I have a few questions about if i'm going bilateral with CIs in the future...

coolgirlspyer90

coolgirlspyer90

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okay. As i just annouced a few weeks ago or so, i might be going bilateral with CIs. I might be getting implanted on my right ear due to drumline or my autoimmune hearing loss. And I'm going to see my CI surgeon on may 27th to see if i can get a CI on my right ear. Anywho, I have a few questions about the insurance really.

My parents say that they might have to fight the insurance to try and get me a second CI, What did you have to do to convince the insurance company to get you a second CI? What kind of information do we need to prove to them that I need a second CI? that kind of stuff. I need some information to try and help me get a second CI and fight the insurance company if we ever need to after meeting my CI surgeon If he says yes on the surgery. Do we have to get a doctor order to tell the insurance company to let me get the CI?


And a few questions about being bilateral:

How does being bilateral help you with your hearing? Did it improved so much? Comparing from having just one CI transitioning to bilateral. Did you slowly notice improvement over time or was there no improvement at all? Do you like being bilateral now?

Sorry, i'm just really curious about it. Since i'm considering going bilateral. I'm also really nervous and excited about the day i'm going to go see my CI surgeon to see if i can actually get another CI. If i can get one i'll be super excited and i would be counting down the days. It would mean to hear again and of course miss school :) But i'll also miss my friends while i'm recovering and miss alot of drumline rehearsal but i'm sure they'll keep me up to date with how things are going.
 
While I can't give you any personal experience since I have just one CI, I can relay what I have learned from others.

Some insurance companies will allow bilaterals with little fanfare. Others will force you to go through a process to prove you need a 2nd CI. In those situations, you need to get the specialists (audiologists and surgeons) to document your case as a real need. Not everybody fits in that category. All the specialists can do is state their opinion that you need a 2nd CI. Then it is up to the insurance company to approve or deny the request.

I have a two friends that have recently became bilateral. One who was hearing years ago did very well with his 2nd CI and noticed a big difference early on. It enhanced his hearing abilities pretty quickly. The other did okay from the start. He has always struggled with speech and hopefully having his 2nd CI will go a long way to improve some of that.
 
Some insurance companies will allow bilaterals with little fanfare. Others will force you to go through a process to prove you need a 2nd CI. In those situations, you need to get the specialists (audiologists and surgeons) to document your case as a real need. Not everybody fits in that category
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One thing that I think would be helpful is to really emphasize that your hearing aid DOES not help you at ALL any more. Emphasize that you're not opting for a second one to "upgrade" from a HA, but due to progressive loss your HA does not help you any more.
And I second sr171soars....the end results from a second CI prolly vary tremendously from person to person. Since you had a progressive loss and maybe even some speech perception in that ear, you do have a built in advantage.
 
Sure, if you want have 2 CI so go for it and I do know about a huge difference is more sound localization.
 
Foxrac said:
Sure, if you want have 2 CI so go for it and I do know about a huge difference is more sound localization.
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Unfortunately, that depends on the person. Some do better with it than others. The real reason one should get a 2nd CI is that it really helps to understand speech in noisier environments. All the other stuff is trivial compared to that one.
 
Unfortunately, that depends on the person. Some do better with it than others.
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That's true, but I thought that the sound localization was the minimal benifit that you could acheive with bilateral CI.
 
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