Residual Hearing

And sometimes people can get it by fudging around with the numbers. Or if they have severe recruitment, tintitus or other issues.
It might be a good idea, but then again you have to be careful that you're not being dazzled by " latest technology =better hearing" thinking.
(and I would tell you this if you were thinking about the latest digital aids)
If you're not a right off the bat canidate and you don't have any other circumstances I'd approach the idea of CI VERY carefully.

I'm currently not considering getting an appointment. I believe my speech understanding is still too good. Perhaps when that starts to drop I will consider getting an appointment. For now, however, i'm just trying to do research and understand some more.
*EQL*
 
Would make for a difficult decision for us if it comes to it. 4 month old daughter with 90+ loss on first ABR.
 
iowaboy, if you do decide this, She'll still need ASL because she isn't going to be 24/7 hearing. She'll need a communication backup. Like in pools and such.

Now, as far as losing residual hearing, I don't miss it much.
 
We expected Li-Li to lose residual hearing after each of her CI surgeries, and were very surprised to find that in booth testing without her processors on, but with hearing aids cranked up, she scored very much the same as prior to surgery, so it seems that she's not lost anything there (not that it was doing her much good -- she could hear extremely loud envi sounds (sirens, dog barking up close, tea kettle whistle) with aids, but not voices. But, our audi mentioned that because we wouldn't be blasting in sound via aids, but bypassing the hair cells with the CIs, that "residual hearing" could atrophy as Li-Li grew older. This would likely be the case with aids, though, too, as her "better" ear declined rapidly in the year prior to her second surgery, even with hearing aids stimulating things.

So, while I've read that it's likely that you can lose what bit of hearing you had due to damage caused during surgery, in our case, it didn't happen. I sure wouldn't go into it expecting to retain anything, but am glad that was the case in these two instances.
 
iowaboy, I wouldn't be concerned about the CI decision. Your daughter does sound like she really does need it. I would implant her, no worries and THEN full toolbox her. She doesn't have useful residual hearing..Meaning she may not be able to reach hoh listening levels with CIs. NOT saying that they don't work....but there are different circumstances that lead to sucess/hoh level speech perception with CI.
EQL, so you're just playing around with the idea?
 
EQL, so you're just playing around with the idea?
depends on what you mean by playing around... it's in the back of my mind, but not yet anywhere near getting an appointment. I'm trying to find out as much as i can now to make the decision easier if/when it comes time.
*EQL*
 
Oh so do you have a progressive loss then? It's good you're looking towards the future. I can imagine CI is a godsend for postlingal progressive loss folks!
 
Oh so do you have a progressive loss then? It's good you're looking towards the future. I can imagine CI is a godsend for postlingal progressive loss folks!

Yes, i have a progressive loss. It is flat and i am currently severe/borderline to profound. my right ear is a bit worse than my left. I'm lucky in that i don't have a problem with Tinnitus and very little problem with recruitment. I only have problems with "recruitment" when I don't wear HAs for a while (like on weekends when i'm alone and stuff) and when i put my HAs back in everything is unbearably loud and unclear, but after a day or two i get used to it again.

my left ear starts at about 75db in the low pitches and 80/85 in the high pitches. My right ear starts at 80db in the low pitches and moves to 85/90 in the high pitches. It is progressive, so i do have to look towards the future. At the moment my speech understanding is still quite good. I can use the phone if i know the person (but i HATE doing it and am getting a tty soon).
I am in ASL 2, but i do know a fair amount of general skills (i worked with a boy who was deaf at my camp for 4 years, so he's taught me a lot).

I would like to learn more asl before i go for the CI.. we will see what my ears say though. I would like to become fluent, but I go to university in a small town where there really isnt a deaf community (i try to go to deaf events in Toronto when i can, but its a $30 bus ride, so i don't go often).

I am interested in how many people are loosing their residual hearing and how much they loose (mainly in people with newer CIs since people with older surgeries probably lost a lot). It will make a difference for me as to when I will get the surgery. I don't like the idea of wearing a CI and HA in the same ear.. i think it would be overstimulating.. two completely different sounds competing with each other. Ideally, i would like to get both ears implanted in the same surgery, but i realize that the likelyhood of that happening is nil (i live in Canada where they won't even give adults a second implant, let alone in the same surgery).

For people with recruitment problems, has a CI surgery 'fixed' this issue? or do you still experience it with the CI? If it 'fixed' it, did it fix it because you lost any residual hearing you had, or because the hairs are no longer being stimulated?

Thanks!
*EQL*
 
Hi again, EQL .... I had a CI done at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto in November 2009. From what I can tell, I've lost all the residual hearing on my implanted side (right ear).

I'm wondering if they type of implant a person gets is a factor in how much residual hearing one loses or retains. My implant was made by Advanced Biotics.
 
I was HOH... Then bam, became profoundly deaf in 2007 and had a CI surgery for the first time...Yes, I lost all my residual hearing during surgery but CI may help me hear whole lotta betta. I'll alway be fully deaf for rest of my life.
 
Question:

I'm fully deaf in my right ear, but I do have hearing left on my left. (No idea how much is left...)

Would a CI on the right be of any use to me, considering the circumstance?

The reason I'm asking is because people seem to be saying they've had CIs implanted on their fully deaf ear and have received hearing this way.

If so, I may be able to get it for my right ear. o_o
 
Honestly, you do need to get audiogram test...and see if you r eligable for CI.... Some people who is fully deaf may get benefit if they able to hear better.. some don't.. However they still have to work hard.
 
hey canadadan...how long did it take from approval to surgery date?

Hmmm, lets see now ...

It took almost a year from my initial contact with Sunnybrook to my surgery date. It was early January 2009 when I had my first appointment at Sunnybrook. There were a couple of meetings after that, one for additional hearing tests and another meeting that was basically an information-sharing meeting.

After the testing, they told me I was a candidate for an implant. Initially I was undecided about whether I wanted to move forward with the procedure or not. Once they had a firmer commitment from me, I was booked for a CAT scan and balance testing; I had those tests around May 2009. Results from those tests confirmed that the surgery was definitely a go for me. I met (briefly!) with the surgeon early in June 09. They told me then that all I needed to do was get my menningitis vaccinations done (via my family dr.). The surgeon told me if I got them done right away, they could fit me in by late summer or early fall.

For reasons I won't go into here, there was a delay with getting my vaccinations, and I didn't get them until August. Then early in October I got a call from Sunnybrook, asking if I would be ready to have my surgery within the next week. I said "NO ... I'm not ready, it's too short a notice!" Well, it was right before Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and I had plans, etc. She said no problem, she would be able to get me a date in November. I said fine. At the end of October they contacted me again saying they could book me for Novmeber 17, and that was fine with me.

So, all-in-all it was pretty well a year from first contact to surgery date ( I was activated on December 9/09). It probably could have been a shorter process if it wasn't for my hesitancy and the delay with getting my vaccinations. So far, 3 months after my activation, I'm quite happy with the results.
 
Honestly, you do need to get audiogram test...and see if you r eligable for CI.... Some people who is fully deaf may get benefit if they able to hear better.. some don't.. However they still have to work hard.

I already am. If I go back to Oregon, I'll automatically requalify.

They offered it to me last time. I chose not to take it at the time.

I'm considering taking it up this time around, but I'd like to know if it's possible for the right ear, as I can hear pretty darned well with my left.

At the last time I was tested, I was told that without my hearing aid, I had just 10% hearing left.

WITH the hearing aid, it shot back up to 80%. (Oticon Sumo DM)

Amazing, I'd say.
 
I already am. If I go back to Oregon, I'll automatically requalify.

They offered it to me last time. I chose not to take it at the time.

I'm considering taking it up this time around, but I'd like to know if it's possible for the right ear, as I can hear pretty darned well with my left.

At the last time I was tested, I was told that without my hearing aid, I had just 10% hearing left.

WITH the hearing aid, it shot back up to 80%. (Oticon Sumo DM)

Amazing, I'd say.

I can understand what are you saying....How can I know that--- you are telling me how much left in ur left ear.... You need to know what's decibel of your left hear. So I guess you are getting yourself understanding but me. I would say you are amazing using ur Hearing Aid...hope all work out for you with 10% of ur Left. so help you as well
 
I already am. If I go back to Oregon, I'll automatically requalify.

They offered it to me last time. I chose not to take it at the time.

I'm considering taking it up this time around, but I'd like to know if it's possible for the right ear, as I can hear pretty darned well with my left.

At the last time I was tested, I was told that without my hearing aid, I had just 10% hearing left.

WITH the hearing aid, it shot back up to 80%. (Oticon Sumo DM)

Amazing, I'd say.

Part of the process looks at how well you do with a hearing aid. That's why I haven't gone for a consult, i believe that i'm doing too well with HA so i doubt i would qualify.
 
Hmmm, lets see now ...

It took almost a year from my initial contact with Sunnybrook to my surgery date. It was early January 2009 when I had my first appointment at Sunnybrook. There were a couple of meetings after that, one for additional hearing tests and another meeting that was basically an information-sharing meeting.

After the testing, they told me I was a candidate for an implant. Initially I was undecided about whether I wanted to move forward with the procedure or not. Once they had a firmer commitment from me, I was booked for a CAT scan and balance testing; I had those tests around May 2009. Results from those tests confirmed that the surgery was definitely a go for me. I met (briefly!) with the surgeon early in June 09. They told me then that all I needed to do was get my menningitis vaccinations done (via my family dr.). The surgeon told me if I got them done right away, they could fit me in by late summer or early fall.

For reasons I won't go into here, there was a delay with getting my vaccinations, and I didn't get them until August. Then early in October I got a call from Sunnybrook, asking if I would be ready to have my surgery within the next week. I said "NO ... I'm not ready, it's too short a notice!" Well, it was right before Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and I had plans, etc. She said no problem, she would be able to get me a date in November. I said fine. At the end of October they contacted me again saying they could book me for Novmeber 17, and that was fine with me.

So, all-in-all it was pretty well a year from first contact to surgery date ( I was activated on December 9/09). It probably could have been a shorter process if it wasn't for my hesitancy and the delay with getting my vaccinations. So far, 3 months after my activation, I'm quite happy with the results.
A year isn't too bad... especially since the actual wait from the time you qualify to the surgery time isn't too long.

what tests did they do exactly?

*EQL*
 
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