Soothing Saturday

Soothing Saturday

Saturday,  July 6, 2013

Ron and I did the grocery shopping last night and I forgot I wanted to have my hair cut today, so I ended up not leaving the house all day.  That is not all bad, but I did have a couple of things I would have done if I had been able to drive.  Keep in mind the driving restriction is due to the broken elbow, not the hearing problems.

As has become my practice, I was up early so I would be sure to be awake before our housekeeper arrived.  She was delighted to know that I could hear her.  Since she works for Ron's mom every day, she knew I had experienced good results, but she enjoyed chatting.  She has been praying a lot for me, as have so many others.  During the late morning, I turned on the TV to practice listening.  I am doing fairly well with the TV news (I watch Fox News and they have several anchor people who speak very clearly).  It does take complete concentration to understand them.  Right now I have the news on in the background as they cover the airplane crash in San Francisco and I catch words off and on.  If I stop typing and listen, I will get almost all of it.

As I mentioned earlier, voices all sound high pitched.  Male voices are easier to understand in general, but if the person speaks distinctly and a little slowly, I can normally make it out.  This will take time and practice. 

This afternoon, I took the device off and got a good nap.  Ron had spent part of that time working in the yard and taking out the trunk of an old tree.  When I got from my nap he proudly showed me the large section of the stump that he was ready to haul to the brush pile.  Poor guy.  I had other ideas.  I thought it would work great to hold some of my potted plants!  So he struggled and wrestled that heavy trunk to the back yard and set it up.  I need to re-pot some of these plants, but this gives you an idea of what I am talking about.

I know he wishes it had already been in the brush pile before I got up from my nap.  I like it!  I just need to get a few new pots for transplanting the plants.  He got the back yard mowed for me.  That is usually my job, but I can't push the mower yet.  It would be hard to do one-handed.

Mostly the day has been spent reading and listening to some assorted TV programs.  I need to get some things next week for dedicated practice on the listening. 

Oh, we have a possibility of rain in the forecast for the next two days and I sure hope we get it.  I will open a window and sit there listening to the rain.  All of us in our family love keeping track of the weather and we love rain storms.  I know that some of you are in parts of the country where rain storms can bring really rough weather, but I am talking about just a good soaking rain, with thunder and some lightening.  We need rain here, but also I am eager to just sit and listen to the falling rain and the rolling thunder.  Bring it on!  I want to HEAR it!

Adjusting to Normal Noises

Adjusting to Normal Noises

Friday,  July 5, 2013

Together Ron and I agreed I would stay home today.  He better watch out; I like being home!  I had a couple of sleepless hours in the middle of the night so was able to sleep a little later than usual - 8:30. 

New routines will gradually be established as I adjust to going from deaf overnight to hearing during the day (when wearing the sound processor and coil).  As I mentioned, those pieces go in the dryer unit overnight and will be put on in the morning after my hair is dry.  Since Ron had already left for work, I took my time fixing breakfast and then washing and drying my hair. 

The audiologist mentioned that the first thing in the morning when the sound processor and coil are put on, it is similar to when you wake in the morning and turn the light on and immediately close your yes against the bright glare.  When first hearing in the mornings, everything sounds really loud to me!  It takes a few minutes to adjust.  Sherri (the audiologist) really encouraged me to wear the unit all day.  There are times it is tempting to take it off and "enjoy" the silence by choice, but I am leaving it on.  Today I tried to follow speech on the TV and had mixed results.  Some shows (usually the news) were fairly easy to follow, but voices all sound rather high.  Movies are harder.

Last night I watched part of the movie The Music Man (one of my favorite movies) and I may have much of the script memorized.  The very familiar songs, 76 Trombones for example almost sounded natural, but the less familiar songs were not pleasant. 

I went in the yard a couple of times and enjoyed the birds.  I enjoyed watching them from the sewing room.  This Golden-fronted Woodpecker had been up in the tree pecking away before he headed down for the orange I had provided.  I detected his pecking.





Later in the day I didn't hear this oriole, but saw him as he stepped out of the birdbath and was able to snap a quick photo.  He is probably a Hooded Oriole.  He had fully enjoyed his bath and I enjoyed the quick glimpse of him.






After Ron got off work we joined friends at Luby's Cafeteria for supper.  I struggled with the noisy situation but am not sure why.  There were not many people there but I had a loud constant noise going on.  Not sure if the device was picking up the air-conditioning or if it was a "noise in my head".  I could hear the man across the table fairly well, but the lady next to me was more of a challenge.  Voices do sound higher than they really are so that may have been the problem.

From there we went to Sears and the to Wal-Mart for groceries.  I did not have a problem with the loud noise either place, so it will take further experimenting to figure this all out.  I can adjust the volume level on the device and did turn it down a significant amount. 

When we got home, Bob and Vickey called.  On the phone I am to hold the phone to the microphones on the sound processor.  Right now that doesn't work since I can't hold the phone in my left hand due to the broken elbow.  I put the phone on speaker and we managed, but don't want to do much of that.  Again, Bob (with his lower voice) was easier to understand than Vickey and came closer to sounding natural.  If I had not known it was them calling, I am not sure if I would have recognized Vickey's voice.

I did wear the device all day and it was a good day.  The hardest thing was in the cafeteria for supper.  Time will tell what the problem is there and what I can do about it.  For not having done much today, I am exhausted!

Relax, Unwind, and Rest

Relax, Unwind, and Rest

Thursday,  July 4, 2013

Ron and I are so thankful that the timing of my activation on the Cochlear Implant was followed by a holiday.  Neither of us were ready to head to the office today and I am not sure I am going tomorrow.  I slept later today than usual - 7:30.  The external parts of the Cochlear Implant need to be protected somewhat from moisture.  They are water-resistant but every night are put in a drying unit to remove any moisture buildup.  I got my hair washed and dried so I could put the sound processor and coil on.  Without those I am deaf.  When I go to bed at night I put those items in the dryer and am deaf until morning.

Ron managed to sleep a bit longer than I did, until he smelled biscuits cooking, I think.  He went out and took care of the yard: hanging baskets, ponds, and birdbaths.  After breakfast and kitchen clean up, I was ready to sit down at the computer and work on the second part  of yesterday's story. 

Around 10:45 our daughter-in-law Barbara texted that she and Jeff were out running errands with their two youngest children and would it be ok to come by.  Of course, it would be super!  While we waited for them to arrive, I became aware that even with the house closed up and the air conditioning on, I could hear a bird singing outside.  Ron raised a window and I could hear the spray in the birdbath. 

Jeff and Barb arrived with the baby and their youngest son while the older children were at art classes.   Their youngest son had learned to speak into my amplifier and I was surprised that he just came to me expecting me to hear.  I told him that I didn't have to use the amplifier anymore and he said, "Yeah, I know."  Ahhh, kids!  He enjoyed having the toy room to himself while his little sister played with the baby dolls. 

I had not ever really heard the baby talk.  She started talking after I lost my hearing.  Today I could hear her "chatter" but couldn't really make out what she was saying, but others assured me that they struggled to understand her as well.  I did hear her most common utterance, "Mom, Mom". 





  

It was good to see them and to converse with Jeff and Barb with less struggle.  Barb talks  a little faster than I hear, but in time it will all become clear.  I decided I really needed a photo of Barb in this shirt.  She must be  Wonder Woman to be able to care for the seven wonderful children that they have and to keep that smile on her face.  She home schools the five oldest of the children.

 

After they left, I finished and posted Part 2 of the blog I had been working on earlier.  I caught up on some Facebook posts and had a brief chat on line with a young friend serving our country far away in Afghanistan.  Some how, that seemed appropriate for this Independence Day.  Here he is serving far from home, far from his wife and baby daughter, and that seems to be pretty much a summary of what has been done through the years to keep our country free.  Young men have put their country first and gone to keep our freedom "free" or to help other struggling countries obtain that freedom.   Thank you to all of those who are serving now, or who have served our country in the past. 

 

Then it was time for a nap.  I didn't even fix lunch, but instead slept until 4:30.  Ron had been out in the back yard while I slept, varnishing a board for a bench in the back yard and working on taking out a dead tree.  I think he over did!  He was exhausted and very sore when he finally quit and came in for a break.  It is overcast and  cooler this evening and he hates to not get some things done while it is nice outside.

 

I had a little of that brisket we picked up in Robstown last night and then went out and cut back a couple of bushes.  I potted a couple of the plants we bought in Houston.  One went in this little planter of an old pickup truck that we got on one our previous trips up state.  There are still several of the plants to transplant into larger pots.  Little by little we are getting things done.  I think Ron has really enjoyed his time in the back yard in the mornings as he has cared for my plants.  He keeps suggesting things to add.

 

Today, I tried the television for the first time with my new ability to hear.  I had varied results.  On a news channel I was able to understand one anchor lady very well, but the on-the-scene reporter was a little more of a challenge.  Watching and listening to an old movie (a musical) was not too bad.  Actually the music sounded fairly good; the old songs were ones that I was familiar with and I am sure that helped. 

 

 



Amazing Test Results Today, Part 2

Amazing Test Results Today!
 Part 2

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

This blog posting will cover the second half of July 3, since I was too exhausted last night to finish the posting.  This is more about our celebratory mood.  You may discover that our ways of celebrating differ from many other people's.  We rarely choose to go out for a fancy meal.  We don't drink wine; Dr. Pepper works for me and coffee for Ron.  We delight in the familiar sharing of the things we each enjoy - sometimes things we both enjoy and sometimes seeing the other enjoy one of their chosen activities.  So our trip home took longer than usual as we made several stops for those types of activities.

As I mentioned at the close of last night's blog, we first went to a Christian book store.  I selected some Christian fiction books from their sale rack and a few greeting cards from my favorite series.  Ron picked up a couple of things.  Ron went to a sporting goods store for a new camouflage hat.  Next we went to a plant nursery we had found recently and spent $10 on some plants.  When Ron was growing up one of his grandmothers had washtubs filled with "moss rose" on her porch and that plant brings happy memories to him.  So that is what we bought.

After getting gas, we started home.  Traffic stacked up several times between Houston and Sugarland.  A few weeks ago I had received a James Avery catalog and they had several items I liked.  I wanted to select one that would be a reminder of this time.  I found one found what for me was the perfect choice.  You may recall an earlier blog where I mentioned  my eagerness to hear the songs of the different birds.  We went to the James Avery Jewelry store in the mall in Sugarland and bought that lovely ring I had admired  - it has a sweet little bird on it.

After leaving the mall, we again headed home.  Next stop was The Cracker Barrel in Richmond where I got a small package of Malted Milk Balls.  Then we headed across the freeway to Chick-fil-A which would prove to be quicker than eating at Cracker Barrel.  Next stop was The Cedar Chest Quilt shop in El Campo where I bought 5 small pieces of fabric (known to quilters as "fat quarters").  Before long, as we headed toward Victoria, we encountered a heavy rain.  In Texas in the summer, that alone is cause for celebration!

The rain stopped while when we got to the Rest Stop and started as we left.  Ron stopped at another shop in the middle of nowhere to look for things, but came out empty handed.  In Robstown we stopped at Bill Miller Bar-B-Q for some brisket to bring home for today's meals.  Even though it was supper time, we each got a Breakfast Brisket Taco for the road. 

From there on it was non-stop to home.  We turned a 6 hour trip into 9 hours and enjoyed it all. 
Once in Brownsville there was a quick stop at Walgreens for milk and bread and a package of moleskin to use in a spot where the sound processor rubs on my ear.

It was an amazing trip.  By the time we got home Ron said his throat was hurting from talking so much.  We were exhausted.  I am still not sleeping real well, but I think a lot of it is tension and should get better soon.  My broken elbow still causes some problems, but they are minor. 

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and assorted other helps.  I will continue this blog as I continue to adjust to the sounds that I hear.  Although I understand a lot of speech,  I don't understand it all.  I will still need to practice daily.  I hope some of the "extra" sounds that I hear, go away soon.  Things are so much easier in a hearing world when I can hear along with everyone else.  I have still not tried the phone and may not for a few days. 

Amazing Test Results Today!

Amazing Test Results Today!
Part 1

Wednesday,  July 3, 2013

What a day!  It is almost 10:00 and we just got home from Houston!  I don't know if there is a word for the condition that is just past exhaustion.  If so, that is where I am and Ron probably is there also.  I am mentally, emotionally, and physically worn out!  But it is a "good" tired.  So much has gone on during the last 2 days.

It was midnight last night before I put away the laptop, finally having fished last night's blog posting and reading lots of your postings and words of praise for what God had done for us.  We believe that Dr. Chang has amazing abilities and is an outstanding surgeon.  The medical people who cared for me along the way were super.  At each step, we felt a peace that God had led us in that direction.  We felt that Dr. Chang was the answer to our prayers.  Once we actually met him, both of us were extremely impressed with his professional manner, but also with his humble, kind, friendly personality.  His skill was used to bring me to the point of progress where I am today.

This morning we were to be at The Houston Ear Research Foundation at 9:00.  When in Houston, Ron gets us to appointments very early.  He wants to allow for every possible situation.  This morning we were early, but not as early as usual.  When we arrived, he told the receptionist that it was their fault that we were almost late.  It was because we were talking, actually carrying on a two-sided conversation, and he missed a turn.  He told them usually our drives in Houston are silent and he can concentrate on his driving.  The receptionist nearly fell out of her chair laughing!  Ron also told me this evening he was losing his voice from talking to me so much since he could, and I could hear him.

When we started working with Sherri Taxman (the audiologist) this morning, first she wanted to know how things had gone since the previous morning.  We told her that the evening before we had dinner with our friends and that for the first time in at least 5 years, the four of us sat at the table having a delightful conversation.  She made some adjustments to the program for my sound processor after doing some testing to see what had changed in the previous 24 hours as I adjusted to the device.  She asked about our visit to Dr.Chang and we told her the story about him not realizing I had only had the device activated 3 hours before seeing him and that he was delighted with the progress.  She reminded us that she would be faxing him the results of my hearing tests later that afternoon.  We told her that Dr.Chang asked if he could refer patients to me so that I could share my experience.

Then she had me compare the loudness of two different tones.  That was tricky since they were not the same pitch, but rather different pitches and different volumes.  She worked to adjust the processor using those results so that I could hear all pitches at approximately the same volume.  After checking those modifications, she and I headed to the room with the sound proof booth, leaving Ron in her office. 


Once in the booth, she tested my hearing on some tones.  I had asked her if I was hearing the low tones because everything sounded high to me.  She just laughed and said, "You are hearing everything just fine!"  Next I was to listen to a man read some sentences and then repeat back what I had heard.  I had been given this test as a part of the evaluation a few months ago when they made the decision that I did qualify for the Cochlear Implant.  At that time, with a strong hearing aid, I got 10% of them right.  To qualify, I had to be under 40%.  Today, when I finished, Sherri popped into the booth grinning from ear to ear.  She said, "In the 22 years I have been working with Cochlear Implant patients, you are the first person to score 100% on the test the first day after activation!"   I said, "It didn't sound like a man."  She just laughed and laughed.  She was so delighted with my results. 

Sherri was so excited about those results that she said she wanted to do another test that she doesn't do on other patients the first day after the activation, but wanted to see how I would do.  This test is very hard.  The man would say a single word of one syllable.  The word is one that could easily sound very close to 4 or 5 other words in the English language.  There is no clue as to what they are.  In the sentences, if you can't hear a word, you may be able to guess it by the context in the sentence.  With the single words, you don't have a clue.  On that test, I scored a 64%.  Again she hurried in and said that I was doing GREAT!  I did better than any patient she had ever had. 

Sherri's biggest concern was that if Dr. Chang referred other patients to me to share how I had done, that it could raise their hopes unrealistically.  She said I was so far off the Bell curve that my results were no where close to normal.  She cautioned me to not raise their expectations too much.  I told her she had no idea how many people had been praying for me.  She said she did not want to discount the power of prayer, but that many of her patients had been praying and did not have the same results.  That is true.  That is true in many situations where we diligently pray for something and God does not say, "Yes."  For the first time in this whole process, I asked myself and God, "Why me?"  I mentioned in a previous blog that when I lost the hearing, I never asked God, "Why me?"  So why now?  Why do I feel unworthy of such amazing blessings?  All I know is that God has chosen to give me this amazing gift and He must have a purpose in doing it.  I will continue to seek His leadership in the steps ahead.

When Sherri and I returned to her office she shared the wonderful results with Ron.  She made additional adjustments and reprogrammed the sound processor.  She then asked if we had questions.  We had compiled a list of a few and went over those with her.  She then said she would be in her office doing paperwork for a while and did not have another appointment immediately, so she suggested that we go to the hospital coffee shop next door and have a snack or take a walk and see how I felt about the changes she had made in the program.  Then if I wanted any changes made, I could come back before we headed home and let her make any needed adjustments.

We took Sherri's advice and walked around taking a few photos and then went to the coffee shop.  I noticed that traffic noise was very annoying and that noise in the coffee shop was significant.  We returned to the office and she quickly made some additional adjustments and recorded those changes.  Before we left I told her that when we got to the coffee shop I engaged the man behind the counter in a conversation.  For years now I have avoided doing that knowing if the person asked me a question, I probably would not be able to hear the question well enough to answer them.  Sherri understands how hearing loss leads to isolation.  She was again delighted that I could hear well enough to have the confidence to try talking to a stranger.  Again, she said to come back in the next hour or so if I felt I needed changes made.

We drove about a quarter mile down the road to the LifeWay Christian Store and did some shopping.  I was comfortable with the results of the adjustments Sherri had made and when we finished our shopping there, we headed south!

At this point, I am going to close this blog and get some rest.  Tomorrow, I hope to tell you about the rest of our day.  So look for Amazing Test Results Today! Part 2 coming soon.

Praise God...I Can Hear!!!

 Praise God for Answered Prayers!!! 

 I Can Hear!!!

Thank You, Dr. Chang!!!

Tuesday,  July 2, 2013

What an amazing day this has been!  My Cochlear Implant was activated and immediately I was able to understand speech.  It is not R2D2 or Alvin from the Chipmunks.  I could very clearly hear the audiologist and then my husband.  Did their speech sound normal?  Almost.  The voices were recognizable, but there are added beeps and whistles, and echos.  It dawned on me a few minutes ago that one of the added sounds mimics a little bell on a tricycle.  They tell me these will go away as my brain learns to deal with them.  They are already better than they were this morning.

Doctor Joseph Chang did an excellent job on my surgery.  There are many people along the way who have had a part in this success, but the main thanks goes to Dr. Chang and God, and my Grand daughter Rachel who never gave up asking God to "please let Grandma hear".  The faith of a child.  Over the years, others have also prayed for my hearing to be restored.  I know my mom has, as well a friend in Houston named Jan, who has often told me that she was asking God to allow me to hear.  For months now, many of you have joined in that prayer request.  My thanks to all of you!  God has heard those prayers and answered the prayers in a way not envisioned by many of those who have prayed the longest.  Dr. Chang is an outstanding surgeon and has been used by a loving God to allow me to hear in a different way than I used to hear. 

God's answer came in a way that allowed me to sit at the dining table tonight in the home of our friends the Reeds and have the most normal conversation we have had in over 5 years.  We have known the Reeds since our sons met in Singing Cadets at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  God has used this couple to supply many needs in our lives.  They make us feel so at home in their lovely, comfortable home.  Here is John making coffee for Ron.



Linda Reed is cleaning the kitchen after she served us one of her amazing meals.  This couple ministers not only to us, but to countless others.  God gifted them that way.  Thank you, John and Linda for pouring out your gift of hospitality on us.  You use it well.  You will never know what you have meant to us.







I awoke about 4:00 this morning and could not get back to sleep.  Out came my Kindle and I read for a while.  We left early and stopped at a Shipley's Donut Shop for breakfast before heading to the Houston Ear Research Foundation.  This is not the doctor's office, but it provides services to the hearing impaired.  Our audiologist came out to the waiting room and took our suitcase back to her office to prepare some items before taking us with her. 

After we joined her, we talked a few minutes and then she put the external parts in place and activated the Cochlear Implant.  First she did a hearing test to determine the levels she should use for the settings.  Then she did a few minutes of programing before trying actual speech on the device.  She speaks very clearly and at a comfortable speed.  I was at once able to understand what she was saying.  As I mentioned, there were extra beeps, whistles, bells, and echos, but I understood her!


Next, she told Ron it was time for him to speak to me.  She turned me to face him and said she would leave the room for a few minutes while he talked to me alone.  How kind is that?  As he began to talk to me and I would respond, it became clear to him that I could understand him and tears started flowing down his cheeks.  I took this photo after he had wiped them away, but he was unable to wipe this grin off his face.  You think he may still love me after 48 years?

What a precious time that was!  As I mentioned a couple of months ago in this blog, it was what my hearing loss did to those I love that hurt me the most.  Several times today he has said how much it meant to him to be able to have a normal conversation with me.  As I have also mentioned, when I can't hear, I talk too loudly.  He said it was nice to hear me speak in a normal voice. 

The audiologist, Sherri, then spent the next couple of hours going over all the equipment in the suitcase, telling us what each item would do and how to care for it.  She was astounded at how well I was doing and we got way ahead of schedule since she was not having to repeat things.  Sherri is a well trained, kind, thoughtful lady.  We got a lot accomplished.  We will return tomorrow for more programming and hearing tests.  I can tell I have adjusted a lot during the day and tomorrow, she will make adjustments in the programming to reflect those changes.


After leaving Sherri's office about 11:30, we headed across town and stopped for lunch.  The place seemed noisy to me but I could still understand much that was said.  After relaxing a bit, we headed to Dr, Chang's office. 

Dr. Chang himself came to the waiting room to call us in for my appointment.  He was delighted and excited that I heard his greeting to me.  He had difficulty believing I had heard his question  correctly about when the implant had been activated when I told him "3 hours ago."  He looked at Ron for confirmation, and Ron told him that was correct.  I did struggle some of the time to hear him because he is very soft spoken.  I told him about my blog and he asked if he could refer other potential surgery candidates to me.  I told him I would be delighted to do that.  He examined my surgery site and said I don't need to see him again.

We ran a few errands including a stop at one of our suppliers for the shop and visited as well as picked up merchandise for a customer.  Then we returned to the Reeds' house.

It has been a very long, good day, so I think I will stop for now.  Thank you all for the prayer support.  I will not try the phone yet, so please continue to stay in touch by email and Facebook.

To Houston to Hear!

To Houston to Hear!

Monday  July 1, 2013

One thing I have not mentioned earlier has to do with all the equipment involved with the Cochlear Implant.  I am not talking about the equipment at Dr. Chang's office to test my hearing.  It is not the MRI machine that was used to see if I had all the God-given internal parts in my head needed to accommodate the implant.  It isn't the equipment used by the ENT specialist I saw in Brownsville or the sound-proof booths for testing at the Houston Ear Research Foundation, the hearing aid store, or all of the doctor's offices I went to.  It isn't the massive amount of equipment in the operating room where the surgery was done.  It is the suitcase filled with equipment and helps that was given to my family by the doctor, after my surgery was completed while I was still in the recovery room.

This is the suitcase for ME!  It has a label on it with my name, date of birth, and the date of my surgery.  I assume it also included the part that is now implanted in my head.  This suitcase  had a price tag that just about matches the amount we paid for our five bedroom home 37 years ago.  Thank God that my hearing loss occurred after I was on Medicare!



I have not gone through this case nor have I opened any of the boxes.  I have brought it with me to Houston, as instructed.  Tuesday morning we will go to The Houston Ear Research Foundation at Hermann Memorial Hospital SW (out near Sharpstown) and they will show me how to use all the goodies in this suitcase!  There are the external parts to use with the Cochlear Implant.  There are accessories that I selected during my meeting with them a many weeks ago.  Three accessories came with the device at no additional charge.  I selected a cable that can connect the microphone unit (looks like a large, behind the ear hearing aid) to the telephone.  There is another similar cable to go from the microphone unit to the computer, and a third one that goes to a lapel microphone.  If Ron and I are in the car and there is too much road noise, he can wear the lapel mic and I should be able to hear him more easily. 

Also in the suitcase there seem to be a variety of booklets explaining more things than I can fathom.  There are training CDs to use for practicing with the units.  I think I have mentioned that the only way to get to understanding the sounds coming through the implant is daily, dedicated practice, and listening all day long to normal sounds and conversations.  They have told my husband to talk to me!!!  Also they and others who have implants, suggest using audio books to listen to while following along in the printed book. 

Speaking of the audio books, it seems that Kindle has a set up where when you buy a book for your Kindle, you may for an additional, smaller price get the audio book (this is only on selected books) and they are synchronized so that they can be used together.  The original idea is that a person may download the audio book to their MP3 players or similar device and while out jogging (ha) they can listen to the book.  Then that evening, they can pick up their Kindle and start reading where they left off in the audio book.  The device will know where you stopped and again for tomorrow's jog, it will know where you stopped reading on your Kindle.  Now the application that could help Cochlear Implant users is that you can use them both at the same time, listening to someone read the book to you as you follow along in the Kindle with the printed word.  This helps the brain figure out what it is hearing.  Oh, my!  It makes my head hurt to think about it! 

Ron and I have both gotten Kindles in the last year.  Wouldn't you know it?  Ours are the only model that is not compatible with this system.  We have the Kindle Paperwhite.  So I have decided to wait until after this meeting in Houston to decide what to buy to meet the needs for this system.  I am thinking I may go to the Kindle Fire, thinking I can download both to the one device and not have to have two separate devices - one for sound and one for printed word.  I will see what they tell me.  I have found that books by several of my favorite Christian authors (like Karen Kingsbury) are available in this format.

Back to the suitcase, there is a "drying unit" to put the external devices in each night to get rid of any humidity that may build up.  I expect that is especially important in out South Texas humid weather.  Then I was to select a free cover for the microphone unit.  I could get zebra strips, leopard skin print, neon pink, or a wide variety of WILD colors.  None really seemed to fit "ME", but I finally selected a teal colored one.  I don't know that I will ever use it unless I were to be  speaking to a group about my implant and wanted the device to show up well.  Who know?  Maybe this will bring out a new me!