To Implant or Not to Implant? That is my question . . .

Do you agree or disagree with the Cochlear Implant issue?

  • I am Deaf/HOH, and do not like the idea of a CI.

    Votes: 12 23.5%

  • I am Deaf, and have considered the idea of a CI.

    Votes: 12 23.5%

  • I am Deaf, and I have a CI.

    Votes: 21 41.2%

  • I am hearing, and I know someone who has a CI.

    Votes: 6 11.8%
  • Total voters
    51
Hear Again said:
From what I understand, failure rates for CIs are only 2-3%. One of the difficulties in keeping track of failures is that not all of them may be reported. (For example, soft failures)
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I did some research and posted in another thread that the 3-3 percent is understated and for children the rate is more like 8% which as you mention doesn't include soft failures.
 
fdagman said:
Well, my opinion is of a different slant. I regulate Cochlear Devices at the FDA. My experience with their adverse event reports suggests that the risks must be completely evaluated before you make a decision. Many, many cases of infection and meningitis.
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YES! Thank you.
 
R2D2 said:
Speaking for myself and actually having gone through the process, it was never described to me as a "cure". As a matter of fact, the emphasis was given was that it was NOT a cure and that I should continue to use whatever visual cues I found helpful.

I seriously doubt that many doctors and audies sell CIs as a "cure". Just think of all the lawsuits they would expose themselves to knowing that results vary from person to person. They'd have to be stupid to do that especially in a country that has an extensive litigation industry as your own.
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"Cure" can be implied, as in "This will allow your child to fully integrate into the hearing world and function as a hearing child." To the hearing parents of a recently diagnosed deaf child, that translates to "cure".
 
jillio said:
"Cure" can be implied, as in "This will allow your child to fully integrate into the hearing world and function as a hearing child." To the hearing parents of a recently diagnosed deaf child, that translates to "cure".
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I wouldn't assume that implication and my guess is that many others wont either. Having said that I am sure that some would though.
 
rockdrummer said:
I wouldn't assume that implication and my guess is that many others wont either. Having said that I am sure that some would though.
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True, not all parents do. But I have worked with parents whose children are teenagers, and the parents stillhave not faced the reality of their deafness. If the deaf child functions as hoh, they simply do not understand that is as good as it gets, and will blame the child for not trying hard enough, etc. I am aware that not all parents are like that, but I have seen enough in counseling to have a concern about it.
 
Pacman said:
Wow, If you are accpted to attend speech class and after you can talk about everything then I bet that your parent would be excited and act like kid behavior then probably buy good cupcakes from bakery at wal-mart.

lol, just j/k.
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Haha if I am in the speech class, I will cry within one hour due to headaches lol.. I can't use the CI for more than an hour..
 
jillio said:
... If the deaf child functions as hoh, they simply do not understand that is as good as it gets,...
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This is more profound than most people ever think about. I had to deal with that myself over the years. One only can elevate themselves so far in life. Somewhere along the line one reaches the glass ceiling. This is simply due to several factors and one being the limitations of the "tool" (HA, CI or whatever). Another factor is the ability of the person. Typically, this is always a combined thing.

Yet, for all that it is very tricky to "pinpoint" where the true limitations are. For some, it is very easy to see but for most it is not so obvious. I know personally that I pushed the envelop further than anybody thought possible given my circumstances (they are different for everybody...no two peas are exactly alike). With a HA, I reached a limit and actually declined when my hearing went south (sure, I compensated with brainpower but one can only go so far with that...and it was exhausting) With the CI, I picked up where I left off with the HA (at the highest point) and went on even to a higher level. Funny thing is that I haven't reached the mountaintop yet and may never actually do so till age does me in. Let it be far from me to imply that one can be immortal with a CI...;) {whispering...it is a joke gang!}
 
PuyoPiyo said:
Well I would be very glad if the audiologist are being honestly with the deaf people if they are qualify or not to have the CI. My audiologist said that I am qualify for the CI, but now I don't believe that audiologist and felt so shame that I trusted the audiologist.. Audiologist does not always correct, ya know..
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I am sorry she/he was not honest with u in first place. Don't feel shame u trusted ur audiologist. It happened for a reason and u did not expect it.
 
highlands said:
:hmm: I am hoh with 92 dbl bilateral loss and I am not qualify for CI ,either. but I'm thinking of getting a CI in the future if my loss gets worse and I qualify under the conditions of the insurance :)
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Really, it sucks. Reason I was not qualify for it because I do not have any cochlear hair left and nerves was kind of gone. Oh well. Hope u get CI someday.
 
Cheri said:
Hi :wave:

My view on Cochlear Implant issue is that I believe it's an individual choice. I opposed with parents making a choice to implant their child, It's not about the parents it's the child's life, the child's ears. FDA standards allow children as young as 12 months to receive implants, This is what I don't agree with. How can they determine whether children 12 months would not have a good life being deaf? That's why implantation should not take place until children are old enough to decide if they want a cochlear implant or not.

Matter of fact you can teach a deaf child to speak without cochlear implant, cochlear implant does not play the biggest role in teaching a deaf child to speak. Most hearing parents aren't aware of that. It's true though that there's some deaf has no trace of speech, that is because they've been in deaf schools half of their life or they haven't been to a place for a Total Communication program schooling or ever went in speech therapy.

Most deaf children are born to hearing parents, statistics show that they rarely become proficient in sign language, so cochlear implant is the only answer for them.

A deaf child can participate in both worlds, not just the hearing world, who ever says that you must be able to hear to be able to enter the world? Nobody so why it is so important to hear? I never get it that's why I believe it's up to the individual to make a choice to their own life rather they want to hear or not. It's not the parents attempt to "fix" deafness on a child, I'm sorry I don't agree with it. Implants are not a cure, never will match up the same as a hearing person, but possibility hear better than they ever heard before.

That's all I gonna say on this subject for right now. ;)
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BINGO!!!!... good posting .. I agree with you.,
 
sr171soars said:
This is more profound than most people ever think about. I had to deal with that myself over the years. One only can elevate themselves so far in life. Somewhere along the line one reaches the glass ceiling. This is simply due to several factors and one being the limitations of the "tool" (HA, CI or whatever). Another factor is the ability of the person. Typically, this is always a combined thing.

Yet, for all that it is very tricky to "pinpoint" where the true limitations are. For some, it is very easy to see but for most it is not so obvious. I know personally that I pushed the envelop further than anybody thought possible given my circumstances (they are different for everybody...no two peas are exactly alike). With a HA, I reached a limit and actually declined when my hearing went south (sure, I compensated with brainpower but one can only go so far with that...and it was exhausting) With the CI, I picked up where I left off with the HA (at the highest point) and went on even to a higher level. Funny thing is that I haven't reached the mountaintop yet and may never actually do so till age does me in. Let it be far from me to imply that one can be immortal with a CI...;) {whispering...it is a joke gang!}
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LOL! Your tenacity is admirable. And your grasp on reality even more so.
 
R2D2 said:
Speaking for myself and actually having gone through the process, it was never described to me as a "cure". As a matter of fact, the emphasis was given was that it was NOT a cure and that I should continue to use whatever visual cues I found helpful.

I seriously doubt that many doctors and audies sell CIs as a "cure". Just think of all the lawsuits they would expose themselves to knowing that results vary from person to person. They'd have to be stupid to do that especially in a country that has an extensive litigation industry as your own.
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Indeed not, R2D2. My own father who is a retired doctor has pointed out that my CI is not a cure and that I may never have normal hearing.
 
deafskeptic said:
Indeed not, R2D2. My own father who is a retired doctor has pointed out that my CI is not a cure and that I may never have normal hearing.
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Was your father involved on the implant teams? Just asking, because he seems to be one of the non-biased members of the medical community I was referring to in another post.
 
On the other hand jillo I think its SLOWLY changing. A few years ago the CI was promoted, via postitve "cure" language Now its more "something that gives you some hearing. I totally agree that there's a long way to go.........and some of those parents really have their heads up their asses re: acceptance of their kid(s). They are all "Oh I want a healthy normal kid. Oh boohoo hoo, its so horrible to be dhh." Oral experts KNOW this, and instead of helping them accept their child's differences, they demand that the child be the square peg that fits into a round hole.
 
deafdyke said:
On the other hand jillo I think its SLOWLY changing. A few years ago the CI was promoted, via postitve "cure" language Now its more "something that gives you some hearing. I totally agree that there's a long way to go.........and some of those parents really have their heads up their asses re: acceptance of their kid(s). They are all "Oh I want a healthy normal kid. Oh boohoo hoo, its so horrible to be dhh." Oral experts KNOW this, and instead of helping them accept their child's differences, they demand that the child be the square peg that fits into a round hole.
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Yeah, I think it is slowly changing...unfortunately, we continue to deal with kids suffering from language deprivation in the meantime. But I suppose some progress is better than none!

A lot of the time, it is not what the experts have said so much, as the way the hearing parents interpret it. Some hearing equals not deaf equals oral only equals full integration. Know what I mean?
 
jillio said:
Was your father involved on the implant teams? Just asking, because he seems to be one of the non-biased members of the medical community I was referring to in another post.
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Why do you believe that implant teams are specially more or less biased than other doctors? Especially when they don't make a lot of money from surgeries and with some surgeries they lose money?
 
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