I know I have been a little quiet here lately. Partly because I have been busy enjoying my new ear, and getting back to projects sidelined by recovering from surgery; but mostly because I am working on a blog post regarding a CI research study I recently entered and I want to take the time to get it right. However, that's taking longer than I expected and I think I should mark my 3 months since surgery with an update.
Last time I wrote about post-surgery issues was at the 1 month point. The main things were minor aching at the implant site; possible Eustachian Tube drainage; taste disturbance; occasional slight fullness in ear and slight vertigo. The only one remaining now is taste disturbance. Otherwise I feel great.
This taste disturbance -- and I think disturbance is good term for it -- is quite odd. In the first few weeks after surgery I am quite sure now that what I perceived as drainage from my Eustachian Tube was in fact the result of this issue. Most of the tingly numbness is gone, but I have a constant taste sensation at the back left side of my tongue. It is a combination of sweet and salty. Fortunately it is not overpowering and it does not make food taste awful, just off. I can alleviate it quite a bit by chewing on the opposite side. If I were a chef I think I would feel impaired, but for me it's just a minor nuisance.
I had my 5th mapping a couple of weeks ago. I only needed some minor tweaking to balance things out. We also loaded up some test programs on my spare processor. One with a wider IDR and another with wider pulse width. I haven't had a chance to test them thoroughly, so I have nothing to report yet.
My CI hearing continues to change and improve, though more subtly than the first couple of months. I will cover that in more detail in my next post.
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9 comments:
Wow, what a pleasant surprise :) I hear sometimes that it takes up to sixth months for the taste to return to normal... I am glad you are doing wonderfully and I can't wait for this post!!
I've been playing around with a new program by the way, I think its called Tone Zoom and I can tell the difference in the lower pitches but as they get into the higher frequencies, that is when a discernable differences are spaced further apart. After several playing the tones several times I eventually can tell the difference. It is rather interesting.
I was just thinking that you'd dropped off the face of the earth! Glad to see a post from you! It sounds like you're doing well...and don't worry about the taste thing...I had it with my first CI, and it eventually went away :)
Good to see you again! :)
Hi Abbie! Thanks for the pointer to Tone Zoom. I am going to give it a try.
Hi Jen! That's good to know the "taste thing" might eventually go away. Thanks!
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the answer on Mike's blog. power was something that I didn't think of oin the wireless thing
Thanks
Ronald
Hey metalhead!
I always look forward to your posts, they're full of useful info for me (especially sound-technically-speaking).
Good to hear you're well on your way to converge with your bionic-device :-)
Thanks for supportive note on my blog!
cheers!
Glad to see you posting again! I had some taste disturbance with my second surgery. . . chocolate didn't taste right for the longest time. But it went away.
Sounds like you are on the road to "good hearing!"
Laurie
I'm officially prepared for my food to taste funky for the next few months, having been implanted just 6 days ago. So far, most foods haven't been too bad, but there is one exception: coffee. Not horrible, but definitely a bit strange. It's slightly disconcerting that they can make the numbness last months -- I sometimes wonder if it's a bit like having a stroke.
Well, well...look who is back and posting again! Glad to hear things are going well and it gets better as time goes by. And don't worry about the taste thing...it will pass!
Sam
Wow, this sure is enlightening, this taste disturbance information. You always shed new light on the experience that I value beyond words. I know each experience is unique, but this particular side effect seems quite common judging from the other comments.
Interesting as always. I'm so glad that things are still going well with your Ci.
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