Recruitment

Hear Again

Hear Again

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Hi everyone,

I was surprised to learn today from my audi that I have recruitment. She said this isn't common among CI users, but it can and does happen.

I've had recruitment since 1995 (when my hearing loss was severe-profound and I first started noticing symptoms), so it wasn't due to my implants.

Do any of you also experience recruitment even after having CI(s)?

I've found that the best way for me to cope is to use a softer map which I created for days when I have a migraine or am experiencing a manic episode due to my bipolar.

How do some of you deal with having recruitment? Do you use a softer map as well?

I would appreciate any responses whether you have recruitment or not. I'd just like to get an idea if I am alone in my experiences here on AD. :ty:

By the way, if you wear hearing aids and have recruitment, I welcome your responses as well. :)
 
deafskeptic said:
I had it with my HA but not with my CI. It was quite bad.
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How did you deal with it? I imagine it was difficult to live with. :( I don't know exactly how to describe the severity of my recruitment. I would guess moderate or moderate to severe. If I have a migraine or am manic, it's definitely severe.
 
I think I had recrutement with hearing aids. I found some noises painfully loud such as hoover or a door closing. Or even a kettle boiling if I was next to the kettle. I stopped wanting to wear hearing aids because of this.

When I only had less powerful hearing aids I didn't have this problem, but then when I started using powerful aids when I became deafblind that's when the problems started.
 
dreama said:
I think I had recrutement with hearing aids. I found some noises painfully loud such as hoover or a door closing. Or even a kettle boiling if I was next to the kettle. I stopped wanting to wear hearing aids because of this.

When I only had less powerful hearing aids I didn't have this problem, but then when I started using powerful aids when I became deafblind that's when the problems started.
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dreama,

You and I had similar experiences although in my case, I've always worn the most powerful hearing aids even when I had moderately-severe loss. It wasn't until my hearing loss reached the severe-profound range in 1995 that I began having difficulty with recruitment.
 
How does recruitment with a CI happen anyway? I thought that the implantation basicly " killed" the nerve cells.
 
deafdyke said:
How does recruitment with a CI happen anyway? I thought that the implantation basicly " killed" the nerve cells.
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According to my audi, recruitment is caused by the brain since that is how one hears with a CI.

Conversely, if someone hears "naturally" via nerve cells, it is the nerve cells which are responsible for recruitment.
 
I suffer from recruitment all my life with HA and CI but the thing with CI's I can have quieter map (which i have) and still beable to hear well whereas with HA i cannot. I don't have recruitment much with CI as i used to with HA. It's more noticeable when I am due.

I always have Normal P1 and P2 is quieter of P1 so i can switch quicker enough.
 
Charlotte,

My CIs are programmed the same way. P1 is a louder map with autosensitivity and P2 is a soft map with autosensitivity. I used to have P1-4 set at the same volume until I asked my audi to create a softer map. At that time, she told me we could program my Freedom for P1 and P2 only so I wouldn't have to cycle between P1-4.
 
I found recruitment much more of a problem with analogue HAs. Since I've had digitals it's much better, but there are still some sounds that I just can't stand.
 
Hear Again said:
How did you deal with it? I imagine it was difficult to live with. :( I don't know exactly how to describe the severity of my recruitment. I would guess moderate or moderate to severe. If I have a migraine or am manic, it's definitely severe.
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It was so bad that I stopped wearing my HA for a year and half.
 
deafskeptic said:
It was so bad that I stopped wearing my HA for a year and half.
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Yikes. I'm sorry you went through that. I feel the same way whenever I have a migraine or am having a manic episode due to bipolar. Sound pierces through me like a knife. My audi created a soft map for me to use during these times which I've found very helpful.
 
dreama said:
What is the decible level for a quieter map? Does it help?
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Maps are designed according to one's comfort and threshold levels. I can't remember the difference between them, but one is the softest sound a person can hear and the other is the loudest they can hear without experiencing discomfort. A map is also programmed according to one's dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and softest sounds one can hear).

I haven't had alot of time to use my soft map, so I can't comment extensively on my experiences. I still have recruitment, but not to the same degree when I'm using a soft map. I also haven't had a migraine or manic episode since receiving my softer map, so I don't know how well they work in either situation.
 
cdmeggers said:
exactly what is recruitment anyway?
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I apologize for not explaining that in my OP. Recruitment is when ordinary sounds are perceived as being much louder than they actually are. In some cases, they can be painful.
 
I really am learning a lot about CIs and the technology from you.

I do have several DeafBlind friends and they have CIs. There are days when they stay home because their CI isn't functioning or they have an off day with "noises" and now I know the word! Recruitment, a new word I learned today.
 
Mrs Bucket said:
I really am learning a lot about CIs and the technology from you.

I do have several DeafBlind friends and they have CIs. There are days when they stay home because their CI isn't functioning or they have an off day with "noises" and now I know the word! Recruitment, a new word I learned today.
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I'm glad you've learned something new in my thread Mrs Bucket. :D

I didn't know about recruitment for the longest time either. In fact, I didn't even realize that I had it all along after being implanted because I wasn't using the most effective maps to help me hear as well as I could (due to continuing problems with nausea/dizziness which I didn't know the cause of or treatment for). I'm now hearing better than ever which may explain why I didn't notice this until now.
 
Oh....I thought that recruitment happened with the cells in the coachlar? That's what I picked up on my various and sundry hearing related listservs.
Maybe CI recruitment is more akin to an auditory processing glitch in the brain.
 
Is recruitment the same as being overwhelmed with sounds and noises.

Or just with certain sounds?
 
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