Six months onwards

It's been ages since I last put something in my blog. Anyway I went for my 6th month assessment on 21st May (3 days after I did the 10km walk for the Ear Trust).

I was expecting to have some hearing tests but it wasn't today so they increased more volume in the speech processor as I could tell it was getting quiet. I was told that it would be at my 9th monthly assessment where I would have hearing tests!

Saw the speech and language therapist and congratulated her on the 10km run as she took part in it (her second time!) and we just talked and listened to what she had to say and I had to answer it. No problem there.

I haven't learnt any new sounds but am still struggling to hear what the children has to say... oh... I've now got a new job - I'm Assistant Lunchtime Supervisor at my youngest son's school. The children are lovely but when they talk, they don't look at me and it's hard but I'm learning to listen what they have to say.

Thanks for reading so far and will be in touch soon and won't leave it too long next time!

I did it!

On the Sunday 18th May, both Howard and I left home and travelled to Manchester by train from Dewsbury. I've never seen so many runners in my life and it was phenomenal. The atmosphere was absolutely wonderful. I met Chris Raine and other people from the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Services... couldn't miss them as we had big "e" on our t-shirts!

Come round 11am, we did the warm up and then we headed for the "START" and we began to shout the countdown 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 and Dennis Law blew the horn and off we went. I could hear so many bleeps at the start as everyone was wearing the microchip and it really bleeped so loud!

The first 1km was a KILLER as everyone was pushing around to take over the runners, I wasn't actually running as I am not a runner but a fast walker and it was hard work for the 1st kilometre! I just left Claire at 2km as I just wanted to get into my pace rather than fast walking and the weather was just dry and sunny not too hot (just perfect!)

Saw the 3km sign.... 7 more to go I thought... it was lovely to see the runners, walkers etc and the spectators etc on the way.... saw Manchester United grounds and thought I'm half way there - great that was super!

After going round outside the grounds and by the river (near Imperial War Museum), it was getting better because I saw the 6km sign and the 7km sign. I sent a text message to my husband to see where he was and his reply was "800m sign".... that's a long way to go I thought!

More metres and time flew by and I saw this sign "1km to go"!!! WOW I thought and then saw Howard at 800m and I walked a bit faster this time and saw the "400m sign" and then I made it to the end!

It took me 1 hour and 49 minutes to do 10km walk. I was so proud of it and so was Howard. I collected my medal and my t-shirt and headed for a local cafe and had something to eat.

At 1.30pm my mum phoned to see where I was but all we could say was "We're having lunch and Rachel's got the medal round her neck".. mum was very surprised to hear that I did it in 1 hour and 49 mins.

We walked around Manchester and then caught the train back to Dewsbury and I just couldn't walk any further once I got off the train but we got home and had a shower and I felt so fresh again and went to mum's to collect the boys.

I have now raised £550 for the Ear Trust which is fantastic. Thank you for supporting me.

On the 2nd June, my Guides (10th Mirfield) did lots of quizzes and raised £110 for the Ear Trust so that's £660 so far!

THANK YOU for helping me to raise money for the Ear Trust.

Countdown to 10km run

Hi folks, I've been walking most days in the last 2 weeks and am getting better with the timing - aiming to complete the 10km walk in under 2½ hours but could try and do it in 2 hours if possible pending on how busy the run/walk is in Manchester!

I got my race pack at the weekend so my number is 30260 and I'm in the Pink Wave which means that my run is schedule to start at 11.15am on 18th May. I will be wearing the "Ear Trust" t-shirt given by the Trust as I am raising money for them.

I'm looking forward to take part in this 10km run.

Thanks for reading... will post more later.

By the way, my 6th monthly assessment is on 21st May - where have those 6 months gone? It's still great.... loving the new sounds........... but wish the birds would stop tweeting!

3rd Monthly Assessment (February 2008)

Returned to YCIS today after 2 months because I could not attend my 2nd monthly assessment due to flu!

Anyway, saw Salim the audiologist and we had several tests:

Lipreading with Listening scored 99%
Without Lipreading but listening scored 40% (it was hard - think Salim gave me some hard sentences this time!)

New tests that I hadn't done before:

Environmental Sounds scored 93%
Background noise and listening scored 23% - it was difficult with the whooshing sounds in the background and I was concentrating so hard to listen to the sentences
One word only - scored 0% again it was hard as it took a while to listen what that person was saying - very hard (even my mum said so!)

Hearing test levels are now between 25 and 40dB.

Then my frequencies in the electrode were turned up a little bit as I knew it was getting quiet so I'm now hearing better since I was turned up more.

Went to see Lynne the speech/language therapist - outdone her work again - it's easy for me and I could tell the difference between words that are almost sounded as the same.

My speech has really improved a lot in the last few weeks, I now have "dialect accent" which is superb as friends and families have noticed that my speech has improved even my own doctor!

So I don't have to go back to YCIS till end of May - wow! But still have lots of "homework" to practise listening without lipreading if possible and use the phone more. I am now using the phone twice a day to have a really good conversation with Howard who is really pleased with it as previously the conversation didn't really last long and now I'm forever chattering away on the phone. Just need to talk to a stranger on the phone now to try and understand what the person is saying rather than a person I know!

Please continue to support me to raise £2,000 for the Ear Trust - either email me or go to www.justgiving.com/rachelfishwick and sponsor me through that. I'm going to start my training soon when the weather is better and find somewhere that is flat!

Thank you for all your support and I'm so happy that I can hear better and wished I had it done years ago!

Fundraising is about to launch!

I have signed up to do the 10km run (walk) in Manchester on 18th May this year and I'm fundraising for the Ear Trust as some of you know that I had my Cochlear Implant last year and it's the best thing I've had - the hearing - much better and it's still improving. Now the birds won't shut up!

Anyway I have created a website on www.justgiving.com/rachelfishwick and I'm not being cheeky to you all but if you would like to donateto the Ear Trust then please feel free to do so. I still haven't decided how much to raise but hoping to do more than £2,000 for the centre which is being built as I had an email to say that the turf for the foundation has been dug up by the Lord Mayor who has an appeal for the Ear Trust this year.

Thank you.

Rachel

5 Weeks Later

Sorry this is late due to Christmas and New Year!

I returned back to YCIS on 19th December on my own as Howard was at work and my mum was working too!

First I saw the Speech Language Therapist and went through some few questions on how was I getting on with the Cochlear Implant since I was 'switched on' on 14th November. I told her that it was amazing as I had to tell her that I had been using the PHONE! So the Therapist (Lynne) asked me if I would like to practise doing some telephone conversations with her so I agreed.

The first conversation was about Christmas then holidays and booking a doctor's appointment. Lynne was amazed to see the outcome of my hearing as it's only been 5 weeks since the switch on and I could hear on the phone!

After an hour of doing some exercises, I then went to see the audiologist Elaine who tested my implant and to see if there were any more that needed to be turned up. But I had my decibels test first back in May 2007, my decibels for both ears with hearing aids was over 120db, with the implant on my left and no hearing aid on the right (have not worn right hearing aid since the switch on) the result was between 30 and 45 decibels!! That is a big improvement there!

We then went to another room to do some lipreading and listening to the TV, us people on the yahoo group have nicknamed him "Mr Truly Boring" and the staff found out about this! Anyway, first test was to lipread Mr Boring and listen to him at the same time, in September 2007 my result was 56% on my left ear and with the new implant, the result rose to 97%! After this, it was without Mr Boring so I had to concentrate on listening to what he was saying. In September the left ear was 6% and on the 19th December it was 44%. Again, I was really pleased with it and so was the Audiologist.

I now go back on the 30th January for my second monthly programme and hearing tests too - am looking forward to hear the new results. I have started to use the cable from my implant to any music from MP3, CD Players, Laptop to listen to any music and my son's DS for any speaking games on the More Brain Training which he got for Christmas!

Rachel's bold new world thanks to implant

Rachel Fishwick, who can now hear birds for the first time.

RUSTLING crisp packets, the clacking of high heels and dripping taps are sounds most of us take for granted.

But for Rachel Fishwick hearing these noises clearly for the first time marks the start of a new era. The 40-year-old is beginning to adjust to life with a cochlear implant.

When Rachel was two her mother, Ann Heptonstall, realised there was a problem with her daughter's development.

Ann had a friend with a child of a similar age. He was starting to talk, but Rachel was not. A test with a cup and spoon at a local clinic highlighted her hearing problems.

Ann, who lives in Wyke, said: "They were clanging the spoon on the cup and Rachel of course couldn't hear it. She was just looking around everywhere, totally oblivious."

Rachel was born deaf. The nerve endings which pick up sound are missing from her ears and throughout her life she has worn a variety of hearing aids from heavy body models to much lighter digital ones.

But last year, after she was diagnosed with tinnitus, the hearing aids stopped working properly.

She said: "It was terrible. I couldn't hear at all."

At the time Rachel was living in Belgium as her husband Howard, 43, who is in the RAF, was based there.

Her doctor said the only option left was a cochlear implant.

Rachel said: "I wasn't nervous about it whatsoever. I was looking forward to it. I was very calm because I wanted it so much. It's going to make a bigger difference than my hearing aids did."

Rachel had the internal part of the implant fitted on October 18. Last Wednesday she returned to Bradford Royal Infirmary for the 'switch-on' - the connection of an external sound processing unit.

She said: "One of the first things I heard was tapping on the keyboard when I was typing.

"At first everyone's voices sounded like robots, but I've started to hear the difference between male and female voices now.

"I'm just beginning to hear the television now and can follow what's happening."

Rachel has also noticed high heels clacking on the pavement, crisp packets rustling and clocks ticking.

She is on a 10 year programme to help her adapt to the implant and uses a BBC website to get used to different voices.

She will visit her specialist less and less often over the decade, but regular check-ups mean the processor can be adjusted as required.

Rachel, of Millstone Rise, Norristhorpe, said she is looking forward to talking to her friends on the telephone, hearing her children - Conor, 11, and James, seven - shouting and getting a job in administration.

But she has never let her hearing problems hold her back. She is a keen canoeist and diver and has travelled the world, including a solo visit to Australia.

She is also a leader at 10th Mirfield Guides and in 1987 met the Queen to receive the Queen Scout Award.

The mother-of-two said: "The main problem I have is with group conversations. If there are more than four people I don't know where to look. It can be quite difficult."

The biggest concern Rachel had after her operation was about the implant setting off security scanners in shops and airports, but she carries a card which explains her situation.

She said: "I'm not allowed on rollercoasters either. This summer we went to two theme parks and I told the boys to make the most of it because I won't be able to ride them next year. "

"I'm also not allowed to play rugby - which I didn't anyway!" She added: "The implant is working, I know that. It's great, I am starting to hear without having to lip read and I'm really confident with it. It's still early days, but it's opening up things for me."

Next year Rachel and her guides will be raising money towards extending the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Centre at BRI.

Extracted from Spenborough Guardian, Friday 23rd November 2007