HA vs CI"s

Someone said on another thread that I can't find now that you can try different brands of CI's at the audi's office to see which one you like. How exactly does that work before implant? Is it more of a touch and feel thing or do they have simulators or something to use?

More you can touch them and work out which one sits on your ear better but you won't be able to hear from it. You can compress the size, shape, feel etc.
 
audies have demos of the different implants, so you can see what the internal implant is like, and you can actually play with the processors and stuff. You can put the demo processor on your ear to see if it's comfortable, play with the battery on it (taking it on and off, etc.). Touch and feel type of thing. Everyone is going to have their own individual responses to the actual product when they are activated.
 
ok, thanks. I was wondering how they would demonstrate how they worked (or not :D).
 
I finally got a copy of my latest hearing exam. According to the audi-I have "unusual" hearing loss.

hoh-me-albums-hearing-test-picture5962-2012-hearing-test-2.pdf


She went over the numbers with me and what everything means so I understand the data better. We will have to see what the CI people say. I have me newer HA's back and they give me more sound but too much sound for everything else if I want to hear/understand people talk.
 
I finally got a copy of my latest hearing exam. According to the audi-I have "unusual" hearing loss.

hoh-me-albums-hearing-test-picture5962-2012-hearing-test-2.pdf


She went over the numbers with me and what everything means so I understand the data better. We will have to see what the CI people say. I have me newer HA's back and they give me more sound but too much sound for everything else if I want to hear/understand people talk.

From my understanding, you loss is ski slope and is very common. Might be unusual as its a very severe (big big hill, lol) ski slope loss.
 
From my understanding, you loss is ski slope and is very common. Might be unusual as its a very severe (big big hill, lol) ski slope loss.

I think that is what she meant--unusual in severity for a ski slope :D. Also that both ears are almost identical. I feel my right ear is actually my better ear but the tests show my left ear is a bit better.
 
I think that is what she meant--unusual in severity for a ski slope :D. Also that both ears are almost identical. I feel my right ear is actually my better ear but the tests show my left ear is a bit better.

What HAs do you wear? Your loss would work (from my understanding) well with the Phonak Naidas and the sound recovery feature.
 
What HAs do you wear? Your loss would work (from my understanding) well with the Phonak Naidas and the sound recovery feature.

I have Starkey IQ's, BTE. They are 2 years old. I've been reading about the Naidas, not sure if my clinic deals with Phonak's or not I guess. I really don't want to shell out another $6000 for hearing aids if they aren't going to be any better than what I have now and you can't really just try them and see--well you can for 30 days I guess-at least with Starkey.
 
Anyone that promises you anything in regards to a CI is being less then honest with you. It is a 100% personal process with lots of factors that can change the outcome. Everything from how your body will form scar tissue around the electrode , to how well your skull / skin conducts electricity ( for the grounds ) can affect it. Now , that being said , as a late deafened person you are in the group that most often sees the best outcomes with CI's.

And honestly , classifying that audiogram as unusual is , for lack of a better word , unusual. Thats a classic "ski slope".
 
Anyone that promises you anything in regards to a CI is being less then honest with you. It is a 100% personal process with lots of factors that can change the outcome. Everything from how your body will form scar tissue around the electrode , to how well your skull / skin conducts electricity ( for the grounds ) can affect it. Now , that being said , as a late deafened person you are in the group that most often sees the best outcomes with CI's.

And honestly , classifying that audiogram as unusual is , for lack of a better word , unusual. Thats a classic "ski slope".

Anyone who thinks someone who has ski slope hearing loss that begins at 20dB at 250hz and drops to 90db by 1000 Hz wouldn't be helped by a cochlear implant is being less than honest.

When high frequency hearing loss is that severe, amplification can not even begin to help. I the OP is like me, high frequency amplification might actually be physically painful and hinder speech understanding.

I would classify the OPs hearing loss as unusual because it is very close to a corner audiogram but with the very lowest frequency somewhat preserved. The "classic" ski slope looks more like this http://www.raisingdeafkids.org/hearingloss/testing/audiogram/ski_slope.php
Normal or mild hearing loss until 2k and sloping to severe or profound after that.

Once hearing loss (pure SNHL NOT conductive hearing loss + minimal SNHL) reaches severe to profound the hair cells that transmit the signal to the auditory nerve are damaged beyond repair. Amplification with hearing aids will not help make sounds understood. A cochlear implant might.
 
Anyone who thinks someone who has ski slope hearing loss that begins at 20dB at 250hz and drops to 90db by 1000 Hz wouldn't be helped by a cochlear implant is being less than honest.

When high frequency hearing loss is that severe, amplification can not even begin to help. I the OP is like me, high frequency amplification might actually be physically painful and hinder speech understanding.

I would classify the OPs hearing loss as unusual because it is very close to a corner audiogram but with the very lowest frequency somewhat preserved. The "classic" ski slope looks more like this Raising Deaf Kids
Normal or mild hearing loss until 2k and sloping to severe or profound after that.

Once hearing loss (pure SNHL NOT conductive hearing loss + minimal SNHL) reaches severe to profound the hair cells that transmit the signal to the auditory nerve are damaged beyond repair. Amplification with hearing aids will not help make sounds understood. A cochlear implant might.

That is EXACTLY my problem--if I get enough amplification to hear at higher frequencies-which for me is basically women's voices and higher, EVERYTHING is so loud it's painful. They put a different logarithm in to my hearing aids to see if that would help and speech is clearer, however, any other sound just hurts--closing cupboard doors, shuffling paper, sneezes, coughs, etc.

No one has promised me anything since I haven't even had my evaluation, I'm just trying to get information so I can make a good decision. I just know that HA are not very helpful and I'm just past frustrated with them.
 
That is EXACTLY my problem--if I get enough amplification to hear at higher frequencies-which for me is basically women's voices and higher, EVERYTHING is so loud it's painful. They put a different logarithm in to my hearing aids to see if that would help and speech is clearer, however, any other sound just hurts--closing cupboard doors, shuffling paper, sneezes, coughs, etc.

No one has promised me anything since I haven't even had my evaluation, I'm just trying to get information so I can make a good decision. I just know that HA are not very helpful and I'm just past frustrated with them.

Well now that you've explained a bit more......I think you might have recruitment...that's a bit of a game changer IMHO....Also wonder if the CI might provide a different path and overcome the recruitment issues. Mention to your doc that you have significant recruitment......
 
Hopefully you have a good CI audi. I mean my audi was a bitch on wheels and didn't care that I had recruitment or severe tinnitus or that my phonak naidas didn't do much. She TOLD me that my hearing aids were too powerful for me and that they were set too loud and that my hearing loss on as per one part of the test (the air blowing in your ear thing-or whatever) shows that my hearing loss isn't as bad as I say it is...-_-
 
I looked up recruitment, it is very much what I have. Thank you. It makes sense and explains the difficulty I've had with my hearing aids. It they are loud enough that I can actually understand what people are saying, everything else is too loud!
 
yeah and btw, I have a buddy who has severe recruitment and he is rocking his Alera 962s :D
 
Well, I officially can't hear well enough to get CI's. Getting the CT scan done tomorrow so we will have to see what that says. Dr is going on vacation in a couple weeks for a couple weeks so scheduling might be interesting. I work from home and our kids are off to college in August so sooner is better than later for the implant so I can spend as much time with people around to talk to me as possible early on. Shooting for 2nd week in April unless he can do the surgery in March before he goes.

I was assuming they would implant bilaterally but he will only put one in at a time. That makes the loss of the residual hearing in the one ear easier to stomach. If it doesn't work, I will still have hearing in my other hear (with hearing aids). Not great, but better than nothing.

I had 12% recognition with hearing aids for the single words and 43% with the sentences in my left ear and 14% and 32% in my right ear. They didn't do another audiogram since they have 18 years worth from me and my most recent one in December.

They work mostly with Cochlear but also have Med-El. I liked the Cochlear one better so I will go with that. The extras like the lapel mike and the tv cables were nice too. Open to suggestions if I should consider one or the other for other reasons.
 
Well, I officially can't hear well enough to get CI's. Getting the CT scan done tomorrow so we will have to see what that says. Dr is going on vacation in a couple weeks for a couple weeks so scheduling might be interesting. I work from home and our kids are off to college in August so sooner is better than later for the implant so I can spend as much time with people around to talk to me as possible early on. Shooting for 2nd week in April unless he can do the surgery in March before he goes.

I was assuming they would implant bilaterally but he will only put one in at a time. That makes the loss of the residual hearing in the one ear easier to stomach. If it doesn't work, I will still have hearing in my other hear (with hearing aids). Not great, but better than nothing.

I had 12% recognition with hearing aids for the single words and 43% with the sentences in my left ear and 14% and 32% in my right ear. They didn't do another audiogram since they have 18 years worth from me and my most recent one in December.

They work mostly with Cochlear but also have Med-El. I liked the Cochlear one better so I will go with that. The extras like the lapel mike and the tv cables were nice too. Open to suggestions if I should consider one or the other for other reasons.

cochlear implant HELP. Read and learn. I would think twice before you pass up Med El. Also. .. wires may sound nice, but with an Advanced Bionics implant you'd be wireless. Both AB and Med El have the more advanced internal implants with a better shot at more natural sound quality.

The website above will help you with every every aspect of the process.
 
cochlear implant HELP. Read and learn. I would think twice before you pass up Med El. Also. .. wires may sound nice, but with an Advanced Bionics implant you'd be wireless. Both AB and Med El have the more advanced internal implants with a better shot at more natural sound quality.

The website above will help you with every every aspect of the process.

I don't want to sound stupid, but I am REALLY not up on most of what this is talking about :D. I am VERY open to suggestions and listening to why you like one over the other since I am seriously in the dark about most of this because I just haven't had the time to look into all of it and learn what all the numbers mean for the various settings,etc. I haven't picked one yet. I liked the sturdier feel of the Cochlear and that the magnet was removable. The clinic doesn't have any current patients with the Med El. Those are my "reasons" for liking it more so, PLEASE let me know what you think.

I looked at the comparison chart and most of it doesn't mean much to me so I don't know what is better than the other. I did like the longer battery life on the Med El. I looked at the Rondo--THAT might be enough to sell me on the Med-El.

I also like the looks of the remote on the Cochlear--little more Star Trekish :D.

One thing about the Med-el the dr did say was because the electrodes were smaller, the chance of retaining my residual hearing was slightly better--so I did like that.
 
Well, I officially can't hear well enough to get CI's. Getting the CT scan done tomorrow so we will have to see what that says. Dr is going on vacation in a couple weeks for a couple weeks so scheduling might be interesting. I work from home and our kids are off to college in August so sooner is better than later for the implant so I can spend as much time with people around to talk to me as possible early on. Shooting for 2nd week in April unless he can do the surgery in March before he goes.

I was assuming they would implant bilaterally but he will only put one in at a time. That makes the loss of the residual hearing in the one ear easier to stomach. If it doesn't work, I will still have hearing in my other hear (with hearing aids). Not great, but better than nothing.

I had 12% recognition with hearing aids for the single words and 43% with the sentences in my left ear and 14% and 32% in my right ear. They didn't do another audiogram since they have 18 years worth from me and my most recent one in December.

They work mostly with Cochlear but also have Med-El. I liked the Cochlear one better so I will go with that. The extras like the lapel mike and the tv cables were nice too. Open to suggestions if I should consider one or the other for other reasons.
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That rocks!
And they didn't suggest CI BEFORE?!?!?!??! Your SRS seems really LOW.
 
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That rocks!
And they didn't suggest CI BEFORE?!?!?!??! Your SRS seems really LOW.

My SRS has gone down quite a bit in the past 2 years. They pulled up my audiogram from 2 years ago and I was at about 48%. I've noticed a lot of change in the past year. I got my current hearing aids 2 years ago (little over that now) and at first they were helping but after using my old hearing aids for the past couple weeks, those were SO bad that it probably just seemed like they were helping. I can "hear" a lot, I just can't understand what people are saying. I could "hear" every word they said in the test, just couldn't understand them. My favorite was somehow I got "pocket" out of "hush" :D. I have a copy of my results. It's pretty interesting and I want to show my family just how bad this is for me.
 
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