My Hook-Up

deafskeptic said:
If there are many success like him, I'd change my words to I'd be cautious about getting CIs as a deaf adult who never heard sounds as CIs can get some getting used to. I'm still getting used to my CI and things sounds a bit staticy to me.
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Yes, it does take time. Mine sounded very staticy at first but improved with every successive map until it just disappeared. I don't even remember noticing that it wasn't there anymore. Does the Med-El work on the same principle of setting threshold and comfort levels during your map?
 
deafskeptic said:
Yes, it does. I'm to see my audiologist on May 20th.
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Okay - so you'll probably find that as you increase the distance between the threshold and comfort levels (called the dynamic range) that things will start to sound better. However, the reason why most of us start off with a narrow dynamic range is because we are used to being deaf, we can't tolerate louder sounds and that has to be built up gradually. Obviously someone that has been deaf for a very long time will never get past a certain level of tolerance because it causes headaches, pain etc.
 
Oh R2D2, I forgot to mention my parents were with me at my hook up.

Anyway, I had a CI moment when I heard a very loud sound on the second floor and went down to the kitchen to ask my mother about it. She said it was the fridge. I said no that wasn't the fridge as I shouldn't be able to hear it from the second floor and then she realized it was the train that I was hearing so we went out on the porch and sure enough the sound got louder as we went out. I've been able to hear trains up close with my HA but I've never been able to hear them a quarter of mile away before unless they tooted the horn.
 
deafskeptic said:
Oh R2D2, I forgot to mention my parents were with me at my hook up.

Anyway, I had a CI moment when I heard a very loud sound on the second floor and went down to the kitchen to ask my mother about it. She said it was the fridge. I said no that wasn't the fridge as I shouldn't be able to hear it from the second floor and then she realized it was the train that I was hearing so we went out on the porch and sure enough the sound got louder as we went out. I've been able to hear trains up close with my HA but I've never been able to hear them a quarter of mile away before unless they tooted the horn.
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That's awesome!
 
I wanted to drop in and check up on you. I see that you have been all hooked up and beginning to have CI moments. I can't wait to hear more! :) I wish you the best of luck :)
 
deafskeptic said:
Oh R2D2, I forgot to mention my parents were with me at my hook up.

Anyway, I had a CI moment when I heard a very loud sound on the second floor and went down to the kitchen to ask my mother about it. She said it was the fridge. I said no that wasn't the fridge as I shouldn't be able to hear it from the second floor and then she realized it was the train that I was hearing so we went out on the porch and sure enough the sound got louder as we went out. I've been able to hear trains up close with my HA but I've never been able to hear them a quarter of mile away before unless they tooted the horn.
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A nice moment! It is sure fun to find out what you can hear! :D
 
Awesome!!! I wonder what my hook-up day will be like!!!
I am sooo happy for you! :] Yeah!!!
 
deafskeptic said:
Oh R2D2, I forgot to mention my parents were with me at my hook up.

Anyway, I had a CI moment when I heard a very loud sound on the second floor and went down to the kitchen to ask my mother about it. She said it was the fridge. I said no that wasn't the fridge as I shouldn't be able to hear it from the second floor and then she realized it was the train that I was hearing so we went out on the porch and sure enough the sound got louder as we went out. I've been able to hear trains up close with my HA but I've never been able to hear them a quarter of mile away before unless they tooted the horn.
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That IS good! :) I loved those playing with the new toy moments.
 
deafskeptic said:
Anyway, I had a CI moment when I heard a very loud sound on the second floor and went down to the kitchen to ask my mother about it. She said it was the fridge. I said no that wasn't the fridge as I shouldn't be able to hear it from the second floor and then she realized it was the train that I was hearing so we went out on the porch and sure enough the sound got louder as we went out. I've been able to hear trains up close with my HA but I've never been able to hear them a quarter of mile away before unless they tooted the horn.
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That's wonderful!! :)
 
R2D2 said:
If you are talking about profoundly deaf people who never had a hearing aid to amplify their residual hearing from childhood, then the prognosis for such people who get CIs in adulthood is very poor. At best, they would hear environmental sounds only. I was born with a severe/profound hearing loss but did well with hearing aids from the age of 3, developed speech perception and so the transition to a CI in adulthood wasn't too difficult.
However, I have a friend who was born deaf, never used hearing aids and got a CI as an adult. He stopped using it after a year as he got headaches from the sounds - his brain didn't know what to do with the sounds. I suspect that Smithtr who wants to get his CI removed in the other thread, is similar to my friend.
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My brother got his about age 9 and stopped using it by age 12 for the same reasons. I was curious if it succeeded for anyone with his similar circumstance. Perhaps not.

I used to think it was because he couldn't tell them how to adjust it right, but I've been thinking more likely it was because his brain just didn't know what to do with the sound input.
 
Capmeister said:
My brother got his about age 9 and stopped using it by age 12 for the same reasons. I was curious if it succeeded for anyone with his similar circumstance. Perhaps not.

I used to think it was because he couldn't tell them how to adjust it right, but I've been thinking more likely it was because his brain just didn't know what to do with the sound input.
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It depends on how well his hearing was stimulated before he had his CI. If he had a big hearing loss with no or minimal benefit from hearing aids, then yeah 9 is a late age, developmentally speaking to get a CI and it would be no surprise that he didn't get good results with it, no matter how intelligent or motivated he is.

The conventional understanding is that the parts of the brain that would have gone toward interpreting sound gets reallocated elsewhere once the window for speech development starts to close - around the age of 3 or so.
 
Capmeister said:
My brother got his about age 9 and stopped using it by age 12 for the same reasons. I was curious if it succeeded for anyone with his similar circumstance. Perhaps not.

I used to think it was because he couldn't tell them how to adjust it right, but I've been thinking more likely it was because his brain just didn't know what to do with the sound input.
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it's really hard to say exactly why he had problems. one reason they encourage parents to concider implantation at a young age is the brain is still developing the pathways and adapts to the stimuli quite easily.

in your brothers case it could be his brain just didn't know what to do.

But having had problems the first couple times I was programed I do know that it is very easy to over amplyfy the loudest sounds you can tolerate. I actually had to go back after 2 weeks and redo the c's and t's because they were 'buzzing' me. I actually went though setting the levels by really concentrating on the feel, not the sound. I also had the lowest 2 electrodes turned off because of the 'buzz', i just didn't seem to be able to get them set. So if I had problems it wouldnt surprise me if children and deaf adults have problems setting the levels correctly to. I might actually get brave then next time I go in and try those electrodes again. I'm thinking they would need to be set alot lower then the other 20.

But regardless of why you brother was unsuccessful I'm happy that he at least had a chance to try.
 
jag said:
it's really hard to say exactly why he had problems. one reason they encourage parents to concider implantation at a young age is the brain is still developing the pathways and adapts to the stimuli quite easily.

in your brothers case it could be his brain just didn't know what to do.

But having had problems the first couple times I was programed I do know that it is very easy to over amplyfy the loudest sounds you can tolerate. I actually had to go back after 2 weeks and redo the c's and t's because they were 'buzzing' me. I actually went though setting the levels by really concentrating on the feel, not the sound. I also had the lowest 2 electrodes turned off because of the 'buzz', i just didn't seem to be able to get them set. So if I had problems it wouldnt surprise me if children and deaf adults have problems setting the levels correctly to. I might actually get brave then next time I go in and try those electrodes again. I'm thinking they would need to be set alot lower then the other 20.

But regardless of why you brother was unsuccessful I'm happy that he at least had a chance to try.
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I've asked him if he'd ever like to try it again--I assume he could get a new external that would work with his internal implant. He has no interest. Why waste the time? He'd much rather work toward his masters degree in education. :)

(My question to him, by the way, was one of curiosity--I don't care one way or another, I just find the whole technological aspect interesting.)
 
Capmeister said:
I've asked him if he'd ever like to try it again--I assume he could get a new external that would work with his internal implant. He has no interest. Why waste the time? He'd much rather work toward his masters degree in education. :)

(My question to him, by the way, was one of curiosity--I don't care one way or another, I just find the whole technological aspect interesting.)
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Yeah - sometimes it's a bit like a parachute jump - some people are happy just to have tried once out of curiosity and have no desire to repeat the experience.
 
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