Looking into CI

EvilGurl666

EvilGurl666

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I need anything I'm trying to look into more information on c.i. So far I've only heard three different co AB (advanced bionics), Rondo and Cochlear Americas

I wear glasses so how do you feel wearing the C.i. They look bigger than my hearing aids lol. Can you hear music better? Any kind of information will help :) One more question colors. Can you get them in colors although my favorite color is purple :) or even better zebra print.

I just need help trying to understand how they work esp with different kind of C.i. There is.

Thanks
Jessica
 
Jessica: How a Cochlear Implant will work-depends on what the ENT/surgeons finds when examined.
I wear glasses and have an Advanced Bionics-Harmony-which is silver. It was activated in August/07. I positively hear music much better than when I used my Phonak LL6. Back then i was in the Profound Loss category-the highest. Now bilateral DEAF.
Good luck in your new "journey" with a Cochlear Implant.
 
Cochlear also has colors, if the color you want is not one of the base colors, (black, tan, etc) you can also get a thing tat clips on and covers it. With those you can get stuff from blue to even camouflage! I don't remember what they are exactly, but ask and find out! AB I believe does have more color options I believe. One thing to keep in mind is that you will be stuck with this for a while. In 10 years do you think you would wanna have zebra print implant? I wear glasses, and they are fine, put the implant on, fit glasses between processor and head. Simple. As for music, you can get a MAP for music with cochlear, no clue for AB. As for the types of implants, you were close. Rondo is a type, made by Med El. Med el also makes the Opus processor. AB has the harmony and the Neptune. Cochlear has the nucleus 5 and will soon come out with nucleus 6.
 
how a CI works is dependent on the individual. You have to be willing to put in the work to relearn the sounds with the CI, as it's different from hearing aids. Do some auditory rehab, and soon enough you'll get used to the way things sound with the CI. Music sounds great for some people, and bad for others. It's a different experience for everyone.

And I'm pretty sure all 3 manufacturers have their own colors for CIs... AB has a new BTE processor coming out this summer that will be smaller/slimmer than the current Harmony and it'll come in a variety of colors, and their Neptune processor has several different color caps (the main Neptune comes in either black or white). Cochlear has a few basic colors, but they have different colors/designs for covers. Med-El's Rondo is just the few basic colors, but the Opus BTE comes in a few more colors I think.

You can order skins from Skinits.com to jazz up your CI processors even more if you wish, they have a contract with AB and Cochlear both. No options for Med-El skins from this site.

Check out cochlear implant HELP for more info on all of the brands. You can also look at each manufacturer's website as well, to find out more about their specific devices, Advanced Bionics, Cochlear, MED-EL
 
Ditto what everyone else said. We can't tell you what it will sound like because it's different for everyone. For me personally with my AB implant, music sound good to me as long as I already knew the song before I went completely deaf. If I've never heard it before I can't follow it.

I have AB's Neptune in purple and "tropical sea"
 
I am enjoying all sorts of new music with mine. It does take a while to get accustomed to the sound of a CI.

I wear glasses myself and I don't have any problem with the CI and glasses, even with the large BTE processor (AB Harmony). I also have a Neptune which doesn't need to be located on the ear. The new AB Naida BTE processor is pretty close to the size of a hearing aid and will be out this summer. If you chose AB, you'd probably get a Neptune and a voucher for the new BTE processor when it's available... if it's not already out by the time you underwent surgery.
 
CI won't be anything like a hearing aid, no where near the same in sound quality when it comes from music if you're already used to hearing music through hearing aids, think of this as music with too much tone and not enough bass imo. that said, if you are deaf it is way better than nothing!
 
xunixan said:
CI won't be anything like a hearing aid, no where near the same in sound quality when it comes from music if you're already used to hearing music through hearing aids, think of this as music with too much tone and not enough bass imo. that said, if you are deaf it is way better than nothing!
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Do you mean: "Too much treble and not enough bass?" That is similar to how I describe it, "It's a bit like having the treble knob turned all the way up." Bass relies on harmonics with CI hearing, so that rich, deep bass that is possible when you have low frequency hearing through a hearing aid will not be there.

In my experience, I am not sure I'd say "It is no where near the same in sound quality." I have the experience with natural hearing, Hearing Aid hearing, and CI hearing with music. There are songs I first heard with normal hearing, songs I first heard through HA hearing (or listening through powerful headphones with my own ear), and songs I first heard through CI Hearing.

There was music, such as the Star Wars theme, that I never heard properly with my HA, but immediately recognized with my CI after 25 years. All of the music I discovered while using a HA are immediately recognizable, but are now in "High Def." Details I couldn't hear before are present. There were entire songs/albums that were just "noise" to me no matter how many times I listened to it. The CI opened all of them up. All of the music I knew with normal hearing sounds like it used to before the loss.

Music varies person to person with CIs. There isn't a uniform result. Some of us have terrible results. I got lucky. I recognize that it's possible I could lose this should I have to be re-implanted. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it as much as possible.
 
Hey, BP, yes that's exactly what I mean!

I definitely am able to still recognize and appreciate music still, something like the Star Wars theme still sounds great to me!

I think when I get my second CI activated, hearing in stereo will make all that more of a difference :)

BleedingPurist said:
Do you mean: "Too much treble and not enough bass?" That is similar to how I describe it, "It's a bit like having the treble knob turned all the way up." Bass relies on harmonics with CI hearing, so that rich, deep bass that is possible when you have low frequency hearing through a hearing aid will not be there.
Click to expand...
 
xunixan said:
Hey, BP, yes that's exactly what I mean!

I definitely am able to still recognize and appreciate music still, something like the Star Wars theme still sounds great to me!

I think when I get my second CI activated, hearing in stereo will make all that more of a difference :)
Click to expand...

I'm slightly jealous! ;) Looking forward to hearing all about it!
 
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