How do I pick the correct cochlear implant company?

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floridadude

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Apparently there are Mel ed, Advanced Bionics and Cochlear. People have said to pick which ever one goes with my lifestyle. But I don't know what that means. How do I know I am picking the best one for myself? I feel aggravated and overwhelmed by all this.
 
Valorrian said:
Have you gone through the evaluation process and qualify?
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Yeah the doctor said for my right ear. Wasn't sure about left, having mri done on Monday. Would like to be implanted on both ears if possible. Surgery is set for December 4
 
floridadude said:
Apparently there are Mel ed, Advanced Bionics and Cochlear. People have said to pick which ever one goes with my lifestyle. But I don't know what that means. How do I know I am picking the best one for myself? I feel aggravated and overwhelmed by all this.
Click to expand...

What is right for one person might not be right for you. You'll have to make the decision based on what you do daily (lifestyle). If you have any question go to your doctor and ask them. That is what they are there for.

https://cochlearimplanthelp.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/cochlearimplantcomparisonchart_v7-0d.pdf
 
Wow. You’re moving quickly. Good luck to you! And please keep us updated on your journey.
 
I have AB (Advanced Bionics). They have a great FB group and online forum. The others may also have FB groups/forums. You should ask on the groups/forums why they chose their brand.

Also, go to each brand’s website (but remember, they’re going to try to sell you on their brand) and see what they have to offer.

The internal is the part that will be with you for, hopefully, you lifetime. The externals will change over the years.

I chose AB because they’re owned by the same company that owned my HAs so I already had some of the accessories. Plus they have a great online community.
From what I’ve been told, AB’s internal part is “ready” for many advancements to the external processor.
If you like swimming, AB has the waterprooof Neptune processor that can used in the water. They also have a waterproof case for the ear processor.
 
yeah went for third
Valorrian said:
What is right for one person might not be right for you. You'll have to make the decision based on what you do daily (lifestyle). If you have any question go to your doctor and ask them. That is what they are there for.

https://cochlearimplanthelp.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/cochlearimplantcomparisonchart_v7-0d.pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link but I don't understand what any of those terms in the chart mean.

What is maximum stimulation rate?
Are more channels better?
What are electrode drivers?
What does maximum simultaneous driver mean?
 
LoveBlue said:
I have AB (Advanced Bionics). They have a great FB group and online forum. The others may also have FB groups/forums. You should ask on the groups/forums why they chose their brand.

Also, go to each brand’s website (but remember, they’re going to try to sell you on their brand) and see what they have to offer.

The internal is the part that will be with you for, hopefully, you lifetime. The externals will change over the years.

I chose AB because they’re owned by the same company that owned my HAs so I already had some of the accessories. Plus they have a great online community.
From what I’ve been told, AB’s internal part is “ready” for many advancements to the external processor.
If you like swimming, AB has the waterprooof Neptune processor that can used in the water. They also have a waterproof case for the ear processor.
Click to expand...

I'd signed up for AB online forums but there haven't been any updated posts on there since August.
 
It's not that active.

I hate to sound ungrateful but I am feeling aggravated about all this because I feel so confused by all the information and I want to be certain that I'm picking the correct one. This is a big deal. Whatever one I choose will be with me a long time.
 
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Med-el could be good for you if you're a music lover (the implant and the models are based on musical terms like Synchrony, Opus, Concerto, Sonnet and Sonata :)
*I kinda thought so since my mom is a music lover too and this is the case someday*
 
Well Im not sure what everything means. I chose AB because it had things that meant more to me. For example, are you extremely active and sweat alot? If so, having a CI that resists sweat would be a bonus for you. What do you do more of daily? Do you need to talk to a lot of people? Or do you listen to alot of remote sounds such as talking on the phone, music, radio and etc like that? It would be wise to go with a CI that fits that type of programming you would need. Does having a lot of options in the accessories mean much to you? For example, covers, aqua, true wireless, remote controls and etc. I mean there are many considerations. When I first chose my CI, I went with the HiRes 90k through AB because it fit exactly what I wanted my CI to do.
 
Sarfarigirl2011 said:
Med-el could be good for you if you're a music lover (the implant and the models are based on musical terms like Synchrony, Opus, Concerto, Sonnet and Sonata :)
*I kinda thought so since my mom is a music lover too and this is the case someday*
Click to expand...


That's interesting. I am a music lover and when I was reading up on which implant I would want. It sounded more like AB would suit it best. But then again, it might have been true at the time and with technology....Med El is tops for that now lol.
 
floridadude said:
I'd signed up for AB online forums but there haven't been any updated posts on there since August.
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That's not true. There's usually at least one post, if not more every day. There are 3 unread (by me) posts right now.
If you post your questions, people will answer quickly.

This is probably where you should post: https://hearingjourney.com/categories/choosing

Too bad you didn't post earlier this week. AB has a live chat on Thursday nights.

Here's the link to their FB group. You do have to "sign up" but should get approved quickly: https://www.facebook.com/groups/349059495171094/

You could ask on either of those who the AB rep is in your area. They are good about getting in touch with candidates.
 
I chose Cochlear Americas. The only three cochlear implant users I've ever known all chose Cochlear, and when I asked my audiologist what company to choose, she said Cochlear. So that is how I chose. One of those implant users said he had had his for a little over 20 years, and it is still working great, so that did help influence my decision. I have the Nucleus 7 and am happy with mine. Also, my surgeon only used Med-El and Cochlear, so I only had to choose between two, anyway.
 
Yeah Advanced Bionics seems good technology wise. Apparently they have 80db input dynamic range? What does that mean really?

On the chart it says Cochlear has 22 electrodes and AB 16 but then it says a higher count somewhere else. I'm a little confused by that.
 
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AB has what I think they call virtual electrodes. And they all haven't been used yet. Some people who have AB say they chose it because it has lots of "growth" available.
 
As LoveBlue says, the cochlear implant manufacturer is your decision, not ours. We are sharing what we know, and what works for us, so hopefully, some of this information will help you. I've heard and read great things about all of the implant companies. Some of the reasons I chose Cochlear:

Cochlear has some good accessories to check out:

1. The Nucleus 7 has made for iPhone connectivity. Phone calls stream directly into my sound processor from my iPhone. So you can enjoy phone conversations, audio books, music, etc., that stream from an iPhone into your sound processor. Also, all of my sound processor controls are on the iPhone....no need to carry a separate remote around. I really like all of this.

2. A wireless TV streamer.......TV streams into my sound processor. This has been a good auditory training tool for me. I read the closed captions on the TV screen while the voices and sounds stream into my sound processor at the same time.

3. A wireless phone clip (in case you don't have an iPhone).....another tool for streaming phone calls into your sound processor.

4. A mini-microphone.....again, this streams conversations and sound into your processor. For use in restaurants, etc. When my brother died a few months ago, I used mine when there were many people in the noisy viewing room. I was able to hold the microphone up to people when I spoke to them, so their voices streamed directly into my processor when they talked to me. If you are in a restaurant, it will clip to your companion's shirt.

All of these things were given to me on activation day, I didn't have to purchase them. As I recall, I ordered them when I ordered my cochlear implant.

Lastly, I did much research on cochlear implants. So, when I say, in a previous post to you above, I chose Cochlear because all of the implant recipients I know have Cochlear, and my long-time audiologist told me to choose Cochlear...........those people highly influenced my final decision. My surgeon only used two companies....Cochlear and Med-El, and I read all of the information given to me from both companies regarding electrodes, performance, statistics, etc.
 
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