I'm thinking about cochlear implants
and surgery.
We are acutely aware of the disappointment, disruption, and anxiety this development may cause you… I read several times over, contemplating our next steps. Both Maya and I face the same fork in the road.
Our current cochlear implant models (approximately three decades old) are no longer being serviced. In short, the internal technology, which was surgically implanted when we were both toddlers, require a replacement because the manufacturer made a
…difficult decision to end service and support…
…regulatory agencies require us to prove even higher levels of safety and effectiveness…
…older technologies are struggling to keep up…
We look at one another, pause to process, and sync our thinking, they are working just fine, like they have the last thirty years. And basically what the heck?
As life does, life presents a dilemma and a cause for thinking, now what? We quickly recovered, acknowledging that deciding on a replacement, which requires surgery, is not urgent for either of us. We intentionally chose to build a life—geographically, for instance— that is accessible via our hands and eyes, leading to minimal reliance on limited sound-access technology. We could do without our cochlear implants altogether if we wanted to.
Over a year ago, I used to wear my cochlear implant daily. That changed when I sought coping mechanisms due to the change in Administration, committing horrid injustices spreading like a disease around the globe. Shortly after the inauguration, I decided not to wear my cochlear implant much at all. It’s as though the addition of sound was overriding my already overstimulated body. A day without boxed access to sound became two. Two days became a week. As I approach two years of wearing my cochlear implant for only select events or with select people (aka folks who don’t sign), I have grown accustomed to a world without auditorial input. This experience has proven what I was aware to be true: sound is not the be all end all.
And my friends, a world without sound, is also a world without noise.
Hmmm, how about that.
-s.g.
No one edits my writing. I do not use AI. I’m no expert in language use and word order. I ask for your grace if you stumble across any errors or mistakes in my written pieces. The same goes for my voice recording as I may mispronounce some words. On both counts, consider it part of my art; an imperfect expression plucked from my heart and placed onto your screen. Consensual hugs.