Problems with cochlear implant

That's why I won't proceed with CI until I can get an all clear MRI. Before my illness I had an MRI, CT and EEG. They were all negative. Within 24 hrs had seizures and severe brain swelling. If they won't do an MRI then I will not take the chance on surgery. I've mentioned this before, the doctors I seem to believe its ear noise but I feel they cant be sure since the last outcome of these tests. No MRI, no surgery!!!!!
 
Hopefully Angel your next appointment-early next year- will give specific answers to you on what to do next on dealing with your "sudden deafness".
 
yes dan

yes dan I have the same problem as mine was activate on nov 4 2013 it was fined at the office then about 2 to 3 hours later it started to do the sameting as yours what did you do to solve the problem?
 
You're new... it does take some time for your brain to become accustomed to the CI input. I got headaches and tinnitus in the first week.
 
Definitely, the C.I. does take time to get used to / adjust to. Give it a little bit before you start looking to cure something that's normal. It took me a month or so to get used to it after being activated.... maybe even longer. Just give it time, and if the side-effects are just THAT unbearable, talk with your audiologist.
 
I was advised to leave my Cochlear Implant on -all waking hours. Just to get my brain used to all the new sounds. That advice was over 6 years ago.
Still valid.
aside: I had no problem eg tinnitus, headaches or migranges etc- so far.
 
Hi
I had my cochlear implant fitted 7 weeks ago and was activated last week. It is an Advanced Bionics implant.

Since the op, I have had constant tinnitus in my implanted ear. Also, I have experienced occasions when the tinnitus gets so loud it becomes unbearable, before it gradually goes back to the "normal" level after a minute or two. This loud tinnitus always occurs if I get out of my chair or bend over, even if I do so really slowly.

yes I do just activated last week in the doctors office seems okay at first then the ringing like my hearing aid I thought it was feed back but when I put my ear near a friends ear she could not hear anything which tells me it is tinnitus It happens only when I'm wearing it i will stick it out and wear it for as long as I can however it would seem to be a shame to see $60,000.00 go to waste.
 
Since the op, I have had constant tinnitus in my implanted ear. Also, I have experienced occasions when the tinnitus gets so loud it becomes unbearable, before it gradually goes back to the "normal" level after a minute or two. This loud tinnitus always occurs if I get out of my chair or bend over, even if I do so really slowly.

yes I do just activated last week in the doctors office seems okay at first then the ringing like my hearing aid I thought it was feed back but when I put my ear near a friends ear she could not hear anything which tells me it is tinnitus It happens only when I'm wearing it i will stick it out and wear it for as long as I can however it would seem to be a shame to see $60,000.00 go to waste.
 
I venture that MOST if not all persons seeking advice from an otolarnygloloist regarding whether or not to undergo a cochlear implant, are not fully apprised of the risks, benefits and downsides. Those are actually variable depending on whether the patient is congenital (from birth) or form disease (meningitis), noise exposure, age, etc. The greatst risks and likely the least benefit are within the congenitally deaf group (also pre-lingually deaf) where the inner ear may show malformations, e.g., ossification, defects in shape, size (e.g., LVAS), thin vestibular bone structure(s), possible perilymph/endolymph fluid leakages (fistulae), deshisence, fissures, cracks, pores, etc. etc. Congenital malformations and defects may become exacerbated by drilling into the skull and subsequent mastoidectomy. Doctors do not explain much, or any of this actually. Nor do they explain that in every person, every individual, the case and instances are a variable, even if the individuals have the same congenital issues. When looking at a CT scan you should be able to notice thta the bony structures within the crainal cavity, especially around the vestibular bone region seem to vary widely.

Regarding persons that lose their hearing later in life or are born with normal hearing and incident structures -- the cochlear implant may work best for them, unless there are damages casused by disesae, such as ossifications. Sometimes these can be cleared away, but for the most part, those with normal inner ear structurs and vestibular bones, etc., will derive the most benefit from a cochlear implant. There are also the added advantages of auditory memory, meaning that the brain has already retained knowledge of sounds. Because of what is termed "plasticity," the brain can adjust much more easily to decode the "new" types of "sound" signals from a cochlear implant, whereas a congenitally deafened individual who may have not heard sounds, or may have not developed speech prior to losing hearing, may not have the benefit of stored "auditory memory."

This posting is not to say that cochlear implants should not be a choice for anyone seeking them. But it should be incumbent upon the doctor(s) and surgeon(s) performing the procedure to educate, inform, advise and counsel the patient sufficiently so that there are (as they like to term) "no unreasonable expectations." It's just that from a direct experience (not my own -- I'm deaf and will stay that way!), the doctor(s) did NOT properly advise the patient regarding risks/benefits, and the surgery did NOT turn out well.

One category of cochlear implants that I am adamantly against is with infants and small children with congenital hearing loss. Such children have not had the opportunity to develop language (ASL) or a communication mode that can be used to express or convey to the parent(s) or doctor(s). A child with post-lingual deafness--- they have an established communication mode, and probably have normal structures. Their candidacy could be more ideal, they can also provide feedback, etc. and have auditory memory. As for children with congenital deafness, implanting them raises some issues with ethics, and these need to be critically examined. Parents are NOT the best spokespeople for the child because they are too emotionally involved in the decision and are blind to the possible consequences. So many congentially deafened children have been implanted and the results are dismal!
 
Doctors do not explain much, or any of this actually. Nor do they explain that in every person, every individual, the case and instances are a variable, even if the individuals have the same congenital issues. When looking at a CT scan you should be able to notice thta the bony structures within the crainal cavity, especially around the vestibular bone region seem to vary widely.

Regarding persons that lose their hearing later in life or are born with normal hearing and incident structures -- the cochlear implant may work best for them, unless there are damages casused by disesae, such as ossifications. Sometimes these can be cleared away, but for the most part, those with normal inner ear structurs and vestibular bones, etc., will derive the most benefit from a cochlear implant. There are also the added advantages of auditory memory, meaning that the brain has already retained knowledge of sounds. Because of what is termed "plasticity," the brain can adjust much more easily to decode the "new" types of "sound" signals from a cochlear implant, whereas a congenitally deafened individual who may have not heard sounds, or may have not developed speech prior to losing hearing, may not have the benefit of stored "auditory memory."

... it should be incumbent upon the doctor(s) and surgeon(s) performing the procedure to educate, inform, advise and counsel the patient sufficiently so that there are (as they like to term) "no unreasonable expectations." It's just that from a direct experience (not my own -- I'm deaf and will stay that way!), the doctor(s) did NOT properly advise the patient regarding risks/benefits, and the surgery did NOT turn out well.

One category of cochlear implants that I am adamantly against is with infants and small children with congenital hearing loss. Such children have not had the opportunity to develop language (ASL) or a communication mode that can be used to express or convey to the parent(s) or doctor(s). A child with post-lingual deafness--- they have an established communication mode, and probably have normal structures. Their candidacy could be more ideal, they can also provide feedback, etc. and have auditory memory. As for children with congenital deafness, implanting them raises some issues with ethics, and these need to be critically examined. Parents are NOT the best spokespeople for the child because they are too emotionally involved in the decision and are blind to the possible consequences. So many congentially deafened children have been implanted and the results are dismal!
Would you show us where you see the results of the children born deaf? I'm not challenging you but to believe this, I'd like to see the source. This may be a game-changer to me if true and I'll support your statement.
-- Deaf children born to hearing people may very well have their parents opt for a CI for the child. I do know someone here (sort of) who had his daughter (very young) implanted with one and she did well then implanted with another and she's doing really well. I know other children born deaf who also had a CI and they appear fine. But two examples doesn't make any sound study.
-- A hearing parent likely doesn't know ASL or the Deaf culture, so armed with this information they are more likely than Deaf parents to get an implant for their child. I've seen threads here where others weigh in.
-- In Maria Montessori's, "The Absorbent Mind," she talks about how the child's mind is like a sponge until the age of three. As an elem. ed. major, children do a massive amount of learning at this time. They are not capable of making their own decision. So, if a child doesn't get an implant early, it makes learning language a lot more difficult.
-- I can't weigh in with my own thoughts and I do not know what I'd do.

In my case with hearing parents and family, my bet is my parents would've opted for a CI for me but they didn't exist when I was born. Based on everything out here, that would be the opposite for Deaf parents. I'm just stating what I know.
* * * *
I had minimal (if any) direction from the ENT or audiologist. It appeared if they suggested something and it didn't work, I could sue them. I see this with others in the field. They will never provide a name of a specialist, but they will guide you to the type of specialist they need. I think this is a bit looney and I also understand it.
 
It's weird. I used to have so much ringing in my ears before I got my implant in (though it was a phase that started for like 2 months) And after the activation, the ringing just stopped.
 
I've been talking with CI users in the past couple weeks and discovered that there ARE problems the CI poster-folk in here do not mention. I wonder if it is because they tend to be more open and honest when talking with a fellow deafie? It is so weird.
does anyone have trouble with swallowing?
 
My own voice is so loud in my head after the scond implant. What is the cause?
You need to return to your audiologist and have him/her make adjustments. Was your voice loud before you left his/her office the last time you had a mapping/adjustment? If so, did you tell him/her? And, if yes, what was his/her response?
 
Hi
I had my cochlear implant fitted 7 weeks ago and was activated last week. It is an Advanced Bionics implant.

Since the op, I have had constant tinnitus in my implanted ear. Also, I have experienced occasions when the tinnitus gets so loud it becomes unbearable, before it gradually goes back to the "normal" level after a minute or two. This loud tinnitus always occurs if I get out of my chair or bend over, even if I do so really slowly.

My second problem is with the activation. I know it is early days but I am just hearing whistling tones when there is noise or speech, and these tones sound very similar to feedback on a hearing aid. It is really tiring although I know I have to keep at it and wear the processor as much as I can, and with time hopefully things will get better. I also notice a constant ringing tone when I switch the processor on which stops when I turn the processor off.
Does anyone else here share these experiences?
Regards
Dan
Following this.
 
I am 8 years in with Cochlear brand ( also a volunteer ) so Im not familiar with the AB or Med-El brands but they all work basically the same. It takes time for the brain to rewire itself to understand the new process of hearing with electrodes. I was able to make out words from the start of activation although robotic and mickey mouse-ish in sound and I needed others to tell me what some sounds were as Ive never heard them before ( crickets, frogs..ect ) What I found and helped tremendously is music. As I am a music lover, I listed to music constantly, especially songs I was familiar with as it exposes you to everything ( all pitches and tones, vocal...ect... ) it is the best rehabilitation you can do. I could pick out each individual instrument which was awesome as I never heard all of them before. After just a couple months sounds were getting back to normal from what I remember before going deaf several years prior and I heard so much more that Ive never heard before in my life. Some people take longer than others to get the full effects, some are disappointed as they never reach that goal... its all about how much effort you put into it and if your brain can adapt to the new.
 
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