My Non-Dramatic Cochlear Implant Activation [CC]

Hello, people of the internet. I know the title is a little strange, but I just didn't want people thinking that this is one of those videos where someone gets their cochlear implant switched on and everyone starts crying and it's super emotional. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I wasn't super emotional when the audiologist turned on my implant.
So far, I'm very much enjoying my cochlear implant. I can hear about as well as can be expected so far and was able to subtitle this video myself which I wouldn't have been able to do before with my hearing aids. A lot of speech sounds do still sound the same to me, but I am already able to understand a lot more with my implant than my hearing aid. I'll definitely be making more videos in future about my cochlear implant journey so please consider subscribing if you would be interested in that.
My Instagram: / nellefindlay

[@cnnw3929]

I like this video because it does a far better job of showing what is to be expected of a cochlear implant than those emotional ones that look to me more like advertisements. It just goes to show that the decision to receive the cochlear implant is not one that should be taken lightly.

[@nellefindlay]

Thanks, I'm glad you found it useful. I always try and make sure that my videos are as representative as possible of my actual experience, even if it is pretty boring. The audiologist at the implant centre said reactions like mine are more common than the very emotional reactions so I think my experience is more representative of what should be expected. Nelle :)

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

Hi Nelle I am just about to watch the video! Thank you for the closed captions! This is the bit where I wanted to hear what you said! But this is when reality hit me that without your help I would not hear a thing! Being profoundly deaf has finally hit home! But thank goodness it's the start of you hearing again so I could not be more happy for you! & Thanks to your mum for filming it! 💜💜

[@luigimario4458]

That video made my day! Congratulations for your newly received hearing!

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Xx

[@SilverGypsyWeed]

Great activation! Your descriptions are clear and will help anyone watching who is waiting on activation more comfortable going into that appointment! Your activation was typical and a very good representation of what a person might expect. You are doing a good job with these videos, keep filming!

[@nellefindlay]

Thanks :)

[@davejenkins873]

Nelle, even as a normal hearing person I'm fascinated by your journey to improved hearing. The brain has a way of making sense of the inputs it receives so I will very much hope that you experience a continual improvement. It will be very interesting to hear what sort of sounds come easiest and those which you find more difficult. Thank you for sharing this, it has awakened an interest in a subject I knew little about.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'll definitely keep everyone updated about what I can hear with the implant and how quickly I learn to hear different sounds. Nelle xx

[@englandcalling9721]

Hello Nelle of the internet, I am so chuffed for you. As you rightly put it, it's a journey, and over time you'll get better accustomed to your new palette of sounds. Your attitude and approach is brilliant, and I'm sure I'm not alone in looking forward to your future adventures. Take good care. PS, your mum sounds delightful.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm doing pretty well with my implant so far and I'm sure I'll get a good result from it. I'm glad you like my attitude and my mum. Nelle xx

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

England calling you summed up everything so well! Nelle comes across as a person that gonna grab a 2nd chance of hearing with both hands! Most of the people that have commented have followed each video for the past 5mths! Her confidence has grown each video! The NHS has had a lot to deal with especially with covid! But the implant team fast tracked her for a reason! Having hearing all her life until 6 mths ago gave her a head start! For some reason I missed the end of the video but when I watched it again her mum asked what she could hear in all that wind & it blew me away what she could hear even in that short time! I think before her appointment in a week's time Nelle will be on program 4 as she keeps wanting more volume! I think your as happy as the rest of us! And want more updates & if she films more at the audiologists say a month down the line that would be great! Being profoudly deaf myself these past 2mths I had to rely on the captions but it was a fantastic video well filmed by her mum! Unlike glasses that give you perfect vision! CI's & hearing aids don't give you back perfect hearing! When CI's/hearing aids come out at bedtime we are all in a mostly silent world! Until I get the latest powerful hearing aids from the NHS my almost silent world is all day & every day! But they may not help so thanks to Nelle I know what getting a CI entails! I could not be more happy for her! The internet at times can be a wonderful place filled with nice kind people! 😊😊

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

Hi Nelle i wanted to wish you good luck with your audiologist appointment later! I bet Roberta will be more than happy with you! I expect your want more volume! But it's good you had the wedding at the weekend as a big test so you can report back with what you could or could not hear! I loved the 10 Min clip! Also loved the banter with you & your mum! Her filming was excellent! I hope we all get another small clip of filming to see your progress in one week! I for one can't thank you enough for deciding to share with us the story of your hearing loss & what's happened in the past 6mths! Unless you become profoundly deaf you don't get how hard every day tasks can be! And the hearing fatigue at the end of each day! Either trying to lipread or hear bits of speech made harder with masks! Sending you more positive vibes & come Christmas who knows how much more you will hear! What a brilliant Christmas present for you,Will & the family 💖💖💖

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you for your positive comment. I didn't video my appointment yesterday as there wasn't really much point. I've put out new video today explaining what I can hear with it. Nelle xx

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

That was an amazing video I got what the audiologist was trying to achieve! I loved the way you kept pushing for it to be louder! Your mum was good & Nelle I must say your lipreading seems to have come on in leaps & bounds! And it was good to see the audiologist encouraging it so you learn the words again! I can see why the appointments are so close together! As your on program one! But it will change so quickly so just like hearing aids they will need adjusting! Plus you were happy the implant was louder than your hearing aid! I have to say looking at your ear the implant did not look much bigger than an analogue hearing aids! So matches your hair! I expect you hearing better already? Love the alien comment! Your mum's filming was excellent! Without her we would not have seen 10 wonderful minutes! I hope you can persuade her to come to future appointments & film your progress! I can't thank you enough you have shown what having a implant is like! From the video's I have watched the average time of an appointment was 3hrs! The mapping & other stuff! How's the first 24 hrs been with a working implant? & The audiologist has to be good with a cat screensaver! Thank you for showing there is hope for profoundly deaf people like myself! 🤗💜💜

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Roberta the audiologist is really good, an I can hear more than I could with my hearing aid already which is good. I don't know whether I'll film any future appointments because it will probably be really boring to watch, but if I think there's anything worth filming, I definitely will. Either way I'll be keeping the Internet updated. My processor looks pretty good too. It does blend in which is nice, but I don't really care whether people can see it as long as it looks nice. Sorry if I haven't replied to your comment that well, but I'm away from home for the weekend so I'm typing this on my phone. Nelle xx

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

Hi again Nelle I have just seen your picture on Instagram you looked so very pretty! Loved the hair & lipstick! Am glad your 100% happy you had the implant! And your hearing a lot better than with hearing aids! It's good your family could tell the volume of your speech was better! Your implant looked very futuristic with the blue light on the top! It was a good learning curve your first big outing with your implant! It gives you something to talk about with your audiologist! It was probably to much to expect to hear the speeches! It did seem strange seeing you with something on your ear without an earmould! I can see you wanting the other ear implanted further down the line! Bet Will & your family were proud of you! The implant team will see another happy recipient! Thank you for deciding to share your story with everyone on you tube & Instagram! It will help anyone including myself who may be thinking about being assessed for a cochlear implant! You clearly have the best processor! Keep up the great work you have a lot of support on here! ❤️❤️

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm really lucky with my cochlear implant, not everyone can hear with it as quickly as I can. I'm not entirely sure what the blue light means, the processor just lights up various colours occasionally for some reason. I would definitely get the other ear implanted if I got the opportunity. Thank you for your positive wishes. Nelle xx

[@m3horn]

Looks and sounds like you're cochlear implant is a winner so far Nelle nice👍👍 You're implant is working as good as in the video then when your brain adjusts over the next 2 or 3 months with some fine turning as you ajust to it then your implant will really sound Good.

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you. I'm definitely doing better than I anticipated with my cochlear implant so far. I will keep everyone updated about how well I can hear with it after everything is settled. Nelle xx

[@lou3878]

Hi Nelle, thank you for your openness and honesty in your activation. I hope you are getting on with your implant and are enjoying the new sounds. I myself am just starting my cochlear implant assessment journey at Bristol hospital. (scored 18% without lipreading or context at my initial assessment). There is a team discussion next then hopefully a speech and language assessment and ABR test! I would be grateful for any advice or information about the further assessments you had. Congratulations on your switch on 🎆😎 x

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. Good luck with your cochlear implant assessment. It will probably feel like it takes an eternity, but I promise it doesn't. If you are interested, I have a video on my channel about the cochlear implant assessment process. I would usually send you a link, but I'm away from home this weekend and am typing on my phone. I got my cochlear implant at Southampton Auditory Implant Service so the assessment process might be a bit different in Bristol, but I hope my videos are helpful anyway. Nelle xx

[@richardesposito6622]

Hi Nelle! Great work with all this and very greatful for sharing it! Hearing loss, hearing aids and tinnitus have been a challenge for me. Found your video while searching for my own answers with hearing issues. I did not even know what activation meant for an implant. And as you noted you don’t just push a button and life is good again! So thank you for that.. I must say showing your assertiveness with asking for more volume is breath of fresh air and wonderful example for others. It can be easy to forget when you could be anxious and need to take more control of your time with the appointment and ask the right questions and request what you need. Lots of research and having the right person with you may help in this process ie, those with other issues and especially children. Otherwise you are more alone in the process, of research, not sure what the latest and best tech for yourself and not sure what to expect! Glad this all worked out for you.. Thanks Again & Kind Regards..

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm really grateful to my implant centre for encouraging me to feel comfortable speaking up. I'm glad my videos have helped you learn more about cochlear implants. Nelle :)

[@durturd]

Congratulations on being activated!!!

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you xx

[@katyharris7370]

Hi Nelle this my first post I have followed your story since you lost your hearing! I am 23 have bilateral cochlear implants on the NHS I suddenly lost my hearing in late 2017 the doctor tried steroids but they did not work I was profoundly deaf! I managed to get NHS hearing aids! But the earmoulds were no good they were the dome ones & I was told it was none stop whistling! So I got solid earmounds! But I could not hear! I had 15% word recognition with hearing aids! I got referred for an implant at st Thomas hospital in London! In spring 2018 I was implanted in my right ear! I felt sick & had balance issues! But it passed & a month later it was activated! The language sounded foreign & dalek like! But I was lucky as I had not lost my hearing for long! I was given 3 programs to try to increase the volume! Each day speech became clearer! A deaf subscriber Barry Taylor had a good idea! You filmed the activation! Which was just like mine! He did ask whether you would film this week's appointment you said it might be boring! But if your mum is going it would be worth filming to have a record of what progress you made! And the one after that! Even if it's only 10 mins! It will help your subscribers especially those who may be thinking about getting a CI and if you start a family and they ask what's on your head you can show them the videos!You made this channel to help people! Look at all the views so far no negative comments! I for one would like to see your video progress please! I had my second implantation in sept 2018 on the NHS( that's another story may I email you as it may help you get the other ear implanted??) I get the N7 update in a couple of weeks! I now have 50 to 70% word recognition! I can use the phone! Bluetooth streaming & with the new processor I might get 60 to 80% word recognition! I am glad in a way I lost my hearing! These implants are life savers! I don't know if your on program 4 yet but keep lipreading & reading out loud! And watch how good your speech will be! All I will say is before I email you(check junk mail by tomorrow it will have Katy Harris implants)Is the better you hear the more chance the NHS will think it's worth spending the money from a "special" budget! All the best to you & your family Katy xx

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, sorry for not replying sooner. It's the same as for your other comments, youtube being weird. It sounds like your story is really similar to me. I'm glad you're making the best of it, like I'm trying to do. Still no negative comments, so I must be doing something right! (I don't want to tempt fate though!) Thank you for your positive wishes!

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

You don't have to say sorry for the reply! I am just grateful you took the time to do it! I am so happy 24 hrs on your hearing better than you did with hearing aids! I hope it's a weekend with Will you deserve to have you time plus it will help you hearing new sounds away from home! Yes you do look cool with the implant! Better looking than my boring hearing aids! I have just updated my profile on you tube! You were after ideas for video's we know what sort of music you like & some hobbies! But what are your favourite clothes? Dresses,skirts etc! We see the top half in videos & the full you when you were having your operation! And this is not Micky taking I love your striped tops! They look cool! And it's good to see the glasses! Thank you for the link I will be ordering some as I wanted rimless glasses for years! Have a great weekend enjoy the new sounds after the almost silent 6mths! I reckon further down the line if this goes well you will somehow get the other ear implanted to hear in stereo! Best wishes Barry xx

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm not sure I'm fashionable enough to make fashion videos, but I can give it a try. Probably 90% of the time I'm just wearing either a stripy top, plain long or short sleeve t shirt, jumper, or collared shirt on top and jeans on the bottom. All my jeans are the Sophia straight jeans from M&S and I just have them in all the colours. We're away for a family wedding (Will is coming too). I do actually have a pretty nice outfit for the wedding and I'll definitely put some photos on Instagram. Hearing aids can be cool too. It is what you make it after all. There is a website called hearoes which make colourful stickers and tubes etc for cochlear implants. I also found my silver twisty things on etsy. I'm glad you like my glasses. They are the lightest most comfortable glasses I have ever had and the arms are really thin which is good when you have hearing aids/cochlear implants. Thank you for your positive wishes. I'll keep you updated about what I can hear with my implant. Nelle xx

[@Raychi91]

Wow amazing I’m looking forward to getting my implant

[@nellefindlay]

Good luck getting your implant. I'm so pleased with mine and I really hope you have a good result. Nelle xx

[@Ocelot1962]

You were a pretty young lady before, but now you're a pretty young lady who can hear. Congratulations!

[@nellefindlay]

Thanks :)

[@ingoscholz2073]

Thank you so much for participation at the cochlear implant activation. Very interesting - in comparison to my hearing aids adjustment. It is impressing how positive you are. BTW: You look great. Can‘t believe you had your cochlear implant surgery a month (or a little more) before…. Does your own voice sounds robotic too?

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I thought it would be a good idea to film my cochlear implant activation to show what it is actually like. I have seen a lot of videos that are only a couple of minutes long and it's basically just someone hearing a noise and everyone crying. Of course there is nothing wrong with those videos and I don't want to undermine anyone's experience, but I thought I would film my activation in a way that I feel more accurately reperesents most people's experiences. I'm not positive all the time, but I do generally try to have the best attitude I can manage. After all, you can't control the situation, but you can control how you react to it. I'm glad you think I looked good. This was actually only three weeks after my surgery, but I felt completely fine a week after my surgery. Yes, my voice sounds robotic too. Nelle xx

[@m3horn]

You picked a winner when picking GN Resounds cholcar. It should work out great for you Nelle. If it is good as their hearing aids then 🏆🏆. I have had other brands of hearing aids before but all 3 of my GN Resound hearing aids have been a big winner's and the best. I am wearing Resound linx 3d 761 hearing aids with custom ear molds now. I in a year or so I am going to get another pair of the resound hearing aids the new Resound One 962 model with custom ear molds. Hope everything comes up roses for you now Nelle.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm doing really well with my implant so far and am definitely happy with my choice. I'm glad you enjoy your Resound hearing aids. I might end up getting one for my other ear, but to be honest I can hear so little with that ear, there might not be much point. Thank you for your positive wishes. Nelle xx

[@wangarirenata8313]

Am a new subscriber as I go to get mine activated , I love this ❤️from kenya🇰🇪

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment and subscribing. Good luck with your new implant! Nelle xx

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

Nelle thank you for the kindness you have shown with all the lovely replies! I think that's why you don't get any negative comments! I can't wait to see the pictures of what your wearing for the wedding on Instagram! It's going to be a great test for the implant! A few guests & probably music & a reception afterwards! It would have been so hard if you just had hearing aids & heard very little! Plus the bonus of hearing Will's voice again! Your right about hearing aids they can be jazzed up so can cochlear implants! I hope soon hearing aids/CI's will be as fashionable as glasses! I for one am interested in Nelle or Ellen as the audiologist called you! And not just because you wear hearing aids/CI,but your hobbies & what you might do next work wise etc! there has not been a boring video yet! So enjoy the wedding & get used to hearing things we all took for granted before we lost our hearing! The implant team made a good choice to implant you as we all can see your grabbing this chance of hearing with both hands! This video proved that when you kept saying turn it up! I think I would have said the same after 3 hrs of pre switch on stuff! Good luck with further appointments not as if you will need it judging by your progress so far! It gives me hope I may hear again & my speech get clearer! Thank you & all the best Barry xx

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment and your positive wishes. Nelle xx

[@amezcuaist]

My audiologist has to type everything as my good ear plus aid is so bad . I can`t lip read anything .My ear plug fell to bits and I used an older plug. That whisles so I take it out for my wife .to be happy . I have 2 more weeks of silence when they will give me a new ear plug to make the aid work . I want that fantastic joke book that makes all those deaf people laugh all the time . I deserve it . The lady in the video is an absolute charmer .

[@tarmo8943]

As you might know, i had activation in same day as you did. Unfortunately i had to start from absolutely zero. I heard only whistling and beeps but 2 days later i founded a third element that makes robot voices. I am definitely waiting first adjustment appointment which is in 2 weeks (too long!) because simple sounds are so loud and i get nauseous and very dizzy in evenings. This CI is much worse than regular hearing aid but i think it will be better. Did you had hearing test? I have 40-60dB in lows so my processor is hybrid. All higher frequencies are lost in surgery but they might come back once blood in middle ear dissolves.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with your cochlear implant. Unless I'm mistaken, you were activated really soon after the surgery. That might be part of the reason. I had terrible vertigo and nausea after my surgery for a few days. I wish you all the best for your adjustment appointment and I hope you get on well with your new implant. Also, if the sounds are too loud, with my processor I just have a remote control where I can just turn the volume down. With regards to what processor I have and my hearing etc. I have a full cochlear implant, not an EAS device. I have a flat line hearing loss of about 95-100db in my right ear and 80-110db in my left ear. I put a picture of my hearing test results at the beginning of my "Deaf karaoke: Episode 1" video if you want to see the specifics. I think part of the reason I've had such a good result with my CI is because I had normal hearing until pretty recently. I wish you all the best with your new CI and I'll be thinking of you. Nelle xx

[@johnmc128]

I hope it improves, keep singing.

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you! Don't worry I'll keep embarrassing myself by singing badly on the Internet. Nelle xx

[@grizzley109]

Are there frequencies that you can hear again? What would your audiogram look like now? Is it any louder/ clearer than your hearing aid? Could you do an update as you fully acclimate to the implant? If you can, Thanks ☺️

[@nellefindlay]

I can definitely hear high frequencies that I couldn't with my hearing aids. I don't think they really do audiograms for cochlear implants, but I'll let you know if they ever do something like that. They'll probably do a speech discrimination test or something. It definitely sounds louder and clearer than my hearing aids already, and I'll make an update once everything is kind of settled to describe what I can hear. Nelle xx

[@spiritualitatecunicoleta]

Hi, Do you understand speech without looking at the person? Or on phone? And what if you are in another room? I'm asking because my boy has hearing aids and he needs implant, but I want to be sure that it would be better for him. Now he understands speech if he looks at the person, but I really hope he can udenrstand the teacher if he doesn't look at him. Thank you

[@nellefindlay]

I can hear speech without lipreading if the person speaks very clearly and there is no background noise. In normal conversations, I definitely prefer to look at people's lips to understand. From another room, or if the person is too far away (like more than about 2m) I can't hear them. For your son, it's definitely worth working with an audiologist to make the decision because it varies depending on the individual person's hearing levels.

[@Konkacha]

This is so funny to me cos when they did mine they didn't bother doing the volume increases, they just switched it on at full blast and that was quite painful :D

[@nellefindlay]

That sounds like a pretty different experience. I've been very lucky with the cochlear implant centre that I've been using. They have been super amazing and have done everything very slowly and gently with it. Sorry that you had a more jarring experience with your activation.

[@Konkacha]

@@nellefindlay Glad to hear! I think my circumstances were quite strange as it was on a side of my head that I had never heard sound since I was born hence my brain had quite a hard time adjusting even if it was turned on relatively quiet from the audiologist's perspective. Really glad to see it's working well for you. Mine are functioning perfectly too now.

[@nealeburgess6756]

I hope things are continuing well for you Nelle. May I give a suggestion to your audiologist? I think her hand gestures would be distracting to many people trying to lip read. She was not signing, just waving her hands around. Perhaps better to limit the hand movements.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. Everything is going really well so far with my cochlear implant. Thank you for the suggestion. To be honest I didn't find Robert's hand movements distracting or affect my ability to lipread, but of course everyone is different. Nelle xx

[@ronunderwood8099]

Most of don't have dramatic activations. I hope everything is working well for you.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. Everything is going great with my implant. It took a while to get used to it, but I'm really glad I decided to get it. :)

[@bibekbhandari8834]

How did you loss your hearing?

[@nellefindlay]

The doctors don't know exactly what caused it. They think it is most likely Meniere's disease however that is not confirmed. They've ruled out serious medical conditions and the treatment is the same no matter the cause of my hearing loss so I decided not to go forward with extensive testing.

[@adventuroustraveller6798]

Why you stop posting video,

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, I do intend to keep making videos, I just have a lot of exams at the moment. :)

[@rekhagowda2466]

Now you heard like a robot or it's clear...

[@nellefindlay]

I would say that my hearing sounds like an old fashioned radio. I can hear pretty clearly if there is not a lot of background noise, but sometimes things sound a bit tinny and it's hard to hear if there is a lot of background noise.