Can someone please explain CIs to me?

mikatehgr8t

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Hello. I've had a hearing loss for 14 years and in the last few years it went from a Sensorineural Bilateral Severe loss in both ears to a Sensorineural Bilateral Severe-Profound (left)/Profound Hearing Loss(right). One of my hearing aids need replacing so I'm depending on the right ear to hear. Lately it's beginning to sound a bit more faint and I don't know if it is because of my other hearing aid needing replacement or just my hearing.

I think I really need to start looking into cochlear implants now anyways. I have some questions though! Please help.

1 - What type is best for my range?
2 - Are there any semi implantable or even fully implantable implants available for my range?
3 - what about getting wet? I love the beach and the rain. Will a CI interfere with this?
4 - will it interfere with everyday hair styling? if that's the case, can I take it out?
5 - do most CIs have wires sticking out?
 
Having had similar hearing loss as you- but a longer time Some thoughts for you to consider. I became bilaterally deaf in Dec/07

1) there are 3 companies at the present time, that I am familiar with: Cochlear Corp, Advanced Bionic & Med El. Usually the surgeon/audi suggest a specific company based on their experience for you. Note: I am aware that AB is not on the market-some problem which didn't affect my Harmony which is why I made no comment

"2) Internal processor which is "hooked up to your Cochlea'-that is the operation.The terms" "semi implantable/fully implantable" to me are meaningless ,The external is over your ear which transmits sound to the internal one-"electronically".

3) You can't get the external Processor wet-swimming beach etc.It will damage and you have to replace. Like you I go swimming everyday-disconnect automatically. Just like lap top computers-don't like water! One just forgets the implant is there-after a while. AB has a special "hard plastic case" which I keep in my swimming bag- by habit-first item to put in!-before swimming.

4) Hair styling-no However if you put gel/etc on your hair -wait till it dries and insert the Processor over your ear.

5) the only wire- the cord for the head piece which brings sound to the internal processor in your skull. There is a magnet on both which is "used to send the sound from outside to inside your head. There is nothing in your ear as such.

Mikatehgr8t: the next step- visit the center in your area where Cochlear Implants are "handled". Good luck in your new journey.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
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Would like to add on with what Dr. phil has to say:
1: he is right with 3 companies, however Advnaced bonics is off the market for a while until the FDA approves the 90k series ( it was recently recalled)

3: Take off the CI when going into the water. Bring a zip-bag just to keep it dry and safe when not using it at the beach.

4: never brothered my super curly hair, the hair will adapt to the headpeices

5: Only for the headpieces.

Implanted 1996, 1997 right ear by AB (which is currently broken and will be replaced in a few weeks by Cochlear)
Implanted 2009 left side with 90k series AB
 
There are also CI support groups you could go to, meet with other CI users and ask questions.
 
Having had similar hearing loss as you- but a longer time Some thoughts for you to consider. I became bilaterally deaf in Dec/07
1) there are 3 companies at the present time, that I am familiar with: Cochlear Corp, Advanced Bionic & Med El. Usually the surgeon/audi suggest a specific company based on their experience for you. Note: I am aware that AB is not on the market-some problem which didn't affect my Harmony which is why I made no comment
"2) Internal processor which is "hooked up to your Cochlea'-that is the operation.The terms" "semi implantable/fully implantable" to me are meaningless ,The external is over your ear which transmits sound to the internal one-"electronically".
3) You can't get the external Processor wet-swimming beach etc.It will damage and you have to replace. Like you I go swimming everyday-disconnect automatically. Just like lap top computers-don't like water! One just forgets the implant is there-after a while. AB has a special "hard plastic case" which I keep in my swimming bag- by habit-first item to put in!-before swimming.
4) Hair styling-no However if you put gel/etc on your hair -wait till it dries and insert the Processor over your ear.
5) the only wire- the cord for the head piece which brings sound to the internal processor in your skull. There is a magnet on both which is "used to send the sound from outside to inside your head. There is nothing in your ear as such.

Mikatehgr8t: the next step visit the center in your area where Cochlear Implants are "handled". Good luck in your new journey.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07

Phil,

Your messages would be more readable if you add some line spaces between some of your sentences. For instance, the above could have been written like the following:

Having had similar hearing loss as you- but a longer time Some thoughts for you to consider. I became bilaterally deaf in Dec/07

1) there are 3 companies at the present time, that I am familiar with: Cochlear Corp, Advanced Bionic & Med El. Usually the surgeon/audi suggest a specific company based on their experience for you. Note: I am aware that AB is not on the market-some problem which didn't affect my Harmony which is why I made no comment

"2) Internal processor which is "hooked up to your Cochlea'-that is the operation.The terms" "semi implantable/fully implantable" to me are meaningless ,The external is over your ear which transmits sound to the internal one-"electronically".

3) You can't get the external Processor wet-swimming beach etc.It will damage and you have to replace. Like you I go swimming everyday-disconnect automatically. Just like lap top computers-don't like water! One just forgets the implant is there-after a while. AB has a special "hard plastic case" which I keep in my swimming bag- by habit-first item to put in!-before swimming.

4) Hair styling-no However if you put gel/etc on your hair -wait till it dries and insert the Processor over your ear.

5) the only wire- the cord for the head piece which brings sound to the internal processor in your skull. There is a magnet on both which is "used to send the sound from outside to inside your head. There is nothing in your ear as such.

See the difference?
 
Thanks hohtopics.

Cheers


Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
Thanks guys! I have another question -- will I still be able to listen to my music? Usually I listen to them with earbuds but with cochlear implants, I heard they take away your hearing when you get a cochlear implant....so I won't be able to listen to them with headphones/earbuds?

Also, what do most cochlear implants look like? like a hearing aid but with more?
 
Thanks guys! I have another question -- will I still be able to listen to my music? Usually I listen to them with earbuds but with cochlear implants, I heard they take away your hearing when you get a cochlear implant....so I won't be able to listen to them with headphones/earbuds?

Also, what do most cochlear implants look like? like a hearing aid but with more?

Depends what company you go with. Advanced Bonics has a t-bic (its what I use on my left) and I wear street style headphones and cans no problems.
On my left I will be getting cochlear nucleus 5 which... I don't really know how I can wear street style headphones since the mics are on the top of the processor. But maybe cans but I wouldnt wear them in public

This is called the harmony by AB. But its not on the market due to the recent recall. No one really know when the FDA will approve the implants, so they arent on the market.
device-closeup.png


Since I have bad luck with AB implants (broke at age 3 and a few weeks away), I am going to replace the broken one with the nucleus 5.

Nucleus5.jpg


If you notice, the AB harmony has a mic near the canal, the nucleus 5 does not, its on the processor.
 
Thanks guys! I have another question -- will I still be able to listen to my music? Usually I listen to them with earbuds but with cochlear implants, I heard they take away your hearing when you get a cochlear implant....so I won't be able to listen to them with headphones/earbuds?
I don't have a CI but I've heard there's a wire you can attach to the processor like the kinds that can be attached to BTEs for listening to music.
 
the Nucleus 5 has a personal audio cable that hooks into the processor. I haven't hooked it into music yet but i hook it into my laptop for the practice word learning CD that came with the processor.
Some people get these CI implants and can hear and make thing out right off the bat. Some people can't. Please keep that in mind.. Do some research before hand.
 
As for hearing music with my AB Harmony- I still don't have any problem whatsoever.It was tested by me-3 days after being activated back in Aug/07 at a singles dance. It did sounded "a bit weird" then which was "remapped" the next day. When it was activated on that Thursday-I heard right away-though everything sounded "strange". That was my experience. The problem was to try to understand people speaking at the same time with the loud music. Thus my "strange comment" going to dances is "cochlear implant exercise".


How anyone else will react can't be determined ahead of time. A few people can't get the benefit of having a Cochlear Implant-unfortunately.

I understand when a cochlear implant is implanted it does destroy all hearing when installed thus there is "no going back-so to speak- to be hearing impaired-profound".As for amount of "residual hearing after an implant operation" seem to me "odd". Reason" why go to an implant if one can use a hearing aid with a "small amount of hearing left"? From my direct experience having a "profound loss-85 db" from Feb/92 to Dec/06 I was NOT eligible for consideration till is was BILATERALLY DEAF here in Ontario.
Hooking up one's "old hearing aid" AFTER an Implant operation doesn't appear to make much sense- to me.How could a hearing aid work-amplify sound- get into the internal processor?

Implanted. Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
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bbaseball boy-why do you keep referring to the t-mic as t-bic? i have read about the AB harmony and i've never read it as "t-bic" only t-mic ...? j/w
and u prob won't be able to use earbuds but the audio cable plugged into the CI instead...most of the time residual hearing is taken away but a lot of more recent implantees have said there residual hearing is still there or only part has been lost
 
bbaseball boy-why do you keep referring to the t-mic as t-bic? i have read about the AB harmony and i've never read it as "t-bic" only t-mic ...? j/w
and u prob won't be able to use earbuds but the audio cable plugged into the CI instead...most of the time residual hearing is taken away but a lot of more recent implantees have said there residual hearing is still there or only part has been lost

I am sorry, I didnt notice that, its called the t-mic. I probably called it the tbic because its small?
I never used earbuds as they always fall off, which is why I wore street style headphones or cans.
The problem with audio cable imo, is theyre a pain in the butt to put on and take off if someone wants to talk to you. And there is no bass
 
You can chat with CI recipients live on Thursday nights at hearingjourney.com (Which is AB's site). Cochlear has a community as well, but I don't think they have the live chatroom. Either way you could probably get alot of answers to general questions.
 
I was deaf for almost 20 years and got a Nucleus 5 last year. I'm listening to music and talking on the phone all the time now. I usually do it by hooking the personal listening cable to my iPhone and listen through iPod.

As far as I know the Nucleus 5 is the most water resistant to date. But you won't be able to go swimming and you shouldn't get any of them wet. Water resistant doesn't mean water proof and electronics and water don't mix. I know some have come up with ways to go swimming with the CI but I don't think it's wise to gamble with something so expensive. Basically if you're out and it's raining or it gets a little wet it should be fine. But that's about as far as I'd personally risk with mine.

Hair style. I wouldn't worry about that in the least. I mean mine matches the color of my hair pretty good and my hair does cover mine pretty well, but that's not intentional. In fact I'd rather flaunt mine then to hide it. Still, there are some "fashion" things you can do with them if that's the kind of thing you're into. They come with colored shells that you can change the color of them (Nucleus 5).

As far as range. No way we can answer that here. That's something you'll have to discuss with your Audi.

So I'll just say that I have the Nucleus 5 and I'm very happy with it.

Ron Jaxon
 
You can chat with CI recipients live on Thursday nights at hearingjourney.com (Which is AB's site). Cochlear has a community as well, but I don't think they have the live chatroom. Either way you could probably get alot of answers to general questions.


Hearingjourney !! oh please NEVER EVER again, what cochlear implant users you will chat with at that forum!!!!!, do not do it, they are just mentors and paid users to brain wash you to get their implant
iowaboy = business hurting at AB now with their FDA problems, so they are sending people here to get some??
 
Hearingjourney !! oh please NEVER EVER again, what cochlear implant users you will chat with at that forum!!!!!, do not do it, they are just mentors and paid users to brain wash you to get their implant
iowaboy = business hurting at AB now with their FDA problems, so they are sending people here to get some??

Dude you need to calm a bit with AB and their users or as you call "mentors being paid". I have a really good experience with AB and still am (besides broke implant).
Obviously a company is going to try to "brainwash" you to buy their products, thats what marketing is.

AB is not as bad as you make it to seem. They have really good services, they always have software support, great reps that travel all over the country to help those who have issues with AB.
Its just the matter of features each company has to present.
 
Bottom line, we don't want anyone to advertise here about a forum or a brand, end of story, we did not join this forum to get some people asking us to join some chat on some other forum, why is this guy is so busy telling us about the chat for AB!!!, they have NO IMPLANT, their implant is off the market and is been recalled for unlimited period, so what are we going to chat there about??, waiting for them to come back??
we have a great forum here, we are happy here, we do not want advertisers for any brand, as you see, I don't like advertiser, don't get offended you should be happy
why are you getting Cochlear then if you say you were happy with AB!!, did you say your processor was malfunctioned twice ?? and you still happy, of course they will offer you great customer service, what else they can offer you, more recalls??, imagine them giving you some faultily piece in your head and not given you great customer service, lol
what you need is: great & reliable piece in your head not the stupid customer service.
 
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