please explain to me about cochlear implants

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gab1430

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I am almost completely deaf on one ear, my audiologist said they would have to make me totally deaf on both ears to be able to use CI. I have also read that it only helps to recognize noises, not speech or music for example, and that they can be very uncomfortable, please please tell me everything you can about them. I want to keep working, but the way my hearing is going I dont know how much longer I can keep teaching.
thanks so much.
 
You would have to retrain yourself to understand and recognize the sounds and the speech banana.

People who became deaf later tend to do well with CIs.
 
gab1430 said:
I am almost completely deaf on one ear, my audiologist said they would have to make me totally deaf on both ears to be able to use CI.
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You need to find a new audiologist...like yesterday...that is so not true. I'm sure others who wear CI will comment here but off the top of my head, sounds like this person has no clue what they're talking about, and considering the field she/he works in...that's scary....

Laura
 
Lau2046 said:
You need to find a new audiologist...like yesterday...that is so not true. I'm sure others who wear CI will comment here but off the top of my head, sounds like this person has no clue what they're talking about, and considering the field she/he works in...that's scary....

Laura
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That depends entirely on what's going on with the other ear. If her other ear is normal (she said "I am almost completely deaf on one ear") she likely would not qualify for a CI. While the audi's comment sounds "off" I actually get why she would say that. Most unilateral losses do not qualify for CI's.
 
I am almost completely deaf on one ear, my audiologist said they would have to make me totally deaf on both ears to be able to use CI.
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Are you sure you did not misunderstand that part? Audiologists know that you need to be completely deaf in both ears before you qualify for CI's, not that you have to be deaf in both ears to be able to use CI's.

If you have normal hearing or can hear well with at least one ear, you will not qualify....at least for insurance coverage.
 
gab1430 said:
I am almost completely deaf on one ear, my audiologist said they would have to make me totally deaf on both ears to be able to use CI. I have also read that it only helps to recognize noises, not speech or music for example, and that they can be very uncomfortable, please please tell me everything you can about them. I want to keep working, but the way my hearing is going I dont know how much longer I can keep teaching.
thanks so much.
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If you do in fact have a unilateral hearing loss, depending on the type I wonder if you might qualify for a Soundbite. If so, the CI could become a moot point.

Treating Single Sided Deafness Sudden Hearing Loss SoundBite™
 
If you have NO loss in your good ear, it's unlikely you will qualify right now. They ARE implanting people with single sides deafness right now as a study, so sometime in the future it's possible you will qualify.

If you have some loss in your good ear, then whether you qualify or not will come down to your speech discrimination scores. If they're bad enough and you get lucky with a good CI center/surgeon, and insurance, you could get implanted in your deaf ear.

If your good ear is fine and there's no reason to suspect future progressive loss in that ear, then a BAHA can help you. It's implanted on the deaf side, and the processor sends the sound to your good ear via bone conduction. If you ever lose your good ear, it can easily be removed in order to get CI's.
 
after you audiologist , tell you want to cochlear implant, IMO you want to you sound environment.. you are how level on sound , pretty depend on level , I experience 10 yrs through cochlear implant :) I tell you explain you clear I was oral and speech , I understand you uncomfortable loud annoy relate issues not sure, I assure you have noise you environment sound! I insecure to wearing to cochlear implant wise, recommand I advise to hearing aid! it doesn't work help cochlear implant imperfect..world of people have cochlear implant imperfect failure implant, you accept to almost to deaf. you can do wearing using to better to safe hearing aid!
audiologist explain tell answer to you!
 
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thanks for the replies. I am almost deaf on one ear, the other one is really low, but it helps me get by. I went to a really bad audiologist, I can tell because of the way she treated me, she told me my audiometry didnt make any sense because my speech is not impaired and for the length of time I have had this loss I should sound different, specially since English is my second language. So i asked her can you try testing me again, she said NO your insurance wont pay for a new test, pluse I am out of time anyway, heheheh.
So I will have to look for a new audiologist that when i can afford it. So far I am trying to pick up my own pieces, I am super depressed since i noticed my bad ear has gone worse lately. I cant explain why, I am just super worried about my job, what to do now, etc... Of course the fact that my dad has dementia a lives thousands of miles away is not helping either.
 
gab1430 said:
thanks for the replies. I am almost deaf on one ear, the other one is really low, but it helps me get by. I went to a really bad audiologist, I can tell because of the way she treated me, she told me my audiometry didnt make any sense because my speech is not impaired and for the length of time I have had this loss I should sound different, specially since English is my second language. So i asked her can you try testing me again, she said NO your insurance wont pay for a new test, pluse I am out of time anyway, heheheh.
So I will have to look for a new audiologist that when i can afford it. So far I am trying to pick up my own pieces, I am super depressed since i noticed my bad ear has gone worse lately. I cant explain why, I am just super worried about my job, what to do now, etc... Of course the fact that my dad has dementia a lives thousands of miles away is not helping either.
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What was your first language?
 
Gab1430; How about getting hearing aids? there are many locations that give you a hearing test for free, and sell the hearing aids as well...Im in the same situation as you, I have one ear very slow, and the other is a getting me by. So I went and got hearing aids at Miracle Ear and Im doing much better. My audiologist recommended a CI - But Im not mentally or otherwise ready for that. Im still trying to cope with this and hoping for a miracle I guess. - I totally understand your sadness, I go through the exact samething. I think its harder for those of us who are used to hearing. Very frustrating and depressing; but we must keep on moving ahead and keep our spirits up. Check out a hearing aid location, they will give you a hearing test for free remember that. Miracle Ear is good. English is my second language as well, Im originaly from South America. Keep us posted on how you are doing. :>) cheer up.
 
gab1430 said:
Spanish
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I wonder if the audiologist isn't being sensitive to the fact that your first language is in Spanish and is using that against you by saying you should sound different. Hmmm..
 
gab1430 said:
thanks for the replies. I am almost deaf on one ear, the other one is really low, but it helps me get by. I went to a really bad audiologist, I can tell because of the way she treated me, she told me my audiometry didnt make any sense because my speech is not impaired and for the length of time I have had this loss I should sound different, specially since English is my second language. So i asked her can you try testing me again, she said NO your insurance wont pay for a new test, pluse I am out of time anyway, heheheh.
So I will have to look for a new audiologist that when i can afford it. So far I am trying to pick up my own pieces, I am super depressed since i noticed my bad ear has gone worse lately. I cant explain why, I am just super worried about my job, what to do now, etc... Of course the fact that my dad has dementia a lives thousands of miles away is not helping either.
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That's crazy.....I'm profoundly deaf but speak like a hearing person, its not till I'm tired you realised how bad my voice can get. People speech will decline at different rates.

Hope you get the answers that you want tho.
 
NaidaUP said:
That's crazy.....I'm profoundly deaf but speak like a hearing person, its not till I'm tired you realised how bad my voice can get. People speech will decline at different rates.

Hope you get the answers that you want tho.
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Yea I don't have a problem with people understanding me, I wonder why is it that some people have that hoarse voice though, it would be good if someone were to do some research on that (not that there's anything wrong with it, but it's good to have an option still :) )
 
NaidaUP said:
That's crazy.....I'm profoundly deaf but speak like a hearing person, its not till I'm tired you realised how bad my voice can get. People speech will decline at different rates.

Hope you get the answers that you want tho.
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Same here...born with a 110 dB level in both ears and I have near perfect speech. However, my speech becomes more distorted when I am tired.
 
gab1430 said:
I am almost completely deaf on one ear, my audiologist said they would have to make me totally deaf on both ears to be able to use CI.
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We were told a similar thing about our daughter when we looked into getting her CI. We were told that during the surgery, *something* (can't remember what anymore... it's been a while) would need to be cut/destroyed and that would take away any natural hearing she might have in that ear. We were also told that some kids still end up having a very little bit of residual hearing in the CI ear, but I don't know if that's true.

Our daughter still has some natural hearing in her other ear, so when her CI is off, we assume she only hears us using her HA. Apparently, we can have her HA audiologist check her CI ear to see if there's any hearing left there, but we've never done that.
 
ShilohBuchman said:
We were told that during the surgery, *something* (can't remember what anymore... it's been a while) would need to be cut/destroyed and that would take away any natural hearing she might have in that ear. We were also told that some kids still end up having a very little bit of residual hearing in the CI ear, but I don't know if that's true.
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When the surgeon cuts a hole in the cochlea, he inserts the electrode tip in there, and the tip wraps itself around the surface. When that happens, it can destroy any remaining good cilia. Cochlear supposedly has a 'softer' tip to reduce the act of destroying it.

My opinion, really, is that you should not need a CI unless the chances of you being able to hear normally again is zero percent. Plus, I could be wrong, but I think this 'softer tip' advertisement is only to calm peoples' paranoia about CI's destroying any chance of hearing again.

If there is a chance to have decent hearing with hearing aids, stay away from CI's. The CI should be a last, and final resort, not a 'cure-all' for any hearing issues.

Again, it is a controversial topic, so.....
 
My feeling is that if you have too much to lose by destroying your residual hearing, you have too much residual hearing to get a CI. That was never a concern of mine as there was nothing useful to destroy.
 
Yep, what Alex said. I had absolutely nothing to lose by implanting my left ear, as it was already completely 100% deaf/dead, hearing aids did not do a thing. I didn't want to implant my right ear just yet as I felt I was still doing ok with a hearing aid, but wanted to get sound in the left ear. It's worked out for me, CI in left ear, hearing aid in right, I'm happy.
 
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