Pros and Cons of Cochlear Implants

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Mike Bir

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I am considering getting a Cochlear Implant as my hearing has dropped below the realm of human voices and my aid does not help me with this. I was born deaf in one ear and am now have profound loss in my other. When I attended my local community college I took ASL as I knew this day was coming. There where 4 people that had cochlear Implants in my classes over the 2 semesters and 3 out of 4 said they did not work for them ( this was over 20 yrs. ago ). I am sure the technology has gotten much better since then, but as I embark on this journey I need more information ( as much as possible ) to help me make the right decision. I own my own business ( Building Contractor, that specializes in Remodeling and Home Repair ) talking to my clients is getting much harder! I have had Tinnitus for the last 50 yrs. and it makes hearing voices harder if they aren't speaking above the ringing.
 
Have you looked for community forums for the 3 brands of CIs? Also, have you talked with CI company reps? They SHOULD offer to get you in touch with other CI users (mentors).

Though I don't want to "push a brand", I will share the community forum website for my brand (Advanced Bionics). I suggest you see if there are forums for the other brands so you can "compare".

HearingJourney

hearingjourney.com hearingjourney.com

I'm a late deafened bilateral CI recipient. I know of deaf/Deaf who have had success with their CIs.
 
Mike Bir
www.innocaption.com

Real-time Call Caption App | Android & Iphone | InnoCaption

InnoCaption provides real-time captioning of phone calls through a mobile app. We empower individuals with hearing loss to make calls with confidence.
www.innocaption.com www.innocaption.com
In the mean time while you are trying to finish your research about a CI, you might want to visit the site I referenced above. They provide captioning on cell phones that can be set so that calls to your regular cell number use automatic call forwarding and caller ID functions. I have used them for years and really like them.
 
LoveBlue said:
Have you looked for community forums for the 3 brands of CIs? Also, have you talked with CI company reps? They SHOULD offer to get you in touch with other CI users (mentors).

Though I don't want to "push a brand", I will share the community forum website for my brand (Advanced Bionics). I suggest you see if there are forums for the other brands so you can "compare".

HearingJourney

hearingjourney.com hearingjourney.com

I'm a late deafened bilateral CI recipient. I know of deaf/Deaf who have had success with their CIs.
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I am waiting on a return phone call from one of the Hospitals that does the surgery's for CIs. There are only 4 within 50 miles of where I live, 5 if you count a childrens hospital. I have logged in to some forums and some of the stories of the struggles to get to being able to understand what they were hearing and the time it took is depressing to me!
 
Mike Bir said:
I am waiting on a return phone call from one of the Hospitals that does the surgery's for CIs. There are only 4 within 50 miles of where I live, 5 if you count a childrens hospital. I have logged in to some forums and some of the stories of the struggles to get to being able to understand what they were hearing and the time it took is depressing to me!
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There is a member on the forum I'm on that was deaf in one ear ford 60+ years. After getting a CI in his "good" ear, he decided, against odds, to have the deaf ear implanted. He has surprised everyone with how well he's doing. Though that ear is not good on it's own, yet, it has helped him with hearing bilaterally.

Yes, there are certainly those who do not do well with a CI, but there are people who were born deaf that have done well with them.

It is your choice, of course, but try not to focus on the "bad".

Be sure you're comfortable with the CI audiologist you talk to. It's important to have a good audiologist and unfortunately there are some not so good ones out there. Also, be wary if they "push" a certain brand. They should leave the brand selection to you. They should give you literature for all brands and those should include contact info.
 
Mike Bir said:
I am waiting on a return phone call from one of the Hospitals that does the surgery's for CIs. There are only 4 within 50 miles of where I live, 5 if you count a childrens hospital. I have logged in to some forums and some of the stories of the struggles to get to being able to understand what they were hearing and the time it took is depressing to me!
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It is a lifeline for me, and I was implanted at 72, about a year and a half ago. I chose AB. Wishing you well.
 
LoveBlue said:
There is a member on the forum I'm on that was deaf in one ear ford 60+ years. After getting a CI in his "good" ear, he decided, against odds, to have the deaf ear implanted. He has surprised everyone with how well he's doing. Though that ear is not good on it's own, yet, it has helped him with hearing bilaterally.

Yes, there are certainly those who do not do well with a CI, but there are people who were born deaf that have done well with them.

It is your choice, of course, but try not to focus on the "bad".

Be sure you're comfortable with the CI audiologist you talk to. It's important to have a good audiologist and unfortunately there are some not so good ones out there. Also, be wary if they "push" a certain brand. They should leave the brand selection to you. They should give you literature for all brands and those should include contact info.
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I have looked at the websites for various CI and am scheduled to see an Audiologist on the 14th of this month. I have a better sense of what to expect and thanks to all who have gave me answers and places to look I feel I have enough questions to ask them and will decide my next step accordingly, God willing.
 
Mike Bir said:
I will check into all makes and have done research on them as well. My journey will begin on 4-14-23 when I talk to and get started with testing ( I am already nervous!)
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Hi there, Mike, how is your journey coming along? Hope it's all positive
 
I thought that cochlear implant would help me understand and hear difference between sounds because a lot of sounds sound all same to me. Even with hearing aids, at least they help me understanding some sounds outside of people talking. When it comes to hearing people talking, everything sounds same to me. So I thought getting a cochlear implant would help with that.

I wear hearing aids all times even from birth. I got my cochlear implant for my right ear when I was 20 years old despite my deaf parents being against it. It's little ironic because they wanted hearing aids for me. They didn't have good reasons to convince me from not getting cochlear implants other than forgetting deaf culture and "prideful" deafness.

It doesn't work for me. I regret getting it because I can't hear anymore with my right ear even with a hearing aid. That's what the surgery will do, they remove the access inside your ear to hearing. You will hear NOTHING. I knew about it and signed up for the surgery anyways. With a cochlear implant, I had a hard time learning it and I can't stand bearing/feeling weird static(TV static) on my head. At least I can still hear with my left ear on a hearing aid. When I hear sounds with my cochlear implant, all I am hearing is whistling. I stopped wearing it after 2 months.

I reckon that cochlear implants would be better experience for younger people. IMO, I think learning how to speak should be first step before getting cochlear implants. This cochlear implant technology is not that good yet since it have many risks and adapting problems. For people with health problems, you can't take MRI without getting the surgery again to remove the piece in your head. I know you can still take CT scans but MRI can be better for certain health problems that CT scans can't detect.

Let hope there's better technology than messing around with parts in bodies...
 
I got one at 48 & it works quite well for me. I had progressive hearing loss due to a Mitochondrial issue.
 
Aegis said:
I thought that cochlear implant would help me understand and hear difference between sounds because a lot of sounds sound all same to me. Even with hearing aids, at least they help me understanding some sounds outside of people talking. When it comes to hearing people talking, everything sounds same to me. So I thought getting a cochlear implant would help with that.

I wear hearing aids all times even from birth. I got my cochlear implant for my right ear when I was 20 years old despite my deaf parents being against it. It's little ironic because they wanted hearing aids for me. They didn't have good reasons to convince me from not getting cochlear implants other than forgetting deaf culture and "prideful" deafness.

It doesn't work for me. I regret getting it because I can't hear anymore with my right ear even with a hearing aid. That's what the surgery will do, they remove the access inside your ear to hearing. You will hear NOTHING. I knew about it and signed up for the surgery anyways. With a cochlear implant, I had a hard time learning it and I can't stand bearing/feeling weird static(TV static) on my head. At least I can still hear with my left ear on a hearing aid. When I hear sounds with my cochlear implant, all I am hearing is whistling. I stopped wearing it after 2 months.

I reckon that cochlear implants would be better experience for younger people. IMO, I think learning how to speak should be first step before getting cochlear implants. This cochlear implant technology is not that good yet since it have many risks and adapting problems. For people with health problems, you can't take MRI without getting the surgery again to remove the piece in your head. I know you can still take CT scans but MRI can be better for certain health problems that CT scans can't detect.

Let hope there's better technology than messing around with parts in bodies...
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I'm sorry it's not working for you. Did the clinic where you got yours offer assistance in adapting to the CI? Like give you rehab sources and frequent mappings. Since you were born deaf, it will take longer for your brain to adjust than it does for those of us were are late-deafened and had access to sound before getting ours. I hope you'll reconsider trying it - for a longer period than 2 months. I know of someone who's one ear was deaf for 60 years. After having some success with a CI in the other ear he went bilateral and has amazed himself and his CI doctor with how well he's doing...though it took him 2 years and it's still a work in progress.

As for MRIs, one of the companies has an MRI compatible internal where the magnet does not need to be removed.
 
Mike Bir said:
I am waiting on a return phone call from one of the Hospitals that does the surgery's for CIs. There are only 4 within 50 miles of where I live, 5 if you count a childrens hospital. I have logged in to some forums and some of the stories of the struggles to get to being able to understand what they were hearing and the time it took is depressing to me!
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On the other hand, you will have an advantage seeing as you had a progressive loss. It IS nerve wracking to read the scary stories....and it's good that you realize that the effectiveness of CI varies HUGELY all across the board. BUT, having had progressive loss really does give you a huge advantage with it being able to work well.
 
Mike Bir said:
I will check into all makes and have done research on them as well. My journey will begin on 4-14-23 when I talk to and get started with testing ( I am already nervous!)
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A little late, but how did your appointment on 4-14 go?
 
I got two CIs in my 40s about 10 years ago. I have a love and hate relationship with them. Yes, they help me understand hearing people better but only if the background noises are quiet. My pros with them are music sounds better, lipreading is easier, and I can hear FAR! My cons with them are the initial shock to my brain by waking it up whenever I put them on, how it picks up sounds I don't want to hear like wind blowing when I want to hear music instead, and it is exhausting by the end of the day. I only use them as a supplemental tool when I am around people who don't sign or when I want to listen to music. Everyone is different.

Best of luck.
 
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