CI's...for those who have gotten them

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whitedove

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Hey all, I wanted to know what everyone who has gotten a CI thinks of them. Like how much more do u hear with a CI than a hearing aid? I am going in for testing this month to see if I am a candidate for the CI. My parents wanted me to be able to decide this for myself. They didn't get me implanted when I was little. I am 20 now, and I am seriously considering one. I have a friend who got one last year and she says she really likes it. I have always worn a hearing aid in my right ear. I can't hear anything out of my left, so that is the ear that I would get implanted in, just in case something goes wrong. That way I'd have my good ear still intact. :)

I just wanted to know ur experiences with CI's and if it has benefited u or not?
 
Hey Whitedove! Ask yourself WHY you want a CI. I'm not against CI per se, (in fact I think they are AWESOME for those who can't really benifit all that much from hearing aids) but it does seem like they are now claiming that the new CIs can decipher the real words to Louie, Louie and Smells Like Teen Spirit. :mrgreen:
I've heard of good hearing aid users(meaning they can hear 60%- 80% with biurnally fitted aids!) being told that they are a canidate b/c they can't hear on the phone or b/c they have trouble listening in crowd situtions!!!! ( I think those reasons are redicoulous as there IS something called a TDD and even hearing people have trouble in crowd sititions!)
However, it does sound like you want biurnal hearing....which is an excellent thing! I always think I can hear really well with just ONE hearing aid, but then I put my other aid in and it's amazing!
I really can't tell you how the CI might improve your hearing. Everyone's experiance is different..Just as with hearing aids, not everyone hears the same with CIs. One person might only hear enviromental sounds, another might only improve their speechreading skills, another might achieve hoh levels and so on. Keep an open mind but be conservative/cautious at the same time...the CI is a wild card for which anything is possible but nothing is promised. If you're looking for downsides for CI, I think there is a Yahoo!Groups called CI problem. I'll find the link and later post it.
 
I got my CI 4 years ago...although, I don't wear it on a daily basis, but I do find it very benefital whenever I wear it.
It really benefits people who are motivated in learning to adapt to sounds and undergo intense audio and speech therapy in order to heighten usage of CI.

Good luck in your assessment for one! :D
 
WaterRats13 said:
I got my CI 4 years ago...although, I don't wear it on a daily basis, but I do find it very benefital whenever I wear it.
It really benefits people who are motivated in learning to adapt to sounds and undergo intense audio and speech therapy in order to heighten usage of CI.

Good luck in your assessment for one! :D
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WHY - not wear it daily if it helps you alot??? :roll:
 
Deafdyke, yeah I know that going into this, any kind of outcome is possible, but what I always say is "Well, u will never know until u try." That's my motto. I know that there are concerns, and I keep those in mind, but I also know that there are several people who love their implants. I grew up never knowing for sure if I wanted to try the implant. Over the past few years, I have talked to so many people about experiences with implants, and I have seen so many positivities. I really want to try it, and see what the CI can do for me.

WaterRats, I have always been a very determined and motivated person, even as a younger child. I would always go to speech lessons, and I wouldn't stop until I was able to get a sound or a word properly. So I really believe that I have the motivation to do this, and go through the therapy. :) I'm glad that u find urs benefitial! However, why not wear it everyday? :D

Heather Whitestone has always been such an inspiration to me, and she recently got a CI. She talked about how she loved it, and that really got me thinking about it too. I realize that I really want to see if I can do this, if it will be something that will help me.
 
oh well i dont know abt this.. cuz of i heard a lil boy who was 3 yrs old died cuz of destory his brain from that CI and i dont know how cause this.. hard for me to trust ! :ugh:
 
Awww, yeah they need to be more careful about implanting smaller children. One of my friends in my ASL class told me about how she was reading an article on how children are at a greater risk for brain infection, so they are wanting to wait till they are older before implanting. I believe it's safer that way too.
 
TweetyBird said:
oh well i dont know abt this.. cuz of i heard a lil boy who was 3 yrs old died cuz of destory his brain from that CI and i dont know how cause this.. hard for me to trust ! :ugh:
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Yeah but I don't agree for the age stage to get surgery on head area unless relate with nose. It would be different due the breathe. The baby has soft head not like us and you know the small part of top head is open. So it shouldn't be cochlear implant due that stage. That what I believe but felt that doctor research didn't get enough information or source about what cause that happen to 3 years old.

However; I am getting surgery on July 15th for cochlear implant. I am 20 years old and yes I wore the hearing aids until I coulnd't hear those sound with the hearing aids.
 
ideafspy said:
Yeah but I don't agree for the age stage to get surgery on head area unless relate with nose. It would be different due the breathe. The baby has soft head not like us and you know the small part of top head is open. So it shouldn't be cochlear implant due that stage. That what I believe but felt that doctor research didn't get enough information or source about what cause that happen to 3 years old.

However; I am getting surgery on July 15th for cochlear implant. I am 20 years old and yes I wore the hearing aids until I coulnd't hear those sound with the hearing aids.
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wow.. that's so fast.. and surgery is due next month wow!...

I'm also considering CI myself.. and wondering.. and heck. i have no clue where to start heh.
 
I have a CI myself but this a old channel is 1, today is about 24 channel or soemthing like that.. I don't use it anymore cuz it didn't help me and i got when im 5 yrs old.
 
yeah I know that going into this, any kind of outcome is possible, but what I always say is "Well, u will never know until u try." That's my motto. I know that there are concerns, and I keep those in mind, but I also know that there are several people who love their implants
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Excellent!!! :mrgreen: That is an awesome and very healthy attitude to have!!!!
 
DeafSCUBA98 said:
wow.. that's so fast.. and surgery is due next month wow!...

I'm also considering CI myself.. and wondering.. and heck. i have no clue where to start heh.
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Well, if you are consider to get one. Like you can visit your primary doctor to ask or find the cochlear implant location at. They will give you the address as refer. It shouldn't require you to visit the doctor but just a phone call should be enough. 20 percent + copay = out of pocket is quiet high.

Well I got that so fast due I just got hired from job and worked for three months. Been working there as insurance company since they are offer PPO or HMO. I choose HMO because there is no co-pay or anything for Cochlear Implant that only require the test score to be. So I start counting each days.

All the employer where I work is curious about me to get cochlear implant which planned sugery on July 15th Thrusday morning at 10:30am to check in and then start surgery on 12:30pm. The surgery will preform last for 3 or 4 hours.

So I will let you know how I do if you are wonder. :type:
 
but I also know that there are several people who love their implants.
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Yes, I do know that there are people who love their implants but be a bit cautious...there are implantees who are paid money by the CI companies to trumpet their products. Don't listen to anyone who sounds like an advertisment for the implant and don't listen to anyone who makes the implant sound like it's perfect for everyone. Just be healthily skeptical.
You might have trouble getting it...but then again they HAVE loosened the requirments in the past few years which is good.
 
ideafspy said:
Well, if you are consider to get one. Like you can visit your primary doctor to ask or find the cochlear implant location at. They will give you the address as refer. It shouldn't require you to visit the doctor but just a phone call should be enough. 20 percent + copay = out of pocket is quiet high.

Well I got that so fast due I just got hired from job and worked for three months. Been working there as insurance company since they are offer PPO or HMO. I choose HMO because there is no co-pay or anything for Cochlear Implant that only require the test score to be. So I start counting each days.

All the employer where I work is curious about me to get cochlear implant which planned sugery on July 15th Thrusday morning at 10:30am to check in and then start surgery on 12:30pm. The surgery will preform last for 3 or 4 hours.

So I will let you know how I do if you are wonder. :type:
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I'm happy for you because it's your own choice. Good Luck & success. Keep post with your news. :)
 
Ideafspy, that's awesome that u're getting urs soon!! I hope it all works out great for u, and u'll need to keep us updated on how it goes. :)

Deafdyke, no worries, I do understand that I can't just go into this expecting everything to be wonderful and perfect. I have talked to people who have them and they like them, but they still are not able to understand everything that is being said, etc. They told me the upsides and downsides of the CI. It takes a lot of motivation and work for something like this, but that is exactly what I have--determination. Just ask anyone who knows me well :D
 
I have talked to people who have them and they like them, but they still are not able to understand everything that is being said, etc.
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Good, excellent...sounds like you're getting honest feedbacks on the CI, rather then the people who act like advertisiments for it!! :) I was just a little concerned about that since some CI proponents make it sound like you can hear everything with it.
 
deafdyke said:
Good, excellent...sounds like you're getting honest feedbacks on the CI, rather then the people who act like advertisiments for it!! :) I was just a little concerned about that since some CI proponents make it sound like you can hear everything with it.
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Yeah I know, and I totally don't believe that. It is ridiculous to believe that once u get the implant, u will suddenly be able to hear just like a hearing person! It takes a lot of therapy and learning, I know. I do believe what is said by people that I know personally, like my friend who got hers last year. I had always been skeptical about CI's, but lately over the past couple years or so, I've had more of an open mind, and I am willing to try it out to see what will come out of it.
 
Whitedove, are you interested in hearing CI problem stories as well? Not trying to dissaude you from getting it or anything, but it might be helpful to research both pros and cons.
I'm trying to think of good links for you. SHHH might be a good resource, they always seem to have lots of info on CIs. There is a site I shall not mention (Levonian knows which one I'm talking about!) that has a lot of CI info but it's mostly targeted towards kids and I've heard not so savoury stories about the admin's use of the edit button.
 
Hello there..

I have research before I decide to get myself a implant. I have see a negative research about implant. Also research on which product is good to use and what weak area about the cochlear implant product.

What the Negative part is your face. It is important to test with your face if you see anything that doesn't move then that mean it weak on the nerves in your right, left, back or front where the nerves doesn't move or feel. Due the cochlear implant will electro the nerves made move of the sounds where the hair cell lays on.

About the sound like hearing people; I research that cochlear implant is possible more than what hearing people can hear but similar like what the dog can hear the low sound that human can't hear. It can be anonny for us who wore the cochlear implant. It can take one or two years to use it. Only for people who willing use the time and learning. If don't want waste time to learning and then it not worth for you to get cochlear implant. :smash:

I believe cochlear implant is good for me because i don't have a problem what the most common of hearing loss or profound. For example; someone in my relative who is deaf and cannot get cochlear implant at all or the hearing aids due have cochlear turn out to be bone. So it hurt her a lot when she heard the sounds. Other example; who born and got the high flever that lead damanged the nerves will not able get cochlear implant but can get hearing aids.

Some cannot get cochlear implant because the face will show ugly face due too much electro. It hard to explain but I will find the website that one person found and it interesting research about the cochlea inside the factory of hair cell. It is interesting but will try find it.
 
I know that there are stories of problems with cochlear implants, but there are also stories of success. That is why I apply "You never know until you try" to CI's. Nobody ever really knows what to expect, but that is what life is all about--taking chances and seeing where God will take u. I do know that there are chances of getting meningitis, or other things, which is why they are going to be running tests on me before I do this. If it's not the thing for me, then it is not. BUT...if it is the thing for me, then it is. :) Just never know till u try!

A big issue with CI's is some people don't have as much determination to get used to the new sounds that it brings, and others do. I have never been a quitter, and if I do get the CI, then I am going to fight my annoyances, because I know that I will always get through anything that I set my mind to. That's always been me. :) Also, I know that I for one, do welcome any new sounds that a new hearing aid brings me, and it is like music to my ears. Like my current hearing aid--I was able to hear my dog's fingernails on the floor, and when I first heard that, it was like the most amazing sound I had ever heard! :lol: I really miss my dog though...he got so sick and old that he had to be put to sleep in Nov. of 2002 :tears:
 
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