Any envoy medical esteem recipients out there?

All I can say is that I am VERY VERY skeptical of new technology.
And Cyborg, I can talk on the phone with ease with my hearing aids. Does that mean I have nautral hearing?
 
naisho said:
On the topic, natural hearing =/= being able to hear, imo.

That's like saying, someone who got dentures has real teeth. They work and look great, but to nit pick, they are not the same.

I've always been interested in reading about how the cochlear implant works on the brain. It's not like the natural hearing comes back, it seems like it's more of a mechanical or distinctive process in comprehending the sound source.

I remember reading and watching CI implantees play musical instruments, like the piano or violin. They did fine. After I started seeing music enthusiast and critics giving their criticism/perspectives of the piece, they commented in the opinion that the CI player was not able to comprehend the distinctions in the pitches and chords, more in so that they may have been relying on muscle memory in order to play the tune.

That brought some food for thought; it's probably not the same as natural hearing. But without a CI, I won't ever be able to attest to the truths behind it as I'm only relying on anecdotal information.
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The subject is the Envoy Esteem hearing implant and not about CI. They're different worlds when it comes to hearing.
 
deafdyke said:
All I can say is that I am VERY VERY skeptical of new technology.
And Cyborg, I can talk on the phone with ease with my hearing aids. Does that mean I have nautral hearing?
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"Natural hearing" is definable by what your brain is able to comprehend and understand when it comes to hearing and how it would seem "natural" to you. Be able to identify and hear the bird calls, the hum of a refrigerator motor, the chirping of cliff frogs, burbling of a brook, the rushing sound of a waterfall, the dragging of the feet on the ground, the soft buzz of an airplane flying nearby, identifying and hearing the highest and lowest notes coming from a piano, or identify the clarinet section in a band performance amongst other musical instruments, and so on. Heck, even being able to identify a person in an audio being that of a woman and black. I'd say that's definable on understanding and recognizing the natural sound. That comes pretty close to that of "natural hearing" I would say.
 
deafdyke said:
Mandy, on the other hand you were BORN with your hearing loss. How the heck would you even KNOW what "nautral" hearing even SOUNDS like in the first place?
I think the implant is going to be hit or miss.... some people will benifit strongly from them, but others won't. They ALWAYS act this way when new technology comes out, and it's usually not as amazing as the hype.
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Because I have natural hearing! It gets tricky when you try to describe what you hear naturally - no aid of any kind vs. with hearing aids vs. the Esteem. I can get along reasonably well without any kind of aid, so I know what everything sounds like in their natural context. I know what these same sounds sound like with the hearing aids I've used over the years. Hearing aids aren't horrible, but they can produce a slightly artificial sound that sometimes seems "tinny" or artificial. For me anyway. My Esteem, while not perfect, is an improvement over aids for me. You and I cannot accurately compare what we hear; judging by your username, your hearing loss is probably considerably more severe than mine.

I agree that the implant is hit or miss; I think you sum it up nicely. It has been absolutely wonderful for some, mediocre for others, and still a nightmare for others. There's always gonna be hype. I can imagine the hype the CI first received, and we know by now that it is absolutely successful for many people. Time will tell. :)
 
Cyborg said:
If Mandy can talk on the phone with ease, that's as close as it gets to natural hearing.


The cochlear implant lets me hear 90 to 100 percent on the phone. So, the ci companies are wasting their time if they're still trying to make it work better. Just get it inside me so that it doesn't fall off when waves crash me!!! I surf and skimboard!

Thanks CI Companies!!
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I actually don't like talking on the phone with the Esteem, lol. I am so used to using my unimplanted ear on the phone, and without my hearing aid in. If I ever do get the Esteem in the other ear, I will be forced to learn to talk using the other ear. Confusing! :D

I do know what you mean about water-related activities. I do enjoy the fact that I can play in the water with full hearing. It's funny - the first time I got a shower after I was activated, I panicked and jumped out, thinking I had my hearing aid in. It took some time to get used to being able to hear well in the shower, lol.
 
naisho said:
MandyMarie, please feel free to re-type your post. It helps to write in a notepad document and copy and paste it later to here incase anything gets lost. After you reach somewhere around 10, or 20 posts, the block saying that it will be routed to approval shouldn't come up anymore. This is just a method to circumvent spammers, who post some unnecessary stuff on the forums.

@Cyborg - the post approving system is wacky. Moderators can't access it, it might come around at a later day.
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Thank you, Naisho; my post did show up later (it's the one where I thanked Kokomo for the welcome at the end of my post).
 
Mandy, how do we know you're not a paid spokesperson? I'm HIGHLY skeptical....VERY highly skeptical. They were making the exact same claims about digital aids...and every single time something new comes out, there's all this hype and excitement and spokespeople claiming that YES! FINALLY THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGY that will make a DIFFERENCE.
I remember you and a bunch of others hyping this up on the HLAA boards.....
Hearing companies don't give a FUCK about better or improved hearing....ALL they care about is money. They bring out some sort of dumbassed "improved feature" and jack up the price.
 
I really hate to say this, but this is going to crash and burn. Healthcare costs are SKY HIGH...do you honestly think that insurance companies are going to cover this? Heck, I bet if CI was introduced nowadays, they would not cover it, or rather cover it at very low levels. (meanign rehab etc would be on your shoulders) There are a couple of other implants like the Esteem, and they were introduced and just crashed and burned.
 
deafdyke said:
I really hate to say this, but this is going to crash and burn. Healthcare costs are SKY HIGH...do you honestly think that insurance companies are going to cover this? Heck, I bet if CI was introduced nowadays, they would not cover it, or rather cover it at very low levels. (meanign rehab etc would be on your shoulders) There are a couple of other implants like the Esteem, and they were introduced and just crashed and burned.
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I sure hope you are wrong
 
deafdyke said:
Mandy, how do we know you're not a paid spokesperson? I'm HIGHLY skeptical....VERY highly skeptical. They were making the exact same claims about digital aids...and every single time something new comes out, there's all this hype and excitement and spokespeople claiming that YES! FINALLY THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGY that will make a DIFFERENCE.
I remember you and a bunch of others hyping this up on the HLAA boards.....
Hearing companies don't give a FUCK about better or improved hearing....ALL they care about is money. They bring out some sort of dumbassed "improved feature" and jack up the price. I really hate to say this, but this is going to crash and burn. Healthcare costs are SKY HIGH...do you honestly think that insurance companies are going to cover this? Heck, I bet if CI was introduced nowadays, they would not cover it, or rather cover it at very low levels. (meanign rehab etc would be on your shoulders) There are a couple of other implants like the Esteem, and they were introduced and just crashed and burned.
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Really?? I am not a paid spokesperson. I have never received a dime from Envoy except food and gas reimbursements during the clinical trial, the same as all the other trial patients. If I was a spokesperson, I'd have that second implant that I so desperately want. Yes, you remember me "hyping" it on the HLAA boards, because guess what? I received the implant and I like it! You have every right to be skeptical, and it's your opinion. The fact is, while it may not work for some, it has been successful for hundreds of patients. Am I completely snowed over by Envoy and the Esteem? No. There was talk about a possible pediatric study in the future, and guess what? I have absolutely no interest in even considering signing my child up for it. 1) Implantable hearing aids have obviously had success, but the concept is very new, and there's improvements to be made yet, and 2) I want my child to make that decision for herself when she's old enough.

There are a few insurance companies that now cover the Esteem (make that 100%). One can only hope that more will follow suit. I may be proven wrong, but I doubt Envoy's Esteem will crash and burn. But if it does, we - the patients - are covered. Of course they are out to make serious money - they spent millions developing a product that many HoH people want.
 
I'm just pissed that the CI is not totally implantable, and that everything else is totally implantable including cell-phones/hearing aids/pacemakers/etc


When I FINALLY get the Totally Implantable CI, I'm going to get a Totally Implantable cell-phone too.:P


This is what I'm going to get in the future...

1) Totally Implantable CI

2) Totally Implantable cell-phone

3) Totally Implantable pacemaker

4) Totally Implantable jet pack

5) Totally Implantable robotic arm

6) Totally Implantable I-pod

7) Totally Implantable television

I am part-machine!

An employer asked if I had any questions. I answered, "whats it like to be 100 percent human?"
 
Cyborg said:
I'm just pissed that the CI is not totally implantable, and that everything else is totally implantable including cell-phones/hearing aids/pacemakers/etc


When I FINALLY get the Totally Implantable CI, I'm going to get a Totally Implantable cell-phone too.:P


This is what I'm going to get in the future...

1) Totally Implantable CI

2) Totally Implantable cell-phone

3) Totally Implantable pacemaker

4) Totally Implantable jet pack

5) Totally Implantable robotic arm

6) Totally Implantable I-pod

7) Totally Implantable television

I am part-machine!

An employer asked if I had any questions. I answered, "whats it like to be 100 percent human?"
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If they come out with an implant that syncs with an iPod, I'm in. Period. :laugh2:
 
Lol!


You're not a paid spokesperson, by the way. :wave:



CI companies, Hurry up!!!

In fact, I found an interesting article. The Cochlear had a meeting on May 3rd, 2012. They announced that the Totally Implantable CI is still running in three patients after six years. That means long battery life for the Totally Implantable CI. They're also working with Otologics for the Implantable microphone. I found a rare article that says the Otologic's Implantable microphone is at 100 percent right now.

The Totally Implantable CI is getting there, definitely. [In fact, I'm 100 percent confident that they could give me a perfect Totally Implantable CI Right Now. But they're super slow pokes. They take it nice and slow. They're relaxed. They're not in a hurry. It drives me crazy!]

And, I'm worried about the Totally Implantable Carina. Why is it not FDA approved by now? It's been in clinical trials for ever! They got to move it.

FASTER!!!
 
I am a part of this group and also a recipient! Awesome people who feel they want to be part of the hearing world.
 
Cyborg said:
Lol!


You're not a paid spokesperson, by the way. :wave:



CI companies, Hurry up!!!

In fact, I found an interesting article. The Cochlear had a meeting on May 3rd, 2012. They announced that the Totally Implantable CI is still running in three patients after six years. That means long battery life for the Totally Implantable CI. They're also working with Otologics for the Implantable microphone. I found a rare article that says the Otologic's Implantable microphone is at 100 percent right now.

The Totally Implantable CI is getting there, I think. [In fact, I'm 100 percent confident that they could give me a perfect Totally Implantable CI Right Now. But they're super slow pokes. They take it nice and slow. They're relaxed. They're not in a hurry. It drives me crazy!]

And, I'm worried about the Totally Implantable Carina. Why is it not FDA approved by now? It's been in clinical trials for ever! They got to move it.

FASTER!!!
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I think the Carina is approved in the UK. A friend of mine is in the process of having it done anyway. I know the implantable CI is a slow process, but better slow than push out a product that isn't ready. I was a little surprised to read on here that some CI users are having issues with their implants turning green. And weren't they titanium (the same as the Esteem)? How long have you had your CI? Do you like it other than being hampered during water-related activities?
 
Definitely not GREED! Mandy and I are totally happy with our Esteems and neither of us have received a dime from them. I second mortgage my house to pay for it and as soon as I can, I'm getting the second one! I didn't grow up as HOH or deaf, it happened in my teens, so I do not totally agree with some of the things that the deaf community has to say. When you know life one way and it's taken away, you're perspective is totally different. Why would you argue with that?
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

Cyborg - just stop.

Actually why don't you start a new thread for your fully-implantable CI rants.
 
Cyborg, you're getting way too excited, they take years with all the FDA approvals and testings and such before all the new stuff comes out.

It'll be faster if you donate your body to a robotics association or something. :cool:
 
MandyMarie said:
I think the Carina is approved in the UK. A friend of mine is in the process of having it done anyway. I know the implantable CI is a slow process, but better slow than push out a product that isn't ready. I was a little surprised to read on here that some CI users are having issues with their implants turning green. And weren't they titanium (the same as the Esteem)? How long have you had your CI? Do you like it other than being hampered during water-related activities?
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The Totally Implantable Carina is commercially approved in Europe- CE mark. I don't get it about the FDA. What is their problem?


I had the CI since age two. I grew up with the magnet on my head my entire life. Around high school/college... I got REALLY frustrated with everything. I'm a mechanic, and it hurts like hell wearing ear phone protection with the CI inside it.

A Totally Implantable CI would have fixed that.

Maybe in the near future.
 
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