I got my CI but can't hear anything

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Grendel

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Hi everyone--

It's been a while since I've posted; life has been busy.

I ended up getting my CI surgery a few weeks ago. It just seemed like the right time to do it as I am unemployed this summer and graduate school begins in the fall.

I got "turned on" yesterday by my audiologist, and I didn't hear voices. No Mickey Mouse, nothing. I have been 99% deaf in my left ear for 15 years so I guess it isn't surprising. Instead, I only hear pulses, vibrations, and so on. I am still wearing my HA in my other ear while adjusting, but I have interference so nothing sounds very good right now ^^

In addition to those frustrations, my ear is too small for my processor, which has been falling off often. My magnet is fine, it's just the processor. I guess I will have to get an earmold made. Huggies make the problem worse not better.

Does anyone have some idea of how long I'll have to put up with the "pulsing" tinnitus-sounding noises before my brain starts to recognize them as sounds?? Or at least a similar experience to share?
 
It depend on Brain. It takes time for the brain to learn to understand and process these new sounds, some of which may not have ever been heard before.

Even though I don't have CI. I know enough about it.
 
I used a skeleton ear mold which is more of a hard plastic ring that fits the inside part of the ear with tubing so almost nothing goes into the ear.
 
Grendel said:
Hi everyone--

It's been a while since I've posted; life has been busy.

I ended up getting my CI surgery a few weeks ago. It just seemed like the right time to do it as I am unemployed this summer and graduate school begins in the fall.

I got "turned on" yesterday by my audiologist, and I didn't hear voices. No Mickey Mouse, nothing. I have been 99% deaf in my left ear for 15 years so I guess it isn't surprising. Instead, I only hear pulses, vibrations, and so on. I am still wearing my HA in my other ear while adjusting, but I have interference so nothing sounds very good right now ^^

In addition to those frustrations, my ear is too small for my processor, which has been falling off often. My magnet is fine, it's just the processor. I guess I will have to get an earmold made. Huggies make the problem worse not better.

Does anyone have some idea of how long I'll have to put up with the "pulsing" tinnitus-sounding noises before my brain starts to recognize them as sounds?? Or at least a similar experience to share?
Click to expand...

Hello Grendel..welcome back..

Don't worry , the pulsing tinnitus will go away eventually..Just have some patience..I got implanted almost two months ago , and I had the pulsating - electric shots for a while long..I started recognising noises these last 2 weeks and feeling a lot better..usually after the 3rd map most kinks are taken care of, though it takes months for a perfect map..

So my advice is persistence and patience..and when you feel overwhelmed , pop the coil off for 15-20 minutes , then try again..The first week I couldn't stand it! I wore it with the coil on but I opened it only in 20-30 min intervals..but I wore it even turned off to get used on the weight..and the feel of the coil..Now I don't even notice..and gradually the intervals got longer, and now I'm wearing it all day , and loving it even if the sounds are imperfect yet..( I did the implant in my HA ear )

I do receive some pulsing still , but it's rare and only at sounds I've never heard before with CI ..

As for ear , that was what I thought too , and I tried to avoid earmold at all costs , but if you wait for a while to the coil cord to get conformed and 'frozen' as you wear it , you won't have any problem...but I have to admit that skeleton earmolds might solve some of your problems,taking off some of the weight,and helping position CI in place..If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer!
 
Grendel, it's definitely too soon to "give up." At first, I barely heard sounds. I don't know if it was my ear adjusting or the audiologist set it low so to not overwhelm me with sounds. With more mappings, the CI improved.

Your reaction is not abnormal. It does happen where you may just feel the sounds and not hear it. It's hard to say when you'll start to hear differently, but understand that this is a process that requires patience. Everyone's different, so we can't tell you when you'll start to hear sounds. Talk to your audiologist about it because she/he should be open to share with you what's normal.

I did get frustrated where I would turn off the CI to give me a break. You can do that.

I think an earmold is the right thing for you to get.
 
Hi,
Congratulations with your CI.

Must be frustrating to be so full of expectations and then hearing so little.
It's good to express them here, because even though everyone wants to share the happy experiences, yours are also valuable. Probably even more so.
I see you got some good responses from people that "been there - done that"

But regarding the BTE's falling off... Get long cords and put the BTE on your shoulder... Don't know how it works for adults, but my daughter has been doing it like this ever since she got them. (Freedom - bilateral..)
(See link below.. or directly to the posts here..)

Keep posting! Don't stay away too long..
 
Just give it time. When I first got started, everything came out very beepy and it took a few days for everything to sound normal. It also took me several months to learn to regcogize certain sounds.
 
Grendel said:
Hi everyone--

It's been a while since I've posted; life has been busy.

I ended up getting my CI surgery a few weeks ago. It just seemed like the right time to do it as I am unemployed this summer and graduate school begins in the fall.

I got "turned on" yesterday by my audiologist, and I didn't hear voices. No Mickey Mouse, nothing. I have been 99% deaf in my left ear for 15 years so I guess it isn't surprising. Instead, I only hear pulses, vibrations, and so on. I am still wearing my HA in my other ear while adjusting, but I have interference so nothing sounds very good right now ^^

In addition to those frustrations, my ear is too small for my processor, which has been falling off often. My magnet is fine, it's just the processor. I guess I will have to get an earmold made. Huggies make the problem worse not better.

Does anyone have some idea of how long I'll have to put up with the "pulsing" tinnitus-sounding noises before my brain starts to recognize them as sounds?? Or at least a similar experience to share?
Click to expand...

Grendel,

When my daughter was re-implanted and activated, she at first heard nothing. Her audiologist placed 4 programsinto her ci, each one louder then the one before and told her to wear the program for a few hours and if she heard nothing, go to the next loudest one.

It was not until the third program that she heard anything and not until the fourth where she could hear voices but not make out the words. We went back the next day and her audi gave her four more programs and the second one was fine.

It could be that your program, despite what your testing at, needs to be louder.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Rick
 
Hi, I know someone who went through similar problem as you have so you are not the only one. It is quite common at that stage.

I am newly implanted (yesterday) and would expect similar problems as you had when i get switched on.

All the best of luck with your journey... try not to worry too much.
 
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