My left ear, despite having a beautifully clear audiogram, has never been quite like my right ear with the cochlear implant. From the start, the right side delivered sound that was loud, open, expansive, clean, and clear. The left always felt muffled and closed off—it was strange. Together, they work wonderfully, but if the battery in my right ear dies, I can carry on with life. If the left one dies, I stop everything and change it.
On my first surgery in 2013, my expectations were ZERO. If I could hear just a bit louder than the nothing I was hearing at the time, I would have been satisfied. But then I was hit by a tsunami of sounds—voices, music, wind, birds. It was breathtaking and overwhelming. The experience was unforgettable and emotionally challenging, like being released from prison after a 30-year sentence.
For my second surgery in 2016, motivated by that spectacular result, I convinced myself that my left ear would perform just as well. But it didn’t. For weeks, I was plagued by a buzzing sound accompanying everything I heard, leaving me irritated and disappointed. Over time, my neural connections adapted, and things settled down. But the sound from each ear was always different.
Whats it’s like to HEAR with a COCHLEAR IMPLANT?
Over the past eight years, I’ve had many adjustments. During the pandemic, I kind of lost it and stopped using the left implant all day, which undid the progress I had made. I had to start from scratch again, which I did—like going to the gym and lifting 5kg weights after a long break—who hasn’t been there?
About 10 days ago, I got a new map for my cochlear implants. On the very first night using it, I was sitting in my room, reading a book, when I noticed some unfamiliar sounds. I stopped everything and listened closely. Puzzled, I switched back to the old map to check for differences. And there was a HUGE difference.
I was shocked. After 11 years with a cochlear implant, I didn’t expect any more big leaps in improvement. But I was surprised by the best audiogram I’ve ever had. Just so you know, I always ask my audiologist to lower the bass tones on the implant because that’s how I like it.
My audiogram WITHOUT the cochlear implant is a straight line at 120 decibels.
And here’s the audiogram WITH the cochlear implant in August 2024: in most frequencies, I hear sounds at 10 decibels. Whispers, leaves falling, a drop of water—nothing goes unnoticed. At 4k frequency, in my right ear, I pick up 5 decibels.
With this new map, the sound in my left ear opened up, became cleaner, clearer, more evolved. I never expected this gift 11 years after becoming a bionic woman.
In short: even in my wildest dreams, I NEVER IMAGINED hearing like this. I am completely deaf but can hear all the sounds of the world. If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.
Technology is truly incredible, transformative, restorative. If this audiogram had a name, it would be called RESURRECTION.
Give your brain the stimulation it needs. The chances of it giving you back something wonderful, if you put in the effort, are very high.
PS: HAVE YOU DONE YOUR hearing test THIS YEAR?
Hearing Loss in SUBSTACK: subscribe to my Substack <3
Today’s message is…
“Just keep swimming,” as Dory would say.
Wear your hearing aids all day, every day. Increase the stimulation, get adjustments made regularly, listen to music, watch movies—do everything you can to keep your brain engaged.
It might just surprise you!
Set aside “expectations” and focus on the work YOU need to do before giving up. Most people I know give up too quickly and don’t put in enough effort on their hearing loss journey. It’s HARD and exhausting for EVERYONE.
Keep going!
SUPPORT MY WORK
There are many ways to support my work on creating content about hearing loss, folks! All your support is VERY welcome. It’s because of you that Crônicas da Surdez and the Deaf Who Hear Club exist.
You can…
- Become a club member starting at R$12 per month
- Read my books (and write a review about them!)
- Follow, like, comment, and share content on social media
A kiss to all, and have a great week!
Paula Pfeifer
ANY QUESTIONS?
Paula Pfeifer is a brazilian deaf writer, a Social Scientist, content strategist, speaker and consultant. She is also a accessibility and disability advocate and activist. She lives in Rio de Janeiro and has a son, Lucas.. Two of her books about hearing loss, hearing aids and cochlear implants can be found in english and spanish in Kindle. Support Paula Pfeifer’s work. You can support here!
No Comments