Finally, Volume!

So this is waaaayyyyy long overdue and I'm probably going to miss out on some of the nuances of the last month because of it but things have been crazy busy.  Now that I have some free time though, here's the update!

Last things first:

I went to Texas last week and finally the device has been turned up to "normal" volume!  It's not even at the full volume capabilities of the device but it's giving me full hearing at this point.  I think I will still try to turn it up a little bit when it heals more since there is still some very minor feedback when I sleep but so far it's been really wonderful.  I love being able to hear when I wake up, when I shower, and for the first time this weekend: when I swim.  The verdict is still out on being able to hear while sleeping, I'm not sure I'm a fan of that, noises keep waking me up!  I still feel weird, like I should still be having the circumstances of 2 hearing aids.  For example, I find it really hard to believe that an alarm clock could possibly wake me up with just noise and no flashing lights or shaking the bed, even though it's already happened a few times with no problems.  I still have a mini-gasp of panic once in a while when i put my head under the water and I realize I can hear and I think I've forgotten to take my hearing aid out.  But I finally feel like all of this is worth it because even with one hearing aid, things are just easier.  I can share earbud headphones with people, swim with people I don't know without worrying if they'll look out for me and try to keep me included, sleep without worrying about emergencies or even just lie down on my side during the day and still be able to hear because I don't have to take my hearing aid out from the discomfort of pressure.

Ok, now moving backwards, click "read more" to keep reading, this is going to be a long post



So, Texas.  First of all, this was an absolute nightmare of a trip but that has nothing to do with my Esteem but I'm going to whine about it for a minute anyway.

My flight got delayed, I got rebooked with 10 minutes to make a connection in Philadelphia which I missed (of course!) then I got rerouted to Charlotte, when I got there my flight to Houston was cancelled so I had to go out, wait on line, get rebooked, go back through security and wait for my flight which was then delayed almost 2 hours.  Unbelievable.  So what was supposed to be a short day trip ended up being an overnight but Envoy took great care of me, they booked a driver and a nice hotel suite for me and the next morning my doctor (who happened to be in town to do some surgeries at their center in Houston) and my tech picked me up at 6:30am to go to the Envoy center.

I want to give you like a super in-depth interesting account of how the programming went, but it's just not that interesting.  I held the remote up to my device, there were beeping noises, then it was louder.  The tech asked me how it sounded, I told her, she adjusted it, more beeps, and things got clearer and clearer, louder and louder.  She did a quick hearing test, a few more adjustments, and then we went to a freezing cold room (ok, I'm always cold, but it was a really cold room) where there was a TV so we could watch and see how it sounded in "real life".  It sounded great!  Weirdly loud but clear, so after that I was done and I went back to the airport and flew home.

It's funny because sometimes I feel like my hearing aid ear is clearer than my Esteem ear and then sometimes (more and more as I get used to it) I feel like my Esteem ear is clearer and louder than the hearing aid ear.  I've been to a few concerts since it was adjusted and they sounded great and I keep turning my hearing aid off occasionally just for a second, just to make sure it still sounds good, and sure enough it does!  My voice sounded weird for a while but I've gotten used to it.  Mostly, I'm just enjoying the device.  It feels so much more... casual to just hear all the time, I don't really have to do anything or worry about it and it's really nice.

I'm really looking forward to swimming more, it was so nice to be at the pool this weekend with a lot of new people and to just... talk to them and relax and enjoy myself and not feel alone or awkward or isolated.  It sounds like such a small thing, I mean, how often do I really swim anyway, a few times a year?  But it had always been such an unpleasant idea but now it's just a nice thing to think about doing, not a stressful thing, that's a big weight off.

Anyway, I will update again soon to fill in the gaps but that's the main new thing.  Things are really good and that's a lot.