Cochlear INERAID Owner's Handbook Manual page 7

HEARING WITH THE INERAID
ARTIFICIAL EAR
Patients involved in the program have related t he
following advice and experiences. These comments
are shared here to help you know what to expect as
you use your sound processor. The INERAID
artificial ear is still a new device and we are con-
tinu ing to learn about it. Your experiences could be
entirely different than those other patients have had.
Your initial attempts at communicating with the
INERAID artificial ear may not be as promising as
you had hoped. Be patient with yourself and do not
expect to recognize environmental sounds imme-
diately. You have been in a world without sound for
quite some time and It will take you a while to adjust.
Compare hearing again to being in a dark room for
several hours and walking out into blinding sunlight.
At first you need to squint and your eyes may feel
Irritated . After a short time your eyes adjust.
It will take several days to a few weeks for yo u to
become accustomed to auditory stim uli. Begin by
using the sound processor daily for several short
periods in a familiar environment. Practice adjusting
the controls until you are comfortable with them.
Increase the amount of exposure time every day and
try using the sound processor in a new setting. At
first the volume may seem very loud, as you con-
tinue to use the device this problem will disappear.
Listening intently is an exercise and will make you
tired-you may even experience a mild headache.
Periods of rest without the artificial ear will eliminate
this problem.
You may learn to recognize sounds more quickly
if.you have family members or friends drill you. Ask
them to point out one sound at a time and learn
what it is. For instance, a companion can knock on
the door, turn on the water or drop a ball on the
ground until you are able to identify these sounds
without looking .
Gradually, you will be able to recognize more
sounds and become
accu.~tomed
to listening to
things around you. Some stimuli, such as a garage
door opening or a clanging cash register, may be
too noisy at first. If a certain noise bothers you, turn
the sound processor off while you are exposed to it.
Once you get used to hearing again you probably
won't need to do this.
After you feel comfortable with environmental
sounds you may enjoy a word game. Pick a subject
and have a friend say related words for you to
repeat. For example, you may choose the subject
"camping." Your f riend may say words such as
sleeping bag, campfire, marshmallow, back pack,
tent, or mosquito. Stay with subjects both of you are
familiar with.
You may be able to understand speech through
speech reading, context and the sound produced
by the artificial ear. It is important to face the
speaker so you can continue using your speech
reading skills. Some sounds are easier to hea r
because they are a better frequency and have more
intensity. For example, band d sounds are easier to
identify than s and v sounds. Listen for key words to
help you with the context. You are likely to feel
frust rated if you try to grasp every word. You may
find that It is easier to understand people you have
been communicating with on a regu lar basis than
someone you do not see very often. Remember that
practice is essential. Your efforts will be rewarding if
you concentrate on listening for 30 minutes or more
every day.
Background noise may interfere with your ability
to understand the person you are talking to. Adjust
the sensitivity control to reduce the background
noise so you can hear more clearly . You may need
to ask the person to speak more distinctly and
slowly. He may be tempted to shout but encourage
him to talk in a normal voice. With practice you will
learn to block out most common background noise
so it does not distract you. Remember that in some
situations background noise (such as heavy traffic)
makes understanding speech difficult even for
people with normal hearing .
Your own voice may not seem as natural to you
as other people's voices. Even if you had normal
hearing , your voice would sound different to you
than it does to someone else. This is because we all
hear our own voices through bone conduction as
well as air conduction. If your voice seems softer or