Second Appointment update.

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Johnjoe1011

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My 2nd appointment was this past Friday December 15. They did the MRI of the brain.. and Yeah! i have a brain. That it works is another story :ty: . Ok I saw the images of the cochlear on both sides. Since my right side have never been used the cochlear is a little smaller than the left side.

Then they did a hearing test with my hearing aid on the left and right side. Of course I "fail" the test with honors. I could not understand speech with my hearing aid. I could listen to some high peach sounds. Then they put a hearing aid on the right side. That was the first time in my 49yrs of life that i have "hear" something on the right side. Again I "fail" the test.

So I qualify for the implant :dance2:. The next step is contact the insurance company and schedule the surgery.

Now they asked me about any preference in implant brand. I told them Advance Bionics or the Freedom Nucleus. They recommend the Freedom.
Your feedback on brand is welcome!

They also told me to keep my expectations very low and for now to just concentrate on understanding speech. And yes I will be able to understand speech a lot better than with the hearing aid.

About phone or music to keep it out of the picture for now.

Again this forum has been instrumental on my decision to get the implant. So i am asking for more advise.

Thanks & Happy Holidays!

JohnJoe
 
Congratulations!

Yes, it is good advice about keeping your expectations low.

As for which company to go with, you really need to review the information on them and decide. Since, I have the Freedom, I can tell you that you can't wrong with it. Boult could tell you to go with AB and you wouldn't go wrong with it either. It is really up to you.

I chose the Freedom for several reasons and among the reasons is the company's track record for reliabilty in it's devices. Just take the time to review the literature of the products and feel free to ask away about the different points.
 
Congratulations on your candidacy! :)

You really can't go wrong with any of the 3 CI brands. However, I am surprised that your CI center recommended one implant over another. Usually CI centers (most of them anyways) will not give a preference.

I also chose Cochlear. Some of the reasons were Cochlear's 20+ year history, reliability, excellent customer service, ability to use disposeable batteries (this fit my lifestyle best being a 20+ year bilateral HA user), ability to have processor programmed over 80,000 different ways to optimize one's hearing, choice of several mapping speeds (slow, medium, fast -- SPEAK, CIS, ACE and Hi-ACE) and Cochlear's candidacy program (which puts experienced CI users in touch with candidates in your area).

"High hopes and low expectations." If you live by that motto, you should do just fine! :)

Here's wishing you all the best for your CI journey! :)
 
Congratulations!!

The same as you, I have had my second appointment. I had my CI evaluation a little over a week ago. I am a candidate as well and had to go for VNG (videonystagmography) testing last Thursday. The results were good! My ENT specialist referred me back to the Otologist to proceed with plans for cochlear implantation.

As it stands right now, I am just waiting.....waiting for surgery to be scheduled!!

I wish you the best of luck!!
 
Blazing Sunset,

Congratulations on your candidacy!

What is VNG testing? Is that a balance test?

Hope you're able to receive a surgery date soon! :)
 
Blazing Sunset,

Ditto on the congratulations!

Hear Again - I looked up VNG and you are correct. It is test to check your balance.
 
sr171soars said:
Hear Again - I looked up VNG and you are correct. It is test to check your balance.
Click to expand...

Thanks! :) I could have looked it up on Google, but I was too lazy. <smile>

By the way, I wasn't given a balance test during either of my CI evaluations.

How about you? Did anyone else on the board with a CI receive balance tests? I don't have a history of balance problems which could explain why my CI center didn't administer this test.
 
Hear Again said:
Thanks! :) I could have looked it up on Google, but I was too lazy. <smile>

By the way, I wasn't given a balance test during either of my CI evaluations.
How about you? Did anyone else on the board with a CI receive balance tests? I don't have a history of balance problems which could explain why I didn't receive this testing.
Click to expand...

I never took balance tests. ::shrugs::
 
Hear Again said:
Thanks! :)

By the way, I wasn't given a balance test during either of my CI evaluations.

How about you? Did anyone else on the board with a CI receive balance tests? I don't have a history of balance problems which could explain why my CI center didn't administer this test.
Click to expand...

Nope, I wasn't given one either. I surmise if a person has a history of balance issues or the potential thereof, they get the VNG test. It makes sense because getting a CI could have an impact on the sense of balance.
 
sr171soars said:
Nope, I wasn't given one either. I surmise if a person has a history of balance issues or the potential thereof, they get the VNG test. It makes sense because getting a CI could have an impact on the sense of balance.
Click to expand...

That's true. Ever since receiving my second CI, I have mild balance problems. However, I consider it (as well as my bilateral tinnitus) a small price to pay for the wonderful gift of hearing I've received!
 
Hear Again said:
Blazing Sunset,

Congratulations on your candidacy!

What is VNG testing? Is that a balance test?

Hope you're able to receive a surgery date soon! :)
Click to expand...

Hear Again,

Thank you!

That's right, VNG testing is a balance test. The testing was done to see if there is dizziness coming from the inner ear. After the tests, I asked the specialist what was the object of the tests. She said it was to determine if I got dizzy to some parts of the tests that I took. As a result, I got dizzy four times and it was good. There was a goggle I had to wear that has a camera inside the goggles that records the eye jerks onto the computer.

I have worn BTE aids almost all my life. Of course, I was wearing body aids when I was just a little girl. I never had a problem with my aids until a few months ago, when I experienced vertigo. I have vertigo with sound and I had to see one specialist to another to find out what's wrong. Vertigo is different than dizziness.

I couldn't wear my hearing aid in my left ear because I would get vertigo. Right now, I am just fine without the hearing aid and I don't get vertigo at all. After the first episode happened, I would put on my aid about once a week to test to see if it was still happening.....just as soon as I heard sound, I got the vertigo so I pulled my aid off. Oh how unpleasant that was!! My first thought was the internal problem of the hearing aid but it was checked out and it was not the problem. It was not normal for me to be experiencing the symptoms.

This was very hard on me because like I mentioned, I wore aids all my life and I am accustomed to the hearing I normally hear. I do not hear as well with just one hearing aid that's in my right ear now. But by now, I am used to it since it happened.

When I met with the Otologist, he told me if I get a CI, I wouldn't experience vertigo with sound. The cochlear implant stimulates the inner ear directly, via very low electrical stimulation. With the hearing aid, the electrical stimulation that happens in the ear happens indirectly after sound pressure is transmitted to the inner ear via the outer and middle ear. With the CI, bypass the outer and middle ear, no more dizziness! I am sure you know this.

I am not gong to get my hopes up too high.....let's see what happens next! :)
 
Boult said:
Blazing,

very informational post! thanks for sharing with us.
Click to expand...

Boult,

You're welcome!

I do not mind sharing my story with everyone. My case is NOT typical. It is not normal for an already deaf person to experience "vertigo with sound". The audiologist I have known for years told me my case was not typical, so did the specialist I had the CI evaluation with. It is typical for a hearing person to to lose hearing and to experience vertigo. But in my case, I was already deaf and experienced vertigo.

We will see what happens! I cannot help but wonder just how long we have to wait to see what happens next or what, after being told I am an "excellent candidate"!

Just how long did many CI users have to wait for surgery to be scheduled after they are told they are a candidate?
 
Blazing Sunset said:
Boult,

You're welcome!

I do not mind sharing my story with everyone. My case is NOT typical. It is not normal for an already deaf person to experience "vertigo with sound". The audiologist I have known for years told me my case was not typical, so did the specialist I had the CI evaluation with. It is typical for a hearing person to to lose hearing and to experience vertigo. But in my case, I was already deaf and experienced vertigo.

We will see what happens! I cannot help but wonder just how long we have to wait to see what happens next or what, after being told I am an "excellent candidate"!

Just how long did many CI users have to wait for surgery to be scheduled after they are told they are a candidate?
Click to expand...
Yeah and there are some CI users who experienced vertigo post-surgery. It may be result of other thing than CI itself. like caffeine for example.

as for how long to wait for surgery. The answer is: depends on insurance approval then schedule OP date. the length varies.
 
Blazing Sunset said:
Boult,

You're welcome!

I do not mind sharing my story with everyone. My case is NOT typical. It is not normal for an already deaf person to experience "vertigo with sound". The audiologist I have known for years told me my case was not typical, so did the specialist I had the CI evaluation with. It is typical for a hearing person to to lose hearing and to experience vertigo. But in my case, I was already deaf and experienced vertigo.

We will see what happens! I cannot help but wonder just how long we have to wait to see what happens next or what, after being told I am an "excellent candidate"!

Just how long did many CI users have to wait for surgery to be scheduled after they are told they are a candidate?
Click to expand...

I think I only waited a week to hear from my clinic for the surgery date.
 
Blazing Sunset,

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us! :) I especially found your experiences with vertigo very interesting considering the fact that you are deaf. This is the first time I've heard of a deaf person having vertigo.

As for receiving a surgery date, I had to wait 6 months between my 1st CI evaluation and surgery (June 2004-December 2004). This was due to various appointment delays and cancellations due to testing equipment not being returned from repair in a timely manner. I also required additional testing (ABR) to rule out auditory neuropathy due to my premature birth history.

After my bilateral CI evaluation, my surgery was scheduled 3 weeks later.

Some people are able to move through the CI process very quickly. For instance, I know a CI user who had her evaluation and surgery all within the span of two weeks.

Others, like myself, end up waiting anywhere from 6 months to a year depending on the CI center you attend and the country you live in. For example, some countries have a waiting list which requires candidates to wait a year or more for implantation.

I hope you're able to receive a surgery date soon! I look forward to reading all about your surgery, activation, etc. :)
 
Blazing Sunset said:
Boult,
Just how long did many CI users have to wait for surgery to be scheduled after they are told they are a candidate?
Click to expand...

I waited about 2.5 months between candidacy and surgery. It felt a long time.

By the way I had the balance tests done as well (is this the one where they put a mask over your eyes and squirt water in your ear? And where you have to follow a red dot moving around?)

There was no particular reason why I had them done as my surgeon does them for everyone going for a CI to ascertain post surgery risk of balance issues.

Congratulations and welcome to AD.
 
Johnjoe1011 said:
My 2nd appointment was this past Friday So I qualify for the implant :dance2:. The next step is contact the insurance company and schedule the surgery.

Now they asked me about any preference in implant brand. I told them Advance Bionics or the Freedom Nucleus. They recommend the Freedom.
Your feedback on brand is welcome!

They also told me to keep my expectations very low and for now to just concentrate on understanding speech. And yes I will be able to understand speech a lot better than with the hearing aid.

About phone or music to keep it out of the picture for now.

Again this forum has been instrumental on my decision to get the implant. So i am asking for more advise.

Thanks & Happy Holidays!

JohnJoe
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your candidacy!

As for me I have a Cochlear Freedom but I didn't get any choice since Cochlear has 100% of the Australian market. I've been really happy with it 5 months post switch on and my most significant area of progress has been the ability to use a cell phone, which is something I couldn't do before with just hearing aids.

I agree though that you can't lose with any brand that you go for because they are so good with keeping up with each other and seem to upgrade often.
 
Boult said:
Yeah and there are some CI users who experienced vertigo post-surgery. It may be result of other thing than CI itself. like caffeine for example.

as for how long to wait for surgery. The answer is: depends on insurance approval then schedule OP date. the length varies.
Click to expand...

Boult,

Thanks! Hopefully they will call me SOON!

I have thought about caffeine but I don't consume much of it anyway. I am told I have the "phenomenon tullio effect".
 
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