My surgery date is fast approaching and I am as ready as I can be for this new adventure. I have watched videos about the surgery and initial activation (turning on). And the stories of others with cochlear implants are helping me prepare for what is ahead. When my implant is first activated a month after surgery I will likely not be able to make sense of the sounds I hear at first and when people speak, they initially sound like Mickey Mouse apparently. Or even an unintelligible Donald Duck! I am clearly in for an interesting time.
It will be a while before sounds have meaning. But I know it will be worth the wait.
Recently someone asked me what sound I looked forward to hearing most when my implant is finally working. I thought about it for a nano-second and said, “The call of the loon”. I remember being at a friend’s cottage back in the early 1980’s. We were all sitting by the lake shortly before dusk enjoying our gin and tonics when someone said, “Listen to the loons. What a beautiful sound they make.” I couldn’t hear them.
I can’t wait to hear the call of the loon.
