Spring Sprint

Saturday, May 28, 2011

End off May

Saturday night and we are home relaxing and I thought that maybe I better get caught up on my Blog ................... life is good I am really glad to say ... it has been 6 months now since I had my implant turned on and I have come so far in that time frame --- every week I hear more and more and I also learn what situations I just cannot hear in and also that some people I just cannot understand but I am learning that .....
The other night a friend was here for dinner and after we were all doing the dishes -- we do not  have a dish washer so Rhonda was washing and Jan and I were drying and all of a sudden I said what is that  noise and they both looked at me --- the water was draining out of the sink and it was the first time that I hear it ,,,, I laughed so loud at that ...
Then on Friday morning I was outside doing some work and I hear this noise , a new sound and I have no idea what it is --I know it is a motor but nothing out on the street then I look in the back yard which backs onto a soccer field and a worker was out there with his gas powered whipper snipper .......
Thursday night I went bass fishing with two of my buddies and all of a sudden I hear this squawking sound and  I look up and there is a sea gull flying overhead and again I laughed out loud .....
That is how my life is going and I am so enjoying it and thank the good lord every night that I am so lucky , Friday night we did go to a local pub to hear the band that was playing --it is always a very noisy place --- I might as well have been deaf because  I could not understand any of it because of all the noise -- I still enjoyed my self but no hearing in that situation ...... lots of speech reading to communicate there . 
Ok , I am going to say good night ... sure hope all that read  this have an enjoyable weekend and  will blog again soon ......... Chris  

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sunday Night ...

WELL  I am sitting here with my MP3 player hooked up and Charlie A'Court playing --- Heartaches of a Fool -- which was taped Live at the Marigold ---- I am just loven it --- the guitar is awesome --- words are not all clear but that is ok -- music is awesome ----- so another busy week in the Fry household but the weekend  was the best hearing wise both positive and negative ....
Friday night there was a fund raiser at Rhonda's school for Harvest House in Windsor ---it is a place that helps the homeless with meals ---- very worthwhile cause and the young lady that organized it all was in grade 10 and is  15 years old ,,,she did an excellent job ... there were 4 sets and first Caitlin spoke as she organized the event and I could understand more than 50% of what she said ,,, that was neat ..the first entertainer was Peter Gibson , he played the guitar, the mouth organ and he sang ....the Guitar I got , the mouth organ only that their was a new sound not what it was but because I could  see him I knew and his singing was not clear .... next was Merle Jacklyn and he played the guitar and it was awesome -- he sang and most songs I could not get but  when he sang Folsom Prison --- I was rocking hahhahhah ,,,  the next two acts were the same .... I left feeling really good and enjoyed it completely ....
Saturday was the Walk for Spring Sprint and I was fired up -- I reached my goal for fundraising .....I was not completely organized to go and so rushed at the end and guess what ---- half  way to Halifax realize I forgot my spare batteries for the CI ----dam , no time to go back so on we went and we got registered and the opening talks and 1/2 way thru my batteries die..... I am not happy -- we did the walk and family bbq at my niece place all as a deaf man .....taught me a good lesson but Did I not say that a week ago when I forgot my batteries ----- I really need to try harder to remember ...
Ok we get home and get hooked back up and so weird --everything for first hour sounded very different almost like I was in a cave and all echoes --- Rhonda said I had 5 hours no sound to my brain and then noise so another adjustment ... very interesting ......
Today we went to church in Hantsport because our parish priest had returned after a break ---- now it is a single room place and lots of echoes --- when father Mike spoke I could get maybe 50% of what he said --- when the lady that was doing the reading spoke I got maybe 5 % --interesting again as it all depends on voice sounds --the singing was all a blur,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
okay ..that is my update -- I am playing the volume control a lot and it makes difference
Have a great week ............................... Chris

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

May 10/2011

Another wet day but we cannot complain really -- we are safe and our homes and families are safe while so many people are not so lucky so no complaints about the weather BUT Singing -- 
 " Rain, Rain go Away !!!" that is allowed .......LOL ....
On Tuesday I volunteer at the hospital in the computer site -- most times I do not do a lot but the site is open from 10 - 2 and they need a person in charge ... some days I do help some people ..last Tuesday I had rushed to get here for 10 am and after 2 pm I went upstairs to visit a friend. I was with him about 10 minutes when my CI shut down as battery was dead so I said just a minute and dug in my pocket and no battery --- 1st time since Dec 8th that I did not have the batteries in my pocket so I said I gotta go .....Home I went --it is about a 10 minute drive -- it was so weird to not hear any sounds at all .... I did not like that and was so happy as soon as the CI was activated again .... +
That night we , Rhonda and I were watching TV and I really wanted to try to hear it so I had the volume on the CI cranked way way up -- I could hear TV --not understand all but a little then they said something funny and Rhonda laughed out loud !!!!! Oh Man --it was like a mega phone was in my ear --- it hurt hahhahha ... I turn it down when we are in the room together but when I am alone I crank the sound on TV to 30 and turn up CI --- yup it is loud but it helps me --- again I am sure that as time goes on this will get better .....
On the weekend Rhonda and I looked after Lara (1+) and Aidan (3+) ... we had so much fun and kids were great but when Lara screamed it was pretty loud as I had the CI turned up so I could hear the kids --- Aidan talks very softly but he did repeat a lot for me and we were able to figure out what he wanted so again much better than last time with kids ...
I am adjusting the volume for different situations and I am seeing changes every week .....
Wind in the CI is almost deafening some times and I found wearing a stocking cap over CI makes a big difference in the wind -- not sure how that will look mid July on Queensland beach but  we will see  LOL .....
ok just wanted to add my up date -- have a great day and just enjoy the liquid sunshine ----- Chris  

Sunday, May 1, 2011

May 1st

hello Blog ........... no I did not forget you and yes I know it has been two weeks but other things were in high priority so just getting to my blog now .... things are really good in the hearing department -- yesterday  Rhonda asked me if my hearing had leveled off and I said no , not really ... especially with people's voices . I am getting to have fewer people that I cannot understand on a one to one . So that is a very big positive step for me   Over easter weekend we saw all the grand kids at different times and I was able to know when each of them talked -- could not understand them completely but did know they were talking which is awesome for me .. I know that as time goes on the kids and I will work it all out ... that is great ...
last Sunday Rhonda's sister had a major heart attack so we spent best part of the week at various hospitals . The good news is that she is home . Has been patched up and hopefully will be fine for a long time but it was a scary few days . We were with a lot of family all week and for me the one on ones were great but groups I did not get a lot so Rhonda as usual helped me out . What a partner !!
Thursday I was coming out of the hospital and all of a sudden the noise I was hearing was so so loud --what is that ---- Oh man I was scared it was so loud and I had no idea -- I looked up and a helicopter was landing on the roof of hospital --- I laughed at that one but it also showed me how my brain has still many sounds to learn . Background noises are very loud --like the wheels on the carts in grocery stores .... stop smiling ..they make a racket !!!! I am finding in some situations I need to turn the volume down because the sounds are so loud it hurts my ear . The other night I wanted to hear this TV show . I was watching it with Rhonda so I cranked the CI full blast --- I was hearing the tv but all of a sudden Rhonda laughed and |I grabbed my head --- it was like she had a mega phone right in my ear ..... I turned the CI back down -- LOL ....
Today I went fishing out at the beach with my buddy Paul and it was dam cold !!! and wind was up a lot -- I had a stocking cap on over the CI to help break the wind and it worked quite well . When the big waves were coming in I could get a roar in my ear from the water -- that was worth freezing my butt off for !!
Okay -- have a good week to all and I hope to blog again next weekend ...
Happy May !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!