I read articles about tinnitus and CI and am confused because some say CI help tinnitus and others say tinnitus worse with CI. Now I have tinnitus all the time and am going crazy. I don't know about CI and tinnitus - if tinnitus is worse with CI
Also did your tinnitus end, with CI or not? I don't want tinnitus to continue forever and think it must end soon or I am
Hello Kaitin,
Yes, I had tinnitus for like as far I remember when I was 12. It got worse when I got older. I had to do something with it. I researched, I went many drs, and finally I asked them to check my cochlear because they couldn't find what is wrong with me. So, I asked them about CI, They said well, if you are technically already deaf. I would consider do it. So, when that moment came, I talked to CI companies, some companies like Cochlear, they rejected me because I am still technically hearing based on the audiology chart showed different depending on the days, if other day, it has tinnitus active that cause my hearing up and down. So, I went to AB and they told me that I have to take the risk. I said oh yeah, I would take the risk because I cannot stand this tinnitus at all. So, I told them why not just put implant because I know what deaf feel like. My right ear is deaf and my left ear is the weird one. I told them to put on my left one because it is the worse one. They said put in the good ear, I said no, I want to see to see on the worse one and see if it works. They said okay, my body, my money.
After surgery, 4 weeks of healing, I do not even hear any tinnitus even implant inside. I was like biggest relief I ever had! I was like no more dizzy, no more ringing, no more headaches, etc. I was like making the right choice. I would consider call this medical condition because it works for me. It solved the problem pretty well. Then, AB is very curious about my hearing level how I can hear. They begged me to come and do with processor. I was like, allright, I was completely deaf and growing up with hearing aids when it s not really work 100 percent. So, after that moment with this testing. I hear completely clear and crispy at first. I was like, am I dreaming or what? I couldn't believe that, AB couldn't believe that either because of my strangest audiology charts. They thinks something strange about my cochlear. So, then after that they asked me how much different with my speech and my hearing. I said well, I grew up speech therapy with hearing aids. I understand how speech system works in my brain and it just automatically pick those up fast. I didn't expected. However, I kept CI and processor since I was 26, and Now I am 30. I love it, because I can be able to hear music and everything. Sometime, I took it off to be have a quiet time. It is nice to have it.
I would not recommend to hearing people with tinnitus, they would have to deal with other method solution for it because it can damage your fresh hearing and it will not come back.
This is good for deaf people that can be more beneficially for CI at any age if they have tinnitus only and don't wearing hearing aids or wore hearing aids at all. I would suggest to them. But remember, for hearing people, this is very risky and it can be sounds different than what you would hear, depends on your right or left. I would wait and get it worse, even though both sides. I know it is very dangerous to do it but that is what I did with this risky but I know I had deaf ear on right, and left is technically deaf and whatever they called in the first place, "hearing" but I took the risk and it works for me. I don't know if it will works for you or everybody because everyone is different with their tinnitus but this is RISKY job!
