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Hi, I'm Nicky, and I was born deaf.
and nobody really knew why -- why I was born deaf
my deafness was diagnosed when I was two-and-a-half
and when I had my first hearing aids at two-and-a-half and as I grew up wearing two hearing aids
and as I reached, um, in my mid-twenties
my hearing started to go -- my hearing started to go down further
and nobody really knows why my hearing went down further
so I was fitted with digital hearing aids, which were under private
and the hearing aids didn't work for a couple of years
but they didn't actually help with my understanding of speech
but cochlear implants were brought up by my consultant
but back then, we didn't really know much about cochlear implants
whether they would help me or not, so I just stuck wearing hearing aids
and then when I was struggling so much, I wasn't understanding speech
the only thing I could understand was music, because I was brought up in the music world
I listened to music ever since I was a child
so then at that time, I was struggling so much, I was having so many problems
my confidence was quite low
and I was losing touch with some of my friends, I was avoiding going out to pubs, to deaf clubs, to theatres, to the mall
I just couldn't cope
so after a few years of struggling, I managed to get myself referred
and had people to get me referred to the cochlear implant program at the Royal National Throat, Nose, and Ear Hospital in King's Cross
and after talking to my friends about cochlear implants
I thought to myself that it would give me back my life
because I wasn't doing so well with hearing aids
so after I went to see my consultant at the hospital, I said to them, "Well, that's it!"
"I'm not doing so well with hearing aids anymore, and I want you to help me"
so they eventually got me referred to the Cochlear Implant Programme
which I was referred in March 2009
and I first, had my first assessment in June 2009
and so on it went from there
I had my first internal assessment, and after I got to that stage, they said they could move me along to the next stage
and after a few months, they eventually told me that I was a candidate to have a cochlear implant
which made me so happy, because all I ever wanted was to hear speech again, and music, and to get back into the hearing world, that's all I ever wanted
so after, oh, probably about September time, they told me the good news that I can have the cochlear implant operation
but the worst bit was waiting for funding, and that was -- I was going through hell
because it was messing me up so much with my private care trust
because after they read the wrong report, I got turned down
and nobody really knows why I was turned down
and then eventually, if I wanted the operation, I had to fight
and I did, I actually got in touch with the cochlear implant team
told them how much this really means to me, and will you do something
eventually, the funding did come through, at last
and that was in December 2009
they actually told me that I was going to have the operation about Christmastime when I went to see my consultant
and then after that, they told me that I was going to have it in February
and then eventually gave me an operation date
which was April 16, 2010
so from then on, I went from the referral, to the assessment, all the way through the operation
the whole process was actually under a year, under one year I had to wait just to get the operation
I was actually pleased to have the operation, I haven't regretted it
there was no going back
but they did warn me not to get my expectations quite high
they said that once you get switched on, you're going to relearn to be able to hear sounds again
so I was switched on on May 10, 2010
and from that switch on day, I did really well in like six months
when I was able to understand speech, music, the phone -- which I could never do with my hearing aids
so, in those six months, I did really well
and then it started to go wrong for me, I started to have a few setbacks
from about October, November time
things started to go from good to bad
and nobody really knows why
I was getting all of these funny noises in my implanted ear, which was completely messed up
it interfered with my hearing
so after making so many trips backward and forward to the hospital to see my consultant
so after going through January, February, and March
I was eventually told that I had most of the symptoms to do with Meniere's Disease
which I wasn't officially diagnosed yet
but I had a similar condition linked with it
it may have been brought on from the operation
but I'm doing okay now
I'm still getting some of the symptoms and the noises
but I am doing a lot better than I was three months ago
my hearing is gradually coming back to normal
so the good news is that between hearing aids and cochlear implants, cochlear implants are the best
with hearing aids, I was hearing absolutely rubbish with them
so it was much more stress, and it caused me nothing but hassle
but with cochlear implants, they really gave me my confidence back
I was able to socialize with my deaf friends, meet new people, go to the theatre more, go to the cinema
speak to them on the phone, which I could never do in my life
so the difference between cochlear implants and hearing aids -- cochlear implants are much more strong, more powerful, they're clearer
and with hearing aids, you only benefit from environmental sounds
so, it's cochlear implants! And, I haven't regretted it
I'm happy I went through with the operation
and the wait, the assessments, the waiting for the operation was really worth it
and even though I'm still having my problems now, but I'm still getting all of the support and help from my cochlear implant team, my friends, and my family
and the most important thing is it's given me my life back