Everyone needs to be fluent in the lanugage of their country so the real question is not what language should my deaf child learn but rather should they be taught sign language first?

“Your child is deaf” – words parents of a newborn or toddler definitely never expect to hear. Their reaction, whether they themselves are Deaf or hearing, is usually one of shock, anger, fear, grief and confusion.

When I recently became a live kidney donor for my husband, I found hearing in hospital was critical.

It’s now one month since my second cochlear implant was switched on and it’s time to test what sounds I understand.

I thought I knew how to hear with both ears... I am already experiencing a whole new world of bilateral hearing something I thought was not possible. Having my first cochlear implant was great, and now having my second cochlear implant has opened up my world even further and I am loving it.

It should be simple to hear with two ears shouldn't it? I know how to hear. So why did I need to re-learn?

Before I had my 2nd cochlear implant I read all the brochures and asked other bi-lateral recipients to explain what the differences were between hearing with one ear and hearing with two ears. Most couldn’t easily articulate the differences but all said it was ‘better’. What did ‘better’ mean?

I already knew what it was like to go through the Cochlear Implant switch on process and to learn to re-hear, but I still found it was just as hard as the first time

Having the surgery for a Cochlear Implant is only the first step in my new hearing process. There are many other things to be done. One of the first is the Telemetry Test to determine which electrodes are working.

No one likes having an operation, but my recovery from a recent second Cochlear Implant Operation has been excellent. My experience may help someone else understand what it is like.