Weight Issues and pouches

Since I got my CI , the weight always seemed to be bothering me..

I had searched online..tried to find solutions..Read in AllDeaf forums about various wearing solutions...

1) SnugFits..huh , these weren't provided , and they seemed bulkier...so I decided to wait until someone let me tries his , before I spend money ...I read they weren't the most useful..
2) Babyworn option?Far more expensive , and I was a little sceptical as the length of that cord wasn't enough for me..So I decided to wait..

I determined that my glasses were too bulky..Bought new ones..the problem lessened somewhat..but the weight issue still bothered me..it annoyed me...I wasn't wearing CI in the house..I wanted to give my ear some rest...

I bought rechargeable batteries..that helped a bit too..but not too much..ah , at least I was saving money , the disposables were burning a hole in my pocket each month...

Lotte's father , Cloggy as he is known on the blogosphere , he proposed long coils..at first I was very sceptical..and I did not had the money to acquire a long coil..and i had to sew my own pouches..and I'm hopeless into sewing a button , much less make something for me...So I kind of discarded that option...

Until I saw on AllDeaf people that wear long coils when they go to gym..or other activities..And I remembered , that summer is approaching , and I should find a solution..you see , I drive a motorbike..nothing too much , a little one..I help my dad sometimes in his boat...and we've lost enough cell phones in the depths of the sea enough times to remember to place them somewhere secure..and my CI never was secure..So I decided to look for a solution..

Around that time , popped Kylie , Alyssa's mother , she had her daughter , with long coils too for school , etc..and she sews beautiful pouches for them , not to mention with several wearing options..Alligator clip? Check! Safetypins?Check!

We talked about it online on Facebook..she decided to let me try them..so she sent me two pouches , and an used long coil for free..along with other things...Thanks Kylie..

I received that , almost three weeks ago...

Since then it's been a weight off my mind..They work..Granted , i do wear it on the ear sometimes , but most of the day I'm with the long coil..it does works and helps a lot..See...




Earache? Mostly gone , I still have the odd twang..and no , I don't think it's anything nasty , it's just the scar probably bothering me now..I have other scars in other places , and most didn't stop bothering me at least until they were five years old..LOL!

Weight issue ? Resolved!

Also resolved issue , was my noisy hair..that noise , rustling from my hair..often drove me nuts..I was thinking maybe I will shave them!LOL!

Now my only thought is to get some pouches in light blue denim.And to get a new swimsuit for summer!! Oh , and the odd OtterBox of course, I will need it! LOL!

Kylie..a big Thanks is owed to you! So Thank You..and..Lissy..Thanks for the 'love' cheque , i have it in my drawer..I will cash it when I come to Down Under..

Cha-Ching LG!

A little while before Christmas , I bought myself this phone



it was an early Christmas phone.Sadly , I noticed it did not had an 2.5 mm audio jack like my previous cell phone ( which also was an LG and also a slide phone I tend to gravitate to these as I can hear well on them )
I thought , no matter , I could use T- coil.well , it was awful.I heard a lot of interference.Tried on it own.Lots of noise.Crowd noise too a big turn off..so I rarely used it , mostly texted.I could hear when I was home , but when I was there , I preffered the landline obviously.

I missed my earhook.I had an earhook , not a HATIS , but a similar one.but there was not an suitable jack.So I started searching for an adaptor , always thinking I could get one.Lots of these on ebay.Somehow , I never got around into ordering one , postage was more expensive than the adaptor.

Until I saw this article. So I thought , hmm , lets try it.

After a bit of explaining and showing the aforementioned article to my friend that is also an electronics guy , he agreed to help me make one , for free.and anyway the spare part we'd need , wasn't going to cost more than 1 Euro.Maybe even less, and he told me to dug out the earbuds for hearing people and bring them to him so he would modify them.

So I did..Only..oops! Never noticed the earbuds..

Into their original packaging , they looked innocent enough...



Probably why I never opened the earbuds , why I set them aside...

I did it just now...



Hmmmm..what's that? Does it unplug? OMG! I never knew!!!Guess I need to check always EVERYTHING even when it's intended for hearing people.



Hmm..Cha-Ching! That was LG company , earning more points in my head.I already had the LG in high esteem for a number of reasons, the best reason , money spent , zero!

I added my PAC and also my CI ..there's , the final thing..

Time of assembly : 15 minutes , including initial shock and surprise.LOL!

Money spent : None.



I didn't test it yet , as it was quite late , and hadn't any 'victim' ready to test it.but I did ring 131 information for hearing the time , and I heard in Greek all the numbers!:P

More news tomorrow..watch for an editing to the post.

Cha-Ching , LG!You just made me FAR more devoted into buying your products!

Bank holiday , new sounds!

Hey..

I haven't updated my blog in more than a month *gasp* guess that I preferred chatting online and emailing.

also , I've been busier..and moreover , last week I was sick with fever and no CI as I was in bed all day...

Yesterday I was well enough to go to speech lesson..I wore the Freedom...*gasp* guess that when u don't wear the implant for a while , it is too loud after..hmm!

After Speech therapy I went to Theo's place , to finish her airplane , and also to get some pictures done..while I was walking to the bus stop , I could hear the frogs at the field after the road.LOL do they sound funny..like moaning or ghosts!!guess that is mating season here..

Today here it is bank holiday , which means there was a parade this morning , and tradition is to eat fish and hang the Greek flag in porches n balconies( not here.I'm eating lentil soup as I'm still with a cold..LOL! ).it also means that every shop is shut down, so I forgot to buy my meds , had to search last night for an open pharmacist.

Oh , and also I learnt a new word in English..LOL thanks Mei Mei :P I still giggle every time I remember it!!every time I do that , I get still that giggle after..u've ruined my moaning LOL!

Although I do miss some online chats..

OH and also....Lil Bee has her birthday today!! Happy Birthday !!!

Oh , and the book I was waiting to get is published I Don't Believe my Ears!...It went to my list of must buying when I am able to!

I already have Val Blakely's book , I'm all ears and I plan to get I Don't Believe my Ears!,Rally Caps, Ellie's Ears and Happy Birthday to my Ears, Unheard. So you can imagine that I'll spend a fair bit of money here and there.

Oh and I also got an Canon PowerShot SX10IS camera , to replace my old one that got stolen back in November.I was ogling it right from the start, but I didn't dare buy it , as I reasoned with myself that I do not really need that camera , and to look somewhere lower at price range.But I finally gave in , and , boy , I LOVE that I did buy it , pictures are AWESOME! been tinkering with the settings , trying to learn the camera...my only complaint is that sometimes flash is too much!! I try to tinker with ISO speeds , and it works without flash as a charm!

I hope I can find a tutorial that is specific for the camera I have , explaining the differences with ISO and whatnot.I'll ask to the store I bought the camera from when I have some time.Also , that camera has an amazing power reserve , my other camera used AA batteries too , but they tended to run out quickly.these are STILL going strong!!! I got some 300 pictures this week , most were deleted though LOL so in my memory card I have only 100 LOL!

I'm off to do some collegework and later maybe find an ISO tutorial!

Birthday fun , and friendship fun

Happy birthday to me , yesterday was my birthday.

Had a good time..even on my own! Nobody could come to cut a cake..but I didn't mind much! I just spoiled myself..ordered a pizza for dinner..watched my videos till 2 am and chatted with friends , although Katie made me bust my ass in laughter! She was ranting about no subtitles for a particular show in facebook..and everybody chipped in..till I said..be thankful , we don't have subtitles here in Greece , except in foreign captioned movies.Katie then took it up a notch , she was so sure of the subs in Greece ( she was here playing footy ) that I started laughing , and I imagined her all done up and swiveling a drink , proclaiming it , and I was all like didn't u heard the english voices.LOL! turns out though that Katie was just operated with CI and didn't heard much.But she was so sure of that..and I LOVED THAT! I loved that she was so happy , so sure of her knowledge , and even when she recognized the mistake , she just laughed along merrily.I felt like she was beside me , making me busting my ass in laughter with her antics, swinging about her drink and making everyone laughing!

I also loved that we were exchanging emails with Rachel , talk a bit over fb , that we everyday talk with Laura and she's made me admire her strength and perseverance.Since CI , I feel like I'm surrounded with good friends , that know what's there in for me , and they support me , even from online.Don't get me wrong , I do have some friends here in Greece , good friends mind you , but most are hearing.Only one friend has a nephew that also has CI and another couple are Deaf( one talking like me with HA's , other deaf totally signing only) .but it's nice to know people that 'get it' how it is with CI.

So , here's to 8 n half months with CI , to 8 months with getting CI friends , to 8 months of happiness because I felt that someone understood me! So , thanks Katie-Louise , thanks Laura , thanks Rachel , I wanna thank everyone..but I've run out of names! lol! ( and no way am I gonna thank your twin Little Miss Trouble!! lol!! )

My day..

My day with my new glasses couldn't have gone better..they're plastic and so light that I actually forgot that I had them on all the day..and I can see better ( my prescription had changed so I had to change the lenses too. ) , but the most important thing? they're very thin..like when u don't wear them..so my CI is sitting right behind my ear.

with my old glasses CI was sitting on the shell of my ear , and were falling often.very often.If I bent down they were on the floor or in the air and I was making a wild grab for CI or glasses.Most of the time for both.I nearly had an accident with CI almost falling in the toilet..YUCK! But I didn't grab my glasses in time either..lol!

Yesterday I charged the brown battery , also I put a brown microphone protector , Dry'n'Store - ed my CI , and today I wore it from the time I was out..( habit I'd acquired as with my old glasses my ear got sore too quickly , now I have to break myself of it.. ) and battery 8 hours later is still going strong! I'm really impressed! will drain it to see how much juice actually it has! and to cap matters..my ear hasn't gone sore as much as other days..( well it has to heal a bit from days past..I estimate in a week I'll be good to go!! )

Also , at first I didn't like ADRO map much.I missed my HA..well guess what..I turned it to Auto , had it for almost a month, no problems! today I said..hmmm lets turn it back to ADRO..well guess what..I hear better with it , only problem is that cars are way too loud! oh well I'll get used to it..Auto seems better for when I'm somewhere that has too much noise..ADRO for other settings..I haven't used BEAM or music b/c I forgot to which slots they are in...( I do listen to music , just not as often as most do , since I've never heard much in music with HA , and I usually turn on the stereo on my pc! )

When I cooked , I always removed my CI..afraid of frying it..lol!! today , no problems..I was so busy cooking that I forgot of my precaution! when I set up to have my dinner..I realized..I still have CI on!

also Rechargeable versus Disposables ? big way the rechargeable..make CI feel lighter somehow...and saves money too..not to mention planet resources!

I'm happier these days..*whistle*

Batteries...Yet again!

I've purchased the charger and two batteries..on my own..

I don't even hope that insurance will do anything , or , even Cochlear.It should at least lower the prices at Greece.

When I saw the tiny charger my first thought was..what? that thing is intended to be sold here for $1,280 ???? Sorry but it's too tiny and puny..specially when I acquired it for $ 165 from an abroad site.

Needless to say that the charger price , now that I've told of the price differences to other parents at the SLP's office I go to , caused a bit of a stir! and I expect tomorrow that I will bring it out and show it and let them try it out..will cause more stir...

I haven't tried them out yet , as I received it rather late..but , tomorrow is a new day...

will tell u more details tomorrow..!!

But I still can't believe they try to leech that many money from something so basic!

Insurance in Greece..

Happy New Year!!

I have had neglected that blog..I have quite a few things to write about...

First of all , since Rachel saw this post , we have e-mailed online , and connected on Facebook..

And she posted that above entry , in her blog along with Robyn's story..

And I'm thrilled..it might help , it might not , but at least , it builds awareness!!

On other news ...

Well my particular post office that is in my area , started the proccess in receiving packages from abroad , a bit of a nightmare , to have me to wait at least a few days to receive it..ugh!! and I am wondering..are the few money I'm saving , really worth of all this hassle ? For the time being , I did not order the monthly package with the disposable batteries, as I quite dread the process..and I started rationing my CI use..I wear it only when I'm out and about..when I'm at home , I utilize lipreading.thankfully , Greek is one of the easiest languages to lipread.

Yes , insurance covers batteries , only by choice..some people in the same insurance don't cover them , some do...and seeing as my insurance is expiring soon , I decided it was not worth the hassle.

So I tried to reason with my parents to buy the rechargeables..well , that did not go down well..

They thought that since CI operation , all the costs would be more cut down.*sigh* and it was quite an awakening for them..We're in debate of a sorts about that..

But the best thing , post - CI , is my connecting with a few people..networking , either abroad or in Greece..

And I've met this Christmas , a mother of three adult sons , that wants to do an implant.she's in the proccess of approving. We talked a lot..and I hope her operation goes well!!!

And I've met in September a family , that implanted their boy..who just said this Christmas his first word! the most precious gift for his family..who are so thankful for me suggesting a bet AVT/SLP , and with who I've formed a good bond , and I want to know all about them..it is so heartwarming to see them! We met again on the holidays , exchanged presents and we watched and interacted with the little boy.He's amazing..although his story is not...

And I correspond online sometimes with another family..



And I also wanted to expand on the previous post which I've linked. Since I re- read it at Rachel's blog , I wanted to clarify a few things..

First of all , my Cochlear Freedom box contained everything that is in the US boxes , EXCEPT the rechargeables and the charger OR even , second CI , heavens forbid!!, and also in the US box , they also have a 60-pack of disposables.My box contained only a six pack..oh , yes , your ears do not deceive you...I had to buy my own box for 100.729$ ( 75 euros )....

And also , the prices since last post have been jacked up in Greece..meanwhile , the prices fell down everywhere else , making the difference more higher. And I do not know how higher are they, since I haven't gone to the office that represents Cochlear here, to investigate , nor I want to...

So I buy the batteries for 73.8676$ ( 55 euros ) from an online shop...almost every month I have to plug it and pay..but since the post office debacle , I've started doing every two months , and rationing CI use..

Maybe the people that DO have money difficulties and are having even this one CI , SHOULD receive the rechargeables..regardless of the country..

Maybe Cochlear needs to see that every box is standartized , regardless of the country.maybe that way , there would be a lot less complaints.





So in all..it's a bit frustrating!

but I want to thank Rachel for blogging the issue , and wanting to help..at least , people interaction , helps advocating..

Did I say that the Internet is the most wonderful place for us CI people to connect ????

I hope you had a good holiday!!