Meet Sue Walters

Sue Walters is the Clinical Support Officer at Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (SCIC) and has worked at SCIC for the past 5 years. She has benefited from five speech processor upgrades and shares her hearing journey with us...

Ive had the same implant for 24 years and can get consistent improvements in sound quality just by fitting the new speech processors. Its been surprising I must admit, and comforting, knowing that as I get older, my hearing is going to be getting better, not worse! I also really appreciate how Cochlear has made the speech processors more versatile, smaller and easier to wear.

I lost my hearing in April 1984 as a result of meningitis. I was 22. When I realised I was permanently deaf, I felt utter disbelief. I was in denial. At that time, you feel like you have lost touch with the world.

In August 1984, I got my first implant. I was actually the first recipient to get this in Sydney - it was funded by a research grant to Sydney University. I had the
Nucleus 22 implant which at that stage had no magnet so the speech processor was worn on a headband. Luckily, I had curly hair so I could cover it pretty well
but I always felt a bit self conscious. I also had to re-adjust the headband to make sure it was sitting in the right place otherwise I couldn't hear a thing. A few years later, I had surgery to get a magnet fitted.

Looking back, the sound quality was pretty crude. At my first switch on, I felt like I was in a space invaders game - I heard a lot of computer generated beeps.
I did not even recognise my own voice! I was first fitted with the WSP1 and since then have had 5 speech processor upgrades including MSP, Spectra, ESPrit22, ESPrit 3G for Nucleus 22 and finally Freedom, which I am using now. From the MSP to the Spectra, there was a big leap in hearing quality, particularly in speech perception. Once I had the Spectra, I could actually hear much better on the phone. It took a while to get used to the ESPirt 3G, but once I got used to it, I liked it. The built in telecoil for the phone was fantastic.

In August 2005, I received a bilateral Freedom implant with a Freedom speech processor. My main motivation to do this was to provide a backup to the first. At the time I actually thought the one I had was great. I could talk on the phone fine and was happy with the sound quality. But once my brain started getting the second input from the new implant the sound was immediately improved. I was getting a fuller and better sound!

Now, with the Freedom for Nucleus 22, the sound is better again. I can also manage background noise more easily. All these improvements in sound benefit
me in my role at SCIC as my job involves a lot of customer interaction; dealing with spare parts, repairs, trouble shooting and customer service.
I also have a much better appreciation of music now. I grew up playing the piano and even though the music I hear is not as I remember it, it's nice to enjoy it again. I can pick up lyrics better now and sing along - I even catch myself singing along to CDs in the car. I really love Cat Stevens

Features like the inbuilt telecoil have really made a big difference to hearing quality. I was in a church the other day, one of those very old churches with high vaulted ceilings that echo a lot, and I could hear every word that was said. The telecoil also really helps me at plays and the theatre which I like to go to. At home, I love listening to birds singing and the frogs croaking in chorus. I also love the sound of waves crashing - and my kid's voices, of course. A mother should always be able to hear her kids.

Sue Walters is the Clinical Support Officer at Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (SCIC) and has worked at SCIC for the past 5 years. She has benefited from five speech processor upgrades and shares her hearing journey with us...

Ive had the same implant for 24 years and can get consistent improvements in sound quality just by fitting the new speech processors. Its been surprising I must admit, and comforting, knowing that as I get older, my hearing is going to be getting better, not worse! I also really appreciate how Cochlear has made the speech processors more versatile, smaller and easier to wear.

I lost my hearing in April 1984 as a result of meningitis. I was 22. When I realised I was permanently deaf, I felt utter disbelief. I was in denial. At that time, you feel like you have lost touch with the world.

In August 1984, I got my first implant. I was actually the first recipient to get this in Sydney - it was funded by a research grant to Sydney University. I had the
Nucleus 22 implant which at that stage had no magnet so the speech processor was worn on a headband. Luckily, I had curly hair so I could cover it pretty well but I always felt a bit self conscious. I also had to re-adjust the headband to make sure it was sitting in the right place otherwise I couldn't hear a thing. A few years later, I had surgery to get a magnet fitted.

Looking back, the sound quality was pretty crude. At my first switch on, I felt like I was in a space invaders game - I heard a lot of computer generated beeps.
I did not even recognise my own voice! I was first fitted with the WSP1 and since then have had 5 speech processor upgrades including MSP, Spectra, ESPrit22, ESPrit 3G for Nucleus 22 and finally Freedom, which I am using now. From the MSP to the Spectra, there was a big leap in hearing quality, particularly in speech perception. Once I had the Spectra, I could actually hear much better on the phone. It took a while to get used to the ESPirt 3G, but once I got used to it, I liked it. The built in telecoil for the phone was fantastic.

In August 2005, I received a bilateral Freedom implant with a Freedom speech processor. My main motivation to do this was to provide a backup to the first.
At the time I actually thought the one I had was great. I could talk on the phone fine and was happy with the sound quality. But once my brain started getting
the second input from the new implant the sound was immediately improved.
I was getting a fuller and better sound!

Now, with the Freedom for Nucleus 22, the sound is better again. I can also manage background noise more easily. All these improvements in sound benefit
me in my role at SCIC as my job involves a lot of customer interaction; dealing with spare parts, repairs, trouble shooting and customer service.
I also have a much better appreciation of music now. I grew up playing the piano and even though the music I hear is not as I remember it, it's nice to enjoy it again. I can pick up lyrics better now and sing along - I even catch myself singing along to CDs in the car. I really love Cat Stevens

Features like the inbuilt telecoil have really made a big difference to hearing quality. I was in a church the other day, one of those very old churches with high vaulted ceilings that echo a lot, and I could hear every word that was said. The telecoil also really helps me at plays and the theatre which I like to go to.
At home, I love listening to birds singing and the frogs croaking in chorus. I also love the sound of waves crashing - and my kid's voices, of course.
A mother should always be able to hear her kids.