internal device like a CI

I think the device is called the Esteem and it was just recently approved by the FDA. I believe it is those whose hearing loss is more in the HOH range and with better speech discrimination than CI candidates. Deafdyke you are correct insurance companies are not paying for it yet.

Cochlear has tried a totally implantable CI but it is not ready for prime time yet.

I second this, but I think your cochlea had to be working first...
I was looking into that but they said that it wouldn't work for me...
 
I second this, but I think your cochlea had to be working first...
I was looking into that but they said that it wouldn't work for me...

You were most likely told that the new Esteem would not work for you because it is still in its experimental stages. They would not recommend something that has not been around long enough, as they want to assure that they get their money and not get sued.

Just wait a few years and the Esteem will be as 'popular' as the CI you have now. Technology is outdated the moment you buy it. Its that way with computers and cellphones, it would be the same with everything else.
 
QUOTE]ust wait a few years and the Esteem will be as 'popular' as the CI you have now[/QUOTE] Maybe, maybe not. Again, the Esteem is for the hoh population that doesn't get a lot of benifit from amplification. (if I recall correctly) Most hoh people CAN benifit from traditional amplifcation. Here in the US, we have sky high healthcare costs, and most costs are borne by insurances. Most insurances don't even cover hearing aids?!?! Why would they cover this, when they don't cover HAs? It might be covered by really good insurances, but I doubt that it will be covered by most.
I do have to say that if the CI was introduced NOW, only a small percentage of health insurances would cover it, b/c it is SO expensive. I think a huge part of the reason why CI was covered inititally was b/c although it was expensive, only a very small percentage of deaf people qualified for it. So the insurance companies didn't lose out. Now is a little different, since a lot of the things like Mapping etc are covered, so it's now a liabilty for insurance companies to cover.
 
Hey I have atresia but no microtia! I'm in BTEs....a lot of people with my syndrome have opted for BAHA.....I tested it out, but I like my BTEs!

How do you have BTE's? Atresia is a condition in which a body orifice or passage in the body is abnormally closed or absent. meaning no ear canal... The only options are Bone conduction aid only oticon and I believe phonak make them or the other option is the baha
 
You were most likely told that the new Esteem would not work for you because it is still in its experimental stages. They would not recommend something that has not been around long enough, as they want to assure that they get their money and not get sued.

Just wait a few years and the Esteem will be as 'popular' as the CI you have now. Technology is outdated the moment you buy it. Its that way with computers and cellphones, it would be the same with everything else.
I also think you have to have a little better hearing to get one of those implantable hearing aids. Zebadee probably has a profound hearing loss.
 
I think the device is called the Esteem and it was just recently approved by the FDA. I believe it is those whose hearing loss is more in the HOH range and with better speech discrimination than CI candidates. Deafdyke you are correct insurance companies are not paying for it yet.

Cochlear has tried a totally implantable CI but it is not ready for prime time yet.


Yes I think this is what she was talking about TY
 
How do you have BTE's? Atresia is a condition in which a body orifice or passage in the body is abnormally closed or absent. meaning no ear canal... The only options are Bone conduction aid only oticon and I believe phonak make them or the other option is the baha
Yes, I know. I have the kind of atresia where there's stenosis (a very tiny opening that narrows down to atresia) It's enough for me to be able to wear BTEs.
I also attempted canalplasty as a teen on my right ear (this was WAY before I got into Deaf culture and ASL) Still have to wear an aid on that ear. (and I do not reccomend canalplasty at ALL) My right ear's canal is the size of a three year old's.....and before I got digital BTEs I had MAJOR problems with feedback. I know in my syndrome (which features atresia) it's not too unusual for people to use BTEs, but I know people who use BCHA and BAHA.
 
Yes, I know. I have the kind of atresia where there's stenosis (a very tiny opening that narrows down to atresia) It's enough for me to be able to wear BTEs.
I also attempted canalplasty as a teen on my right ear (this was WAY before I got into Deaf culture and ASL) Still have to wear an aid on that ear. (and I do not reccomend canalplasty at ALL) My right ear's canal is the size of a three year old's.....and before I got digital BTEs I had MAJOR problems with feedback. I know in my syndrome (which features atresia) it's not too unusual for people to use BTEs, but I know people who use BCHA and BAHA.

Oh ok, Ya I have heard a lot of bad things about canalplasty I still hope my daughter never ops for them but I try to keep my opinions to myself so she can make her own decisions when she is older.

Thank you for explaining I was rather confused!
 
Ya I have heard a lot of bad things about canalplasty I still hope my daughter never ops for them but I try to keep my opinions to myself so she can make her own decisions when she is older.
Oh yeah, it does seem to be hit or miss when it comes to canalplasty. Just raise your daughter with a full toolbox, (including exposure to things like ASL and Deaf culture which a lot of hoh kids don't get :() and she can make the decisions when she's older. I'm actually glad that the canalplasty didn't take. I can turn off my hearing whenever I want! :D
 
i did a quick search when this was first brought up...

From Frequently asked questions
How does the Esteem® differ from a Cochlear Implant? Are they the same?

A cochlear implant is an inner ear implant and the Esteem® is a middle ear implant. They address different degrees of hearing loss. A cochlear implant is for the profoundly deaf (greater than 90+ dB of loss). The Esteem® is indicated for moderate to severe hearing loss (40dB to 90dB).

How the Esteem® works
How does it work? It basically has a motor that stimulates the stapes. Therefore they can control how much input the cochlea recieves. So if they make the stapes move MORE than normal at that decible, the cochlea would recieve more input, therefore sounding louder to the recipient. In order for it to work, you must have at least SOME working cilia hairs in the cochlea, therefore it wouldn't work with people who are profoundly deaf.

What worries me though, is wouldn't it just overstimulate your cochlea like working in a noisy environment, slowly making you loose (even more) your high frequencies??? And if it breaks, you have to go through surgery again, and would be totally without sound in the meantime because the middle ear is not connected (unless, of course, you had a bone conduction hearing aid to fill in the time gap until surgery).
Iunno, just sounds like a strange concept to do surgery when a non-surgical intervention (a hearing aid) would do the same thing (assuming you had normal inner ear function).

Just my thoughts,
*EQL*
 
i did a quick search when this was first brought up...

From Frequently asked questions


How the Esteem® works
How does it work? It basically has a motor that stimulates the stapes. Therefore they can control how much input the cochlea recieves. So if they make the stapes move MORE than normal at that decible, the cochlea would recieve more input, therefore sounding louder to the recipient. In order for it to work, you must have at least SOME working cilia hairs in the cochlea, therefore it wouldn't work with people who are profoundly deaf.

What worries me though, is wouldn't it just overstimulate your cochlea like working in a noisy environment, slowly making you loose (even more) your high frequencies??? And if it breaks, you have to go through surgery again, and would be totally without sound in the meantime because the middle ear is not connected (unless, of course, you had a bone conduction hearing aid to fill in the time gap until surgery).
Iunno, just sounds like a strange concept to do surgery when a non-surgical intervention (a hearing aid) would do the same thing (assuming you had normal inner ear function).

Just my thoughts,
*EQL*

I have no idea but that is more than I found on it, I'm just glad the images of bio-ear are out of my head... The device I was imagining was pretty creepy lol

I do wonder if it would damage you'r hearing more, but I am confused because she has a CI now and is saying that is what she will get if the CI fails but from what you are saying I don't think she is a candidate, I guess thats none of my business thou...

Thats why I don't really understand the surgeries, because with Ha's when they break you just drop them off with the audi, all these devices require surgery eeek! Too many of those to count never want another! lol
 
Iunno, just sounds like a strange concept to do surgery when a non-surgical intervention (a hearing aid) would do the same thing (assuming you had normal inner ear function).
Exactly. But you KNOW there's gonna be some old people who are gonna go for it b/c of NO visable aid. :roll:
 
Thats why I don't really understand the surgeries, because with Ha's when they break you just drop them off with the audi, all these devices require surgery eeek! Too many of those to count never want another! lol

Vanity

The more important reasons (if you exclude vanity) are as you have mentioned contra-indicated medical conditions such as atresia and direct stimulation (this means direct mechnical stimulation) has less power loss and therefor more efficient.

How a hearing aid works is an electrical signal is tranformed to a mechnical movement which in turns moves air. This air then moves the tympanic membrane to cause mechanical movement of the ossicular chain and then fluid inside the cochela is moved. The mechanical to air to mechanical is replaced with mechanical-mechanical which is more efficient. In the end, more efficient means higher output and better signal to noise ratio.

C1
 
I think if you've worn (or wanted to wear) an HA or CI while playing sports, skiiing, or swimming, in bed, in the shower, you might see some application for something internal.
 
I wear my HAs while skiing.

My daughter wears her CIs skiiing, because she's growing, we rent her helmet each year, rather than have one specially made, and it is a bear: often shifts the coil around on her head -- she gets pretty irritated when she's on the slopes and suddenly can't hear her instructor or friends. And with gloves and poles and facing downhill, there's not a lot of signing opps. That's one situation in particular where I'd love to see an internal processor possible someday.
 
Sure, that's fine.

I was responding to your original post:

I think if you've worn (or wanted to wear) an HA or CI while playing sports, skiiing, or swimming, in bed, in the shower, you might see some application for something internal.

In which I wear a HA and still ski with it. I don't have the need for an internal processor for skiing with a HA.
 
I don't wear my HA when I play any sports. I am afraid if I hit something on my head that is next to HA that HURTS like HELL. However I get sweat so easily that can cause HA stop. So I have no problem without the sounds when i play sports and focus on one thing better. *shrusg*
 
Sure, that's fine.

I was responding to your original post:



In which I wear a HA and still ski with it. I don't have the need for an internal processor for skiing with a HA.

Do your helmets move your HAs around or are they specially made? I suspect there's a fix for our problem.
 
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