Hello, and I'm pleased to be here! My name is Paul and this is my first post.
I have a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss in which I use digital hearing aides. The hearing aides are the GN Resound Canta 7 series and they were state-of-the-art when I first got them back in 2001 ... I think they still are! With the aides on, I have about a 50% loss in my right ear (I hear higher frequencies the best) while my left ear has a whopping 90% loss (I faintly hear low-frequency bassy sounds only). Over the years, however, my hearing has gotten steadily worse in both ears, to the point where my audiologist now recommends I seriously consider a CI for my left ear.
Yes Paul, hearing getting worse with age is fairly common I believe. I also used to wear only hearing aids and during the last 4 years my hearing deteriorated steadily to an extent that I needed a CI badly. It was not until this summer when I decided to get a CI for myself.
I have recently earned my Ph.D in environmental sciences and meteorology and am very proud to have achieved this goal! Despite having the digital aides, I felt that seminars hosted by the professors and students in my department placed me at a disadvantage, since the lights were dimmed (during the Powerpoint presentation) and I had a hard time reading lips in a darkened room to supplement the residual hearing I had left, so I didn't attend many of these seminars. Now that my education is complete, and I am searching for employment in the field, my parents are seriously pushing me to consider a CI.
Thats very impressive to hear about your PhD. You have come a long way, and thats quiet remarkable. Yes, seminars can be a big problem especially in dim light. FYI if you still happen to go to any seminars in the future, front seating might be helpful, or best tell the speaker before-hand that to have a little light on so that you can benefit. This is just a suggestion; I have been trying these strategies at university, so some worked, some didnt!
The initial concern, and it's a big one for me, is the relatively invasive (in my eyes) surgery involved to install a CI behind my ear. The turning point for me was this past summer, when I was hearing my friends talk on the beach yet found it nearly impossible for me to understand the words in our crowded area. Even with the "Restaurant Mode" on my hearing aides activated (front microphones are turned on while the aides minimize lower-frequency sounds around me), I never felt so lost. That day, I decided to go ahead with the surgery and get a CI. As a bonus, my insurance fully covers one CI!
For my fellow forum members who have CI implants, what did you do to overcome your initial trepidation regarding surgery? My audiologist told me that most of these implants are successful, while a few of them might not be (which is why he does not recommend a CI for my right ear ... the good ear). I heard that there are different kinds of CIs, but does each one work with a common "base" installation? That is, do I need to choose what kind of CI I want to have before surgery, or is the feature option an "external" one behind the ear?
It is a big life-time decision to make regarding the Cochlear Implants. If your family is pushing you towards it, that may or may not be good. You really need time to ask yourself if you are prepared to go through it all. Surgery is not painful, it is a 4 to 5 hour procedure and you should be able to recover from it in 2-3 weeks & get activated! But the actual time it takes to get the best benefit can take as much 12-18 months. Also dont expect any residual hearing to be there after surgery. It all depends how well you have been doing with hearing aids & how long you have had a hearing loss for. If you go in for a CI evaluation (you must have gone through it probably), your CI audiologist will tell you where you stand and whether CI would be best (hopefully yes!). Regarding the brands - all three brands, i.e. Cochlear, AB & Med-el are world class and provide the same results. However they differ in the way they function, their components, accessories, etc. Some CI have the ability to preserve residual hearing - so I would say CI surgery today is much more advanced than it was in the past, so this would probably be the best time.
I live in New Jersey reasonably close to NYC and would appreciate some suggestions on how to find an ideal CI surgeon who specializes in this kind of surgery. Are there some certifications I should consider when choosing a surgeon or office? It seems that, ideally, I would want a surgeon who is old enough to be experienced and successful with CI surgery yet young enough to be familiar with the recent CI implants. I know this is ideal but I certainly want to keep my options open and not limit myself based on the age of the surgeon but his EXPERIENCE. Any advice or suggestions?
I am not on the East Coast, but from what I have heard is that the NYU Medical Center & John Hopkins have one of the best CI Surgeons. Going to a very experienced one is important in order to get the best benefits. But of course, other surgeons can also be good too.
I am 37 years old and have known my audiologist since I first got hearing aides when I was 6 years old! He has become like a family member to me, and even traveled to hear me defend my Ph.D research!! That is, I have known my audiologist longer than he has known his first ex-wife!
I hope that my questions start some engaging discussion.
Thanks again for your time, patience, and advice. You bet I look forward to hearing from you.
Paul