I went to a movie with Jamie the other day.  We went to see Footloose which I figured would be a good first movie to hear with my cochlear implant.  I didn’t want to see a movie that had too much dialogue because I knew I wasn’t going to hear every word when I don’t hear every word in normal conversation.  I figured that since this movie was a remake of the original Footloose done back in the 80’s that I had seen dozens of times, I should be able to follow it pretty well.  I did hear some lines, and noticed that some of those lines were switched between characters or used in a different setting than the original.  Call me sentimental but I just don’t think it compares to the original.  Jamie & I watched the original that night and Jamie said that there would good and bad things with both versions but prefers the remake version.  I’ll keep the original just the same.

 

I didn’t enjoy the music part of the new one – I just can’t tell what the beat is.  I did recognize the original Footloose a little bit, but didn’t recognize any of the other songs. 

 

Again, I’m frustrated by the lack of perceived improvement.  I feel like I was hearing things  “better” the “old” way.  I have to remind myself that I would have eventually gone completely deaf and this is actually a better option than that.  I also have to remind myself that it could take a year or two before I will have adapted to the new way of hearing.  It just seems like sounds aren’t sharp enough for me to understand speech without lip reading.  I do think that lip reading is a little bit easier, but …. I wouldn’t want to trade off the ability to enjoy music with easier lip reading.  I really liked listening to music. 

 

Music is a BIG part of everything we do.  You cannot watch TV or a movie without some music being played.  Music is a good mood elevator – and I’ve played music to suit my moods or emotional needs.  To relax, I play relaxing spa or nature sounds.  To energize, I listen to some techno or classic hard rock – to feel inspired I listen to inspirational music.  Right now, there isn’t a lot of music that appeals to me.  If all I get from this cochlear implant is the ability to read lips easier – well….. I don’t know.  But then how long would I have held out before I go completely deaf??

 

Overall, it’s only been a little over 4 months.  That’s barely 1/3 of the way through one year.  Patience, patience…..