Awesome CI Moments!

[sr171soars]

Deafmama,

Fantastic! Keep on trucking.

 

[Hear Again]

Keep up the great work, deafmama!

When you say you now have volume settings, I assume that you were using a sensitivity map previously -- or were your volume settings "locked?"

My audi locked my volume settings in the beginning so that I couldn't change them by accident. It wasn't until 2-3 months post activation (second CI) that she added the SmartSound features and allowed me to change them myself.

Speaking of the SmartSound features, have any of you had any luck using BEAM? From what I understand, the software for BEAM has been upgraded. When I tried BEAM, I didn't find much benefit, but am thinking about trying it again since the software upgrade wasn't available when BEAM was added to my processors.

 

[jhayden]

Cochlear is usually tight lip about minor changes to their programing. If they did made some improvements it will show up on their software revision used to program the CI. I can not verify this. What I have heard is that some people that do not like BEAM in the early stages of using the CI but later on when they try using BEAM again a few months later it works for them.

John

 

[Hear Again]

John,

I'm a member of Cochlear's listserv and it was a CI user's audi who indicated that software changes had been made to BEAM.

I'll have to contact my own audi to find out whether or not this is true.

 

[jag]

John,

I'm a member of Cochlear's listserv and it was a CI user's audi who indicated that software changes had been made to BEAM.

I'll have to contact my own audi to find out whether or not this is true.

A couple of my programs aren't yet available to those who didn't participate in the recent studies. The one I really like is one they don't recommend. I like to be different I guess.

 

[Hear Again]

A couple of my programs aren't yet available to those who didn't participate in the recent studies. The one I really like is one they don't recommend. I like to be different I guess.

I wonder what program it is that they don't recommend?

I'm also someone who likes to be different. I prefer using an open program (a program with no SmartSound features added to it) vs. ADRO because it sounds clearer and gives me better speech understanding. However, most CI users I know prefer ADRO.

I guess this just goes to show that what works well for one CI user may not necessarily work for another.

 

[john57]

I wonder what program it is that they don't recommend?

I'm also someone who likes to be different. I prefer using an open program (a program with no SmartSound features added to it) vs. ADRO because it sounds clearer and gives me better speech understanding. However, most CI users I know prefer ADRO.

I guess this just goes to show that what works well for one CI user may not necessarily work for another.

I thought that I was alone in not liking the ADRO because I could not get the detail and it sounds murky for me. I know that there are people that will say the opposite. I like the whisper because it is useful for me in the T-coil mode.

 

[jackiesolorzano]

By the way, CIs *are* great!!

Thank you all for your wonderdul CI moments, I had been posting on another thread and I felt so blashed that I was not going to go this site again but someone PM and told me how they loved hearing about my kids. Both of my kids have CI's. My son at the age of 3 and my daughter at age of 11. With my son his CI is all the he uses. He doesn't know how to read lips. The first was a struggle with him. Something click in his brain around the age of 5 and he hasn't stopped until. For the last 2 years he has been fully mainstreamed hald load honors classes without no direct support.
My daughter since receiving her implant is able to talk on the phone, her speech so much clearly, and now instead trying guess where sound comes from he turn right to sound.
Once she told mom, I think I heard the baby kitty crying. It was great because it was the first she heard a soft sound like
THANKS

 

[jackiesolorzano]

Shel - I have had worse pain from ear infections and toothaches than I experienced from my CI surgery. After the surgery and while healing I experienced a bit of discomfort and a bit of dizziness - that's it - NO PAIN. I know several others here who have reported the same experience - since there aren't any pain receptors on the skull, or inside the inner ear, the only real pain that one might experience is from the initial incision behind the ear.

Yeah I agree my son was 3 and about 4 hours after surgery he want to ride his tri but I was scared to let him so we brought tri in the house.
My daughter was 11, it was a little bit harder. She was not in pain but she did throw for 12 hours. Next day she was just fine.

 

[jackiesolorzano]

I understand your fears and concerns. It is a risk you have to weigh and decide if it is worth it to you. If not, don't sweat it and enjoy your life. They are not for everybody. If you do decide, do it on your terms period as you are the one that has to live with it. Do factor in certain issues that have impact on your decision like your family and so on.

I can remember my wife telling me that I have to do this...it would be the best thing I have ever done. I just looked at her and said "I'm the one who has to go through it not you!". All in all, she was correct but I had to think over it.

You are so right it your decision and it is not for everybody. And if you are happy the way you are don't go it. You have to want this and work for it if not it is of no use.

 

[jackiesolorzano]

deafmama,

Sure...feel free to send me a PM anytime!

Watching TV is a wonderful means of listening practice. Another good way to practice is by listening to talk radio. When my first CI was activated, I always kept a radio or TV playing in the background. One evening while listening to a talk radio program I was delighted to find out that I could understand 50% of what a caller said and I could also identify the topic being discussed. It was completely unexpected which made it all the more exciting!

There have been times where being blind has made learning how to hear with my (first) CI a challenge -- such as when unfamiliar voices were indistinguishable. During this time I told people about my CI and asked them to speak slower. Most of the time this allowed me to understand, but every now and then there were certain voices (of a particular pitch range) that I couldn't understand no matter how many times a person slowed down or repeated themselves.

After I became bilateral, I also had trouble with hearing from a distance. My CI audi said this was due to the fact that I wasn't used to having the same amount of hearing in both ears even though I wore bilateral HAs for over 20 years. (My left ear has always been worse than my right.) It wasn't until 6 months post activation of my second CI that my brain finally began accept binaural sound.

I should add that when my first CI was activated, I wrote a journal about my listening experiences from day to day and deliberately created environmental sounds (such as opening and closing a door) just so I could make a note of how they sounded.

Since I couldn't have someone with me 24/7, there were times where I couldn't identify environmental sounds. This was especially problematic for me when I traveled outdoors. I also became overwhelmed at times by the degree of environmental sounds that I could hear because sometimes it just seemed like too much. However, every time I felt this way, I reminded myself of how lucky I was to be able to hear again.

I know of young man, he is probable 18 years old right now. He was implant when he was 5, which was late but mom really wanted the implant because he was beginning to lose his sight. We were very close for about 5 years then we lost track of each other. When he was 10 we saw each other again the CI audio. office. He had lost most of sight, he could only see shadows. I began to talk to him and he recognize my voice and about so many things we did together when he was preschooler with my children.
I had tears in my eyes because for him being able to use his implant was amazing.

 

[jackiesolorzano]

SO COOL. While I did at one time orde through the speakers, for the 10-15 yrs pre CI I usually chose not to, and the last 5 I wouldn't order through the speakers unless my oldest girls were with me to do the hearing. Now I go through with no problems. So cool.

One of the things that really amazes me is hearing the sirens from the firetrucks/police cars from 10 stories up. Oh and yesterday after noon a light rain started when I was taking my daily walk, took me awhile to figure out that all the noise was the rain hitting the corn. Never knew it was that noisy.

That happen to my daughter she never heard light rain with HA then about 6 months after turning on her CI, there was a light rain, she said I think my CI is broken, I said why well because hear this this sound and it comes and goes. Then I looked out the window, it raining, Oh mom I never heard that before.

 

[Hear Again]

Thank you all for your wonderdul CI moments, I had been posting on another thread and I felt so blashed that I was not going to go this site again but someone PM and told me how they loved hearing about my kids. Both of my kids have CI's. My son at the age of 3 and my daughter at age of 11. With my son his CI is all the he uses. He doesn't know how to read lips. The first was a struggle with him. Something click in his brain around the age of 5 and he hasn't stopped until. For the last 2 years he has been fully mainstreamed hald load honors classes without no direct support.
My daughter since receiving her implant is able to talk on the phone, her speech so much clearly, and now instead trying guess where sound comes from he turn right to sound.
Once she told mom, I think I heard the baby kitty crying. It was great because it was the first she heard a soft sound like
THANKS

Jackie,

Wow, it sounds (no pun intended) like your son is doing quite well with his CI! That's wonderful!

I hope you'll continue to share the CI moments of your son and daughter. CI moments happen to be the posts I enjoy reading the most on AD.

 

[Hear Again]

I know of young man, he is probable 18 years old right now. He was implant when he was 5, which was late but mom really wanted the implant because he was beginning to lose his sight. We were very close for about 5 years then we lost track of each other. When he was 10 we saw each other again the CI audio. office. He had lost most of sight, he could only see shadows. I began to talk to him and he recognize my voice and about so many things we did together when he was preschooler with my children.
I had tears in my eyes because for him being able to use his implant was amazing.

Jackie,

Awww, how sweet! If I would have met this person, I probably would have cried too. I'm glad he's doing well with his CI! Speaking of which, does he have any problem with sound localization? Also, do you know if he has any desire for a second CI?

 

[Hear Again]

I thought that I was alone in not liking the ADRO because I could not get the detail and it sounds murky for me. I know that there are people that will say the opposite. I like the whisper because it is useful for me in the T-coil mode.

No, you're not alone, but I think you and I are in the minority.

ADRO sounds "muddy" to me.

In comparison, my open program (I have two of them with one being slightly louder than the other) sounds much clearer.

I tried using ADRO for a week (i.e. watching TV, listening to the radio), but discovered that I don't understand as much speech with ADRO as I do with my open program -- even if I increase sensitivity.

By the way, I also like using Whisper -- especially for TV and radio listening.

 

[jackiesolorzano]

I was remembering another CI moment. My son was around eight years it was summer being a teacher I was off that summer. I was catching up my soap operas. My son came to tell me that I was sad. I said no honey I am not sad. He said yes mom you are sad. I said no really I am not sad. He said you have. Then I thought he was using correct English then he changed it. I said what. He said Yeah mom you have SAD, I said what again. Soap Additive Disorder. I was laughing and actually had tears in my eyes. Because I was was always told that deaf children wouldn't be able to use that type of abtract language. He was able to do this without a model and at age of 8. I use story over and over again because he just amazes sometimes with what he tells me.

 

[jackiesolorzano]

Jackie,

Awww, how sweet! If I would have met this person, I probably would have cried too. I'm glad he's doing well with his CI! Speaking of which, does he have any problem with sound localization? Also, do you know if he has any desire for a second CI?

He does a little but he has adapt to it. I don't think they are thinking about a 2nd implant because it would be hard to get approve becuz he is a CCS/Medical kid. It was very hard to get the first one approved.

 

[neecy]

That's interesting, because I use ADRO and love it, and also have it set to work with T-coil.

I thought that I was alone in not liking the ADRO because I could not get the detail and it sounds murky for me. I know that there are people that will say the opposite. I like the whisper because it is useful for me in the T-coil mode.

 

[jag]

My daughter since receiving her implant is able to talk on the phone, her speech so much clearly, and now instead trying guess where sound comes from he turn right to sound.
Once she told mom, I think I heard the baby kitty crying. It was great because it was the first she heard a soft sound like
THANKS

Are you kids bi lateral? I ask cause I only have one and have a hard time figuring out exactly which of the 4 elevators is the one that just dinged. I tend to turn in circles.

 

[Calphool]

Congratations and I know those CI moments must mean a lot to you!

Here's my most recent CI moment, I ordered food from a drive in and I was nervous as the speaker was impossible for me to understand with my HA. I'm suprised at how much easier it it is to understand them now with the CI. I've never ordered food via the speaker before and I'm 40 years old! I've always used the p&p methold in the past.

Hehe... hearing people with perfect hearing sometimes struggle to hear those stupid speaker things... Don't get frustrated if you find one that's hard to understand!