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New Marvel Processors by Advanced Bionics - Review

 It has been about 7 years since I received my first cochlear implant.  I chose Advanced Bionics in 2014 and received their Q70 processor at activation.  This was their first processor based on Phonak technology, since both companies are owned by Sonova. The Q70 was a very good processor, and coupled with their HiRes Fidelity 120 programming strategy, I enjoyed good appreciation of music.  I use the Optima-P strategy in particular.  The processor was much smaller than the previous Harmony processor, and featured a much smaller, if fragile, t-mic2.  The t-mic is arguably the best feature offered by AB.  It is a microphone that hangs by a wire, and is positioned near the ear canal, allowing me to use headphones and mobile phones normally, by positioning the speaker where everyone else would hold it, instead of having to hold the speakers up near the top of the ear, where traditional mics are placed. With the Q70, I was able to use Bluetooth devices, but ...
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CODA - Movie Review and Thoughts

 CODA is a new movie, available on Apple TV+ (free trial) and was made with high involvement from Deaf community members, and features several prominent Deaf actors like Marlee Matlin, etc.  The movie follows the story of a Deaf family where both parents are Deaf, one kid is Deaf, and the other kid can hear.  There are obvious culture conflicts here, and the movie covers these, as well as exposing the discrimination that is felt my Deaf people in our Hearing world on a daily basis. It is a sweet movie, and definitely worth watching!
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Walt Disney World Orlando - tips, tricks, and observations

Overview We recently took our first family trip to Walt Disney World (WDW) in Orlando, and I wanted to share some information that may save you time, money, and headaches.  We have two kids around 10 years old, so keep that in mind since some of our choices Where to stay Your choice in where to stay could depend on how much time you plan to spend at the hotel.  For us, the hotel was merely a place to shower and sleep when we weren't at parks.  A mini fridge, onsite ice machine, and ability to accept grocery deliveries were of paramount importance, and we needed easy transportation back and forth from the parks. Given all the above, we stayed at the Port Orleans resort.  It is moderately priced, nice, clean, and has very good transportation via bus. TIP:  the biggest perk of staying at a Disney hotel is the ability to book all your fast passes 60 days before your arrival.  This ensures that you get a good selection.  Fast pass selection opens ...
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Deaf TV Show - Discussing Cochlear Implants

Kadie and I participated in a local Deaf-Services TV show to discuss cochlear implants.  This is Part 1 of a multi-part show that will feature people who have had good success with implants, and also people who have not had very good success. BCTV - World of Perceptions Enjoy!
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Cochlear Implants, Music, and Pitch Perception

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I wanted to write a bit about music perception, specifically pitch perception with my implants.  I was a classically-trained musician for quite a long time during my youth when my hearing was more-or-less normal.  My pitch perception was relatively perfect, meaning, if you gave me a Middle C, I could re-create the entire 88 pitches in my head with very high accuracy. When I got my first implant activated and started intensive music therapy on my own, using songs I know very well, the perception was quite inaccurate.  A specific example of this was using a guitar.  I would play various notes, and for the most part it "sounded like" buzzing during the first 2-3 months. After that, pitch started to come through, but a weird thing happened with the actual perception of each pitch:  I would perceive pitches as "different" going up and down a string, but there was also the presence of another pitch.  This is best demonstrated by a picture. So essentially, ...
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Bilateral Cochlear Implants!

And on the heels of my 6 month update, I am happy to share that I got my second implant two weeks ago! I will be getting activated on October 14, and I plan to spend the first 2-3 weeks wearing only the new processor in an effort to equalize the new side instead of letting my good ear be a crutch/hindrance. I'm hoping my second activation goes as well as my first.  Fingers crossed!
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Cochlear Implant - 6 month update

How are things going? Overall, I could not possibly be happier with my CI.  It has completely blown away even my highest expectations.  I've been using essentially the same sound processing strategies (Optima P, ClearVoice medium, IDR 60) for about 5 months now, with minor tweaks here and there.  The only time I even bother to change programs, is when I am in a very noisy situation like a restaurant, and want to use UltraZoom which allows me to focus on sound in front of me. How does music sound? This is probably the hardest part to explain, and is somewhat philosophical because I cannot possibly know how things sound to other people.  As a child, I had only minor hearing loss, and I was an active musician with perfect pitch perception.  So I also don't know what it is like for people who don't have good pitch perception. Another thing that makes it hard to explain:  music through my CI is both infinitely better and far worse than it was with he...
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