Dislike my cochlear device after 3 years using it...??

Status
Not open for further replies.
When it comes to things like this I really think it's sometimes easy to make things more complicated then they are.

If a device such as a hearing aid, CI, BAHA, etc.. helps a person be able to hear. And they want to be able to hear. Then use it. It's as simple as that.

Don't worry about what anyone else in the world thinks of it. The opinion of others has absolutely nothing to do with it.

I lived about 20 years HOH but with hearing aids I could hear ok. But it decreased to deafness in my late teens. I went 20 years deaf then got my CI a little over a year ago.

I knew what it was like to be able to hear. I knew what it was like to be deaf. I remembered what things sound like and what life in general was like in both conditions. I decided that if there was a way I can hear I'm going to look into it, see if it'll work for me then get it. Why? Because I wanted to hear again.

The matter of deaf culture didn't matter to me because I was never a part of deaf culture. I respect it but it had little to do with me.

So again the bottom line is. IF you want to hear and there's a way for you to be able to hear. Then you should make use of that.

Sure, it will have an effect on the people in your life. Believe me when I tell you it can have a positive impact on many areas of your life. Since I got my CI I've felt more a part of family and friends. Not because I wasn't before. But for example my sister has a brain tumor. When she had a bad seizure I was the last to know because all they could do was Email me or come over when they could find the time to. Or they could text me and I'd only get a portion of what's going on. Now, when she had a bad seizure a couples of weeks ago they called me and we talked for 10 minutes about it on the phone. I knew all the details. I use to have to have someone makes work related calls for me. Now, I can make them myself. We all know how frustrating relay calls can be.

So what I'm saying is if you DO have an option to hear. And you want to hear. Then you should hear. Not for anyone but yourself.

Just my thoughts.

Ron Jaxon
 
RonJaxon said:
So what I'm saying is if you DO have an option to hear. And you want to hear. Then you should hear. Not for anyone but yourself.

Ron Jaxon
Click to expand...

So true, but its not as simple as you think it is. I have found that dealing with the smallest of hearing challenges can actually be very complicated and hard to overcome. I want to hear and heck, I have been pushing myself to make use of the 2% hearing I have left for many years (before CI). And I tried to do that for my own good. But I was at a dead-end where I needed to 'think' differently, get a CI and hope for the best. And I was never part of the deaf culture either. Often times, I get a strange feeling - I dont fit well in the deaf culture and I am struggling in the mainstream culture; I feel torn apart from the two.

I guess what you are trying to say is to make the most of what we have and think of the glass half-full.
 
GrendelQ said:
We adopted her at 1 from China, they didn't know she was deaf while there (her records noted she was 'stubborn'), but doctors here believe she was profoundly deaf from birth. Because she had been without any language input her first year, we opted to begin ASL immersion immediately, not wanting to wait until we assessed any other options. We tried HAs initially and then chose a single CI after we found the HAs provided very little sound (and she disliked them enormously). She did extremely well with the first, reacting to voices immediately, never rejecting it, often requesting it in the morning, and research showed some benefit from 2 in hearing in crowds and loud environments (like classrooms, which we knew she'd been in for a long time to come), which we later found to be far understated. So, a year later she had a 2nd CI. We've found that when she wears 2 it makes an enormous difference with her ability to hear especially in less than perfect environments.
Click to expand...

Thats really wonderful. And I wouldn't be surprised if doctors noted the condition as "stubborn"; there are a lot of places in the world today where people are insensitive to these complex problems. Does she have any challenges from day to day like interacting with peers, understanding whats being taught? Does she use any special accommodations or devices like a FM to enable her to listen better in classrooms? Maybe its true that going bilateral during early childhood development really helps the individual build on the language and auditory skills.
 
I only have 1 input, I think it is kinda odd the that OP only had two mappings. Not sure if he is aware that he may need more mappings.

Not saying that it will fix things or anything, but..... I would think he can simply just go for at least one more mapping to see if the CI can improve. It can't hurt.

However, one thing is for sure.... even if it improves, he STILL needs to step up and have confidence in himself to make sure that people around him are aware of his needs, not just go and hope to catch some, if not most, of the conversations around him.

I have a friend who is unilaterally deaf. Totally deaf in one ear (auditory nerve damage) but hears perfectly fine in the other ear. She always had a very difficult time in loud social settings, but she never did nor said anything about it except "Oh I am so sorry, I am deaf in one ear, can you speak up?" Now she is being more confident, asking people to move over so that she can hear everyone on one side, outright tells them that she is deaf in one ear, and how they can make it easier for her. She told me that initially, it was a little embarrassing and seemed to be a "bitchy" thing to do, but over time, she realized that it was necessary to make it easier for BOTH sides and most, if not all, of the time, people just say "Oh okay sure!" and think nothing of it.
 
Daredevel7 said:
I only have 1 input, I think it is kinda odd the that OP only had two mappings. Not sure if he is aware that he may need more mappings.

Not saying that it will fix things or anything, but..... I would think he can simply just go for at least one more mapping to see if the CI can improve. It can't hurt.

However, one thing is for sure.... even if it improves, he STILL needs to step up and have confidence in himself to make sure that people around him are aware of his needs, not just go and hope to catch some, if not most, of the conversations around him.

I have a friend who is unilaterally deaf. Totally deaf in one ear (auditory nerve damage) but hears perfectly fine in the other ear. She always had a very difficult time in loud social settings, but she never did nor said anything about it except "Oh I am so sorry, I am deaf in one ear, can you speak up?" Now she is being more confident, asking people to move over so that she can hear everyone on one side, outright tells them that she is deaf in one ear, and how they can make it easier for her. She told me that initially, it was a little embarrassing and seemed to be a "bitchy" thing to do, but over time, she realized that it was necessary to make it easier for BOTH sides and most, if not all, of the time, people just say "Oh okay sure!" and think nothing of it.
Click to expand...

You should read the whole thread because i've said more than a few times that i plan on going for another "mapping". Even though at my last mapping they told me i was getting as much as i could out of the CI.

You are assuming that i haven't tried what you suggested about confidence, when in fact i have, and posted about the results here in this thread.

To some up what happened when i stuck up for myself... i still got accused by friends and family as "giving them a hard time", " being in a bad mood","being depressed", etc... etc...

Sometimes no matter how hard you try to tell people, they will still ignore you because they think they're opinions are the correct ones regardless of whether or not they truly are correct. Some people's ego's are just too big too get through to them. :)
 
Danb said:
You should read the whole thread because i've said more than a few times that i plan on going for another "mapping". Even though at my last mapping they told me i was getting as much as i could out of the CI.

You are assuming that i haven't tried what you suggested about confidence, when in fact i have, and posted about the results here in this thread.

To some up what happened when i stuck up for myself... i still got accused by friends and family as "giving them a hard time", " being in a bad mood","being depressed", etc... etc...

Sometimes no matter how hard you try to tell people, they will still ignore you because they think they're opinions are the correct ones regardless of whether or not they truly are correct. Some people's ego's are just too big too get through to them. :)
Click to expand...


I did read the whole thread. Just stating my opinion based on the original post alone to show you that there is more than one of us that think you need another mapping. If everyone else didn't say anything because they agreed with the first response, then it gives the illusion that only one person had that opinion, ya know what I mean?

Based on the 2nd paragraph bolded above, it seems like you still considered your deafness to be a reason for the barrier, that it's just a matter of "making them understand". But you redeemed yourself nicely in the 3rd paragraph. Some people just don't want to understand, especially if you've been doing what they wanted for a long time. I'd say move on to a new group of friends.

Learning ASL is a good start. Take an ASL class, you may make some new hearing friends in your class or deaf people in the deaf community.

I am not saying to ditch your old friends, but maybe it will be a wake up call for the true friends.
 
Daredevel7 said:
I did read the whole thread. Just stating my opinion based on the original post alone to show you that there is more than one of us that think you need another mapping. If everyone else didn't say anything because they agreed with the first response, then it gives the illusion that only one person had that opinion, ya know what I mean?

Based on the 2nd paragraph bolded above, it seems like you still considered your deafness to be a reason for the barrier, that it's just a matter of "making them understand". But you redeemed yourself nicely in the 3rd paragraph. Some people just don't want to understand, especially if you've been doing what they wanted for a long time. I'd say move on to a new group of friends.

Learning ASL is a good start. Take an ASL class, you may make some new hearing friends in your class or deaf people in the deaf community.

I am not saying to ditch your old friends, but maybe it will be a wake up call for the true friends.
Click to expand...

Ok i gotcha now. I didn't know OP meant the first post. I thought it meant the original poster, meaning the person who posted the topic. I belong to some other forums and OP means the person who posted and not the original post. :)

The internet is tricky. :)

Learning ASL sounds like the best idea, especially for making new friends.

Is it better to take a beginners class one on one and then move into a group ASL learning program? When i tried to learn ASL at college the class seemed to move very fast. Going from learning the alphabet the first week, to conversations by the 3rd week. Maybe it was a condensed class. Hmmm...
 
Danb said:
Is it better to take a beginners class one on one and then move into a group ASL learning program? When i tried to learn ASL at college the class seemed to move very fast. Going from learning the alphabet the first week, to conversations by the 3rd week. Maybe it was a condensed class. Hmmm...
Click to expand...

Hm... I guess it really depends on the person. I learned very quickly in the group class and was able to carry basic simple conversations within a few months. However, a few of my classmates had a very hard time. They even took the same class more than once! If you think one on one will help you learn faster, I don't see why not. Personally, with a group class, I thought being able to practice with quite a few different people was better for retaining what you've learned. We have something called "Silent Lunch" around here, mostly for people who are trying to practice ASL.

Just go with whichever is conductive to your learning. And being IMMERSED is key to learning a language, not lectures. I learned more sign from going to a few "deaf coffee chats" than a whole semester of ASL class.
 
Wirelessly posted

deafdyke said:
That's one of many reasons why I think it's important that she not only have fluent use of ASL, but is living in a community where having a working CI or not doesn't diminish her ability to communicate, to learn, and to interact with peers. I don't ever want doors closed to her, I never want her to feel isolated or disoriented because a battery dies or a static surge fries a program while traveling. I want her to be able to move seamlessly from accessing sound to not accessing sound or vice versa.
Click to expand...
This is amazing......finally a parent who GETS IT! The thing is, doctors and experts do not understand that while many deaf kids can aquire speech abilty on the level of a hoh kid, the speech and hearing skills are usually just sufficent in one on one or perfect listening situutions.
Heck, look at the guy who posted here whose CI went kerflueey and can't even speechread?!?!
I actually have a personal ancedote. I went to Hear@Boston today. We went to the Aquarium. It was very noisy. There were a bunch of us young folks who could hear and speak but could ALSO sign, and make use of the 'terp. The late deafened people who only depended on sound, kept finding the difficult listening situtions very overwhelming and kept havign to flee.
Click to expand...

but what you are missing DD is that she also wants her to have the ability to speak and understand hearing strangers. She also wants her to be able to communicate with all hearing people through the language and mode of communication of the majority. She wants fluency in both languges, not just asl and "speech skills".
 
Are you talking about me?
Click to expand...
No, there's a teen guy who was bilaterally implanted whose CIs both screwed up who is completely and totally lost without them.
but what you are missing DD is that she also wants her to have the ability to speak and understand hearing strangers. She also wants her to be able to communicate with all hearing people through the language and mode of communication of the majority. She wants fluency in both languges, not just asl and "speech skills".
Click to expand...
Where the FUCK did this come from?
Guess what? Grendel accomplished this with Li-Li using a school for the Deaf!?!? A school that offers BOTH ASL AND really good speech therapy! ! She did not send her to an oral school, or do Auditory Verbal or the John Tracy Clinic or going oral only!
Yes, we get that your state's school for the Deaf's oral programs suck.
 
deafdyke said:
No, there's a teen guy who was bilaterally implanted whose CIs both screwed up who is completely and totally lost without them.
Where the FUCK did this come from?Guess what? Grendel accomplished this with Li-Li using a school for the Deaf!?!? A school that offers BOTH ASL AND really good speech therapy! ! She did not send her to an oral school, or do Auditory Verbal or the John Tracy Clinic or going oral only!
Yes, we get that your state's school for the Deaf's oral programs suck.
Click to expand...

:lol:
 
faire_jour said:
Wirelessly posted

but what you are missing DD is that she also wants her to have the ability to speak and understand hearing strangers. She also wants her to be able to communicate with all hearing people through the language and mode of communication of the majority. She wants fluency in both languges, not just asl and "speech skills".
Click to expand...

And what you are missing is that we've always promoted for the full toolbox - a wide variety of choices for the child, and not just oral only. Grendel is giving her child a variety -- communicating with hearing people through ASL, written language, spoken language, everything. When have we ever said otherwise?
 
Wirelessly posted

deafdyke said:
Are you talking about me?
Click to expand...
No, there's a teen guy who was bilaterally implanted whose CIs both screwed up who is completely and totally lost without them.
but what you are missing DD is that she also wants her to have the ability to speak and understand hearing strangers. She also wants her to be able to communicate with all hearing people through the language and mode of communication of the majority. She wants fluency in both languges, not just asl and "speech skills".
Click to expand...
Where the FUCK did this come from?
Guess what? Grendel accomplished this with Li-Li using a school for the Deaf!?!? A school that offers BOTH ASL AND really good speech therapy! ! She did not send her to an oral school, or do Auditory Verbal or the John Tracy Clinic or going oral only!
Yes, we get that your state's school for the Deaf's oral programs suck.
Click to expand...

actually, their bi-bi school was doing exactly what they wanted to do, and what nearly every other bi-bi school aims to do, teach ASL as the first language with written english as a second language.

li-li is a part of a tiny minority, even at TLC. She has access to spoken language at a deaf school. She has what parents want, and what the average deaf school is not providing.
 
actually, their bi-bi school was doing exactly what they wanted to do, and what nearly every other bi-bi school aims to do, teach ASL as the first language with written english as a second language.

li-li is a part of a tiny minority, even at TLC. She has access to spoken language at a deaf school. She has what parents want, and what the average deaf school is not providing.
Click to expand...
Oh give me a break. You are simply generalizing about deaf schools based on your experiance with Utah Schools for the Deaf. There are a TON of Deaf Schools that offer spoken language, and not just survival speech skills. Guess what? There are HOH students at MANY MANY Deaf Schools out there!!!! Kansas School for the Deaf, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, Indiana School for the Deaf, Virginia Schools, MSSD...........TONS............If bi bi schools did not provide voice on services, then you wouldn't see hoh kids there! You don't get that Utah Schools for the Deaf basicly really wasn't an awesome resource!
 
Faire joure, again you do not understand that if you'd moved to a state that has a really good Deaf School, Kat would have gotten really good speech therapies by qualified talented speech therapists.
 
Wirelessly posted

deafdyke said:
Faire joure, again you do not understand that if you'd moved to a state that has a really good Deaf School, Kat would have gotten really good speech therapies by qualified talented speech therapists.
Click to expand...

20 minutes of pull out a day will not teach a person an entire language. How could it? No matter how skilled an slp is, you must have exposure to the language to learn it.
 
Wirelessly posted

deafdyke said:
actually, their bi-bi school was doing exactly what they wanted to do, and what nearly every other bi-bi school aims to do, teach ASL as the first language with written english as a second language.

li-li is a part of a tiny minority, even at TLC. She has access to spoken language at a deaf school. She has what parents want, and what the average deaf school is not providing.
Click to expand...
Oh give me a break. You are simply generalizing about deaf schools based on your experiance with Utah Schools for the Deaf. There are a TON of Deaf Schools that offer spoken language, and not just survival speech skills. Guess what? There are HOH students at MANY MANY Deaf Schools out there!!!! Kansas School for the Deaf, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, Indiana School for the Deaf, Virginia Schools, MSSD...........TONS............If bi bi schools did not provide voice on services, then you wouldn't see hoh kids there! You don't get that Utah Schools for the Deaf basicly really wasn't an awesome resource!
Click to expand...

speech therapy is totally different from what TLC is doing. Yeah, all deaf schools have speech therapy, but only a tiny minority ever use spoken language. Spoken language is not a priority, it is not viewed as equal to ASL.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top