Made a decision CI friendly

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amanda

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Hi guys ,
I wrote a thread a couple of days ago called need help deciding . As of today I have made a decision . and it wasn't based on all the research I did . I went to the audie tonight cause My hearing it seems has gotten worse . The test results came back (hearing test) and now I am 100% deaf I can't hear a thing with hearing aides . Been HOH all my life and now the truth is in and it is hard to decide how my future is going to turn out .I have decided to see if I am acanidate for CI and my adie said I probably am because I have the ablitiy to communicate verbally . Though since my hearing has gotten worse so has my spech due to the fact that I can barely understand my own words My friend who I live with says I am yelling all the time and I said its because I can't hear myself . One thing that helped me make a decision was that I'm deaf now if the Ci doesn't work then what have I lost If it does what have I gained everything including my life back . I work in the health care field and really relied on what I had for hearing I want to become a social worker and really need to hear for that I have been depending on lip reading these days and still miss alot because those in my life do not know sign language though I could barely call myself fluent the past few days have been the hardest now today adusting to life as a deaf person and not HOH As people tell me life moves on and with that come options and lots of choices I have an appt on dec 12 at mass eye and ear for an evaulation can you those who know and remember what there first appt was like tell me what to expect Just want to be perpared thanks again for all the info you guys provided amanda
 
amanda said:
Hi guys ,
I wrote a thread a couple of days ago called need help deciding . As of today I have made a decision . and it wasn't based on all the research I did . I went to the audie tonight cause My hearing it seems has gotten worse . The test results came back (hearing test) and now I am 100% deaf I can't hear a thing with hearing aides . Been HOH all my life and now the truth is in and it is hard to decide how my future is going to turn out .I have decided to see if I am acanidate for CI and my adie said I probably am because I have the ablitiy to communicate verbally . Though since my hearing has gotten worse so has my spech due to the fact that I can barely understand my own words My friend who I live with says I am yelling all the time and I said its because I can't hear myself . One thing that helped me make a decision was that I'm deaf now if the Ci doesn't work then what have I lost If it does what have I gained everything including my life back . I work in the health care field and really relied on what I had for hearing I want to become a social worker and really need to hear for that I have been depending on lip reading these days and still miss alot because those in my life do not know sign language though I could barely call myself fluent the past few days have been the hardest now today adusting to life as a deaf person and not HOH As people tell me life moves on and with that come options and lots of choices I have an appt on dec 12 at mass eye and ear for an evaulation can you those who know and remember what there first appt was like tell me what to expect Just want to be perpared thanks again for all the info you guys provided amanda
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I'm happy for you that you investigate further.
I can imagine that you do not want to have your hopes up too much, but I have a feeling that there's no need for it.
For more info by reading, read Michael Chorost's blog, or better, buy his book "Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human" by Michael Chorost - 2006
He suddenly lost his hearing (HOH) and tells his story from there on.
Another experience is that of Beverly Biderman called "Wired for Sound: A Journey into Hearing" - 1999
I'm sure you'll get some more personal info after this post.

Good luck.. and keep us informed.
 
I understand. Like you, I came to a similar conclusion based on my own hearing test results. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. I had nothing to lose at that point.

I wish you the best of success in your CI endeavors.
 
Hi Amanda - good luck with your CI journey! We are here to support you.

In regard to your question - at my evaluation I had a battery of tests done. An MRI scan. A hearing test, speech perception tests with lipreading and hearing aids, without lipreading and without hearing aids with just lipreading. Also I had a balance test and then finally a test where they put a probe in my ear and send sounds to the hearing nerve to test how well it would respond to stimulation. You may also talk to a psychologist to see if you have realistic expectations etc.

I was in your situation too and as S171soars said there was nothing to lose so I went for it and it has worked very well for me. You do seem on the face of it a good candidate for benefiting from a CI.
 
Good luck Amanda, i hope things work out for you. Like you said nothing will be lost, but hopefully a lot will be gained.
 
Gotta say, I think that the CI is WONDERFUL for progressive loss cases! I think actually that about ten or twenty percent of hoh kids will become deaf......
 
All the best Amanda! :) Like you, I also had to come to terms with the reality of my loss. I chose to be implanted and think it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Good luck!! :)
 
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