My brother's CI expiriance

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Michaelso

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Surgery finished few hours ago.Looks like a successful operation. He did the left side today.He is only complaining for a sound coming from that ear ,a wave like sound.Doctor said is normal.Anyone had this after the operation?
 
I 'hear' sound also from my left ear, got implanted Feb 10, 2015. What I hear now is sound like a hush static noise. When I woke up from surgery, the sound was 'loud' and had a whine sound. But, it quieted down pretty quickly.
 
I didnt hear anything after my surgery on 12/10/2014, but did hear some buzzing sound later a few days after surgery and it stopped. My second ci surgery is in 5 days (march 25th) so I will see if any changes. I didnt get sick or feel dizzy after either, was a smooth surgery with a slight headache/earache after for a few days.
 
The post-surgery tinnitus is normal and usually dies down after a couple of weeks or sooner. I did have a few difficult nights sleeping because it was so overwhelming, but it was temporary.

Which manufacturer did your brother go with? On the headphones topic, headphones that have the ability to pump the bass out may be more ideal since every CI has limits on the amount of true low frequencies they can deliver. As for type of headphones, that will depend some on what manufacturer he chose.

Cochlear will require over the ear headphones since the mic is at the top of the ear. These would be the most comfortable to wear. On-the-ear headphones would require him to wear the headphones lopsided. Ear buds are out of the question.

Med El has similar restrictions on wearing type, but better fidelity with the type of programming capable, so far better suited for music than the former for delivering audio quality.

Advanced Bionics has the Tmic, so in that instance he would have no restrictions and, as with Med El, technology that is better suited for music. I personally have a variety of headphones for different purposes, though my favorite pair is over-the-ear with powerful bass that can be switched on and off.

Cochlear and AB both offer wireless streaming, which can sound great, but lack the throb of the bass that headphones can offer.

Volume won't be an issue for him anymore with headphones. He will wind up using similar volume levels as someone with normal hearing whether for comfort or loud for effect.
 
Thank you for your personals expiriances.
@BleedingPurist
We had the medel- Rondo
 
Michaelso said:
Thank you for your personals expiriances.
@BleedingPurist
We had the medel- Rondo
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Excellent! Does he only have one processor? I recommend against an off-ear processor for full-time use. They are best for part-time, back-up use. He should have a Sonnet BTE as a primary (making it easier for using things the need to be near the ear like headphones or the telephone) processor and the Rondo as back up. Most U.S. clinics offer two processor choices per ear.
 
Yes.Only the rondo.If this ci is successful, in a few months will proceed for the right side.All expenses are covered so I don't think they will cover us for a back up pair.I will ask and if the money is in our spectrum we will consider it.
Doctor said he will activate the rondo in about 15 days.
 
Michaelso said:
Yes.Only the rondo.If this ci is successful, in a few months will proceed for the right side.All expenses are covered so I don't think they will cover us for a back up pair.I will ask and if the money is in our spectrum we will consider it.
Doctor said he will activate the rondo in about 15 days.
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He still has the option to change processors before his activation date. I strongly recommend reviewing the differences between the Rondo and the Sonnet. Most Med El users do not use a Rondo as their only option. It gets awkward for everyday use. The Sonnet has far more options to help him hear his best. Microphone placement makes a difference in sound quality. Hearing through a mic at the back of your head is not the best idea for full time use. I say this based on experience.

The one feature the Rondo has is that it is off ear. It otherwise is lacking compared to every modern BTE processor.
 
BP: I have two friends who have Rondo, use it as their only processor and absolutely love it. They also have the Opus 2, but I don't know if they have ever tried it, because they are satisfied with Rondo.. so I guess it's different for everyone.
 
zajko said:
BP: I have two friends who have Rondo, use it as their only processor and absolutely love it. They also have the Opus 2, but I don't know if they have ever tried it, because they are satisfied with Rondo.. so I guess it's different for everyone.
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Certainly, but given they were discussing headphones, which is impossible for a Rondo, that is one of my reasons for suggesting reconsidering. There is also that your friends actually have another option, which is not the case here.

Sure, you can use a telecoil loop with the Rondo, but that is going to be subject to interference and limited on the environments it can be used in.
 
5 days later and my brother he is in good condition.Walking and can do light work.Also continues to take antibiotics.The only side effect of that is diarrhea.In 2 days we will go for cleaning the stitches back of the ear.
The wave like sound is gone.The weird is that he can hear little bit from this ear.


@BleedingPurist
I talked with audi and she said they use Rondo for the most part and never heard anything like that.But we can test the opus if we like and decide.Also we can upgrade them every 4 years so we have the option for later.
 
Michaelso said:
5 days later and my brother he is in good condition.Walking and can do light work.Also continues to take antibiotics.The only side effect of that is diarrhea.In 2 days we will go for cleaning the stitches back of the ear.
The wave like sound is gone.The weird is that he can hear little bit from this ear.


@BleedingPurist
I talked with audi and she said they use Rondo for the most part and never heard anything like that.But we can test the opus if we like and decide.Also we can upgrade them every 4 years so we have the option for later.
Click to expand...

That's great that his tinnitus has died down and he has residual hearing. All the more reason to consider headphones where he can still pick up low frequency sound to complement his CI.

I can't imagine his Audi does hear that much considering it's a single processor clinic. At any rate, I'm not saying the Rondo isn't a good processor, but it's definitely a "I didn't think of that" processor where things you might do differently don't occur to you until later.

He may very well begin using the phone. if that happens, he won't be able to just answer and hold it up to his ear. He'll have to deal with extra equipment. The fact is, we don't have ear canals back there for a reason. A CI can change your hearing habits quite a bit from a hearing aid where you find yourself doing things you couldn't befor.

Definitely do the BTE trial. They should be offering the Sonnet over the Opus though. That is the latest BTE that offers future wireless audio streaming.
 
Its been 3 days since the activation and everything going great.
First hours passed and he got used to it.Voices got from cartoonish to more human.He understand most of the sounds words etc.He can hear things that he remember when he was 5.
In 10 day will go again to raise the volume to the next level.Very glad we took the decision to go CI
 
Thanks for the update and glad to hear he had a "rockstar" activation! He won't be missing that hearing aid at all!

Is he going to try the Sonnet after all? They recently announced further news on their coming Bluetooth accessory. Between the ability to use headphones and connect to his smartphone (and other Bluetooth devices) I cannot recommend reconsidering the Sonnet enough.
 
Almost 6 months later and everything is smooth.Earlier we had some problems with pain(headaches) due to the magnet causing some pressure on the head between the skin and the processor.Finally changed it with a not so powerful magnet and now he is more comfortable.
@BleedingPurist
We didn't try the sonnet yet.Maybe in the future.
 
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