My partner is getting a Cochlear Implant tomorrow. He's been 100% deaf since birth, and has been researching it for a few years. The technology has finally gotten to the point that he feels it is time for a new adventure. The surgery will take 3 - 4 hours, and then he'll spend the night in the hospital. About 4 weeks from now, he will get the external components (Computer gear). He tells me that the top 3 things that he wants to hear are 1)Waterfalls 2)Birds 3)The cats At a minimum, it will be a couple of years before he is able to understand spoken language, if at all. He understands that, and is fine with it. He told me that even if he is just able to hear environmental sounds, he'll be happy. His whole life is going to change. So is mine.

wow, what an amazing thing to witness. tell him good luck, christopher.

Adventures in synesthesia.

Now he has something in common with Rush Limbaugh.

ho lee shit. that's the kind of thing that blows my mind just to think about, like trying to imagine a colour that hasn't been discovered yet. I guess the first hours after it starts to work would be scary as hell! music! for the first time ever! !!!!!!!!! i'm going to need a couple days to get over this. that's amazing, Christopher.

now i'm reading this: http://www.awesome-ears.com/prog.html and being amazed.

We arrived at UCSF at 6:30 this morning. He was taken up to prep immediately, and given the much feared hospital johnny. This being the 21st century, I'm happy to say that it has been augmented, sort of like a sarong, no longer leaving ones ass hanging out for the world to see. We met the surgical team, and the anesthesiologist, and made sure that they had the correct ear marked for surgery (left). To make sure, I put an ink mark on his ear, so they wouldn't accidentally do the wrong one; Not that his hearing is any better in one ear or the other...It's an aesthetics issue. About 8:30 the surgical nurse came and told us that we would need to wait a little longer, because the Cochlear device hadn't arrived from Fed-Ex yet. That raised some eyebrows, and Len wanted to know if they planned on testing it before putting it into his head. Can't blame him for wanting to kick the tires, as it were. they assured us that that testing would be done. About 15 minutes later, the nurse and the anesthesiologist returned with the news that it was time to get started. They pumped him up with something like liquid valium, and he got pretty high. For some reason, he told us that when he was a teenager, a bunch of his friends took him to a Yes concert, where he smoked a lot of pot. I had never heard this before. The anesthesiologist told me that he would have no recollection of it, so it is something that I will drag up from the past at an appropriate time. A few minutes later, they were carting him off to surgery. I kissed him goodbye, he signed that he loved me, and he was off. I sat in the surgical waiting area most of the day. The surgical team sent word to me around 10 that the procedure was underway. About 3 hours later, the surgeon came down to talk to me. He told me that everything had gone beautifully. The biggest concern with doing a cochlear implant is that the facial nerve might get damaged, resulting in tics and horrific drooping. None of that happened, thank God, but I wasn't really too worried. UCSF pioneered the procedure, so I guess they know what they're doing. A few hours after surgery, I was called up to the recovery room, because no one knew how to sign. They wanted to know if he was in pain, or nauseous. Len was a wreck. He had a big dome-like bandage covering the left side of his head, and was really, really out of it, but I managed to drag out of him that he wanted pain killers. He also told me he was hungry, but I think he was hallucinating. They drugged him up, he fell asleep again, and I went back down to wait some more. After he had been in the recovery room for 7 hours, I went to see him again, and he was much more coherent. And cranky. He was still very sleepy, but much more together. The nurse told me that his room was being prepared, and that he'd be moved up to a private room in a little while. Again, I was asked to accompany him when they moved him, so I could interpret. He was in a fair amount of pain, and was really thirsty, and even crankier than before. He was very happy to use the bathroom, and got in and out under his own steam. After they gave him his meds, he fell asleep again, and I headed home around 8:30pm. An incrediably long day, as you can imagine. I'm looking forward to getting him home tomorrow. Now he will heal for a month, and in the third week of February, he will have his activation day. The folks at UCSF were really cool; I recommend them for ALL of your bionic augmentation needs! What a trip... It's really starting to feel like the 21st Century.

P.S. I'm really happy for Rush, but he can still munch my bolshevic ass.

What a wonderful story you have shared with us. You made my day. I can only imagine the plethora of emotions Len has gone through,contemplating this surgery. You mentioned aesthetics. How does this go into play? After reading your inspirational story,and your high recommendation of UCSF, I have decided I would like some new,bionic tits,and will consider them for this procedure :)

Go Go Gadget Gazongas! *SPROING*

yeah thats pretty tremendous.

I'm off to go retrieve Len from the hospital. He ate a little bit this morning, and received some pain meds, which promptly knocked him out again. He was thinking that he would be working from home today and tomorrow; I think he's going to be pretty much flat on his back until Saturday, or Sunday. the nurses told me that they were communicating by writing on a board. I know he hates that, so I'm sure he's looking forward to getting back home. Thanks for the kind words, folks. I'll let you know how he's doing.

how long do they expect it to take before his hearing starts to come back? I gather its a works in progress and not something over night...right? Just curious, is this covered under your insurance policy? I've considered laser surgery to my eyes, but im not sure my HMO plan covers that.

Can I move my galbladder surgery there. It's scheduled for tomorrow.

Is this the same Christopher of ages past, late of San Francisco, returned to trod these aged boards? So it would seem. Welcome back. (Not that I'm back.) I still have a copy tucked away somewhere of the book review of The Old Man and the Sea that you kindly provided for a young lad in distress, Mr. Trelkovski. Glad all seems well with you.

Christopher: Conrgats & best wishes to your S.O. I wish him a speedy recovery. Recently on t.v. I've seen so many deaf people speaking out against the cochlear implants -- even for their children -- & acting as though deafness were some kind of genetic advantage that one shd preserve at all costs. Which makes no sense to me. I'm glad the deaf have created their own culture & are proud of it. But if the means to allow the deaf to hear are out there/they have no right to discourage anyone from getting the chance to hear thru the cochlear implant. I don't understand why so many deaf people are so threated by it... I used to know Dr. Elizabeth Ying/who was involved in the early stages of developing the implant in NY. I can't believe it's become a reality in less than 20 years. And I'm glad to see there are deaf people who think the implant is a great thing.

look. it's markus.

Actually, R.C., the neurological effects of learning sign language (during childhood as the only form of language) are only now being studied and understood. It's a fascinating subject, being a juxtaposition of language development, brain hemisphere interaction, (re right/left hand dominance) and spatial/kinesthetic sensation. Language, on the neurological level, is generally studied as it relates to the auditory centers of the brain. However, studying the brains of people who use sign language as their sole form of communication gives neurologists a novel, and therefore highly valuable, perspective on the processing of language and the development of language skills. However, aside from that, I can see why some people in the deaf community are opposed to the use of the implant in children. Because of the nature of the disability, the deaf community is very insular. They are naturally cut off from the rest of society and so have developed their own unique culture. Giving every deaf child an implant that would allow them to integrate into the rest of society would destroy that culture. For people who have grown up in the deaf community it's akin to eradicating their heritage, similar to the destruction of Native American and other aboriginal societies by Western influence. So, maybe you can see why there's resistance to change...

but he's "not back" dave. so its best not to look.

I don't agree at all that giving deaf people the ability to hear is something that shouldn't be done. If a deaf person wants to hear, so be it. If they want to remain deaf, so be it. But to deny someone the chance because a subculture has grown up around being deaf, well, that's crap. It's like refusing to teach your kids english when you live in freaking Iowa. I'm sorry that medical science may one day eliminate the deaf subculture, but too bad. I think being able to hear birds, the wind in the trees and the laughter of your children would make up for it. I respect the subculture, but this is different than Native american cultures being wiped out, and if they can't see that, well, they're wrong. I usually don't say things like that, but I believe this to be true. I don't know why I feel so strongly about it, maybe I just don't like that some people would cheat themselves and others out of a wonderful experience because it would be different from what they have always known.

You know, sem, there are ways of making short people like you taller and more mainstream. It's painful and requires several surgeries, with additional lifelong hormone treatments, but it can be done. Why go through your whole life living with your disability? You were born short, but you don't have to always be that way. Why not stand tall with people like me, and enjoy the advantages being tall brings?

were talking about the 5 senses here not vanity. "For people who have grown up in the deaf community it's akin to eradicating their heritage, similar to the destruction of Native American and other aboriginal societies by Western influence." you know thats a load of shit antigone.

Because, you behemoth, suffering all that painful hypothetical surgery would get you where? Ooh, now you can reach the shelf above your fridge without needing a chair, and now you can rest your chin on your partner's head when you slow dance. Some advantages. But why am I arguing? (Well, I just wanted to call someone a behemoth.) I think anything that can make the deaf hear/the blind see/the lame walk/etc is a good thing.

Sem, you say that if the deaf want to stay deaf, so be it; if they want to take advantage of technology to hear, so be it. Thats fine, but at what point do you think a deaf person should make that choice? When they have had the chance to grow up in the deaf culture, and develop as an individual, or when they are babies? The BIG issue surround CI's is that A LOT of hearing parents are having their deaf 2 year old children implanted. This is the crux of the controversy. If you are of the impression that deaf people are missing out on opportunities in their lives because they are deaf, you are wrong! Most of the deaf people that I know in SF (And I know many), are highly succesful. Len is a software engineer, and earns about twice what I earn. He wasn't hobbled by his experiences growing up deaf. He saw this technology developing over the past 20 years, and saw that recent advances had reached the point that he decided to get in. It's quite a different story when you are talking about a 2 year old child. Is it right to make this decision on behalf of a person that hasn't had the opportunity to make this choice on their own? Your statement that deaf culture is a "subculture" is incredibly demeaning. You obviously don't know deaf people, haven't experienced their culture, and aren't in a position to just write it off as if it were some sort of teenaged fad. ASL is incredibly expressive, and the deaf community is diverse and highly innovative. They have shown me what a TRULY close knit community is. Their culture is rich, colorful, and beautiful; They've fought tooth and nail to bend society to accept them, and to climb the societal ladder. The flaw in many people thinking is that a cochlear implant will make a deaf person a hearing person. WRONG. It is merely a tool to help gain acces to the world of sound. When they take off the microphone, they are as they were before the surgery. DEAF. When the batteries run out, they are as before, DEAF. The fear that exists within the deaf community is that implanting non-consensual children will result in an individual who sits in a nether world, residing in a gray area that is somewhere in between. 2 years ago, if you had asked me about this, I would have said "Better living through technology". I still feel largely the same, but with a caveat "let the individual decide on life altering technology, don't decide for them". If you think that deaf culture and community is a "load of shit", feel free to hold your head high while you walk through life with blinders on, and pray to god that you're children aren't born deaf.

no one said the deaf community and culture is a "load of shit". only that antigone's comparison, the destruction of Native American culture, was a load of shit. i think the crux of the matter, as you say christopher, inserting the implant into deaf children....is really up to the parents and none of the deaf communities business. What about braces and other dental proceedures? Sure much of it is cosmetic, but some of it isnt. Circumcision falls into this category as well. Hell, should we let a child who needs glasses go until he or she is 18 and they can decide for themselves if they need glasses? My mommade the decision for me to be fitted with glasses when i was a child because i was having problems seeing the board in class and getting frequent headaches because i was straining my eyes. Would the blind community argue that is wrong? Im not sure anyone was saying the deaf are missing opportunities or being denied access to being successful individuals in our society, but the deaf are missing out on many of the pleasures the rest of us enjoy and if you have a chance to bring one of your 5th senses closer to normal i can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want it, assuming its a safe proceedure. Also, considering the implant can be removed at the patients discresion, im failing to see what all the hubbub is about.

"...i can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want it..." Yes, you can't imagine. That says quite a bit right there. Too bad there isn't a prosthetic for that. Yet. Will you get in line for one when it's invented, patrick?

"Because, you behemoth, suffering all that painful hypothetical surgery would get you where?" Why, Rhiannon, it would make you a better person, more like me, more like the rest of us tall people. Because we all know that people like us are better people. For goodness sake, why wouldn't you want to be tall, male, muscular, and good looking in this society? I mean, really. Be He, Moth.

antigone you're not even making any sense.

actually antigone, you find me one blind man, one deaf man, who would rather stay that way (not out of financial or lack of medical availability either) and i'll conceed your bullshit. and something else just popped in my mind...is deaf subculture exclusive? sure the attribute that may bring them together is but if one grew up in the hearing impaired subculture had the implant, are you saying christopher, antigone, they would all of sudden be excluded? all ties would be severed, the connection would be lost?

I can introduce you to at least 10 deaf people that wouldn't choose the CI, and doubtlessly, I would be able to find thousands more. I can also introduce you to a handful that would turn their backs on those deaf folks who would choose to get implanted.for the most part, the people that know Len and I have been supportive, but you will always find closed minded, narrow visioned people in any culture. You are presupposing that deaf and blind people exist in a constant state of lack, or suffering. Thats preposterous. One might also conjecture, following your logic, that a person who has suffered damage to their body may as well turn themselves in for extermination, as they would no longer be able to waltz through life "whole". Your reasoning is based on nothing more than your own bias toward your own feelings about LOSING a sense. Do you know any deaf or blind people? Your continued use of the word "subculture" says alot about you.

patty comes from the you're not even making any sense subculture. i've seen it twice now when the people refered to were making perfect sense. so much for subculture.

Patrick, you need to understand that the CI doesn't instantly give people hearing. In fact, for years they may just get the equivalent of static. And you also need to comprehend that for a deaf person, silence isn't the enemy. My sister-in-law is deaf and has opted not to have a CI, even though it may mean being able to hear her children speak. Among her reasons is the acceptance of her deafness as a defining part of her personality. That's her choice. You would need to spend 30 years inside the peacefulness of her world before you can understand her unwillingness to part with it.

p.s. Christopher, your post earlier about the issue of implants in small children is really bloody insightful. My sis feels exactly the same way as you do. Don't worry about Patrick, he loves to thrash about in the waters of his own ignorance. Eventually he'll have to come up for air.

"you need to understand that the CI doesn't instantly give people hearing" cat this was made clear earlier, in one of chris's posts. i've understood this perfectly. "You are presupposing that deaf and blind people exist in a constant state of lack, or suffering" not at all christopher. the fact remains they are without one of the 5 senses. it is indeed preposterous but not of my opinion. I am fascinated what the human mind and body can do when one loses sight and/or hearing. i don't mean anything negative by the term "subculture" christopher. its not a negative word to me. it just means something outside the mainstream. people who are blind and deaf, are outside the mainstream, are they not? you seem to imply they are. i believe, people, i ultimately supported a persons CHOICE....in one of my first posts of this, i said it should be somone's choice, and i found the fact that "a handful that would turn their backs on those deaf folks who would choose to get implanted". I'm also surprised anyone wouldn't opt to look into the medical measures to correct this. Personally i'd be so damn curious. Whatever, why am I draqwn into this? I could careless if a blind man chooses not to see. I find it ridiculous one blind man would turn on his blind best friend because he chose to see. Christopher, cat whomever else, read my "3:29" post and tell me exactly where this insensitivy or ignornace is? I still think antigone's comparison to the destruction of a whole race completely over the top. anf fuck off cat. seriously. ok? ok? just fuck the hell off.

one other thing cat before i invite you to go fuck yourself again... do you have any idea whats its like to....say, make a lemon cake, you follow the instructions verbatum and even add some of your own touches, and every god damn time, it taste like shit? bear with me im speaking "met-aphor-ic-ally". Over and over and over and over, your dinner guests tell you it tastes nothing like lemon, in fact its somewhat revolting, and for the life of you, you cannot possibly figure out HOW and WHY, you do everything you're supposed to do and more and it N E V E R comes out right? You don't ever intend for it to taste like ass cake, but it just does? have you ever in your life experienced such ridiculous and repeat frustration, disapointment and hurt? I don't know enough about you to make such an insult. I suppose i spread my legs wide on this board, simply because im a social, needy person. Regardless, everytime someone says im "ignorant", im an "idiot" thats exactly how i feel. how the fuck I'm drawn into this and drew such a fucking insult is beyond me. Nate you can bite me too, ok? The other post you reference nate, salty completely misread my post, entirely. maybe im the fool and someone like you or antigone is playing the role of salty and is getting your hard earned rocks off on such. whatever. Isn't my inability to understand why someone wouldn't choose to hear, say Miles Davis or your lover's "sigh"s, when they've been deprived all their life....isn't that just the same as someone who chooses not to obtain the ability to hear because of the wonderful peace, as you say cat, they've enjoyed in deafness? I don't know what its like to be deaf, anymore than they know what its like to hear.

I come from the "people who don't try to understand other's points of view are total fucknuts" subculture.

"how the fuck I'm drawn into this and drew such a fucking insult is beyond me" Maybe it's because, while most others on this thread are presenting arguments and debate, you're saying "this is utter bullshit!" Of course, I could be wrong. "Isn't my inability to understand ...[snip]... just the same as someone who chooses not to obtain the ability to hear..." Potentially, yes, but not necessarily. Someone choosing not to hear may be doing it from a lack of understanding, but that doesn't have to be the case. Maybe they feel like they'd be losing something essential if they gained the ability to hear. Maybe they don't wan Regardless, assuming that others make decisions for the same reasons you do, or think the same way you do, is usually wrong from the start. Other people hardly ever think like you do. That's why you have to ask questions, watch with an open heart and mind, and try to refrain from saying "this is utter bullshit!"

Ah, I should finish my fucking paragraphs! Excuse my utter bullshit. :P

All cultures are based largely on one thing: Language. As the deaf communicate using a means that meets ALL technical qualifications of a language, namely ASL, They do indeed meet the criteria for claiming their own culture. ASL is recognized as its own language, and is not semaphore english, as many hearing people misunderstand. To call them a "subculture" is actually degrading, but I don't think thats what you meant. Your initial points about your parents getting you glasses when you were young, is skewed, because there is no alternative to sight. there is however a fully functional alternative to hearing. take it how you will. My feeling is choose for yourself. I feel that children under the age of 5 or so, should be taught ASL, and be offered the option of implantation afterwards. This ensures the child is able to learn an effective means of communication, without the hindrance of possible "technical" problems, and will offer them PLENTY of time to pattern their brains for speech. Any deaf adult who chooses to go this route, I applaud, because I think they are brave pioneers, willing to augment their bodies to experience more of the world. Those who choose not to go this route, shouldn't be looked down on, because they are secure in their relationship to the world. I completely understand both sides.

"have you ever in your life experienced such ridiculous and repeat frustration, disapointment and hurt? " have you ever considered learning from your experiences instead of repeating them? if you're having trouble communicating, maybe it's you that has the problem. maybe you're not very good at communicating. maybe it's not everyone else's fault. you can develop better communications skills if you work at it. or you can pretend that everyone's out to hurt your feelings. personally, i don't give a shit.

Hello, I'm an Ellen Jamesian. Do you know what an Ellen Jamesian is?

in the world according to nate, you're a fucking retard.

Them 3 cents there is worth a fuckload, d00d.

An Ellen Jamesian is, apart from a Garp reference, now also an inane internet meme.

This is Ellen. Quit using my name goddamit or I'll yank your goddam unicycle and fucking bear right out from under your 158 pound lesbian ass, you two timing sick sonafbith. I lisp a little with my new tongue.

Patrick, it's weird you say stuff like: "id say what isn't moot is salty's idiocy", and contantly call "bullshit" and "a load of shit" on other's posts. But someone calls you ignorant and you throw a warp 7 hissy fit. You've shown a distinct lack of logic on this thread, even when someone like Christopher is presenting you with facts from personal experience. It's bloody ironic that you're busy proclaiming deaf people should want to hear, while refusing to listen yourself. I'm tired of your overly sensitive behaviour and unimpressed with your whining. You wanna debate with the big kids? Then get off the short fucking bus. I was going to temper this post with some positive crap about how I'm sure you have lots to offer etc etc, but I'm too busy fucking myself.

Oh, and one comment on the "My .02" post: "I feel that children under the age of 5 or so, should be taught ASL, and be offered the option of implantation afterwards." This would probably deprive the implantee the opportunity to completely adapt to the CI. During brain development there are several "critical periods" during which the nervous system adapts itself to process basic sensory stimuli. The auditory critical period is from 0-2 years of age, so delaying use of a CI until age 5 would make it far less effective...

I dont know a thing about CIs and the surrounding controversy other than what's on this thread. That said, I think that it totally makes sense that the deaf community is against them, for previously stated reasons (namely the destruction of a culture). I also think that, while you can call it close-minded of certain people on the board to be unable to understand this, it may be equally close-minded of the deaf community to be running from the new technological improvements. Maybe this hasn't been said out of pity for the death community. But why pity them? They have a flourishing culture and everything else to make them human, yet we are talking about them like invalids who dont deserve criticism. I'm not saying that it is right or wrong for them to shy away from CIs (and the only reason my language implies it is wrong is that i do want to bring that up as an option). I just think that y'all are being a bit harsh on patrick for close-mindedness, when thats just human. Maybe i'm just a kid too, like you accuse Patrick of being, but i hope you'll at least listen and try to understand what i'm saying.

death community? faux pas!

cat your sense of superiority was amusing at first, now its annoying. you rarely post anything but a bitch. Though you'd never cop to it, it appears its a mask for someone who is very very very lonley and for that i'm sorry. yes, i may not be able to take what i've dished out at times. there, how's that for your sense of superiority. i admit it. does that rub your cooch the right way? i considered you a friend, but your post was not of someone who shares the same respect. i wouldn't consider calling nate, agatha,sem, spider or dave..for example..."idiots" or "ignorant", despite their opinions. i consider them friends, and while I might call a POV of theirs "bullshit" "idiotic" I would never call them ignorant. Salty, as far as I'm concerned was a stranger. I don't always bother seeing if its someone else under another name. My respect is earned not given out. No one is whining, Thats usually your job. I just took your comment quite personally, from someone i used to consider a friend. last and finally about this point. I think i've paid christopher all the respect due. I'll repeat...my use of "subculture" was never intended as a negative. By definition, its not a negative word. The only illogic or dismay i've expressed is a disbelief that deaf would actually turn their backs on technology and on someone who took advantage of such technology. I've never said anything to the converse that its a personal choice to have such a proceedure and all are free to make it. I'm entirely capable of understanding his points, and i've read all of them entirely. You seem to think I don't understand things I understand clearly. Articulation is a problem for me, and you know, i have all kinds of self-hate, guilt and issues with that. Thats fine, thats my problem and I hold no one responsible for. People I consider my friends don't rub my nose in it however. I've taken forms of verbal abuse from people close to me all my life and yes, they paid a dear price for it. Its not just a matter of having my opinions or POVs called down, thats fine. But you know, to insult my entire character for it, you're an asshole. A lonely lonely bitter, asshole cat. Debating with the big kids doens't include calling an entire being "ignorant". thats actually debating with the little kids. Since I've come around here, i've never ever questioned my being, my existance, my worth as much. There's a love/hate aspect to that. At the same time, I wonder why I waste any fucking time at all on this ridiculous little clic. Rant on, drop more lines to stroke your ridiculous sense of superiority cat, reduce me to rubble if you like it doesnt much matter now.

i just wanted you all to notice that i 'rarely post anything but a bitch'

don't get me started.

People who don't want to get started are ignorant. Fucking non-starters are pulling society apart and ruining the very fabric of our civilisation.

shall i laugh with you, or laugh at you?

Hey, just in case anyone wants to know, Len is doing OK. His head is swollen on the left side, to the point that his ear sticks out at an odd angle, and the anesthesia from surgery screwed around with his ability to pee for a few days, but that has thankfully passed. He stopped taking the heavy duty pain killers, and is now on tylenol. He gets dizzy occasionally, but that is normal, and will wear off as he heals. He can't go to work yet, and is working from home. He goes back to UCSF on the 31st, so the doctor can make sure that he's healing properly. I showed him this thread, and he laughed. I asked him what he thinks, and he told me it wasn't his problem. I asked what his thoughts were about implanting kids, and he brought up a good point. He said he's be afraid to place a CI into a kid, because their heads haven't stopped growing. ANYWAY...I don't want to get into this whole argument, about right or wrong, implant, or don't, because it isn't my problem, and besides, I really don't like children anyway. Nasty little fuckers. stealing all of my oxygen. Like trees. I don't like them either.

Nate - Laugh for me. Christopher - Good to hear (heh) he's doing OK. When does he get to turn it on? I hope you'll keep us updated on his progress.

trees don't steal oxygen, dumbass. no, fire is the oxygen thief. you got a problem with fire, chief?

butt out, bitch.

No dave, but you seem to be a waste of oxygen. Have you considered self-immolation? I hear that it works.

There are few things Dave would enjoy more than a good old-fashioned self-immolation. He'd probably even provide the marshmellows. fuck up, fucktard

oxygen is boring. i'm all about methane. run a spellchecker on that, dear.

ARGHHHH.

I'll run my speelchecker over your dead bloody lifeless ass. Have you ever tried to make an ass cake? Do you know how hard it is to get fresh shit around here?

i have an ass cake with creamy puddin' in the mix. all you can eat. bring your own utensils.

Good grief! Only the deaf culture leaders who fear loosing their power or exclusivity care about the fall of their culture. For the others it surely must be a more personal issue. Do they run the risks of surgery? Do they really want to hear? etc. etc. For the children these are decissions better left to their parents and their doctors. A "culture's" survival has nothing to do with this. And, should have nothing to do with this. It is an issue to be handled on an individual basis.

Who are you people?

Christopher....what are some of the first things Len has said he'd like to listen to at first? Maybe a particular piece of music? Maybe you'll go down to Golden Gate? Or maybe he just wants to hear you say hello? Im finding the possibilites of such a revelation romantic and exciting. dave is there any chance you can make a post without referencing your ass? My dreams appear to be quite impressionable these days, and I fear somehow, your pudding reference will end up in my dreams motherfucker.

from now on i'm going to call my spellchecker my spielchecker. and i mean this as a minutemen/mike watt meme.

I read something funny the other night: "Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics...even if you win, you're still a retard".

1)Waterfalls 2)Birds 3)The cats pay attention patty

ohhh yeah, lookie there.

definately take him to the ocean, and make him get up early and hear birds. and mozart. and carmina burana. in my humble opinion.

Len had his CI activated on Feb 21st. His Mom flew in from PA, and we all went over to UCSF that morning. His audiologist was ready for us when we got there. She had 2 silver boxes; one fairly large, the other fairly small. It was all the external goodies, including a behind-the-ear model that looks like a standard hearing aid, with a short cable and round microphone attached to it. His external processor was already hooked up to the computer; all that needed to be done was to attach the microphone behind his ear (it attaches magnetically to the receiver that is under the skin. The receiver is anchored into his skull, and a fine wire is run from that into his cochlea where the CI is installed). The audiologist put the microphone on, and Len started giggling. He looked really happy and excited. She told us that She was going to send a series of tones to the electrodes that are positioned inside the CI. I didn't think that Len could look any happier, but when she started this test, he just lit up like a christmas tree. It was pretty wild. This part of the test lasted a couple of minutes, and then it was time to turn it all on at once. Immediately, I could tell that he was hearing things, but his brain was interpreting it as feeling. He said it felt like it was coming from his chest. The audiologist told us that for profoundly deaf folks, this was pretty common. Their brain doesn't know what it is, so it trys to figure it out as best as possible. To see if he was hearing, She put a screen over her mouth and just started saying things like the months, and days of the week; meanwhile she was making adjustments until he was able to discern her voice. He complained that it was very loud and noisy. When she stopped talking, he said he still heard noise. We realized after a couple of minutes that he was hearing the fan that was up in the ceiling! The next part was to set comfort levels. His lower tones were set about mid level, but his higher tones had to be turned very low. His hearing nerve was doing things it had never done before, and he was already starting to get a headache (very common for the first few days). The whole tuning session took almost 3 hours, as the audiologist had to set levels for each of the 8 pairs of electrodes. That was it for day 1, but we had a second session scheduled for the next day. He was sent home with 3 different sound programs in the processor, and his audiologist asked him to try each of them for a few hours. I'm working right now, so I will continue this later, and let everyone know what his first few days were like.

damn, that's so cool. i'm really excited for him.

Artificial electrical stimulation developing new neural pathways... Programming your own auditory hallucinations... Having your own built in multi channel equalizer... Uber c00l!

Very much so. This is really interesting. It will be cool to see how this progresses.

i'll be interested in the progress of this, too. i've talked about this with other handicapped people - beyond all the nifty hardware, he's going through a change in his sense of physical reality. you hear a lot about people getting in touch with their bodies through yoga or whatever, but it's nothing compared to this. this'll be one the most alive times of his life.

Here's some more info... The first day of his activation, all the high frequency sounds were tuned really low, because Len was extra sensitive to these sounds. Not surprising since he has never heard them. He told me that speech sounded like hammering...a monosyllabic "bap bap bap". He could not differentiate between my voice or his mothers, but knew that someone was talking. He had three programs to test out: SAS(all the electrodes are activated at the same time),CIS ( Continuous Interleaved Sampler A train of pulses is delivered to electrodes in a non-overlapping way. It stimulates one channel at a time.), and PPS (Paired Pulsatile Sampler stimulates two channels at a time). The first one that he tried out was CIS, and he seemed to have the best results with this. PPS seemed largely the same, but SAS was overwhelmingly awful for some reason. He may need to work up to this strategy, or it may not be what works for him. Time will tell. It was pretty primitive the first day, and everything was just weird. He got tired really early, and went to bed. The audiologist told us to expect this for the first 3 days or so. Day 2, he went back to UCSF with his Mom, but I had to work. I really wish I had been there, because when I got home from work, he was able to hear A LOT more than the day before. They had amped up the high end levels, and adjusted everything again. He can now hear the number of syllables in each word, discern ALL of the vowel sounds, and hear the difference between SH - CH and TH sounds. He could hear the cats much more now (I picked up the Poomster and squeeeeeezed her until she made a nice variety of squeeking sounds). He was able to hear the cats water fountain, and the sound of the microwave oven. He didn't hear the beep at the end, but he knew when it was finished. Again, it was an exhausting day, and he hit the sack pretty early. Yesterday, we went to Carmel, and we stopped by the ocean. He was really happy to be able to hear it, but that wasn't the high point of his day. That happened when we were leaving one of those high priced antique shops in town. there were a bunch of bells tied to the door, and when he swung it open they all started ringing. He stood there, swinging the door back and forth, and started laughing. The shop keeper probably thought he was nuts. He wants to get some wind chimes for our backyard, so we'll proabably do that this week. Today he went back to work for the first time, so I'm sure he'll have a story or two when he gets home. I'm amazed at how much progress he is already making. He will use the current set of programs for a month, and then will return to UCSF for further programming. It is estimated that within 3 months, a new programming strategy will be available. This is currently in FDA trials, and will utilize all 16 electrodes independantly. It is over 600 times more powerful than any of the current sound strategies, and will deliver an incredibly high definition sound quality. Currently the programs that he is using deliver about 14000 stimulations a second. The new strategy delivers in excess of 80,000. The cochlear implant itself is capable of delivering 10 MILLION stimulations per second, so we are at the begining of an incredible revolution in this technology. The advanced programming strategies are only just begining to take advantage of the hardwares capability. It's an exciting time, and a lot of work lies ahead. He will be working with a speech therapist to help him learn to listen and understand speech. Since he is already highly verbal (or oral, but I think that sounds soooo dirty), he should make strides fairly quickly with the help of a therapist. So far, the only "Down Side" was that the microphone kept falling off because his hair is still so short over the incision, that the bristles push the mic away from his skin. We fixed that with some double sided photo tape! I kid you not...

In a world full of real crap and nastyiness, governments screwing the people hand in hand with the corporations, it's stuff like this that remind you what it's all about. I will say right now that I'm really looking forward to your partner's encounters with music, Christopher. I think I recall reading once that some deaf folks are really into bass- heavy music because they can feel the rhthym through the vibrations. Beethoven was a favorite, I think.

This is an inspiring update!Its sounds [heh heh] like he's really doing well with it.Please,please keep us posted!

Thanks for the kind words, folks. The CI is almost like sensory overload, and although Len is hearing stuff, he doesn't know how to interpret it.It's a little frustrating for him, but he understands that he is going to have to be patient, and work toward this. He will be seeing a therapist starting next week, so hopefully soon, he will be able to start sorting it out. In the meantime, we had an odd introduction to music. Since I have literally thousands of MP3's, I didn't know what to start with. I settled on Beethoven for obvious reasons, and he didn't seem to care for it. He told me that he didn't understand what they were saying. It's a bitch trying to describe to someone how to LISTEN to music!! I moved off the Beethoven, and tried some Philip Glass. Too subtle. I tried some cocaine fueled Jazz from the 20's, and had to shut that off pretty quickly. I found myself in the "L" section of my library, and thought I'd try Lene Lovich, very interesting post-goth poppy type stuff. He really enjoyed it! The rythm was what got him. I played a few more by Lene, same results. I tried out some other bands from the 80's, like The Specials, and he seemed to like them too. I've discovered that Len really seems to dig early 80's post punk. I realize that I have the power to shape his musical taste for the rest of his life, so I am keeping him out of the Dead Kennedy's section. We went to the bookstore tonight, where we bought one of these baby book and audio tape packs. They're great. You get teletubbies repeating the same word over and over. Frightening to you and I perhaps, but its supposed to be really good for language introduction. We will see... Well, its been a week. So far things are good. Its now that I see the monumental amount of work that is coming. Yikes.