CI's.....are they that much better??

LadySekhmet said:
Why do you "think it's better to have no CI at all"?

Then you said in your next post:

"Yes, CI is better than hearing aids". It sounds to me that you're mocking the OP.

?????
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No if you read careful and I say I "think". And she was looking for a answer so my answer is CI is better than HA. ;) I think I make myself clearly
 
Someone may tell you to try the more powerful hearing aids. That's why you should go see your audiologist or CI audiologist to see if NONE of the hearing aids is helpful.
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Lady Sekement.......great posts everyone!
Sometimes a digital hearing aid can be just as good as a CI. I'm not an audi.....nor an implantee...but there's the fact that everyone responds differently to aiding.
The CI may be the right choice for you......but opt for it AFTER trying other options.
 
I can't tell you what I know, but I can tell you what I think. I am at 100db with no speech comprehension in one ear and 90db with around 50% comprehension in the other ear. I call it living in Charlie Brown's classroom. So for me, I would say yes. My ha, worn only in the "better" ear only amplifies sound. But, I am going to get a CI soon, just one CI audiologist visit away from surgery,as I truly believe that what I hear, in any form given with time and training, HAS to be better then what I hear or don't now.:thumb:
 
deafdyke said:
Lady Sekement.......great posts everyone!
Sometimes a digital hearing aid can be just as good as a CI. I'm not an audi.....nor an implantee...but there's the fact that everyone responds differently to aiding.
The CI may be the right choice for you......but opt for it AFTER trying other options.
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I am sorry but if you truely understand how a hearing aid work and how a CI works then you would know there will never be a hearing aid even a digital one that will get close to or match the level of a CI. Not even in a hunderd year. So there is no way a hearing aid can get good as a CI in any levels.

BUT .. I do agree with you that everyone should try non-surgey options like a better hearing aids or a more powerful hearing aid before considering a CI.

I am just sorry I had to point that out.

I am not trying to step on you or anything but being a long time hearing aid user and after months of serious researching before getting CI implanted and then implanted that my experience and what I learned had to point this out.


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I am sorry but if you truely understand how a hearing aid work and how a CI works then you would know there will never be a hearing aid even a digital one that will get close to or match the level of a CI. Not even in a hunderd year. So there is no way a hearing aid can get good as a CI in any levels.
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TechBill, yes for the totally straight off the bat canidates.......but for the borderline or very ambigious canidates?
I understand that hearing aids and CIs work in different ways......but that's not a reason why a CI is better then a HA. Matter of fact researchers still don't know why one person responds well to aiding and another doesn't even when they have the same audiogram.
 
deafdyke said:
TechBill, yes for the totally straight off the bat canidates.......but for the borderline or very ambigious canidates?
I understand that hearing aids and CIs work in different ways......but that's not a reason why a CI is better then a HA. Matter of fact researchers still don't know why one person responds well to aiding and another doesn't even when they have the same audiogram.
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What would be considered borderline or ambiguous? Most of the time during the testings, especially the HINT scores and sentences, as well as the tone test would determine who can get CI or not.

If a person has a mild to moderate hearing loss, that's a totally different story. But if a person has severe to profound hearing loss, then they can do whatever they want. It's their ears.
 
TechBill said:
I am sorry but if you truely understand how a hearing aid work and how a CI works then you would know there will never be a hearing aid even a digital one that will get close to or match the level of a CI. Not even in a hunderd year. So there is no way a hearing aid can get good as a CI in any levels.

BUT .. I do agree with you that everyone should try non-surgey options like a better hearing aids or a more powerful hearing aid before considering a CI.
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Thanks Bill. This is so true, about the first sentence.

Hell, I never even tried other "options" before getting a CI. Why go through months of trials and tribulations to see if HA would even help? My hearing loss has gotten worse, there's nothing anyone can do about it, and nothing that a HA can help. HA amplifies sound. It doesn't do anything else. There has been some times where I did wanted to try, but I knew that I don't have the ability to hear any of the higher frequencies in the first place, so why would a hearing aid, that relies on residual hearing, help? CI gives me everything that the HA would never ever achieve.
 
Yes its much better I noticed the improvement in clarity of the sound the first day of the activation. (Remember I used to be hard of hearing with 50 db in better ear so I had better idea of what things sound like until it took a dive than one that born severe/profoundly deaf)

AlleyCat- my audiogram right now is very interesting it said I can hear tone beep at 30 db across board BUT I can hear speech at 15 db. :dunno:
Oh and my loss in left ear (implanted side) was 105-115-ish so you can go up that high if you can tolerate it but it may take some time like some people start at 70 db at activation or 60-50 40 whatever until some months later it will climb up higher and higher up and also you will need to learn to listen to soft sound/beep to hear more to get higher in the audiogram I didn't know how to really listen for soft sound until they do the softest sound I can hear for mapping its hard to tell the difference between tinnitus and soft beep for a good while lol
My audiologist tend to makes me look away from computer and test me by staying on same electrode to double or triple check that I really did hear the soft beep or it was just tinnitus playing game, oh she does it randomly not all electrodes.
 
This is great stuff.....

my hearing loss is about 50/60db in both ears.....so my didgital aids give it a reasonable kick....but its nice to have a conversation with people who understand that just cos you make the sound louder, it doesn't make it easier to hear!

.....and so what if you can hear a 30db beep in an audiogram....I want to hear someone talk!!.......and tinnitus in an audiogram test.....:lol: now thats a concept I am familiar with.....I presssed my buzzer 12 times once without the audio actually making any sound!!!!:lol::shock: They said they thought that was a record!

I find I can hear sound, but the detail of conversation is difficult. You will be familiar with the concept of being able to talk to someone with little difficulty and then all of a sudden, they say a sentence in Swahili!!!! I heard it, clearly, but it was just goobledygook....

I watch TV with subtitles.......but I think thay is making me lazy at hearing.....I can sit and read without concentrating or actually trying to listen....but I think that that then doesn't help me when I do have to work hard at listening.

I really appreciate your comments....if anyone has any more thoughts, advice etc... it will be great to hear them...

the detail that is coming back is great.....if a CI would bring the hearing back to a 20db level ....or around there.....AND improve the clarity of understanding, then I have to consider this.....

....but things are never as clear cut as that....so gaining knowledge from other peoples experience is great.
 
What would be considered borderline or ambiguous? Most of the time during the testings, especially the HINT scores and sentences, as well as the tone test would determine who can get CI or not.

If a person has a mild to moderate hearing loss, that's a totally different story. But if a person has severe to profound hearing loss, then they can do whatever they want.
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Relatively high word discrimination. Again.....I have NO beef whatsoever with people who have really poor speech discrimination WITH hearing aids getting CI. I do get what you're saying.......A CI vs. HA can be like the diffy between an ITE and an BTE.
However, there are still plenty of severe and profounders who can hear at hoh levels with hearing aids.
To the OP.........do you have ITEs or BTEs? Believe it or not, the diffy between ITEs and BTEs can be amazing! That might be a good option
You might also be able to qualify for the CI, based on the fact that you have severe tintutas. Also if your word test discrimination is low, you might also be able to opt for them.
 
deafdyke said:
A CI vs. HA can be like the diffy between an ITE and an BTE.
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Again sorry I have to disagree with that statement. But everyone got thier own options and you are entitle to your own.

But to me ....

Comparing ITE to a BTE is like comparing green apple to a red apple. Both look different but both tastes about the same and one may be slightly sweeter than other.

Comparing any hearing aids to a CI is like comparing apple to orange. Both look and tastes completely different and Orange is an acidic sweet so the taste is more rich and strong in flavor than apple.

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Chalgravesteve said:
Hi All....

Now I know that I need proper expert advice on this subject, but I also know that there is no better way of getting information than from the horses mouth.....

I have 2 x HA phonak Micropower V's

I have been "hard of hearing" since birth, but it is steadily getting worse....

I am told that my hearing loss is caused by nerve damage...but actually, this forum has made me think I don't actually know enough about why my hearing doesn't work as well as everyone elses....is it the hairs in the inner ear that dont send the signals to the hearing nerve...or is the actual nerve damaged??I don't actually know so I need to find out!!! Sad that its taken me 46 years to realise this!!

So I was browsing hearing stuff yesterday and was looking at Cochlear implants.... now the concept of not using a HA to blast greater sound through a damaged ear so that some of it makes it through against bypassing the damaged bit and sending sounds to the bits that do work properly is something that makes logical sense.... so now I am intrigued and am keen to get some feedback (no pun intended!!) (oh what the hell...go on...laugh :lol:...it wasn't bad actually!!) on whether CI's for a hard of hearing person is a good or bad thing.

I am fortunate....despite my hearing loss, I have been through schools with no problem, had a decent eductaion, had decent jobs, got my own business, etc etc. I can have proper conversations with mates in groups as well as one to ones, but I do rely on lipreading a lot.....but I get by pretty well.....so a surgical implant is quite a major step (yes I know that I need to investigate more and not just leap into this!) and like most people I am worried that I might go through all this and not be any better, or might even be worse off...

I have read through a couple of the blogs....silent sail...awesome!!!

so any thoughts, comments, would be appreciated.

Ta

Steve
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It's a good thing for you to research this before moving forward. All I would say is to keep in mind that no matter what others experiences are, there are no guarantees. All the best!
 
TechBill,
no it's the same thing. Many hoh folks can hear with ITE, but they can hear MORE with BTEs. Same with BTEs vs CI for people who have some word perception with HA......but they could hear MORE with CI.
I agree that the apple vs. orange anology is true for people who don't benifit at all or who only can hear enviormental sounds or very limited sounds from HA.
 
deafdyke said:
TechBill,
no it's the same thing. Many hoh folks can hear with ITE, but they can hear MORE with BTEs. Same with BTEs vs CI for people who have some word perception with HA......but they could hear MORE with CI.
I agree that the apple vs. orange anology is true for people who don't benifit at all or who only can hear enviormental sounds or very limited sounds from HA.
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It not just about hearing MORE with CIs. It about hearing the details of sound with CI.

Here one strong example I can give you from my experience between a BTE and a CI.

I was born deaf so I worn hearing aids all my life up until 5 years ago when I was finally implanted with a CI.

With a hearing aid I can hear my truck idling and it not loud or it not soft but with a CI I still hear my truck idling "the same sound level as a hearing aid" BUT I heard a low rumbling ticking sound within the idle which I never heard with my hearing aid.

So therefore I am hearing both same level sound with BTE and CI "a normal truck idle noise level" but with CI I heard more details of sounds within that normal truck idle noise which I never noticed with my hearing aid before.

Then I ask my hearing brother what is that low rumbling ticking sound and he said it always been that way and it the camshaft and valve making that sound.

So again there is really no similar comparsion between a hearing aid or CI. The sound level on both Hearing aids and CI are the same. It will not be loud (unless you turn up the volume ) or it will not be soft (unless you turn down the volume) but the details and quailty of the sound your brain is recieving from the devices that make a huge different between them.

I know a hearing aids will never match the quailty of a CI because your hair cells had been damaged so a hearing aids cannot bypass those damaged hair cells and a CI implant can simulate the hair cells functions in cochlear which is not even 100% but it really good at simulating it fooling your nerves.



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HA and CI are very diiferent. HA are ampified, CI give much more clarity and sends sound signals directly to the brain via the cochlea. HA ends up at the drum and gives out vibration (thats what i am hearing) and my brains tells me that's the sound (very muffled) but what is it?? with CI I can tell the difference in some of sounds (i am only one month post act) because CI gave me high freqency to enable me to tell the differences. As I am only 1 month post activication, i am doing alot better than i/audi thought. Akthough, I am still in the high pitch zone I still wear my HA in my other ear to help with low freq. With HA alone my audiogram tells 70db sloping down to nothing from 500hz and with CI it levels out 70db across the audiogram, the levels will go up. Soon i will have the lows moved up to comfort threshold.
 
I haven't worked out all the technicalities of replying on this forum yet....and there are quite a few comments that are coming in.....

I used to wear ITE's..... small one like the starkey micro...but they reached a point where the apmlification was not enough, and rather than go to a bigger in the ear I went for digital BTE's.....

My problems with all of the aid types is not so much sounds as comprehension of speech...and sometimes I feel it is the aid that is causing the problem as the digital ones have settings that decide what is background noise and cancel it out....except that in cancelling it out it sometimes makes the sound you want to hear...less clear. I hear my car engine start up....then it fades out....

I find that the BTE give MORE SOUND, but if there is noise directly behind you, then this quite often overpowers the noise that you WANT to hear, which is usually in front of you.

I agree with tech bill...it is hearing the DETAIL of sound which is absolutely crucial...without the detail and the comprehension of the detail...its just noise.

As for apples and oranges....well I like both....good job they are not banana's..I can't stand them!!

Presumably, whereas I can try a HA before I buy it, and therefore "sample" the quality of sound, the clarity of the sound etc, there is no means of doing this with a CI....you have the implant in the hope/expectation that it will improve the situation, but have no means of gaining prior knowledge of what it will be like before committing to the surgery.
 
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