New here- recent Post CI surgery user with some questions..

Hi Catherine, welcome to our forums. We like to think you've come to the right place.

I'm not an implant myself. I'll not know for sure if I can be implanted till Dec 4. My Dad keeps reminding me that I could get turned down. If I do become an implant, I'll keep guys here and others informed on my progress as I'm a prelingally deaf person. I wasn't born hearing. I've not been able to find much info on progress by prelingally deaf adults with CIs.
 
Everyone,

Thanks for the welcome- I tried sleeping on the implanted side and it was better than the opposite side i slept on! It was bit of pressure but it wasn't bad. I finally got my sleep that I needed badly :)

I wish the activation day is closer now! The suspense is killing me! :-D
 
Profileofadream said:
Everyone,

Thanks for the welcome- I tried sleeping on the implanted side and it was better than the opposite side i slept on! It was bit of pressure but it wasn't bad. I finally got my sleep that I needed badly :)

I wish the activation day is closer now! The suspense is killing me! :-D
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Yay!!! Sometimes it pays to do things that we would think to be a no-no. I also have a personal theory that my healing went faster after I slept on the implanted side because by gravity it got access to better blood circulation, giving it the nutrients it needed to heal.

My sympathies over the wait to switch on - how long do you have now?
 
deafskeptic said:
Hi Catherine, welcome to our forums. We like to think you've come to the right place.

I'm not an implant myself. I'll not know for sure if I can be implanted till Dec 4. My Dad keeps reminding me that I could get turned down. If I do become an implant, I'll keep guys here and others informed on my progress as I'm a prelingally deaf person. I wasn't born hearing. I've not been able to find much info on progress by prelingally deaf adults with CIs.
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There's a number of us here with CIs that weren't born hearing - which is what makes AD a good place to be if you are investigating CIs and are a prelingual.

Usually people that get turned down are done so on the grounds that they have too much hearing or still benefit well with hearing aids. A smaller number are turned down because they are unable to be implanted due to the structure of the ear or some other obstacle.
 
12 days must seem like a lifetime. But look at it this way, how long has it been since the surgery? Wasn't it like three weeks ago? Hell, your'e more than half way there! I imagine the wait will be well worth it. When you are activated, try to document it. If possible, find a loved one to video tape it, or photograph it. It is a powerful moment that you will cherish forever. Whe Lilly was activated (late october last year), a photojournalist photographed both days. SHe had been a public relations person for my daughters oral deaf ed school for many years. SHe asked us if she could photograph it. Without hesitation I agreed. The more info that gets out about deaf issues and CI, the better. She gave us a cd with the photos on it. I still get choked up lookiing at them. In fact, the photo at the bottom of my post is when we are walking into the audi booth after activation.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!:dance2:
 
I have had one incident where I've "miraclously" regained some of my hearing for some werid reason few years ago when i was in high school.
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Auditory nereopathy maybe? I know I've heard of some people with AN having really weird fluctuating loss before.....
 
Lillysdad offered excellent suggestions about documenting your activation on videotape or CD.

You might also want to write a journal detailing your CI experiences. This is what my audi suggested I do (since many people forget what it was like in the very beginning). I took her advice and wrote a year long journal from the day I was evaluated for a CI until my first Christmas with a CI. It's exciting being able to re-read my journal and relive what it was like to hear for the very first time with a CI as well as so many other "firsts" as far as hearing is concerned. The journal is a constant reminder of how far I've come since the day my first CI was activated.

Another advantage of writing a journal is being able to see your progress from day to day. Some CI users who don't keep a journal become frustrated because they don't see the small "CI moments" that eventually turn into significant hearing moments (such as being able to hear on the phone or hearing voices clearly for the very first time). Sometimes it's easy to think you're not making progress. When you have a journal to look at, it's much easier to see the big picture between where you started and where you are now.
 
Yes! I highly recommend the journal idea. I was really able to see the progress that I had made even though it seemed so slooooow and insignificant at the time.
 
Hear Again, those CI moments happen every day! Not a day goes by where I do not notice something new with Lilly. I dont know if it is related to normal development of a toddler, or her brain adapting to the CI, but those moments simply do not stop coming at you.
Even today, with her CI not working, they came. I was suprised with her clarity when speaking without hearing ALL day. Also, trying to remain optomistic, it was a good opportunity to work on some sign. She alos let my wife know immediately when the CI quit working. My wife told me that Lilly was very mad when it quit. She wanted her "ear on".
 
I hope you manage to get it fixed soon Lilly's Dad! It's good that you have some signing skills with her to fall back on when this happens.
 
You can always draw your progress as well. I tend to doodle all over my journal when I'm supposed to write in it.
 
Hi guys,

I do plan to keep a seperate journal for my auditory experiences.

10 days left to activation- about time that it is going fast and faster! :)

Were you guys allowed to bring your close loved ones in the room for the activation? Just wondering and I'm curious to hear their reactions from the first time you guys heard them.

Catherine
 
Profileofadream said:
...
Were you guys allowed to bring your close loved ones in the room for the activation? Just wondering and I'm curious to hear their reactions from the first time you guys heard them.
...
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I did. I brought my wife and two kids. It shouldn't be a problem.
 
We were there with Lilly. I have never heard of anyone being preventd from being there. I would imagine that you could bring several people. Contact you audi and find out. Good luck!
 
R2, we got it fixed this morning. Her audi at school identified the problem. The coil wire was worn out. That was the intial problem. The other problem was the rechargable batteries had to be replaced. Shes hooked up again and everything is fine!
 
Lillys dad said:
R2, we got it fixed this morning. Her audi at school identified the problem. The coil wire was worn out. That was the intial problem. The other problem was the rechargable batteries had to be replaced. Shes hooked up again and everything is fine!
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Yay!!! :dance2:
 
I'm glad all is well now that you got the CI fixed. I sure hope constant repairs isn't going to be part of being a CI.
 
deafskeptic said:
I'm glad all is well now that you got the CI fixed. I sure hope constant repairs isn't going to be part of being a CI.
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I don't know about AB, but with the Nucleus Freedom you have a 10 year warranty for the internal device, and a 3 year warranty for the external device.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
I don't know about AB, but with the Nucleus Freedom you have a 10 year warranty for the internal device, and a 3 year warranty for the external device.
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To take this one step further, you can get "insurance" to keep it covered after the 3 year warranty.

Making a long story short, I was in a study and during that time I had the device they gave me. The only problem I had with the study's model was the LED screen not displaying information properly. It wasn't a problem with determining which program I was on as it beeps that info. It was the volume and sensitivity where it would have been problematical (they replaced it). Later, I received my first CI (silver) in the Fall of '05 and it had the same problem which they promptly replaced as it was under warranty. I got my second CI (blue) in Spring of '06 and I had no problems with that one so far. In the state I live, they give you two CIs but my second one which was blue and it took them longer to finally get the "color" approved by the FDA. The warranties for each are basically 3 years from when you receive them. You bet I'll get the extended insurance to cover them. They cost too much otherwise. ;)
 
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