Cohlear implant vs bonebridge

Hello ,
iam here because of a dilemma and i hope for some help.
My brother have slowly lost his hearing and now with hearing aids can hear very few sounds.
The last test show on both ears 70db on 250hz and 90db on 500hz. All other higher frequencies at 110db.

He is 32 years old but his not very cooperative.He cant read very well and
he can write his name with a lot of effort.
He can communicate,talk and understand speech well but cannot understand some things like maths for ex. 8+4 or the value of money.Beside that he is clever on his own way, drives a motorbike and work as a carpenter.His staying at my moms house.

I write these so you can see the whole picture.
Already is been given the ok for a cochlear implant for both ears and in 3 week he will go for the surgery.

After the surgery he will need a lot of attention and practice and lessons for him to take advantage as much as possible the CIs.
So as a family will help him and try to do that even if my brother doesn't enjoy so much the idea of learning,reading,writing.That is why iam so concerned about CI and these days i was searching the net and trying to find more information on way to help him after the CI surgery and found the bonebridge.

Was reading that the bonebridge does not "kill" the natural hearing like CIs robotic sounds, so my brother will not need a lot of "attention" after surgery.Another advantage with bonebridge, in the future you may choose to go with something else since the ears are still "alive".
Do you thing my brother can benefit more with bb instead the CI ?

Different solutions for different types of deafness.

With thresholds that severe, your brother likely isn't a candidate for bonebridge which is a bone conduction device for conductive hearing loss.
Pure conductive hearing loss can only be up to 50-60dB (someone without ears, ear canals, ossicles, but with a normal cochlea I'll have hearing loss around 50dB).

Your brother will need loads of help regardless of what choices your family makes.

Thanks.

Michaelso said:

Hello ,


He is 32 years old but his not very cooperative.He cant read very well and
he can write his name with a lot of effort.
He can communicate,talk and understand speech well but cannot understand some things like maths for ex. 8+4 or the value of money.Beside that he is clever on his own way, drives a motorbike and work as a carpenter.His staying at my moms house.

.

?

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Where did he go to school? Does he have other issues? Hard to believe he really sounds like he fell through the cracks

Yes he is hyperactive (ADHD).He left school from 12 but always have him a regular personal teacher until 16.After that periodically until 30.

Did he attend a hearing school or a deaf one? Damn he really fell through the cracks.....Not surprised that you have similar stories in the UK, as we do in the states.....

Does your brother have any interests in obtaining a BB or CI? what will you and your family think that would be beneficial to him if he gets CI or BB?

Maybe I may be ignorant, please forgive me if i say bluntly. I don't get it why if he needs CI or BB in order to listen even though he dont enjoy reading or writing etc. whats good for him to have CI or BB?

I am an ASL user. in case if you wonder.

deafdyke said:

Did he attend a hearing school or a deaf one? Damn he really fell through the cracks.....Not surprised that you have similar stories in the UK, as we do in the states.....

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We tried a hearing school for a while but he was not willing or cooperative to continue even with a personal teacher.
Many times i tried to help him with teaching maths,reading,writing even try to teach him piano.

Frisky Feline said:

Does your brother have any interests in obtaining a BB or CI? what will you and your family think that would be beneficial to him if he gets CI or BB?

Maybe I may be ignorant, please forgive me if i say bluntly. I don't get it why if he needs CI or BB in order to listen even though he dont enjoy reading or writing etc. whats good for him to have CI or BB?

I am an ASL user. in case if you wonder.

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He barely hear now with the hearing aids he already have but he is satisfied.
(the ones who go behind the ear.Is the latest and most powerful they have.)
He afraid the change and the surgery.Also knows that after the surgery we will start lessons at home and he tries to avoid it.

For the family is very big deal to have CI because then we can help him to understand the world around him and have a better life quality by getting more basic knowledge.Also he can avoid many problems like someone can easily take advantage of him(in a shop,in work place etc).There more positives to have CI than to stay with out.

Our only fear is after CI.How he reacts and behave if he cannot understand a word from what he is listening.It would take a while everybody says.But until then?
Can everyone please comment on this please ?

Should we push for one CI instead of both? So when he gets upset or confused he can put the familiar hearing aid on the other ear.

Michaelso said:

We tried a hearing school for a while but he was not willing or cooperative to continue even with a personal teacher.
Many times i tried to help him with teaching maths,reading,writing even try to teach him piano.






For the family is very big deal to have CI because then we can help him to understand the world around him and have a better life quality by getting more basic knowledge.Also he can avoid many problems like someone can easily take advantage of him(in a shop,in work place etc).There more positives to have CI than to stay with out.

Our only fear is after CI.How he reacts and behave if he cannot understand a word from what he is listening.It would take a while everybody says.But until then?
Can everyone please comment on this please ?

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First of all, you mean they wanted him to have ci?

I do not have ci or don't speak but ASL. I work in the hearing world for years. It has to do with understanding the concept of living or work or raise my kids and many things that I live everyday.
My hubby was born profoundly deaf. He was in a speech therapy all his life. He was in late 30s he went for CI because doctor recommended him to get ci in reducing his tinnitus. Unfortunately it didn't work for his tinnitus. So he admits that he hears more frequent of sounds as he has been learning how to listen for almost years. It DOES NOT cure his hearing but with robotic sounds helped. Just because he is able to speak which is beneficial to his time to have ci .

Your bro needs to see the YouTube and see what doctor performed on behind ear of the head. So he can decide if he's in desire of hearing more that's fine

Does he have like learning disorder?

If he is already 32 and doesn't understand words, and language, the CI isn't going to help.

I was going to say it but Botti has a point. How do you communicate with him? how is his language when he speaks to you?

Also boggles the MIND that he didn't get referred to a deaf school.....Are there Deaf postsecondary training insistutions he might go to, to work on language issues?

I wonder if your bro can read it here if he can't read. But try ?

I wondered the same thing as Frisky, she asked about the learning disorder
<yes, I have LD>

Maybe people could read and explain -to - him about here and more the the topics etc.

Frisky Feline said:

Does he have like learning disorder?

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Frisky Feline said:

How do you communicate with him? how is his language when he speaks to you?

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Bottesini said:

If he is already 32 and doesn't understand words, and language, the CI isn't going to help.

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Its little complicated.Yes he can talk and communicate with other people.The first hearing test was at 14 years old.His results was much better than now.So he is familiar with the language and sounds.In 1996 the first test results was 250,500hz at 35db and 1000 2000 at 50db and the rest 95db.

He sure have some learning disorder.Not sure what.I will try to give some examples.
If i pressure him he can read a medium paragraph with 40-50 words in 4-5 minutes.He read it by two letter at a time or all the word if is very familiar to him by taking the time to recognize it.He cant understand basic maths.For ex when i will tell him: give me one, two or three cards he will understand.If i tell him take the half of the 10 cards i have in front of me he will get confused.Also with money, if he have 5 euros and he will buy a chocolate for 2 euros he don't know what amount he need to receive back.

He have a motorbike for 10 years and many times he repair it by himself.He can connect an electrical socket,plug and lights.
Also he is very outgoing sociable and friendly with other people.

Today we both working out in the garden and i had my radio playing music and i ask him what he can hear.And he understand that it was music but couldn't recognize if there was any singing going on.

Frisky Feline said:

First of all, you mean they wanted him to have ci?

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I didn't understand your question.We as a family want to proceed with CI. Doctors been few years, they said we can go this route if my brother is cooperative.

Why was he aided so late?

Michaelso said:

I didn't understand your question.We as a family want to proceed with CI. Doctors been few years, they said we can go this route if my brother is cooperative.

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They aka your family who wants him to have CI. Did he tell you why that he didnt want a CI?

deafdyke said:

Why was he aided so late?

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Iam asking this myself too,but from the history i know, teachers when he was young tent to believe he had intellectual disabilities.Also we believe his hearing problem was progressive and probably had a mild hearing loss which was unnoticed by the family.Also he is very capable to understand body and lip reading.All these and the fact that parents had 6 children with a year or 2 difference made it even more difficult to identify the problem.

Frisky Feline said:

They aka your family who wants him to have CI. Did he tell you why that he didnt want a CI?

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He don't like changes and he afraid the surgery.
The first hearing aids at age 14-15 took him 2 years to wear it on everyday basis.Now he cannot be without them.

What do you think now you have a better picture ?
Should we go for one CI instead of both?