I was excited yesterday because I got to sing in church and it went well! I hadn’t tried since the latest episode – there’s just been too much to adjust to and figure out, but yesterday I was up for it and I was thrilled that it went well. Chet helped me out – I started singing and he gave me a nod if my volume was okay and if I was close to being on tune! I needed a lot of reassurance because it is so out there (think about how people sound when they have headphones on and can’t hear themselves!) but it felt so good to participate in that part of our assembly again.

I also made a discovery. I’ve been using two of the church’s assistive listening devices and holding them tight on my ears to try to hear anything being said at the microphone. Yesterday I borrowed a set of earbuds from Cody to try and it worked! I didn’t have to hold my ears, and I was actually able to understand pretty much all of what was said! I don’t really get it – my hearing on that side has been stable for years – it didn’t improve. That’s the same ear that the audiologist deemed “unaidable” before. It’s giving me some ability to hear, so I’m grateful.

I ordered my computer for the captioning program – should be here in a couple of weeks. Lots happening! Meanwhile, I continue to research cochlear implants. I joined an online community of users so I could get some firsthand info from people who have them. It’s been interesting so far. I feel like my expectations will be reasonable if/when the time comes for me. I also emailed my ASL instructor and she offered to get together with me a few times to practice ASL and I am very excited about that. It is becoming a big part of my life and is really helpful when trying to communicate. It is great to practice with all of the others who took the classes but I also feel I would benefit greatly from being around people who are proficient at ASL and can correct me and I can learn more patterns, vocab, etc from.

I’m still feeling very upbeat and positive about things!