An Update?

 It's been way too long since I wrote & could I go back and change that, I would!

I know all of you are wondering: So how is she doing?

To be totally honest, I'll say that the cochlear implant isn't all that I had hoped for- that is, a perfect "fix." Some days I wonder if it would be easier if I didn't know there were people talking, or hear that trite announcement on a store's PA, or know that my roommates are chatting just outside my door.... because I come so close yet so tantalizingly far from being fully present in that world.

It is partly this: I do not practice enough and I acknowledge that freely. With even just a little practice though, I see improvement, but it has to be a constant in your life. Every little bit helps.

It is also very much this: I got the cochlear implant relatively "old"-- I do not doubt that if I had gotten it younger, I'd be in a different position than I am today.

Nevertheless- despite the fact I do not always get what people are saying, and distant speakers---well, forget that- not because I can't hear, but because I don't understand.-- the cochlear implant remains one of the best things I've done in my life. (Potentially THE single best thing.)