Activation Day!

Two weeks after Mike's surgery, we returned to the audiologist so they could activate his implant. It's a pretty detailed process, but I'll try and explain it.

They started by placing the implant on, but hooking it directly to the computer. Each of the 22 electrodes was tested then set to the lowest volume that allowed Mike to hear a small beep. The computer then creates a personalized "map" that is programed in to the implant.
After everything was set up, the audiologist turned the implant on the for the first time and had me talk to Mike for a few minutes while she adjusted more things. Here is his face as he heard the first sounds.... I love the expression! They warned him at every appointment that it would seem very, very loud and he would hate it at first. But, he actually said it sounded weird but not bad and it wasn't overwhelmingly loud. The audiologist then did some simple tests to see how well he was hearing. To say he aced every one is an understatement. She was shocked how well he did and said people NEVER do that well on their first appointment.

He was able to tell the difference between her saying a one-syllable word, a two syllable word, and a three syllable word when she covered her mouth so he couldn't lip read. (Most people struggle to do this at the first appointment, but he did it with no problem). Then he was able to tell the difference between three different two-syllable words. Finally, he was able to understand as she spoke common phrases. At this point both he and I were in tears over how well he could hear! It will still take some time for the implant to reach it's full capacity, but he is already so pleased with the results.

The implant came with two external sound processors. Mike picked a charcoal one for everyday use...

...and a white implant. Why white? So it will match his suit while he works in the temple:)

I didn't mention, but this was on Mike's birthday. After we were done, we went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate! It was a great day! Talk about a one-in-a-lifetime presant.