Qualified for a CI

Bear said:
Hey Everyone,

Just updating here. I was activated 3 days ago. I can hear some voices already although not very clear yet. I can hear myself typing, phone ringing and myself laughing.

I have a very funny story from last night. I was sitting here and my daughter's friend had come downstairs, so I asked her where my daughter was. And she said she is upstairs but will be down in a minute. I heard her say that and I told her * I can hear ya, ya know* So, she said really? I said yep so, she decided to test it. And asked me ok *what did I say?* I said you said what did I say? She went nuts, jumping around and yelling at my daughter! Hey your mom hears me! lol I was laughing at her cause she was more excited about it than I was.

Needless to say, over the last few days, I have been like a kid in a candy store. I've been trying to hear everything I can and when I do hear the sounds I want more of it lol.

So all in all even if I never get more clear with the voices and other sounds, I would still say this has been a success story.

Bear
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Quite interesting...and nice to see that others share in the joy of what you've been able to accomplish the last few days. Hope this 'success story' will last a lifetime for you and for those around you as well. ;)

Perhaps, eventually...they'll start saying: "Oh geeze, now we gotta watch what we say!" Heh...but anyhow...all's good and wishes you well in the days ahead! :)



~RR
 
Bear said:
Hey Everyone,

Just updating here. I was activated 3 days ago. I can hear some voices already although not very clear yet. I can hear myself typing, phone ringing and myself laughing.

I have a very funny story from last night. I was sitting here and my daughter's friend had come downstairs, so I asked her where my daughter was. And she said she is upstairs but will be down in a minute. I heard her say that and I told her * I can hear ya, ya know* So, she said really? I said yep so, she decided to test it. And asked me ok *what did I say?* I said you said what did I say? She went nuts, jumping around and yelling at my daughter! Hey your mom hears me! lol I was laughing at her cause she was more excited about it than I was.

Needless to say, over the last few days, I have been like a kid in a candy store. I've been trying to hear everything I can and when I do hear the sounds I want more of it lol.

So all in all even if I never get more clear with the voices and other sounds, I would still say this has been a success story.

Bear
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Great update! Give it more time. You will be pleasantly surprised!
 
Updating!


Today is the day of the first mapping! A little excited and a little nervous. I am finding that each day with the implant that i am hearing a little more than I did the previous day. Also some sounds are becoming clearer.

Only complaint I have so far is that voices still sound very staticy *if that is a real word* lol. I am hoping with todays mapping we can clear that issue up.

I am hearing many things I could not even hear with my hearing aid before and even those that I could did not sound the way they do now. It is with more clarity that I hear those sounds. Still cannot hear the sound of cars passing and motorcyles yet. But I could hear the sound of my hubby pounding away on something at a distance from me. Its amazing. I even heard my puppies barking for the first time lol. I was like is that the puppies? And my daughter goes yep! lol.

Will try to post again after the appointment in Cleveland today.

Bear
 
Man, that's great...

Would love to find out how that is, a first mapping....
BUt.. I'll have to be content with your and other people's stories...

Have a great day.
 
Bear said:
Updating!


Today is the day of the first mapping! A little excited and a little nervous. I am finding that each day with the implant that i am hearing a little more than I did the previous day. Also some sounds are becoming clearer.

Only complaint I have so far is that voices still sound very staticy *if that is a real word* lol. I am hoping with todays mapping we can clear that issue up.

I am hearing many things I could not even hear with my hearing aid before and even those that I could did not sound the way they do now. It is with more clarity that I hear those sounds. Still cannot hear the sound of cars passing and motorcyles yet. But I could hear the sound of my hubby pounding away on something at a distance from me. Its amazing. I even heard my puppies barking for the first time lol. I was like is that the puppies? And my daughter goes yep! lol.

Will try to post again after the appointment in Cleveland today.

Bear
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Bear,

your testimony somewhat make sweetmind's theory invalidated.
 
Cloggy said:
Should we inform her?? - or is she lurking....
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no need to inform since Bear knows Sweetmind very well. I'll have to assume that they are somewhat in touch with each other. And yeah, maybe she may be lurking since she's not banned from AD anymore. *shrug*
 
:bowdown:

Oh, I almost fell off my chair! LOL! (I don't really miss her anyways)
 
LOL Boult,Greema and Cloggy! Not nice to bring someone into this that isnt even here anymore. But I had to admit that i had to laugh at that. And Boult you assume correct Sweetmind and I do talk and she supports my decision to be implanted a 100%.

Now on to my update for after mapping. I am a little concerned as to how well I will do. The audi took a hearing test and it was not as good as he expected me to be. I am sincerely hoping that this is not a *omen* as to what my future will hold for me. It seems I am not hearing the lower and high pitches like he had hoped.

But am still trying my hardest to hear everything I can possibly hear. I had to laugh at the audi cause I told him I was even listening to music to try to hear that and he was like whoa thats hard it will be a long time before you will hear that. I just told him "Well, if I dont practice it will never come. So why not now and eventually when it is time and my ears and brain is ready I will have long been in practice." He just laughs and says true, good thinking hahaha!

Then after the hearing test we did more programs and stuff for the processor. He also turned up the lower and higher pitches to try to help me hear them.

I told him my concerns about all the static and how voices arent coming through clear and he was like give it time! You've only been hooked up for a week. It takes time. Later the static will change and you will start hearing the *real* sound. I was like ok! Great! When? hahaha. He was laughing at me and said gee you want it and you want it all now. I said yep that's me.

He laughed and said I aint gotta worry about you practicing and trying to hear things then. You're simply greedy enough to make it. LOL

All in all it was a good visit. And I am even starting to hear some of the words to the music. But not the music itself. Hopefully soon it will all come. My only goals were to hear music and speech again. Anything else is simply a plus.

Well gotta go!

Bear
 
The eagerness to hear everything is great, an it will carry you far...
But remember that before you start driving F1, there's lots of other practice that needs to be done before that...

But it's' great that the audiologist almost needs to slow you down..
 
Was mapped yesterday and today I got the roaring sound back in my ears is this normal?

Bear
 
thank you Jazzy and cloggy and others. The support you do get from here is tremendous.

Although I still have that unanswered question about the roaring in the ears. LOL

All in all I do not regret being implanted. I wouldnt say I would recommend it for everyone and especially not for children.

The reason I say I would not recommend this surgery for everyone is that some people cannot tolerate the surgery and also some are happy being deaf, and I tend to respect that. Also in kids I just feel it is too big of a risk to put a young child through that surgery and also a lot of work in making the CI work at its best. SO my opinion kids shouldnt be implanted but I also realize it is not my decision to make and that is up to the individual parents.


As for my own experience with a CI, I guess you can say time will tell how well I will do with it and how happy I will be with it overall.

Would I get implanted again? Hell no!! Too much pain for me! LOLZ But for the first time it was worth it in my book.

Will someone please answer my question up above?
 
Bear said:
As for my own experience with a CI, I guess you can say time will tell how well I will do with it and how happy I will be with it overall.

Would I get implanted again? Hell no!! Too much pain for me! LOLZ But for the first time it was worth it in my book.

Will someone please answer my question up above?
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Congratulation! I have a question, can you explain about too much pain for you. In what way?
 
Sunshine1 said:
Congratulation! I have a question, can you explain about too much pain for you. In what way?
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I am talking about the pain right after surgery. When I first woke up I felt like someone just took my head and squeezed it till it popped. I was in a lot of pain right after surgery and the first night was a bad night too. But now I am fine except for this roaring sound in my ears which is loud and driving me completely nuts.
 
Bear said:
I am talking about the pain right after surgery. When I first woke up I felt like someone just took my head and squeezed it till it popped. I was in a lot of pain right after surgery and the first night was a bad night too. But now I am fine except for this roaring sound in my ears which is loud and driving me completely nuts.
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Oh okay. I don't have CI. Just had a hearing test this morning and was I really need to have CI. Ha, been told several years ago too. It's too expensive. So I don't know. About roaring sound, hopefully someone can answer here otherwise mention to doctor about it. Enjoy the rest of your life with CI!
 
Bear said:
..........................
All in all I do not regret being implanted. I wouldnt say I would recommend it for everyone and especially not for children.

The reason I say I would not recommend this surgery for everyone is that some people cannot tolerate the surgery and also some are happy being deaf, and I tend to respect that. Also in kids I just feel it is too big of a risk to put a young child through that surgery and also a lot of work in making the CI work at its best. SO my opinion kids shouldnt be implanted but I also realize it is not my decision to make and that is up to the individual parents.
..........
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Just want to rectify some things..
The surgery being a risk is all relative. You did it and you theoretically could have died... leaving lots of people grieving, people that would depend on you. So, in that perspective, the operation has more risks for an adult than for a child.

But remember that from what I have read here, it's the adults that have pain after the surgery. My daughter, and appearently Isaac in another thread, have no pain withing a short time. So, in that respect, the operation is worse for adults.

Then you mention that CI is a lot of work, and I agree. But again, children are growing up and doing much of this work automatically AND their brain is in the phase where this learning is done easiest.

So, in a way, here are three reasons why CI should be done early:
1: Fewer risks - especially regarding other people depending on the patient,
2: Less pain,
3: Easier learning to use CI

But obviously there are personal reasons why a child should NOT be operated on.... Pitty for the child should not be one of them.... The child has the best staring position..
 
While that all may be true Cloggy, I did say I respect that it is not my decision to make and it is the parents decision. I am just stating that after having my own implant done that I still feel children should not get it.

BUT that is my own opinion. You chose to implant your daughter and I respect that it was your decision and NOT mine to make. Just because you chose to implant your daughter does not automatically make you an *enemy* in my mind. It just means we already found something that we both dont necessarily see eye to eye on.

Besides, if we all agreed, where would be the fun in that? It makes for a good debate with the various opinions. I am only against it in my own opinion. But would I try to stop someone from doing what they want? NO! Because the law states you can implant your child if you want. SO there is nothing I can do about it but respect your opinion and your own wishes. If my daughter now suddenly went deaf because she is 16 to me that is old enough to be able to make her own mature decision and fact based decision such as I made on whether if she wanted one or not. And also i would feel confident in allowing her to get one because she already knows how I felt immediately after waking up and therefore she knows what she faces.

Yes, I did face the risks and made it. But losing an adult would be alot easier to me than losing a very young child. Also, in my opinion I would rather face the risks if they were a life-saving thing than just for a CI. But that is my opinion Cloggy, I do not feel like others do and think I have to try to *force* others to listen to me or even agree with me. I much rather have my children make those decisions for themselves and make the decision if that is a risk they are willing to take.
 
Bear said:
...
Although I still have that unanswered question about the roaring in the ears. LOL

Would I get implanted again? Hell no!! Too much pain for me! LOLZ But for the first time it was worth it in my book.

Will someone please answer my question up above?
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To answer your question, I'm not sure what to say about that. I can hazard a guess that maybe the remapping is triggering a sensitive area of the cochlear nerve and thus causing more tinnitus. I do know they can "turn off" selected points that are stimulated to manage side effects like facial tics if the facial nerve is too close. You might want to bring this up with your Audi to check that out.

As for doing it again, heck yes I would....:D It was well worth it me...pain or no pain. Actually, I had very little pain.
 
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