how deaf do you have to be to get cochlear implants?

W

wahoo13579

New Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2008
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I am really new here. my name is wahoo13579. I am 14 and have been deaf since the age of 8. not totally deaf but in my right ear I can't hear a helicopter right next to me. I want to know how deaf you should be before even considering cochlear implants? I ihave %55 hearing in my left and %40 percent in my right. my hearing keeps on going down and i am so scared. I have had a lot of surgerys, but I have never looked into a surgery like this one. it is a life decision. if I do get cochlear implants I can't go back. what do you guys think. what percentage of hearing loss should I have to get cochlear implants? and should I be scared? and also if anyone has had can you tell me what you did to prepare yourself? thank you

love brooke
 
Brooke,

A person must have severe-profound or profound hearing loss (80 dB or below across all frequencies) and speech discrimmination of 40% or less to qualify for a CI.

There is no reason to be scared of CI surgery. It's less invasive than it used to be years ago and only takes 2-3 hours to complete. It involves drilling into the mastoid bone and inserting electrodes into the cochlea.

One of the best things you can do to prepare for making the decision to get a CI is to research, research and do more research. Talk to other CI users to find out more about how they feel about their implants. Are they happy with them? What do they like or dislike about their CI? Read blogs on the Internet to find out more about the positive and negative experiences of other CI users. (Reading about the negative experiences is just as important as reading the positive since this will help you determine if a CI is the right decision for you.)

More and more CI users are retaining their residual hearing. This is due to the fact that CI companies are making electrodes that "hug" the cochlear wall.

If you're interested in qualifying for a CI, you must be evaluated at a qualified CI center.

You can find one closest to you by visiting:

Cochlear: World leader in advanced hearing solutions. Nucleus cochlear implants and the Baha system.

and clicking on the link that reads "Find a Clinic."

Hope this helps! :)
 
Hi, I just read your post. I don't have CIs, I am hard of hearing, so with hearing aids, I can hear. I am posting because I see that you are scared to be losing your hearing. I can understand being scared of your life changing. But maybe your life won't change for the worst. Don't let anything steal your joy/happiness. You will be alright, even if you lose all of your hearing - - you will be alright. Stick around this site and you will meet many wonderful people who do not have hearing at all.
Amy
 
“hear again”: was that 80 decibels or greater across all frequencies that you meant to say? That sounds about right for citing general criteria. My insurance zeroed in on the 70 number.

Getting tested at a CI center takes several hundred dollars. Any one looking to be tested has got to be sure she will fall within the qualifying numbers before making the appointment.

As a general note to any one reading this thread: If you are trying to obtain authorization from insurance, try to find out what their definition of “medically necessity” is BEFORE you get tested in the booth.

My hearing loss is 90 dbs and I thought no way I would fail to meet the criteria. During the testing, I told the audiologist I could hear the sounds, but not the words. She said to repeat the sounds.

Result: insurance letter says my DBHL is 60 and their criteria is 70 or greater. I don’t even know what DBHL is. I am really disappointed. Babies at 90 decibels automatically meet this qualification, as do others who do not use their residual hearing like I do.
 
Almyra said:
“hear again”: was that 80 decibels or greater across all frequencies that you meant to say? That sounds about right for citing general criteria. My insurance zeroed in on the 70 number.

Getting tested at a CI center takes several hundred dollars. Any one looking to be tested has got to be sure she will fall within the qualifying numbers before making the appointment.

As a general note to any one reading this thread: If you are trying to obtain authorization from insurance, try to find out what their definition of “medically necessity” is BEFORE you get tested in the booth.

My hearing loss is 90 dbs and I thought no way I would fail to meet the criteria. During the testing, I told the audiologist I could hear the sounds, but not the words. She said to repeat the sounds.

Result: insurance letter says my DBHL is 60 and their criteria is 70 or greater. I don’t even know what DBHL is. I am really disappointed. Babies at 90 decibels automatically meet this qualification, as do others who do not use their residual hearing like I do.
Click to expand...

At most CI centers, the requirement for CI candidacy is 80 dB or greater across all frequencies. However, this varies from one CI center to another. While one CI center may not implant someone with a loss beginning at 70 dB, another will. I even read a blog on the Internet from the parent of a child who had moderately-severe loss in one ear and profound in the other and was implanted.

dBHL stands for "decibel hearing level." I *think* this means the lowest decibel level you can hear. A dBHL of 60 means that the lowest dB level you can hear is 60 dB.

I can imagine how frustrated you are -- especially since you missed the qualification criteria by only 10 dB.

Did the CI audi you saw encourage you to come back for another evaluation in the near future?
 
Almyra;1126322 My hearing loss is 90 dbs and I thought no way I would fail to meet the criteria. During the testing said:
It seems unsual that this particular CI audi would ask you to repeat sounds. CI criteria is based on your ability to discrimminate speech -- not sounds. During my CI evaluation, I had to repeat a very long list of words and sentences (HINT) with and without hearing aids. Not once during my evaluation did my CI audi ask about or discuss my ability to hear sounds.
Click to expand...
 
ok I have never been to a ci center my audio ologist( I spelled that wrong) they say I can get ci's. at my audio ologist they tell me like 30 words and I have to repeat them. they also give me a series of beeps. what beeps can I hear and what can I not. when i do hear them I raise my hand. at uva my ENT doctor said no I am not eligible to get ci's. I believe the uva doctor dr.hushasaki. doctor shia is my audio ologist and he is the reason i lost so much hearing loss. personally I hate him for that. I hate having hearing aids, and the fact that I am the only student in my high school that has them. i wish they would make a pill and all my hearing would be restored.
 
wahoo13579 said:
ok I have never been to a ci center my audio ologist( I spelled that wrong) they say I can get ci's. at my audio ologist they tell me like 30 words and I have to repeat them. they also give me a series of beeps. what beeps can I hear and what can I not. when i do hear them I raise my hand. at uva my ENT doctor said no I am not eligible to get ci's. I believe the uva doctor dr.hushasaki. doctor shia is my audio ologist and he is the reason i lost so much hearing loss. personally I hate him for that. I hate having hearing aids, and the fact that I am the only student in my high school that has them. i wish they would make a pill and all my hearing would be restored.
Click to expand...

When I was in high school I used to feel the exact the same way as you felt. Hated everything about my deafness. Fast forward 20 years later, it doesnt bother me..nope I dont have a CI and I feel I dont need one. All this change in my attitude is from learning ASL and meeting hundreds of deaf people like me. Ever try considering learning ASL and interacting with the Deaf community? You would be surprised by how many people have experienced what you are experiencing now.


Now, I dont wish for that magic pill anymore and life is not so terrible anymore.
Good luck!
 
wahoo13579 said:
ok I have never been to a ci center my audio ologist( I spelled that wrong) they say I can get ci's. at my audio ologist they tell me like 30 words and I have to repeat them. they also give me a series of beeps. what beeps can I hear and what can I not. when i do hear them I raise my hand. at uva my ENT doctor said no I am not eligible to get ci's. I believe the uva doctor dr.hushasaki. doctor shia is my audio ologist and he is the reason i lost so much hearing loss. personally I hate him for that. I hate having hearing aids, and the fact that I am the only student in my high school that has them. i wish they would make a pill and all my hearing would be restored.
Click to expand...

I know how you feel. I received my first pair of hearing aids when I was 15. Like you, I was the only student in my entire high school who had hearing aids.
I agree with Shel about the value of learning ASL. I learned PSE (Pidgin Signed English), ASL and SEE (Signed Exact English) after my hearing loss reached the severe-profound range and it was one of the most beneficial skills I could have ever learned. Thanks to my signing ability, communicating with others was no longer a struggle.

You might be asking yourself why I chose to get CIs when I already knew sign. One reason had to do with the fact that some alternative communication methods I used were extremely slow. More importantly, I decided to get CIs for my own personal safety at home and when traveling outdoors. (I'm totally deafblind and often veered into traffic when using my white cane.)

If a CI is what you want, visit a qualified CI center for an evaluation. (See website above to find a CI center.)

Hearing loss/deafness isn't the end of the world. I know it might feel that way to you right now, but if you look at various threads here on AD, you will see that there are plenty of deaf/Deaf and HoH individuals who are living happy, successful lives.
 
One thing I am puzzle about how much hearing loss would a Deaf person be able to qualified to get CI? Some Aders says that a person can get a CI if he/she has a severe-profound deaf with a 80 to 90 percent hearing loss or totally deaf. To me that is impossible for a Deaf person to be able to hear with CI whether a deaf person was born with it. If late deafen, then it might be okay to try the CI with a 40 to 55 percent hearing loss. But for a totally deaf born that way, it is impossible to make a person hear because of the nerve between the ear and the brain. I don't see how a totally Deaf person can hear the sounds or pick up the sounds (words) like that. A surgeon cannot operate like that. This is totally different ball park here. I think with the late deafen like 40 to 55 percent hearing loss or lighter than 40 percent hearing loss would be qualified to use CI to be able to hear again. That would be much better than have the profound deaf person to get the CI. It does not make sense at all. I don't believe that at all. :confused:
 
Bebonang said:
One thing I am puzzle about how much hearing loss would a Deaf person be able to qualified to get CI? Some Aders says that a person can get a CI if he/she has a severe-profound deaf with a 80 to 90 percent hearing loss or totally deaf. To me that is impossible for a Deaf person to be able to hear with CI whether a deaf person was born with it. If late deafen, then it might be okay to try the CI with a 40 to 55 percent hearing loss. But for a totally deaf born that way, it is impossible to make a person hear because of the nerve between the ear and the brain. I don't see how a totally Deaf person can hear the sounds or pick up the sounds (words) like that. A surgeon cannot operate like that. This is totally different ball park here. I think with the late deafen like 40 to 55 percent hearing loss or lighter than 40 percent hearing loss would be qualified to use CI to be able to hear again. That would be much better than have the profound deaf person to get the CI. It does not make sense at all. I don't believe that at all. :confused:
Click to expand...

Bebonang,

Someone with a 40-55% hearing loss (or less) is ineligible to receive a CI since they can still benefit from hearing aids.

To qualify for a CI, a person must be totally deaf or have an 80 dB loss across all frequencies (severe-profound hearing loss) and receive little or no benefit from hearing aids.

While it may be more difficult for a preligually deaf individual to be successful with a CI, it is by no means impossible. I know several preligually deaf individuals who are doing extremely well with their CIs. All but one of them are able to talk on the phone and enjoy music. There is one case I'm thinking of in which a prelingually deaf woman received a CI at age 18. She learned how to speak, understand speech and is using her implant to the fullest extent possible. So, just because someone is preligually deaf doesn't automatically mean they will be unsuccessful with the CI. Furthermore, in some cases, prelingually deaf people choose to receive a CI so they can hear environmental sounds.
 
I even read a blog on the Internet from the parent of a child who had moderately-severe loss in one ear and profound in the other and was implanted.
Click to expand...
Well that's b/c they prolly wanted to implant the profound ear since it may have been unaidable.
 
Bebonang said:
One thing I am puzzle about how much hearing loss would a Deaf person be able to qualified to get CI? Some Aders says that a person can get a CI if he/she has a severe-profound deaf with a 80 to 90 percent hearing loss or totally deaf. To me that is impossible for a Deaf person to be able to hear with CI whether a deaf person was born with it. If late deafen, then it might be okay to try the CI with a 40 to 55 percent hearing loss. But for a totally deaf born that way, it is impossible to make a person hear because of the nerve between the ear and the brain. I don't see how a totally Deaf person can hear the sounds or pick up the sounds (words) like that. A surgeon cannot operate like that. This is totally different ball park here. I think with the late deafen like 40 to 55 percent hearing loss or lighter than 40 percent hearing loss would be qualified to use CI to be able to hear again. That would be much better than have the profound deaf person to get the CI. It does not make sense at all. I don't believe that at all. :confused:
Click to expand...

I am born profound deaf with borderline total deafness, My right ear audiogram reads like 95 downwards to zilch on highs, left is 120db downwards, Pre CI my lipreading with voice was 40%, lipreading without voice 28% Speech discrimation was zero! My hearing nerve is working healthily but my cochlea isn't working at all, hence i am profoundly deaf. To recieve CI you need working nerve. Cochlear implant bypass the sounds to the Auditory nerve where HA's can't reach.
Now as 2 month post activation my lipreading with voice went up to 64% and is still creeping up. Lipreading without voice didn't improve much, We haven't tried the speech discrimation test yet as it's bit early at the moment but i am reading Audio books i now am able to follow what they say on CD while reading the book. I know few Born deafs do well with CI as we all work very hard at it with help from our centres. CI is for people who is willing to work at it that why we have tests to be sure that we are up to recieve the therapy, keeps the expecations low, relibalty of wearing HA's. Hearing aids trials (i failed all of my hearing tests with 4 different top of the range poweful aids).
Pre CI i asked for 5 per cent improvement in my hearing thats all, it went all the way up to 35/40db range which is alot more than i expected! For late deafen people they need to be severe/profound deaf, low speech discrimation and not beneifiting from Hearing aids to quailify for CI's

Brooke, I am sorry to hijack your post, Welcome to the site, I think you would need to be severe/profound deaf to recieve CI and have low speech discrimation to quailify. It's also depends on what sort of deafness you have. CI won't restore your hearing but it may improve quality of life. Your ENT may think you aren't deaf enough to have CI's. I am from UK and i am having difficulty grasping the difference between Decbiels and Percentages, In Uk we say we are 95 decbiels deaf where you say you are 55% hearing.. bit confusing for me! LOL... Do you have a audiogram that you could scan and post on site?

Deafdyke, you are probably right also the person could have progressive loss so they implanted the worst ear anyway knowing that the good ear could disappear.
 
Back
Top