10 years on

I was looking for something on Google tonight and by accident I had typed something in the search box and this blog came up.  So I had a look and cannot believe it was years ago since I last updated this blog.

Anyway so what has happened in the last 10 years since I was switched on in November 2008?  

I've had numerous (lost count) of how many visits to the YCIS to chase the upgrade of the cochlear implant as was supposed to be upgraded after five years but that didn't work because they had a backlog of patients on the waiting list so I had to wait a bit longer.

I still continued Guiding in Mirfield doing Rainbows and Guides and worked at Norrishthorpe J&I School as a lunchtime supervisor.  I have once again travelled to Australia on my own to see family in Melbourne for a month whilst Howard and the boys (James and Conor) attended the World Scout Jamboree in Japan.

Still the hearing wasn't that good as I kept going back after my best friend Carole kept saying to me............. isn't it time for you to be re-tuned?  LOL!

Years and years later till sometime in May 2017 when I took my husband as I was getting frustrated with my hearing whether it was the cochlear implant or the hearing aid on the right side so YCIS looked up on my record and said "you should have gone on the upgrade list".. I knew it but nothing had been done!  Anyway they wrote back saying "it all depends on the funding from your area"... I thought ....... that's going to take a while!

Come round September, I had a letter from YCIS asking me to attend an appointment - didn't think of anymore until about 2 or 3 weeks later I received another letter saying "which colour would you like?".  I hadn't got the clue and why would I know about it... so hunted for the other letter... whoops, I had actually got a date for the next upgrade!

Quickly asked people on Facebook to find out what colour would I like as there was so many colours to choose from!

Tuesday 7th November.  

My husband and I travelled to YCIS and was seen by the Clinical Scientists (Audiology) and there was a huge bag waiting for me with my name on it!  

After a few tests with the new model Medel - Sonnet and switched on again and it was wonderful.  Much much better than Medel Opus 2 (2008 model!).  So it was unbelievable as I could hear properly again.  Went to see the Technican who went through so many items that connects to the new cochlear implant........... wait for it... BLUETOOTH!

Came home and tried the bluetooth and it was amazing as I spoke to my brother who really hadn't heard from me on the phone for years and I had a message from his fiancee saying that he's in tears because he was surprised to hear from me.

Later that evening I thought I'll have a play more with the bluetooth and skyped my best friend Carole who was on holiday in Lanzarote and we spent nearly an hour talking and it was amazing as the conversation was so clear.

This implant also comes with waterproof cover so I tried this in the hot tub but sadly the battery didn't last long 😢 so I ignored using the cochlear implant whilst in the hot tub - we think it was because the temperature outside was under 4 degrees whilst in the tub and may have caused condensation in the cover.

To date - March 2018, the cochlear implant is still going strong and am now on rechargeable battery - which is so expensive as we tried to see if we could buy some privately.... £144 for one small rechargeable battery!!!!

And also I've now got a new job (thanks to Clare) - working in the Doctors Surgery as an Administrative Assistant and loving it.  

Will keep this blog up to date!

More News

On Saturday 25th October, I received a telephone call from my County Commissioner, Kath for West Yorkshire South County. Kath had just got back from her Executive Meeting at North East England Region (York) and said that I had been nominated and got elected to represent the Region on the CHQ Council (GirlguidingUK) as from May 2009.

I was stunned to hear that as I was thinking oh there'll be loads of people who will be nominated from the Region as our Region covers Northumberland, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Cleveland etc and was amazed that the Exec chose me!

So I'll be a great ambassador for the County and the Region when I start my new role next August 2009.

It has been an amazing year since I had the cochlear implant and have worked so hard on the Girlguiding side.... I obviously don't know what "no" means at the moment!!! As I'm always saying "yes, I'll do it"!!

Got Chosen!

What a week! As you may know that I do Guides and and my Assistant County Commissioner recommended me to apply to take part on the Leaders International Selection Weekend in September.

Well I went to the selection weekend and boy it was hardwork but fun (that was more important!). We were told to wait up to 2 weeks for the result so fair enough!

Yesterday a letter arrived and I opened it and found out that my guide county West Yorkshire South would like me to represent our county to attend a trip to CCJam09 at Camp Samac in Ontario (Canada) next August 2009!!!

But in the next paragraph as I was reading on and found out that they have chosen me to be the leader in charge with three other assistants. That's hard work but I'm delighted to say that I've accepted the offer to organise everything!

So I'll be busy for a year now - I'm so chuffed and over the moon!

Roll on August 2009!

9th Month!

I once again returned to YCIS today for my 9th month assessment. This time I took my eldest son as he wanted to know what they do!

Firstly I did the decibels test and the average score was between 30 and 35 dB - much similar to the last one in February.

Next was Mr Truly Boring doing the lipreading and listening - WOW, I finally hit the 100% mark as I was aiming to get that as in Dec 07 was 97% and in Feb 08 was 99%! I knew I would get that 100% mark!

Without lipreading scored 64% - that is a huge jump as it was 40% in February. With background noise - again another huge jump - scored 43% (23% in Feb).

Here comes the tricky bit - the "one word" session - well in February it was 0% but today I couldn't believe it that I scored 33%. Didn't do the environmental sounds as he was happy that I scored 93% in February - son was a bit disappointed because he was looking forward to doing that!!

So the audiologist (Salim) was pleased with it and so was I..... just can't believe the high scores!

After this we saw Lynne the Speech and Language Therapist. She asked me a few more questions and was being videoed again. She's pleased with my new results and is happy and I didn't have to do any work today nor no homework was given today as there's nothing else I could do!

So went home on a happy note and I've spoken to Howie, mum and few friends and they cannot believe what I scored today and said that I've really improved a lot since November!

I don't need to go back till November when I have my first medical review with the consultant and then next August for the hearing test!

In overall I'm happy! And I've just given £425 to the Ear Trust today and there's more to come after Saturday's event. (I had already raised £201 online using Justgiving.com)

BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER

PROFILE of Rachel Fishwick

• is a former civil servant


• was a Guide Leader in Belgium for three years


• has written a blog about receiving a cochlear implant, an electronic system that stimulates the auditory nerve, at http://www.yorkie67.blogspot.com/.


• was awarded the 20 year service award in March 2007

Guide Leader Rachel Fishwick, 41, has never let deafness stop her enjoying all guiding has to offer. She talks to Claudia Cahalane about how she has overcome her disability.

Have you been deaf all your life?
Yes, I was born deaf. I’ve always worn hearing aids and have tried all types, from traditional ones to wireless technology and digital hearing aids. I don’t know sign language, apart from the alphabet – I lip-read instead. In November 2006, I suffered tinnitus and the hearing in my left ear became much worse. But last October I had a cochlear implant operation and my hearing and speech have improved.

Has being deaf caused you any problems in guiding?
I joined 5th Bingley Brownies at the age of seven. The other Brownies knew I was deaf, and it wasn’t a problem at all. I wasn’t taught sign language so I just had to speak up! At Guides, we’d go camping but it was never an issue, until the evenings perhaps, when it was dark and listening and lip-reading became more difficult.

What about now you’re a Leader?
I have had no trouble at all with my unit, the 10th Mirfield Guides (Yorkshire). They’ve all learned to speak to me clearly and have always loved my ideas. My Guides have fundraised £110 for the Ear Trust as they know that I’ve improved because of the cochlear implant and I have raised £550.

Has your condition ever stopped you doing anything?
No way! I joined the Venture Scouts and gained the highest award, Queen’s Scout, and went to India and Pakistan to attend the 10th Asia Pacific Jamboree. I became a Guide Leader in 1987 and have had numerous roles since. I was even with the 1st Brussels Guides (BGIFC) for three years when my husband was working for NATO HQ in Belgium.

Have you been able to travel?
Oh yes, I’ve been to Australia on my own and spent three months in Borneo in the jungle with Raleigh International – I was the only deaf person out of 250 people but we all got on really well. Communication is not a problem for me – people learn to look at my face when they speak to me.

Do you think you’ve helped other people understand deafness?
Yes, I’m currently visiting units in our District to give them a talk about my deafness and teach them to do the manual alphabet. We also have one partially hearing Guide in our unit so we all know what to do – look at her when speaking and don’t hold your hand, or any object, in front of your face.

What do you do outside of guiding?
I love the outdoors, cross-stitching and watching my sons play hockey. I also love cooking, particularly Indian, Chinese and Thai food.

The Ear Trust is trying to raise £2 million to build a new centre in Bradford. Go to www.ycis.org.uk for more details.

This was published in the "Guiding" Magazine (August 2008 issue) which is a national magazine for all Leaders in the UK and in BGIFC.

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

Rachel's joy at the sound of her family

Rachel Fishwick with her sons James, left, seven, and Conor, 11

The rustle of a packet of crisps, the laughter of children in a playground and the tip-tap of high heels on a pavement are all sounds most people take for granted.

But for Rachel Fishwick they are sounds she is hearing for the first time thanks to a cochlear implant fitted at the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Earlier this month the Telegraph & Argus revealed how the 40-year-old mother-of-two, who was born profoundly deaf, was fitted with the internal part of the implant in October and waiting for it to be switched on.

That switch-on has now taken place with Rachel accompanied to the appointment by her husband Howard, with whom she has two sons, Conor, 11, and James, seven.

"At first it was weird because everything sounded robotic and both Howard and the audiologist Elaine Burke sounded the same," said Rachel, of Liversedge. "On our way out of the hospital, walking to the car, I suddenly started to look around to investigate these different sounds - people in their high heels - I could hear every tip tap of the heels!

"My husband was rustling through the leaves and I heard them too. The worst noise I ever heard was a crisp packet as they were rather loud!

"When I was typing to let people know about my switch-on, I could hear myself typing at the keyboard."

And as Rachel progresses she expects her hearing to get better and better.

"I went back for more programming to increase the volume as I had noticed it was getting quiet and I couldn't hear the television but time will tell and I have to be patient," she said.

"I am beginning to recognise the difference between women's voices and men's voices and the children, especially their laughter and squealing in the school playgrounds. Parents at James's school said Wow - it's amazing' as technology has moved on and they were pleased I could hear some sounds I have not heard before.

"I haven't heard the birds yet as it's the wrong time of year."

James and Conor are also thrilled with the technology which is enabling their mum to hear.
Conor said: "I think it's much better and I hope not to shout at my mum."

James said: "She is amazing because she can hear me better than she could."

Rachel added: "I'm really pleased with it and my thanks go to the staff at the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service for this. I could not have asked for better hearing and hopefully I will discover more new sounds that I have not heard before."

Extracted from Telegraph & Argus, Friday 23rd November 2007

Follow Up Since Switch On

Returned to YCIS today for my 3rd programming (I went last Friday and just had a little increase on the frequencies and outdone the speech therapist' work on "sh"!). Have been adjusted with frequencies to a little bit higher and it was less squeaky so that's a good sign as the squeak bleeps were too loud for me(!)

Saw the speech therapist again and we had worked on the sound "f" comparing those with "v" - you will notice the difference - "f" has a bit of vibrating where as "v" is smooth sound - you try it! Again outdone her work and my mum did some tests on me too and it was superb, everyone was please and so amazed how I've got to so far... okay I admit that I have heard some sounds before but I had to lipread it at the same time whereas today all my tests were done on my implant side without having to turn round to lip-read!!

This is my new Cochlear Implant with speech processor - the magnet is the size of a £2 coin, it may look that big but it is not! I have so many colours to go on the back of my ear - it could be red, blue, black, silver etc... not bad to match any tops of mine!

I have had more newspapers reporters coming in to see me since the switch on so I'll update it when I receive the papers this week! James says I'm famous!!!

Life Set To Sound Great For Rachel

Life set to sound great for Rachel

Being profoundly deaf has never held Rachel Fishwick back in life. In fact she doesn't call herself deaf - she just can't hear very well. But that could all be about to change as she becomes the latest patient to benefit from the team at the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Centre in Bradford.

After undergoing an operation to bury the internal part of the implant under the skin she is now looking forward to the big switch-on' next Wednesday. "I am hoping to get normal hearing," she said. "I have missed out on telephone calls and my friends can't wait to talk to me on the phone.
"I am afraid of group conversations - if it is more than four people I do not know where to look. With the cochlear implant I will hear much more and also hear my children shouting at me!
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"I am also looking forward to employment. I want an administration job. "All the mums at my son's school say it is amazing and they cannot wait for me to be switched on. I feel confident that it is going to work and I am looking forward to next week." Rachel, who is now 40 and living in Liversedge with her two boys Conor, 11, James, seven, and husband Howard, was born deaf, a fact which was revealed at the age of two following an assessment at BRI with a spoon and cup.
"They wanted to see if she would react," said Rachel's mum Ann Heptonstall, 67, of Wyke. "Of course she could not care less."

The family concentrated on getting the best education possible for Rachel, who has relied on various hearing aids, many of which she hated, and lip reading. "As parents we did push her but it worked," said Mrs Heptonstall. "She learned how to speak and read books but without the hearing aids she could hear nothing."

In 1994 Rachel married Howard who is in the RAF and she moved all over the country, with a stay in Brussels from 2004 until last year. Her many interests include guiding and she has been a Guide leader for 20 years, most recently at the 10th Mirfield Guides. She met the Queen in 1987 to receive the Queen's Scout Award and also travelled to Malaysia with Raleigh International.
But in November last year she suffered from tinnitus.

"After having the tinnitus I was struggling with the hearing aids," she said. "I got digital hearing aids but I couldn't hear anything - it was terrible." It was suggested to Rachel a cochlear implant might be suitable. It wasn't the first time such a solution had been suggested although she had always held back as she could speak and was coping and it was difficult with the family moving around a lot. But with the family settled back in Liversedge Rachel began a journey which she hopes will lead to a life full of sound.

Her consultant referred her to the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service in Bradford and a first assessment was carried out in May this year. She carried on going to the unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary once a month and in August this year got a letter to say the operation could be carried out on October 18. This was a success and the next big date is next Wednesday when she is switched-on' and a hearing world could open up to her.

Rachel has been accompanied to many of the appointments by her mother as her husband has been on duty in Afghanistan but it is Howard who will be at her side on Wednesday.
To prepare, Rachel has been visiting a website where cochlear implant users can log on and share experiences.

Her children and husband have also been able to visit a cochlear implant user to understand the impact it will have on Rachel's life.

Rachel is also full of praise for the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service and she hopes to help the fundraising efforts by taking part in a sponsored 10km run in Manchester next year. "They are all fantastic and the unit they have is not big enough," she said.

This was taken from the local newspaper on 8th November.

The Big Switch On

Returned to YCIS this morning for my big switch on! We got to the hospital early and found ourselves waiting and waiting as there was someone in before me and caused a delay. Anyway, had the magnet replaced as the magnet was thin and my hair was thick! Heard the bleeps and then it was switched on... oh everything went robotic sound and echo/squeaky! I heard my husband and the audiologist voice but they were the same!

After a few more tuning - it may need to be increased on Friday as I have been told that it takes a while for my brain to adjust the hearing of the new sounds... I can hear the keys being punched on my keyboard!!

Later, as I was putting some boxes into my handbag and heard the crackling sound in it - the mars bars!! ooh that really was weird!

After a while, we went onto the speech therapist who has given me some homework on new sounds - I'm learning the "s" at the moment as this is one of the high frequency sounds, it was not too bad. I am also trying to learn any words that are said behind my back (meaning without looking at the face/lipreading etc).

Well, when we emerged out of the hospital this afternoon, I discovered some sounds - people in their high heels were clipping away on the pavements!! My silly husband rustling his feet through the leaves - really annoying me!

It has been a weird day but I'm glad it's been done and over with and have to face more appointments in the next couple of weeks - I am going again this Friday and next Wednesday.

Will be back on Friday.

Two Weeks On

Hi, can't believe that it was two weeks ago since I had that operation to have the implant in my left ear! Where has the time gone?

I have been tired out lately trying to get back to normal as Howie returned to work earlier on this week and the boys returned to school after their half term. Last week was a great week, the boys were spoilt by their nan or grandma and dad of course! They went to see the new Disney film called Rataouille, went to Fleetwood and Blackpool and visited Harewood House where they had been making scarecrows!

While they went to Fleetwood/Blackpool, I spent a day at my mum's to chill out and went to see sister-in-law and nephew before they went to London.

This week was a shock as last week I was able to have some lie-ins but this week I had to get up early to get into routine so it has been a tiring week. I am taking a month off Guides as I felt that I wasn't ready to see them with one hearing on my right ear and when I get switched on as I wanted to try the new gadget out first before I meet any noisy crowds!

The scar is healing much quicker and I've been able to wash my hair normal now as for the first time it was like dried blood pouring down from my hair - in fact it was the iodine!! Oh the water was so filthy! The hair where it was shaved off is growing too so it's looking good.

Well, I have to wait for 13 days now and go back to YCIS for the switch on. I have chosen the model - MEDEL which is manufactured from Austria, I could only choose MEDEL or NUCLEUS FREEDOM (from Australia). There was no disadvantage or advantages between them and it was like 50-50 to choose so it was hard to decide!

News - the Bradford Lord Mayor has chosen "the Ear Listening Life Trust" as one of his charities this year/next year and they are hoping to raise £1.5m for this new centre. Here's the link:

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/display.var.1803831.0.lets_hear_it_for_all_those_wholl_help.php

if that doesn't work then use this:

http://urlx.org/thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/d3493

Thank you for reading this... I'll be back soon.

Got a Date!

Hi, thought I tell you now that I have received a letter this morning to confirm that my switch on date will be Wednesday 14th November and again on Friday 16th November plus another programming/mapping on Wednesday 21st November! WOW!

I can't wait for it now!

So far I'm feeling fine and haven't really been tired out lately, have kept myself busy but not overdoing things. It's been a good week with the boys as it's their half term and they have been good as gold and of course my husband - he's been great and is pleased with what's been going on in the last week.

Will be back soon.

The next 24 hours

What a night! I slept on and off trying to find comfort but mainly slept on my right side through the night. Nurses woke me up at 6.45am to see if I was alright and asked me for any painkillers. More blood pressure tests were taken and it was back to normal! Had my breakfast and was a lot perkier.

Mr Strachan came to see me and took the bandage off and said the wound was good and clean. He was pleased with it and said that I would have to go for my x-ray in the next couple of hours and then go home all being well.

Salim, my audiologist from YCIS came and gave me a card to prove that I have the implant in my left ear. He was happy with the operation too as he told me that he attended the theatre and made sure that the implant was working. He then said "SEE YOU IN 4 WEEKS TIME"....

My hair was in a mess, it felt that I had wallpaper paste stuck at the back of my head and it took a while to brush the "iodine" out! Howard came at 12 noon and I was still waiting to go in for the x-ray.

At 12.45pm, as soon as my dinner was coming into my room, the porter came in with the wheelchair for me to go to the x-ray! And I was still hooked up with more antibiotics! Anyway I had to skip the lunch and was wheeled down to the x-ray department. Had x-rays and then was taken back to the ward and had sandwiches(!)

Went back on the antibiotics drip for another half an hour and then the sister said "the x-rays was fine and you can go home"... so we left Bradford Royal Infirmary at 3.30pm and got home an hour later due to traffic in Bradford!

Photo shows the scar 24 hours later.

That night, I slept on and off but really slept properly.

The Big Day!

I was admitted to Ward 18 at Bradford Royal Infirmary on Wednesday 17th October at 7pm and all was well. Didn't really sleep properly that night - should have taken some eye masks! Anyway, nurses woke me up at 6am for blood pressure and take any medication. Mr Strachan (my consultant) came to see me at 8am for a quick chat with the SHO and explained the routine. The anaesthetist came and explained a few words and then I was told to go down to the theatre. So off I went at 8.45am (walked to the theatre with one of the nurses) and was hooked up with wires as I lay down and I dozed off!

Possibly around 12.15pm I woke up in the recovery room and could lipread the nurses saying "Are you in pain?" Well, for a start off course I was! Was topped up with painkillers but that made it worse as I was nausea!

Come round 2.15pm.... I just flickered my eyes opened and thought what time is it? Oh I'm still in the recovery room and asked the nurse - how long had I been here? Her reply was 3 HOURS! I asked what was the problem.............. the blood pressure was sky high!

Mr Strachan came to see me in the recovery room and said the implant operation was a success and would see me in the morning.

Anyway, after a lot of doses of drugs to keep the blood pressure down, I was finally transferred to the ward around 3.15pm and found my husband, Howard waiting! He just laughed at my new hairstyle!

I was sleeping on and off so Howard left at 4.30pm to sort the boys out!

I was still feeling nausea that evening and tried to eat some toast but it didn't work! So I just slept and the nurses kept checking me up. As I was trying to doze off and was hooked up with antibiotics at 1am!!