CI question.

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OldNavyGirl

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Whats the difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants ?

For the people who's profound deaf and has Cochlear implants.

are you able to pick up words like how are you? I love you? I know the sounds most of you can pick up like door knocking, phone ringing, etc..

I'm speaking of words

I don't know if it would be the same as hearing aids if u didn't have cochlear implants before. the reason is because I wore hearing aids almost all my life and I still can't pick up words -- had speech therapists all my life. I only can pick up sounds but not the words.... I'm curious about the cochlear implants people -- are you able to pick up words?
 
It's not a matter of how well you hear, it's a matter of how well you understand. What most people do is get CIs and expect to understand everything like a hearing person. That's not true. They can hear things very well, but they will have to spend a lot of time adjusting to and understanding what they're hearing.

Don't get CIs unless you're ready to spend years learning all over again to understand what you're hearing.
 
VamPyroX said:
It's not a matter of how well you hear, it's a matter of how well you understand. What most people do is get CIs and expect to understand everything like a hearing person. That's not true. They can hear things very well, but they will have to spend a lot of time adjusting to and understanding what they're hearing.

Don't get CIs unless you're ready to spend years learning all over again to understand what you're hearing.
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One thing you should know is that CIs confer a HUGE advantage over HAs for profoundly deaf people.

If you already have HAs and you qualify for a CI, you also have an advantage. You can use everything you know about sound with your HA with your CI, plus you learn a whole world of extra sound information.

You're right in that it's a learning process. It's just like learning a new language or taking a class in Psychology. Takes a while, though. The steepest learning curve is usually within the first six months to a year.
 
From what I undy the speech perception curve with CIs varies from someone understanding 10% of speech to folks who are functionally hoh and all and every listening sitution in between. Speech perception with CIs VARIES, just as with hearing aids. Some folks with hearing aids can only hear 10%, and some folks are functionally hoh.
 
deafdyke said:
From what I undy the speech perception curve with CIs varies from someone understanding 10% of speech to folks who are functionally hoh and all and every listening sitution in between. Speech perception with CIs VARIES, just as with hearing aids. Some folks with hearing aids can only hear 10%, and some folks are functionally hoh.
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You're absolutely right. There's a very wide range of successes. There are quite a few factors that lead to these conclusions and it's hard for audiologists to account for them all. If Bob's been deaf for fifty years in his life, he's probably not going to get speech through his implant, no matter how much overtime his therapist puts in.

That's why it's important to have the implanted deaf child recognize some part of his "Deaf" identity. In the end, the child gets both, and that helps immensely. Both in interaction with the hearing world and with personal identity.
 
OldNavyGirl said:
Whats the difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants ?
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The main difference between a HA and CI is in how it provides "hearing" for people. A HA simply ampilifies (or boosts) the sound to a level in which one can hear. The natural hearing system is still used and it is relatively straight forward. A CI on the other hand, bypasses the normal hearing system by directly stimulating the cochlea via neural impulses. In other words, a CI doesn't transmits sounds but the impulses that are translated by the brain as sounds. There are advantages to both but if you are below the threshold of what a HA could provide, then the CI is your only route to obtain hearing. If you are above the threshold, then generally HAs are the better route. A HA uses the full hearing abilities of a person while a CI stimulates pretty well but falls short of true normal hearing but provides excellent sound quality in it's limited range (but it isn't bad as I can personally attest :D ) It really depends on the nature of one's hearing loss when getting down to the nitty gritty.

As the others have already mentioned, the results of having a CI varies depending on various factors. Generally speaking (nothing is cast in stone), people who have some hearing and developed some speech are the best candidates for a CI with the results clearly more positive the better one's hearing and speech has been. Of course, for those born deaf, the very young do pretty well also as a CI allows their language development to proceed in a similar way as normal hearing folks. This doesn't mean one who had less to work with doesn't have a chance especially if they get a CI later in life. It is just harder for that person to achieve similar results and sometimes it just work as well. Often these people can hear sounds like door bells, phones ringing, dogs barking and all that jazz. It is the speech perception that gets them. They typically struggle with that and sometimes never get it. That is mainly to the problem of attempting to get the brain to compensate for language development that should have happened early in life that didn't (for whatever reason).

I had a severe hearing loss all of my life using HAs and then I was going profoundly deaf which necessitated my transition to a CI. For me, it was the best thing I have done and it has given my life back in the hearing world. I will not claim to be just like the normal hearing folks because a CI while it does a fantastic job, there are some things I can't quite do like them (mostly in the extreme ranges of sound). But for all that, they don't see me any different than them in general and that is good enough for me.
 
OldNavyGirl said:
Whats the difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants ?

For the people who's profound deaf and has Cochlear implants.

are you able to pick up words like how are you? I love you? I know the sounds most of you can pick up like door knocking, phone ringing, etc..

I'm speaking of words

I don't know if it would be the same as hearing aids if u didn't have cochlear implants before. the reason is because I wore hearing aids almost all my life and I still can't pick up words -- had speech therapists all my life. I only can pick up sounds but not the words.... I'm curious about the cochlear implants people -- are you able to pick up words?
Click to expand...

i can hear very well with my cochlear implant i have good speech too i can do anything anyone else can do i do tend to have problems such as if im iin a place thats very noisy can be hard to hear clearly but lipread instead and as for the phone if its echoey that can make it hard too if its clear then im mighty fine! people talking is very clear for me but it can also be hard to cope in a group situation sometimes due to so many ppl talking at once u cant follow all of them!
 
My loss is about 86 DBL in left ear and 95 DBL in right ear !! I wear an analog hearing aid but I cannot understand words clearly.. I just get a little distorted speech sounds.. I can be said well when I listen non speech sounds.. Can I be a good candidate for CI ? ... Can CIs help me with understand speech more clearly than HAs ?
 
ecevit said:
My loss is about 86 DBL in left ear and 95 DBL in right ear !! I wear an analog hearing aid but I cannot understand words clearly.. I just get a little distorted speech sounds.. I can be said well when I listen non speech sounds.. Can I be a good candidate for CI ? ... Can CIs help me with understand speech more clearly than HAs ?
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Answering your questions...

1) Yes, you can be a good candidate but you really need to visit a cochlear implant center. They will assess you and put you through hearing and verbal tests. Also, they will go over your history and all that jazz as well. All of this helps them determine your suitability.

2) That depends on several factors (assuming you are a candidate). If you have been able to do that in the past but now you can't because your hearing has decreased, I say sure thing. Anything else depends on the nature of your hearing loss, how long, and other stuff. Again, the implant center can give your prognosis in that department.

Remember, while I was very successful with mine (the day I was hooked up), that doesn't mean everybody else will be also. With hearing and understanding speech, many people are successful over a short amount of time, some struggle for years and others never get that part down. Usually, everybody gets many of the normal environmental noises (i.e, doorbells, cars, animals and etc.). There are some people it just doesn't work for whatever reason. The key word I stress is patience.
 
In my opinion, people with severe hearing loss can get CI when hearing aids don't function well on those indiviuals. People with profound hearing loss can wear hearing aids since they may work fine. The CI users can hearing things better than hearing aid users in general.
 
ecvit, Before opting for an implant, experiment and see if you get better results from different hearing aids. Like some people do really well with body worn aids or those high frequncy transponder things. Nothing wrong with getting an implant, but it SHOULD be the absolute last resort, when all else has failed.
 
OldNavyGirl said:
Whats the difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants ?

For the people who's profound deaf and has Cochlear implants.

are you able to pick up words like how are you? I love you? I know the sounds most of you can pick up like door knocking, phone ringing, etc..

I'm speaking of words

I don't know if it would be the same as hearing aids if u didn't have cochlear implants before. the reason is because I wore hearing aids almost all my life and I still can't pick up words -- had speech therapists all my life. I only can pick up sounds but not the words.... I'm curious about the cochlear implants people -- are you able to pick up words?
Click to expand...


OldNavyGirl -

I am one of these profoundly deaf people with a CI.

With hearing aids, I heard environment sounds but never words. I used aids to assist me with lipreading but it wasnt like I could make out a word if a person is talking behind me or have her face turned away.

With a CI, I can hear AND make out words now. It took me a while but I find myself hearing AND making out words more and more every day. This coming June, it will be my 2 year anniversary with my CI and I can honestly tell you that I really have picked up so much with making out words. Last night someone was talking - I wasnt looking at that person's lips but I was able to decipher what she was talking about. To me, that is a miracle! :)
 
Thanks sr171soars and deafdyke :ty:

I'll try digital aids.. If they don't help me much then CI will be a new starting point for me..

If you don't mind , I have another question about CI..
If one get a CI then he/she wants to get back to his/her old status by removing CI.. Is it possible ?
Is it possible to get CI without damaging residual hearing ?
Thanks for answers in advance :)
 
I'll try digital aids.. If they don't help me much then CI will be a new starting point for me..
Click to expand...
And ask your audi about body worn aids and the high frequncy transponders. They have made great gains in miniturization, but, size still pretty much equates with power and you may find that true for you. I remember I switched from BTEs to ITEs as a teen, and thought I could hear. Then an audi at Mass Eye and Ear had me try on a BTE...... the difference is phenonomal!
 
ecevit said:
Thanks sr171soars and deafdyke :ty:

I'll try digital aids.. If they don't help me much then CI will be a new starting point for me..

If you don't mind , I have another question about CI..
If one get a CI then he/she wants to get back to his/her old status by removing CI.. Is it possible ?
Is it possible to get CI without damaging residual hearing ?
Thanks for answers in advance :)
Click to expand...

Glad your asking good questions...

Nope, once you do the CI route, all residual hearing is gone. This is the nature of the implant and how it lays in the cochlea. It sort of "mows" down the cochlea hairs as it is inserted into it. This is necessary so that the implant "tube/wire" needs to be contacting the cochlea nerve for electrical conduction and transmission. I was told that there is really no turning back. Personally, I had to think about that but I thought what the heck I was going deaf anyway.

Deafdyke is right by stating to check all your options before going the CI route. Take your time...cochlea implant technology isn't going away and its getting better and better all the time.

I do want to say that I still had decent hearing where I could hear words still unlike you. But my problem was that my hearing was getting worst slowly and surely and it effected my family life and work to the point I had to do something (I don't sign either so...it was worst for me than others who could sign). As I said before, it has been well worth it to me. I actually hear so much better that I don't know if I ever heard this well before.
 
ecevit said:
Thanks sr171soars and deafdyke :ty:

I'll try digital aids.. If they don't help me much then CI will be a new starting point for me..

If you don't mind , I have another question about CI..
If one get a CI then he/she wants to get back to his/her old status by removing CI.. Is it possible ?
Is it possible to get CI without damaging residual hearing ?
Thanks for answers in advance :)
Click to expand...

You have a good point. Hearing aids are getting better as digital technology is presented. Overall, Digital Hearing aids is getting smaller and smarter within every 2 years. Don't buy analog hearing aids, they are old models.

You can change your mind at this moment without getting a risk but costs may be issue.
 
OldNavyGirl said:
Whats the difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants ?

For the people who's profound deaf and has Cochlear implants.

are you able to pick up words like how are you? I love you? I know the sounds most of you can pick up like door knocking, phone ringing, etc..

I'm speaking of words

I don't know if it would be the same as hearing aids if u didn't have cochlear implants before. the reason is because I wore hearing aids almost all my life and I still can't pick up words -- had speech therapists all my life. I only can pick up sounds but not the words.... I'm curious about the cochlear implants people -- are you able to pick up words?
Click to expand...

good question!
I wear hearing aids. going to get a ci soon... need more hearing testing done.. have you gotten yours done yet? pm me if you want :angel:
 
sr171soars said:
Glad your asking good questions...

Nope, once you do the CI route, all residual hearing is gone. This is the nature of the implant and how it lays in the cochlea. It sort of "mows" down the cochlea hairs as it is inserted into it. This is necessary so that the implant "tube/wire" needs to be contacting the cochlea nerve for electrical conduction and transmission. I was told that there is really no turning back. Personally, I had to think about that but I thought what the heck I was going deaf anyway.
Click to expand...

actually, it does not "mows" down the cochlea hairs. the area where organ of corti (hair cells) are are not affected. The only reason that residual hearing dissipate is that once the cochlea is opened with creation of a tiny hole for electrode insertion.
http://www.bcm.edu/oto/jsolab/cochlear_implants/Cochlear-implant-electrode.gif
in this picture, you see outside of cochlea, one has to make a hole next to "round window" for insertion of electrode. that's the moment the residual hearing get wiped out since cochlea was a sealed organ due to fluid occupying three spaces.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/cochlea.html

in this picture: http://www.iurc.montp.inserm.fr/cric/audition/english/cochlea/cochlea.htm
electrode is inserted into "scala tympani" (see the cross section) and the organ of corti is in the area colored purple are not affected by the electrode. the reason for that is closeness to spiral ganglion(4) in center of cochlea so that electrode can send signal to auditory nerves(5).

again "tube/wire" is actually "electrode" I prefer to use correct terminology than made up one :D
 
Since I was hearing still pretty well at a crucial age when language and speech is developing, my severe to profound hearing loss enables me to recognize words.
I can talk over the phone but here's the catch- not in English (I'm Polish).

I learned English when I was over 25, and me is the proof that past certain age the brain is not adjusting so well anymore.

W/o HAs, I start hearing at 70db and down. But if someone speaks close to my ear, normal way, I understand very well.

It's all in the brain.

But I believe with extensive training and hard work anyone can learn how to hear to a satisfactory degree..

Fuzzy
 
Boult said:
actually, it does not "mows" down the cochlea hairs. the area where organ of corti (hair cells) are are not affected. The only reason that residual hearing dissipate is that once the cochlea is opened with creation of a tiny hole for electrode insertion.
http://www.bcm.edu/oto/jsolab/cochlear_implants/Cochlear-implant-electrode.gif
in this picture, you see outside of cochlea, one has to make a hole next to "round window" for insertion of electrode. that's the moment the residual hearing get wiped out since cochlea was a sealed organ due to fluid occupying three spaces.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/cochlea.html

in this picture: http://www.iurc.montp.inserm.fr/cric/audition/english/cochlea/cochlea.htm
electrode is inserted into "scala tympani" (see the cross section) and the organ of corti is in the area colored purple are not affected by the electrode. the reason for that is closeness to spiral ganglion(4) in center of cochlea so that electrode can send signal to auditory nerves(5).

again "tube/wire" is actually "electrode" I prefer to use correct terminology than made up one :D
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the info...learn something new everyday. Got to read up more on this to keep my facts straight... ;)

Yea, I knew it was electrode but couldn't think what it was...at the time.
 
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