My thoughts on being almost 3 months post activation - Med-El CI

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ptcallaghan

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Hi all...been a while since I have posted on here, I guess I have been busy experiencing the world of sound once again.

Please note my experience is not 100% typical, there are so many factors that combine to determine how well a candidate will do with an implant....this is just my experience.

I am coming up on my 3 month post activation appointment next Friday and so I have been reflecting on what the last few months have been like....

I have been to see the audiologist several times and continue to amaze her with how well I am doing.

At my one week appt I was able to distinguish some songs...not the lyrics but could get the artist and song if I had heard it alot before losing my hearing.

At my 1 month appt I was able to answer a slew of questions without lip reading. I also got 100% of the words in a set of test sentences (without lip reading). This was a dramatic improvement from the 24% I got un-implanted, however it should be noted the 24% I had were not "useable words" like "the" and "and" that didnt let me figure out the context of the sentence.

At my 2 month appt I was given a list of similar words but with different vowel sounds...eg "hid, hide, hud, had, heard" etc...I think there was about a dozen of them all starting with the h and ending with a d sound....I got 100% of those the first try and was told that was very rare especially at the two month mark...By this appt I had pretty much maxed out the levels in the implant...they will keep checking each visit but they arent expected to change much as the last two visits have been pretty stable.

Next week will be 3 months and I will have a full set of tests done in the sound booth. So this will be my first indication as to how much my hearing has improved on paper...Ill try to get a copy of the audiogram.

In terms of my "real-life" hearing....I am still re-discovering new-old sounds. The other day I heard a cricket....havent heard them in about 3 years...My speech understanding is quite good now. I rarely have to look at the speaker to understand what they say, with the exception of nosier environments. I get a fair bit of what is said on tv, when I am paying attention...but am still using the captions to fill in the gaps. I am enjoying music a fair bit but am some what limited to older music I already knew in terms of the lyrics. I went to a wedding a month back and got almost all the lyrics but it was quite loud and was older tunes... I am using the phone now with my parents and fiance...I rarely have to ask them to repeat...I need to practice more with 3rd parties but am still a bit nervous about the whole deal.... I can listen to most "talk" radio like the news etc. but again I have to pay close attention.

I guess thats about it really...I am in a much better place mentally and am starting to get out more and am much more willing to participate in group conversations...

Ill post again after next weeks appt..
 
awesome! Thanks for the update and glad to hear things are going well for you.
 
Terrific progress that you are making; incredible how far you have improved in such a short time (relatively speaking). Thank you for your postings as they are truly inspirational for those trying to decide getting a CI. (I just started my evaluation process...) All the best to you in the future as well.
 
glad you're doing well pct! I have an ASSR which is apparently similar to an ABR in september and depending on the results I may be referred back to the CI audi:) just wanted to write ya and say congrats and keep up the excellent progress!-nitey nite im off to bed! :)
 
That's all really great news about your participating more socially, understanding so much more, and enjoying music. It all sounds like terrific progress.

Please do keep posting. I'm sure a lot of people are interested in how this works out for you.
 
AliciaM said:
glad you're doing well pct! I have an ASSR which is apparently similar to an ABR in september and depending on the results I may be referred back to the CI audi:) just wanted to write ya and say congrats and keep up the excellent progress!-nitey nite im off to bed! :)
Click to expand...

Good to hear you finally got that test scheduled...I know you are pushing for the CI so hopefully this sets you back on track. I know that for me it was the best decision I could have made based on my situation.
 
Great job. Keep catching those sounds you heard before and keep them in a box. Discover new ones on the way and do the same. :) Something I typed down that came to mind.
 
Question about CI

Hi...this is my first post. Here's the drill, but first I am thrilled for your success on the CI implantation - wow.

Background: I have worn hearing aids since my 20's and I am now a young 62. Prior to implantation the CT scan revealed I was missing the superior balance canal bone bilaterally and said to be genetic, which answers many mysteries of unexplained hearing loss and vertigo. So in addition to the implantation, I had a middle fossa craniotomy to correct.

My experience: Sept 2010 I was implanted with AB device in my right ear. Then came the recall; however, I was still thrilled to hear new sounds and in Jan 2011 my speech recognition levels were in the 80,70 and 60 percentiles and everyone including myself = amazing. Then like a sonic boom April 2011 came and the loud and unbearable torture like noises began. I was placed on prednisone. These episodes have continued to happen on and off, and now they are going to replace the device. The caveat is that because of the recall I have to wait for the FDA to approve. Integrity and non-invasive tests showed nothing, but then that doesn't always tell the tale of the tape. With the latest episode being the worst, I cannot wear my processor until after my surgery, which is scheduled for late October, and tentatively due to the FDA.

I am a CI candidate for the left ear and do wear a hearing aid, which gives me some marginal hearing.

My dilemma is whether to stick with AB, although they sure have had lots of recalls over the years, or change companies and go with Med El.

I recently attended a Bionic Ear Association meeting sponsored by AB and they were all very positive, etc. about how everything is fixed and they are now married to Phonak and Sonova.

These events have had residual effects on my entire life and even without the processor on, I have headaches around where the implant is located and additionally when I clean behind my ears the device talks to me in a ding sound. I am a very positive person and have been a really 'good sport' they tell me, but I am getting worn down.

Does anyone have some factual thoughts and/or advice. I know that ultimately it is my decision, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

Personally, I think that AB should tell them that hey we have another one and that they should replaced it NOW and not have to wait until the FDA approves; however, being in the health care world and in the past working for surgeons, doctors, medical schools and hospitals, I know the drill.

I use meditation, medication, and everything positive to deflect this situation, but enough is enough. Ok enough said.

Thanks and the best to everyone with their situations.
 
Robionics - I am sorry to hear of your troubles regarding your AB implant. It certainly seems like there is something wrong with the internal components as the symptoms are not typical.

I would suggest you repost this information in a new thread on the main Hearing Aid and CI forum. You will find you get better traffic to your post instead of posting in my unrelated thread....
this thread is somewhat stale by now anyways..

Having said that I can attest that my personal experience with Med-El has been amazing...but there are plenty of people out there that have had similar experiences with the other brands as well. I will be posting a new thread on the main page with my 3-month post activation results.
 
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