Don't like my new MAP!

etalton said:
Thanks Lisa, Charlotte and Kateweb,
I didn't even get a chance to call today. It was my first real day back after vacation and I was busy playing "catch up". It was only slightly better today but there were a few times I just wanted to snatch that processor off my ear and toss it. The worst sound was the industrial paper shredder...and it is right behind where I sit. The sound was loud, but I also felt the vibration as well.
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My husband is hearing and really hate to hear the paper shredder machine. It's really loud! Is your paper shredder machine old or new brand? Just curious.... If you are doing shredder the papers. You might turn CI off while you're work on papers. It was my thought. .
 
~♥~Pinky~♥~ said:
My husband is hearing and really hate to hear the paper shredder machine. It's really loud! Is your paper shredder machine old or new brand? Just curious.... If you are doing shredder the papers. You might turn CI off while you're work on papers. It was my thought. .
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It is less than three years old Pinky, and large. It sits behind where I am and others come in and out of the office all day stopping to shred papers. If it was me doing it, I would turn off CI, but, it is others and I am deep in concentration when they start the damned thing up and by then it is too late...
 
Thank you all for your words of support. To address some of the comments, here goes. I have military insurance (Tricare Prime) and this is the closest place they could find that would accept Tricare. They did look closer, but no go. There are doctors/audi's in my own town that deal with CI, but they won't take Tricare. So, like it or not, I am stuck with the drive. There is a branch office about a half hour closer, but I am not sure if the audi does both places or if there is a different person there. My audi seems to have a set routine and doesn't vary much from it. I have mentioned the speed changes and she says "no, Cochlear recommends this speed for all users". Sigh...
I have noticed I am very slowly starting to adjust to the new Map. And, in a way, this Map is my own fault. She could had the settings lower, but I was afraid that it would get too soft too soon. Almost since the first week of each set of programs she had set before I was at Volume 9 and couldn't go any higher. I guess I pushed the point that I didn't want to have to run back too soon to have it bumped up. :) I am going to see how it goes this next week and if I am still unhappy with it, I will call and make an appointment for a new Mapping.
I never see any info from the mapping sessions and I have not had any kind of hearing tests at all since I had my activation date. Not sure how others work, but like I said, my audi has a set routine and doesn't seem to like to stray from it. I kind of think she does the same stuff for each person that comes in. I also think I am the first one that was interested in the gadgets and music settings. Kind of hard to know what to do when you don't have anything to compare to it.
 
etalton,

So sorry to hear what your going through. I'd hope someone from Cochlear will jump in and help out in your situation. I would think cochlear would not recommend just one speed though. If so, my audi broke the rules right out of the box and I will thank her for doing that and letting me try different things. Maybe your audi is afraid to step out of the box. If this is the case it may be holding her patients back.

What do you know about the Awareness program with Cochlear? I have an Awareness Manager that I talk with with when she comes to the area to give seminars. If you'd like, send me a PM with your city and state and I'll see if my Awareness Manager can give me the name of yours in your area and I'll get it back to you. Again, only if you would like.

Is there anyone else at your audis office that you could talk to about seeing if they would "farm"/"sublet" out your appointment to an office closer to you. This might be a person in the billing department or maybe the Surgeon if they are in the same office. I know this is done a lot in the Auto Insurance business where body shops sublet a specific repair to another shop who specalizes in that. Most common, tire and alignment repairs after an accident.

You might also check with an office closer to your home and find out what a mapping session costs out of pocket. It might not be to expensive by the hour and could offset the time spent driving along with maybe making it easier for you. Just a thought here. I know that cochlear can pull the maps and drop in a processor for warranty work. I'd think another audi can review the maps and make adjustments from there. For me, most of the time, we start from scratch anyway so the old maps are just an idea of where to start. The auto sensitivity base settings, T-coil and how my map programs are layed out are pretty much what is referenced. Starting over with a new audi may help, but it may not as well.

Just thought starters. I hope you don't feel trapped thinking you have to use your current audi forever. Before severing that relationship, you might want to check with an office closer to you that just might be willing to help.

Please don't think I'm lecturing, just trying to help with ideas.

As far as the shreding machine, with my new CI, our furnace drove me nuts for quite a while since that was one of the frequencies I could really hear well and didn't really want to. The other was the whistle/wind noise while walking inside. Today, the noises are not as distracting whether my brain has finally gotten use to it or we got the T and C levels set better.

Steve
 
According to the Cochlear website, the clinics in my area are Baha clinics, not implant clinics. The one I go to IS the closest. The others 4 hours away or more. Damn...I guess the local CI clinics implant AB?
 
I have not changed my mapping for the past 4 years. What really made a huge difference *in my case* was changing the order of stimulation. It sounds weird but it does make a difference. I believe the feature is also available for Nucleus and MedEL as well.

By default, I think it starts with the basal to apex stimulation order... but it can be set to stimulate every other electrodes OR it can stimulate from apex to basal. When I changed the order, sounds were so much more fuller and less harsh. Of all three audis I've visited, none of them know about that one til I pointed out. I have no idea WHY stimulation order made such a big difference for me.

Also, another mystery that AB knows but doesn't talk about it is the type of battery. Rechargable zinc batteries often give better sound quality than lithium batteries. It seems odd considering that there is no difference in voltage or energy but it DOES sound differently. It sounds more "full." I do recall AB asking a few implantees about this quirk but I don't know what they've concluded.
 
I have not heard about "order of stimulation" being available on my implant but I have changed the maxima with good results but it reduces the battery life a fair amount. Cochlear did stated that their rechargeable batteries can sound a bt better that the standard air-zinc in some cases. The Silver-Zinc or nickel-zinc rechargeable batteries are a fairly new development and can give 40% more runtime than traditional lithium-ion batteries as stated by a few web sites.
Netrox it is good that you found something that works for you.
 
netrox,

I've noticed the same thing as well (re: rechargeable batteries having a better sound quality than disposeables). When I asked my former CI audi about this, she told me this was definitely possible since different battery brands tend to have varying degrees of sound quality just as they do power output. I know I've even noticed a difference in sound quality between Power One Implant Plus batteries and Zenipower. For me, the former sound best and provide the longest battery life.
 
etalton said:
It is less than three years old Pinky, and large. It sits behind where I am and others come in and out of the office all day stopping to shred papers. If it was me doing it, I would turn off CI, but, it is others and I am deep in concentration when they start the damned thing up and by then it is too late...
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is there any chance you can be moved? or the Damn thing moved?? If you could explain your boss about this.
 
overthepond said:
is there any chance you can be moved? or the Damn thing moved?? If you could explain your boss about this.
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Their answer is, I am only in the office three days a week, and half of that is spent out on the floor, so, since the shredder is used 7 days a week..blah, blah, blah....
 
Different batteries have different levels of " push ". That is why CI users need to only use hi power batteries if they use disposable zinc batteries. I have only used rechargable batteries on my MedEl. The audies and the CI companies to need let us know about the differences in the batteries so that we are better informed.
 
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