available in size small. They are making some larger, so if this works for me I will...
During my regularly scheduled Sunday night visit, Payton, almost 5 years old, wanted to play cards. Sometimes we make up our own card games with flash cards...
Well, I kinda killed 3 birds with one stone   I played CDs on my stereo in the living room and got these benefits: Listening therapy with both...
Music as therapy
2 Years Ago
Music from my childhood with scenes of mama and daddy dancing in the kitchen like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (well, maybe not that good), standing in...
Today I had an important meeting, complete with teleconferencing participants, for a large court project that I co-chair. While I was explaining a procedure,...
I've experienced problems with my Freedom processor for my new implant which was activated 2 months ago. Several times over that period of time I have...
I don't think I've ever been anywhere where I had more fun alone than when I went to the Ultimate Doo Wop concert at the Fabulous Fox in Atlanta, GA...
Bilateral Concert
2 Years Ago
I wanted to post this on the Bilateral Group page here, but it doesn't allow members to start a new topic...hmmmm. I went to a concert at a...
I had to write and share my "night at the lab" experience. It was everything I thought it would be! Sticky pads and lots of wires connecting my...
Tonight I was trying out the P4 - Music on both processors with my home stereo. It was very nice and crisp sounding music! I was sitting about 10 feet away...
April 18 - my audiologist made my old and new ears more level, so I won't be dependent on a stronger side which was the right one (1995 Nucleus 22...
This past week I decided to start practicing using my new Freedom implant with the office phone. It went very well, and I made and received about 12 calls....
My first video TEST
2 Years Ago
My co-worker and I were singing and dancing while sharing the song "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly. I had audio cables for sharing, and we...
Laugh at yourself
2 Years Ago
Sometimes I have a little fun with folks who don't know anything about CI. I ask them to speak into my navel, and I twist body parts to turn the volume...
I was just reminiscing, which I seem to do more of as I age, and recalled how much fun I've had with my co-workers about my CIs. I've worked for...
Bilateral Week 2
2 Years Ago
Surgery for my Freedom implant on the left ear was 2/13/08. Hook-up was 3/12/08, and I have had it mapped twice so far. I turn off the Freedom processor...
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