I have read many CI blogs, and most people stop updating after about six months. There is a reason for this: in general, at this point, things tend to level off and you hit the dreaded "plateau". The CI becomes less of a novelty, and more a part of your everyday life. You start taking it for granted. Sounds which you were previously so surprised and overjoyed to hear, stop being so special. Then you start focusing on what you can not do.
I continually try to remind myself that I am performing far better than I did with hearing aids. When I take my CI off, and wear only my remaining hearing aid, I am appalled at the quality of sound. I am amazed that I was able to survive for over 30 years with the quarks, squarks, and static that my hearing aid emits. I feel grateful for the CI, and all the auditory milestones I have achieved in the past 10 months.
However, when I have to say "pardon?" yet again, when speech blurs into an incomprehensible mishmash of sound, or when I get that "look" when I have misheard something (hearing impaired folks will know what I mean), I inevitably sink into a pit of negativity. I was aware going into this that a CI would not be a magic hearing bullet. However, I still hold out the hope that I will eventually be transformed into a "normal" hearing person.
No such luck.
