Reply to Someone Else's Cold Feet
A participant on HearingJourney.com, the Advanced Bionics online support community posted she was having cold feet about going bilateral. I've had a lot of thoughts going through my head lately about going bilateral myself. This is my reply to her.I haven't been saying much on HJ lately, but I'm reading many, many of the posts. I had cold feet about a second implant from the day I qualified. It was a wrenching journey of grieving my hearing loss. I wanted to keep that ear so so so badly! But I had no guarantee that it wouldn't quit totally on me eventually, likely sooner rather than later. It took me three months to say, "ok, you can pencil me in." (I have a really wise and co

One Ear Versus Two
I read this recently on an AB cochlear implant forum, and it is the best word picture I have heard yet to describe the difference between hearing with one ear versus two:"Hearing with two ears is like seeing with two eyes: Depth perception. The world becomes three-dimensional and you're right in the middle of it, not flat like it is with one ear. Hearing with only one ear always made me feel like I was listening to books on tape: Interesting story, but not one I felt a part of. Stereo is 3-D. You are IN the action." (Thanks, Maggie!)