ok, I'm officially freaked out...

guido · 07-11-2006, 01:55 PM

This thread has more to do with the actual operational procedure of implanting a CI.

I got curious, and so I started googling for information and pictures of cochlear implants. I never realized that an actual device was implanted into the skull. I can't imagine how freaked out I would be to wake up and realize there is an electronic device implanted into my head. For those who actually have CIs, does this bother you at all? Do the benefits of a CI outweigh the realization that you have a device sticking out of your heard?

Here is a picture that really hit me:

http://auditoryneuropathy.tripod.com...ahsurgery2.jpg
(not for the faint of heart)

MOD NOTE: Graphic image converted to clickable link.

Breezy · 07-11-2006, 02:56 PM

Awww! Don't be worried about it! While i don't have a CI ( i wear HA's) try not to think about it too much - sometimes wondering what's inside ur body can freak u out, but it's completely natural to feel this way. Over time those feelings will subside. Imagine how ppl with heart fibulators and other things feel?? At least that little device that lays on ur skull can't hurt u or make u die (ur skull won't conk out on u and stop functioning). The benefits def. out way the negatives in this area, but overall, just focus on the good things!!

And another thing! Looking at those pictures, they're obviously blown up, i know that the incisions aren't that big, lol. From what i've seen it's a small incision, which gets covered by hair. I wish u luck in feeling better about this!!!!

moonflower · 07-11-2006, 03:10 PM

don't worry i am not go for CI cuz as i know have brain surgery is DANGEROUS
only i will go for HA only who cares if it didn't work it work for me to get the sounds to me like callling my name or ppl voices and cars in streets if i am crossing the streets

LuciaDisturbed · 07-11-2006, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonflower

don't worry i am not go for CI cuz as i know have brain surgery is DANGEROUS
only i will go for HA only who cares if it didn't work it work for me to get the sounds to me like callling my name or ppl voices and cars in streets if i am crossing the streets

um...this isn't brain surgery....

07-11-2006, 03:17 PM

Where did you find these pictures ? Link ?

sr171soars · 07-11-2006, 03:19 PM

Er...a clarification is in order here. It is not brain surgery!!!! The brain is not involved in any way.

Now, to answer Guido's question...

1) No, it doesn't bother me at all and I don't notice anything different other than the slight "bump" over the ear itself.

2) The benefits definitely outweigh any thoughts about an implant in you. It has been totally worth the effort to get one...I can hear better than I ever heard in my life. It is really no different than a HA.

moonflower · 07-11-2006, 03:23 PM

don't bash at me for ty i am sorry for the misinform

LuciaDisturbed · 07-11-2006, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonflower

don't bash at me for ty i am sorry for the misinform

Moonflower, no one's bashing you. We're just clarifying.

SxyPorkie · 07-11-2006, 04:02 PM

WHOA!! guildo made it a big deal.. It is not a brain surgery.. there are small incision behind the ear...

SxyPorkie

Y · 07-11-2006, 04:07 PM

Eeew these photos are making me sick

Oceanbreeze · 07-11-2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SxyPorkie

WHOA!! guildo made it a big deal.. It is not a brain surgery.. there are small incision behind the ear...

SxyPorkie

I don't think anyone is making a big deal about it. Someone was misinformed and called it "brain surgery", but they were corrected.

As for the pictures themselves, I can see why Guido would be squeamish. They are a bit graphic to look at. However, the surgery itself is relatively minor. People think it's brain surgery, because they make the incision on the head. The incision is actually behind the ear. I must admit that, I too, thought it was brain surgery, at one time.

Anyway, the "big deal" is not the surgery itself, but how those pictures LOOK. They LOOK NASTY, so I'd cut Guido some slack here. Nobody in their right mind wants to have surgery, no matter how minor it may be.

angelstar819 · 07-11-2006, 04:42 PM

GROSS! u juss had to post up the pics didn't u? lol, wow, u should've at least given us a warning of the graphic images that were coming up..

yea..now that u posted those pics, and being a CI user, i am totally freaked out..lol..but hey, the benefits totally outweigh the physical aspect of the implant..i wouldn't be the person i am today if i didnt have the CI..god bless the invention of the CI..wut would i do without it..

moonflower · 07-11-2006, 05:18 PM

ok

but the picture look gross

Cloggy · 07-11-2006, 05:21 PM

The pictures are quite old. My daughters scars are not even close to the size of these. (See here)

But, great pictures to scare someone... (I have the link somewhere if anyone is interested...)

Oceanbreeze · 07-11-2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloggy

The pictures are quite old. My daughters scars are not even close to the size of these. (See here)

But, great pictures to scare someone... (I have the link somewhere if anyone is interested...)

Thank you, Cloggy. I'm a hearie, but I find this stuff facinating. I must tell you that I've seen A LOT of things, and it takes A LOT to bother me. However, seeing that did. So, I'm glad you posted what your daughter's scar looks like. It looks like it was still healing, too, which was good to see. If you know anything about scars, they tend to lighten with time, and become less noticeable. Also, given the location of the incision, simply covering the scar with hair, or the BTE would suffice, no?

Forgive my ignorance. I know a fair amount about CI's, but I don't know everything.

R2D2 · 07-11-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Y

Eeew these photos are making me sick

Me too! I'm glad I didn't see my own CI surgery - I'm so squeamish LOL! Still everything has healed up nicely and my scar is very small and unnoticeably tucked behind my ear. In all it has been a much more minor surgery than my caesarean section (my friend took photos of that but don't worry I won't post them on here).

moonflower · 07-11-2006, 05:36 PM

cloggy oh i see i remmy one of my old classmate had CI had showed the scar he still had the scar even it was healed
scars still can show

LuciaDisturbed · 07-11-2006, 06:51 PM

Scars aren't really a big deal to me. (I don't have CI but have scars from other major surgeries). They're just scars. *shrugs*

Oceanbreeze · 07-11-2006, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuciaDisturbed

Scars aren't really a big deal to me. (I don't have CI but have scars from other major surgeries). They're just scars. *shrugs*

I hear you. I also have had surgery, and I don't give a flip what my scars look like. Most of them were made when I was kid, anyway, and I can't do a thing about them, so stressin' over them is sorta pointless.

LisaMarie · 07-11-2006, 06:54 PM

eerrr.. THATS why i dont want to have CI! EEEKKKKK

Boult · 07-11-2006, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuciaDisturbed

Scars aren't really a big deal to me. (I don't have CI but have scars from other major surgeries). They're just scars. *shrugs*

indeed, if they are fussy over scars then don't forget this: Parent and HA/CI issues

daffy93 · 07-11-2006, 07:01 PM

me either, I am happy with my hearing aids.

neecy · 07-11-2006, 07:36 PM

actually those pictures I think are quite old!!!! This spring I personally got to watch the implant procedure from start to finish (yes from the very first incision to the very last stitch) and there was hardly ANY blood, and the skull was WHITE not red and bloody like that one picture with the skin retracted. Only the TINIEST hole was drilled through the skull to get into the cochlea using a miniscule diamond-tipped drill bit, then a shallow depression was hollowed out in the mastoid bone to hold the transmitter apparatus. I was amazed how easy it appeared and it only took 2 hours!

SxyPorkie · 07-11-2006, 07:47 PM

I had several major surgeries ... too many scars I got are worse than scar from CI surgery.. why complained????

SxyPorkie

moonflower · 07-11-2006, 07:55 PM

scars don't bothers me much i have alot i was very active kid scape myself and
had one major surgery when i was kid
not big deal it show i survived the surgery

jazzy · 07-11-2006, 08:09 PM

It did not gross me out compare to what infection did to my brain when I was sick.

guido · 07-11-2006, 09:08 PM

It's not just the scars I'm talking about but the fact there that is an electronic device implanted in your skull. How can it barely be noticeable?

As for those complaining that I didn't give a warning, I think "ok, I'm totally freaked out" is warning enough.

ismi · 07-11-2006, 09:34 PM

That part you see on the outside comes off - it's held on by a strong magnet. It's not actually going into the skull - IIRC, there is no part of the implant that protrudes outside the skin (can someone with a CI confirm this please?).

07-11-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ismi

That part you see on the outside comes off - it's held on by a strong magnet. It's not actually going into the skull - IIRC, there is no part of the implant that protrudes outside the skin (can someone with a CI confirm this please?).

Correct - I have a CI and I dont have anything protuding outside my skin except for a small bump. What I did was to ignore these pictures - my surgery only lasted 3 hours and the benefits of having a CI outweighed my fears of having a surgery. These days, surgeons make a small incsion compared to the past but arent all surgeries like this? It gets smaller each year with improved technologies, etc.

I think having a tubal surgery is way worse than this!

Fragmenter · 07-11-2006, 09:52 PM

Guido, I'm sorry but you can't be this naive.

Troll much?

07-11-2006, 01:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
guido Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,119	ok, I'm officially freaked out... This thread has more to do with the actual operational procedure of implanting a CI. I got curious, and so I started googling for information and pictures of cochlear implants. I never realized that an actual device was implanted into the skull. I can't imagine how freaked out I would be to wake up and realize there is an electronic device implanted into my head. For those who actually have CIs, does this bother you at all? Do the benefits of a CI outweigh the realization that you have a device sticking out of your heard? Here is a picture that really hit me: http://auditoryneuropathy.tripod.com...ahsurgery2.jpg (not for the faint of heart) MOD NOTE: Graphic image converted to clickable link. Last edited by VamPyroX; 07-12-2006 at 12:07 AM.

07-11-2006, 03:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
sr171soars Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 2,700	Er...a clarification is in order here. It is not brain surgery!!!! The brain is not involved in any way. Now, to answer Guido's question... 1) No, it doesn't bother me at all and I don't notice anything different other than the slight "bump" over the ear itself. 2) The benefits definitely outweigh any thoughts about an implant in you. It has been totally worth the effort to get one...I can hear better than I ever heard in my life. It is really no different than a HA. __________________ But trailing clouds of glory till He comes... Foolishness is not a virtue

07-11-2006, 04:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
SxyPorkie Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 3,095	WHOA!! guildo made it a big deal.. It is not a brain surgery.. there are small incision behind the ear... SxyPorkie __________________ Life Goes On!!

07-11-2006, 05:21 PM	#14 (permalink)
Cloggy Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Norway Posts: 4,706	The pictures are quite old. My daughters scars are not even close to the size of these. (See here) But, great pictures to scare someone... (I have the link somewhere if anyone is interested...) __________________ . The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. . . . Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 - 1951) Information about . . . . . . . . . Lotte Sofie . . . . . . . . . How the ear works . . . . . . . . . Parents info . . . . . . . . . Nonsense/ Myths about CI here or here.

07-11-2006, 06:51 PM	#18 (permalink)
LuciaDisturbed Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 7,733	Scars aren't really a big deal to me. (I don't have CI but have scars from other major surgeries). They're just scars. shrugs __________________ "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - Philosopher George Santayana. Implanted left ear 10/11/06, activated 10/16/06 - Nucleus Freedom My own CI experience, my views on CI and ASL and Deaf Culture and Society DeviantArt

Today
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07-11-2006, 02:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
Breezy Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: CANADA! Posts: 281	Awww! Don't be worried about it! While i don't have a CI ( i wear HA's) try not to think about it too much - sometimes wondering what's inside ur body can freak u out, but it's completely natural to feel this way. Over time those feelings will subside. Imagine how ppl with heart fibulators and other things feel?? At least that little device that lays on ur skull can't hurt u or make u die (ur skull won't conk out on u and stop functioning). The benefits def. out way the negatives in this area, but overall, just focus on the good things!! And another thing! Looking at those pictures, they're obviously blown up, i know that the incisions aren't that big, lol. From what i've seen it's a small incision, which gets covered by hair. I wish u luck in feeling better about this!!!!

07-11-2006, 03:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
moonflower Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan Posts: 5,762	don't worry i am not go for CI cuz as i know have brain surgery is DANGEROUS only i will go for HA only who cares if it didn't work it work for me to get the sounds to me like callling my name or ppl voices and cars in streets if i am crossing the streets

07-11-2006, 03:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
JohnnyE Guest Posts: n/a	Where did you find these pictures ? Link ?

07-11-2006, 03:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
moonflower Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan Posts: 5,762	don't bash at me for ty i am sorry for the misinform

07-11-2006, 04:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
Y Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 3,113	Eeew these photos are making me sick

07-11-2006, 04:42 PM	#12 (permalink)
angelstar819 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: SoCal !! Posts: 78	GROSS! u juss had to post up the pics didn't u? lol, wow, u should've at least given us a warning of the graphic images that were coming up.. yea..now that u posted those pics, and being a CI user, i am totally freaked out..lol..but hey, the benefits totally outweigh the physical aspect of the implant..i wouldn't be the person i am today if i didnt have the CI..god bless the invention of the CI..wut would i do without it..

07-11-2006, 05:18 PM	#13 (permalink)
moonflower Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan Posts: 5,762	ok but the picture look gross

07-11-2006, 05:36 PM	#17 (permalink)
moonflower Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan Posts: 5,762	cloggy oh i see i remmy one of my old classmate had CI had showed the scar he still had the scar even it was healed scars still can show

07-11-2006, 06:54 PM	#20 (permalink)
LisaMarie Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: MN Posts: 834	eerrr.. THATS why i dont want to have CI! EEEKKKKK __________________ LIVE YOUR DREAM!

07-11-2006, 07:01 PM	#22 (permalink)
daffy93 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: NC Posts: 41	me either, I am happy with my hearing aids.

07-11-2006, 07:36 PM	#23 (permalink)
neecy Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Beautiful British Columbia Posts: 1,409	actually those pictures I think are quite old!!!! This spring I personally got to watch the implant procedure from start to finish (yes from the very first incision to the very last stitch) and there was hardly ANY blood, and the skull was WHITE not red and bloody like that one picture with the skin retracted. Only the TINIEST hole was drilled through the skull to get into the cochlea using a miniscule diamond-tipped drill bit, then a shallow depression was hollowed out in the mastoid bone to hold the transmitter apparatus. I was amazed how easy it appeared and it only took 2 hours! __________________ Friends are angels that lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

07-11-2006, 07:47 PM	#24 (permalink)
SxyPorkie Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 3,095	I had several major surgeries ... too many scars I got are worse than scar from CI surgery.. why complained???? SxyPorkie __________________ Life Goes On!!

07-11-2006, 07:55 PM	#25 (permalink)
moonflower Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan Posts: 5,762	scars don't bothers me much i have alot i was very active kid scape myself and had one major surgery when i was kid not big deal it show i survived the surgery

07-11-2006, 08:09 PM	#26 (permalink)
jazzy Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: High desert in Calif Posts: 4,208	It did not gross me out compare to what infection did to my brain when I was sick.

07-11-2006, 09:08 PM	#27 (permalink)
guido Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,119	It's not just the scars I'm talking about but the fact there that is an electronic device implanted in your skull. How can it barely be noticeable? As for those complaining that I didn't give a warning, I think "ok, I'm totally freaked out" is warning enough.

07-11-2006, 09:34 PM	#28 (permalink)
ismi Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 749	That part you see on the outside comes off - it's held on by a strong magnet. It's not actually going into the skull - IIRC, there is no part of the implant that protrudes outside the skin (can someone with a CI confirm this please?).

07-11-2006, 09:52 PM	#30 (permalink)
Fragmenter Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 823	Guido, I'm sorry but you can't be this naive. Troll much? __________________ Please don't feed the Trolls. They are for your viewing entertainment only. Thank you.

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