~Hello, Im new with many QQ's

[Boult]

Welcome to the ALLDEAF I am sure you will enjoy here.

Well, I have a CI for a year now, and doesn't really wear it that often. I thought the CI could help me to learn to talk, but it don't. I can't learn because my CI don't give me the hear that good. I only wear it when I go to movie theater, etc. Also CI give me headaches when over wearing it or even I start put on CI, it give me watery eyes in pain. I was not really happy with my CI. Also my family kept begging me to wear the CI while are kinda annoying to me. Being honestly I wish I never get a CI myself..

But some CI worked for some deaf people, I have lot of friends who wear CI and talks. They are lucky.

You didn't say you were either born hearing or deaf so I had to look for your old post and found this; http://www.alldeaf.com/754622-post179.html

so now I know you were deaf all your life meaning born deaf.

So you are saying that you went and got a ci last year because you thought it will help you learn to talk. Was that only reason? I am curious, did you take your time to researches all stuffs on CI ?

You said you had CI for a year and it still give you watery eyes whatever.. for a year? How often did you see your audie for mapping. If you had your mapping done LESS often then that is not great way to make it work.
Go see your audie and have your program remapping so you don't get watery eyes.

When I got mine, I started out with loud within my comfort level and threshold level. and had to re-up several times now I see my audie each year if necessary.

CI don't automatically make you learn to talk faster. It takes time. Did you take speech therapy at all? If not then that's the reason for your disappointment.

I didn't start my therapy right after my activation which was in 2003. I had to be on waiting list to get in and now I finally started last year(2006) and still going to my sessions (I got 5 more sessions to go before summer semester start at UofAz) I was told I am getting more intelligible than day one that I walked in. The reason I took Aural Rehab. and Speech Therapy is because CI sounded different than what I went thru with my HA so my speech and modulation was sort of whacked.

What brand do you have? If it is Cochlear's maybe you can try different speed and make it less loud to get used to it. If your audie don't agree with you then find other audie that will make change for you. You need to give details of pain and such. Cochlear's website have a forum which you could share your issues and see what they can help you and help you use your CI to fullest potential than give it up. (think of it as learning to ride bike, you don't give up if you fall down first time right? )

Don't give up too easily.. You can't let it work for you, you have to work hard to make it work for you.

Ok that's enough for me eh

 

[sr171soars]

You didn't say you were either born hearing or deaf so I had to look for your old post and found this; http://www.alldeaf.com/754622-post179.html

so now I know you were deaf all your life meaning born deaf.

So you are saying that you went and got a ci last year because you thought it will help you learn to talk. Was that only reason? I am curious, did you take your time to researches all stuffs on CI ?

You said you had CI for a year and it still give you watery eyes whatever.. for a year? How often did you see your audie for mapping. If you had your mapping done LESS often then that is not great way to make it work.
Go see your audie and have your program remapping so you don't get watery eyes.

When I got mine, I started out with loud within my comfort level and threshold level. and had to re-up several times now I see my audie each year if necessary.

CI don't automatically make you learn to talk faster. It takes time. Did you take speech therapy at all? If not then that's the reason for your disappointment.

I didn't start my therapy right after my activation which was in 2003. I had to be on waiting list to get in and now I finally started last year(2006) and still going to my sessions (I got 5 more sessions to go before summer semester start at UofAz) I was told I am getting more intelligible than day one that I walked in. The reason I took Aural Rehab. and Speech Therapy is because CI sounded different than what I went thru with my HA so my speech and modulation was sort of whacked.

What brand do you have? If it is Cochlear's maybe you can try different speed and make it less loud to get used to it. If your audie don't agree with you then find other audie that will make change for you. You need to give details of pain and such. Cochlear's website have a forum which you could share your issues and see what they can help you and help you use your CI to fullest potential than give it up. (think of it as learning to ride bike, you don't give up if you fall down first time right? )

Don't give up too easily.. You can't let it work for you, you have to work hard to make it work for you.

Ok that's enough for me eh

Puyopiyo - I have to agree with Boult here. Adjustments need to be made with your CI and your expectations need to be aligned with your hearing background. Somebody who has developed some speech from early on do much better than somebody who never really did. It isn't clear from Boult's link if you developed speech sufficiently enough by the time you gotten a CI. If you hadn't, it would be more work on your part.

 

[sr171soars]

...
I'm still a little bit on the fence about which ear to get it in... but at this point 95% sure I'll get it in the left ear. If anybody has advice, I'd love to hear it.
If I get the implant in my left ear I destroy all my hearing but my vestibular function remains intact.
If I get an implant in the right ear, I keep what little hearing I have in the left ear, and I have a 10% chance of seriously messing up my vestibular system (and a 90% chance of being just fine). But that 10% includes the possibility of not being able to walk in a straight line anymore.
There's also the fact that it's only a matter of time before I lose the rest of my hearing in my left ear.

...

Here's a piece of interesting info I just learned from one of my Hopkins classmates. The auditory cortex is more developed on the left side than the right side. He is deaf, just like me, and both of us hear better out of the left ear. A coincidence? Or something more?

Er...the brain is reversed wired for the entire body. Meaning your right side is controlled by your left brain and your left side controlled by your right brain.

Taking your "interesting" piece of info while true but it doesn't explain the whole picture. Your left auditory cortex focuses more on speech like sounds while your right auditory cortex tends to focus on tones and music like sounds. I found a terrific link that explains this better...Left and right ears not created equal as newborns process sound

Anyway, I have alway only heard out of my right ear and now my CI is on that side as well. This link explains for the first time in my life why I have done so well with speech as I'm superb at it. My right ear goes to the left auditory cortex which focused on speech!!! Now, I guess because I never used my left ear, my brain must have rewired itself to allow me to really enjoy music as well.

 

[jillio]

Why werent u accepted at the deaf schools?

Well, back then in the 60's, the doctors and school principals
thought I would do better in a hearing envirnoment. I speak very
well for hard of hearing person. They and my mom felt putting me
in a deaf school would set me behind and not continue to thrive.
I really wasn't happy about it and yes I had lots of differculties in
the classroom. Teachers were ignorance and uneducation about
the deaf. Later in high school I met a wonderful deaf friend and she
taught me sign language.

Unfortunately, that attitude continues today. Parents of deaf children often have to fight to have their kids placed in deaf schools through the home school IEP.

 

[TAMI SAM]

welcome I'm very new here.many more much more knowlegeable then i to answer your questions... some smart cookies here!

 

[Rollover]

so much of positives and negatives about CI..... it is your own Choice to make...make many researches on it... before you can decide...

SexyPorkie, Anything has got to be better than what I have now. We need hope. Without hope, we die. So I hope for the best. Thanks for you input. It means so much. Hugs, Suzi

 

[Rollover]

DD,

Sometimes no matter what you write, you just can't please everyone

Got your point though.
Rick

Back to square one, my question is; how do you feel during the recoup healing time before activation? Do you have any ringing in the ear at all? I'm trying to imagine myself going two months with tenn. ringing and no hearing aid. Is this where you test your patience? ;-) Hugs,Suzi

 

[Rollover]

Welcome to the ALLDEAF I am sure you will enjoy here.

Well, I have a CI for a year now, and doesn't really wear it that often. I thought the CI could help me to learn to talk, but it don't. I can't learn because my CI don't give me the hear that good. I only wear it when I go to movie theater, etc. Also CI give me headaches when over wearing it or even I start put on CI, it give me watery eyes in pain. I was not really happy with my CI. Also my family kept begging me to wear the CI while are kinda annoying to me. Being honestly I wish I never get a CI myself..

But some CI worked for some deaf people, I have lot of friends who wear CI and talks. They are lucky.

Have you gone back to the specialist regarding your condition of watery eyes and headaches? Have you gotten adjustments on the CI?

 

[Rollover]

Unfortunately, that attitude continues today. Parents of deaf children often have to fight to have their kids placed in deaf schools through the home school IEP.

Okay, I don't want to stir the pot but I believe when the child is old enough to make this decision of school placement ie; hearing or deaf, they should choose to what is most comfortable for the learning experience. I believe I would have learned more in a deaf school like math - in hearing classroom, the teacher was explaining the math problems out facing and writing on the blackboard. All I ever saw in math is the teacher's back. To this day, I can not use math aside from the basic simple adding and subtracting. Oh I did raise my hand many times and the teacher would say "after class" but "after class" never came. I was totally lost. I do agree that hearing school has enabled me in speech and socialization. It's confusing! Hugs, Suzi

 

[Rollover]

Er...the brain is reversed wired for the entire body. Meaning your right side is controlled by your left brain and your left side controlled by your right brain.

Taking your "interesting" piece of info while true but it doesn't explain the whole picture. Your left auditory cortex focuses more on speech like sounds while your right auditory cortex tends to focus on tones and music like sounds. I found a terrific link that explains this better...Left and right ears not created equal as newborns process sound

Anyway, I have alway only heard out of my right ear and now my CI is on that side as well. This link explains for the first time in my life why I have done so well with speech as I'm superb at it. My right ear goes to the left auditory cortex which focused on speech!!! Now, I guess because I never used my left ear, my brain must have rewired itself to allow me to really enjoy music as well.

Sounds like you are doing extremly well. What kind of music do the HOH people listen to?

 

[Rollover]

welcome I'm very new here.many more much more knowlegeable then i to answer your questions... some smart cookies here!

Im so glad I found this group! Yes I agree Tami!

 

[sr171soars]

Sounds like you are doing extremly well. What kind of music do the HOH people listen to?

Thanks, I'm very blessed indeed...

Good question. I don't know what most HOHers like in terms of music. My guess would be bassier sounds that can both be heard and felt. Most HOHers typically have trouble with higher pitches but that is not always the case. I know when I got my CI, I couldn't believe what I missed from a higher pitch standpoint.

For me, I have always heard well enough with a HA and now with CI to appreciate all kinds of music. My favorites have always been Christian, New Age, Jazz, and 70's/early 80's. With my CI, I hear it even better but I will admit there are some slight differences that I'm used to now.

 

[Rollover]

Thanks, I'm very blessed indeed...

Good question. I don't know what most HOHers like in terms of music. My guess would be bassier sounds that can both be heard and felt. Most HOHers typically have trouble with higher pitches but that is not always the case. I know when I got my CI, I couldn't believe what I missed from a higher pitch standpoint.

For me, I have always heard well enough with a HA and now with CI to appreciate all kinds of music. My favorites have always been Christian, New Age, Jazz, and 70's/early 80's. With my CI, I hear it even better but I will admit there are some slight differences that I'm used to now.

High pitches = opera, YES! It makes me so physically ill!
I love the 70's music and missed most of the 80's due to depreciate hearing loss. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.

 

[jag]

Back to square one, my question is; how do you feel during the recoup healing time before activation? Do you have any ringing in the ear at all? I'm trying to imagine myself going two months with tenn. ringing and no hearing aid. Is this where you test your patience? ;-) Hugs,Suzi

I had surgery last May 3 and was activated one week later. I had no problems with wearing the device that soon. Would have driven me nuts to wait longer, I wasn't as brave as some who actually get activated the day following surgery....my guess is the number that actually do that is pretty low.

I have no regrets, but yes I did have fears of losing my residule hearing, I only had a severe loss. (didn't actually make the requirements was slightly to high on the HINT sentences..guess to well) So in my case it was probably a bigger possible problem then yours since is supposedly heard so 'well' (in a nice quiet booth)

Good luck with your decision.

 

[RedheadGrrl]

Right, there was one deaf school on Long Island and they
did refuse me for these reasons.
Sadly No, we lose touch over the years.

which deaf school on LI that didn't accept you into? Mill Neck or Cleary?

 

[deafaussie]

Two months ago I went to E,N,T in Birmingham, AL for the screaming in my left ear to the point where I can not sleep.

Screaming? I am assuming its about the tinnitus? Constant and loud 'noises' in your ear?

If this what you are referring. CI will work for you and you can bank on that. I had tinnitus in my right ear and it was hell and tough for me for about 5 years until I had my right ear implanted with Cochlear Contour 24 implant.

Now, I don't hear anything, sometime it is very little and I don't pay attention to it.

By all means you have the condition and go for it.

 

[Rollover]

which deaf school on LI that didn't accept you into? Mill Neck or Cleary?

Mill Neck. Have you been there?

 

[Rollover]

Screaming? I am assuming its about the tinnitus? Constant and loud 'noises' in your ear?

Yes!! It's like a loud scream which is never ending, I don't know when it started but it certainly never ended! It's so loud. I see people saying it's more mechanical but to me it's almost human. Ugh! It's really bad for me. It's all that I ever hear anymore. This is how I found out about the CI for me. I went to the E,N,T asking to "please do something for me about the tinnitus!" In my mind I thought if I got help with tinnitus, that I could just simply hear with whatever hearing I have.

If this what you are referring. CI will work for you and you can bank on that. I had tinnitus in my right ear and it was hell and tough for me for about 5 years until I had my right ear implanted with Cochlear Contour 24 implant.

Now, I don't hear anything, sometime it is very little and I don't pay attention to it.

By all means you have the condition and go for it.

Im ready!!

 

[RedheadGrrl]

Mill Neck. Have you been there?

Yes I went to MNM from 1981 to 1987. Before that I went to Cleary.

 

[contradica]

I'm just starting to go through my cochlear implant evaluation but from what I hear you might have roaring in the ear. I recently had a surgery to repair a deviated septum and when I woke up I had no hearing. I heard nothing but this loud roaring in both ears and dizzy. I was deaf as a doorknob even with my hearing aid. It took about a month and a half to regain my hearing back. It was tough, seemed like forever but I got through it. My family and people I work with were accommodating. When it suddenly came back, it was a relief. However, I am fully prepared to go through with it again because I have no hearing in my left ear what so ever and I have nothing to lose. If I have to put up with another month of roaring in my ears, then so be it.

-Abbie

Back to square one, my question is; how do you feel during the recoup healing time before activation? Do you have any ringing in the ear at all? I'm trying to imagine myself going two months with tenn. ringing and no hearing aid. Is this where you test your patience? ;-) Hugs,Suzi