Should I get CI or not?

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darkangel8603

darkangel8603

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I am 17 years old, and I am going through a hard time deciding about CI. I would love to hear again and I think it would be good for my future because I want to become a vet, and there is alot of hearing clinets that will not know how to talk to me etc. I am more likely maybe 80% sure I want a CI, but other 20% I am not sure, because I am afraid of the deaf community will hate me. But I promised myself that if i do get a CI i will still be involved in deaf community. It is a hard decision for me. :confused:
 
I received my CI a little over a year ago, and it made my life easier. I have been in the medical profession since 1982. When the decision came up about getting a CI, I was nervous and unsure. Now, my life has been great and will hopefully continue to be so. ;) The one main reason for getting the CI was for me to stay in the medical profession. It got so hard and it became a constant struggle for me at the end before my surgery. I was no longer able to hear my stethoscope, even with an amplifier. I feel that having the CI has made it easier for me to continue working in the medical profession. I am finding more and more people in my line of work who were either deaf or who had severe hearing loss getting implanted.
 
There will may be having some deaf community reject you.. but just keep in mind.. that it doesn't matter if they reject you..

Believe it or not.. i'm thinking of getting one.. and on oct 12 is my frist day of testing, yet i had told my friends some are supportive.. some are half supportive and half reject.. some are totally reject on my idea. those people who are totally reject on my idea of getting cochlear implant.. i stop talking to them cuz i don't want to hear the negative.. till they change their mind to accecpt who i am.. and what i want in my life..

My job.. is Accountant.. and that job requires alot of communication.. and yet.. i feel getting CI will make my job easier after i graduate from college.. I know for sure it won't happen right away.. but it takes time to learn probally a long time.. depends how long u been deaf etc..

Suggust do some research.. :D
 
It would be a good idea to talk with your friends and family about it... to see where they stand on it. It helps to know who or not to talk about it with in the future. If there are some that are against the idea, then you'll know to talk less about it in front of them. That way, no problems are brought up and everyone is happy.
 
I did a lot of research on the pros and cons of having a CI -- I received mine over 4 years ago and am having slow progress with it. Reason for the slow progress is because I can't wear my CI for long periods -- longer than 4 hours due to it triggering a headache. :(
But the pros are I've improved in understanding spoken speech, enjoy watching movies and TV and getting to hear all those sounds that were never caught by hearing aids, etc.

You're almost an adult and you're old enough to decide what's right for you and what's not. :)

Cheers
 
Yah, that is true, I talked to my parent about it, they said that it was fully up to me, as it is totally my decision. I have been born deaf, but over the years my hearing have decreased slowly. My parent worked hard and have help too, and they taught me how to speak and talk and that crap. So therefore I kinda know alot about how to speak, but there are some words i cant pronouce well cuz I couldnt hear the word well. Anyway, I go to a deaf school and mainstream in the hearing classes for some courses. There are already some people in the deaf school having CI, and there does not seem to be alot of problems with them (teasing, taunting etc). So I guess it is not a big issue at the school. I am thinking of my future and i guess that will be important than friends who are not true friends.
I talk to much, I think, so I better shut up and stop this now. Hehe
:) :giggle: :doh: :devil: or :angel: ??
 
I would have to say the only negative part of getting a CI is the actual operation itself...sorry, but I've got a thing about anything medical..I hate it.
But I'm hearing. So I don't need to worry about it for a while.

Go for it!
 
everybody is right -- ask questions with family and friends and talk to those who had experience going thru with the CI surgery and all that jibe -- it is a person's personal decision when it is they that will be making the ultimate decision --

good luck!
 
hi darkangel!!!! Glad you found your way to this messageboard. We have a lot of Deaf implantees here so I thought that it would be a good place for you! I have noticed that the opposition to CI has been slowly but surely waning. Many Deaf who were against them are now getting them. There is still opposition against them, but I've noticed that it's mostly the extreme radical Deaf who are against them (in other words the same ones who are against ANY oral instruction, and who are against hearing aids and are pro-seperatist anti-hearing world type) I can totally understand why someone would be against them, but I think that the antis are choosing the wrong target. Back when hearing aids were new a lot of Deaf leaders were against them for the exact same reasons! Stats from the manufactuer say that implantees are evenly divided between TCers and oral users. (and I remember a parent and an audi saying that most of the implantees they know do know Sign)
I have been born deaf, but over the years my hearing have decreased slowly.
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Does that mean that you got a lot of benift from hearing aids at first but then they stopped working for you? That is a plus for you! Do hearing aids work decently for you? You may want to experiment first...like try digital aids or those SUMO aids or the power aids or even try a body worn aid!
 
Well I use hearing aids still, but i can only hear sounds but not words or voices. I cant regonize the different voices of people, just hear a dog barking, a loud bang, or whatever.. I am not sure but I know some of them will not work on mbe because i have about 80- 110 db, when before when i was a kid i had 60-80 db
 
My opinion is that regeneration hearing is a natural way because the hair cells grow in the cochlears. Unfortunately, the FDA has not approved for over 10 years. My mother heard on the radio a few months ago that a doctor in PA implanted the cells on her patient's cochlears. A deaf woman became hearing. I assume that the doctor is tired of waiting for the FDA's approval announcement. I don't know what to believe because this woman should tell us in the news that her operation is successful. Or, the doctor did not want to be in public because of the FDA.

For CI stuff, they still have to buy batteries and replace hearing aid moulds.
 
Well I use hearing aids still, but i can only hear sounds but not words or voices. I cant regonize the different voices of people, just hear a dog barking, a loud bang, or whatever.. I am not sure but I know some of them will not work on mbe because i have about 80- 110 db, when before when i was a kid i had 60-80 db
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Well when you were a kid, could you hear words and voices with your aids?
If so...I would definitly go for the implantation. Have you talked to an audilogist about this? It sounds like even hearing some words would be an improvement over hearing aids...you might not achieve hoh listening levels but not everyone does.
I think also that attitude has a lot to do with acceptance. I think as long as you don't flaunt a CI or act like you're better then others b/c you have a CI, you'll still be welcomed in deaf culture. Maybe you could ask around and see how others would react to you having a CI. You could also educate people by explaining that it doesn't make you hearing...it just helps you hear stuff better...essentially what a hearing aid does, and hearing aids are accepted.
 
Unfortunately, the FDA has not approved for over 10 years.
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I'm cynical that hair cell regeneration will ever become a reality. I mean there's too much profit in terms of health care dollars. Oral schools will go out of business, audis and otos will lose their jobs and so on.
 
Okay - there is a link for you to read about the regeneration hearing.

http://depts.washington.edu/hearing/initiative.html
(This website was printed a few years ago, but it is still alive info.)


The google.com contains many list website addresses.
(http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=regeneration+hearing+university+of+Washington&spell=1)

What do you think of this issue?


Actually, I did not want the hearing people to put deafies down such as ADA's failures, lack of communications, low pay jobs, etc. (Not all deaf people have that.)
 
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deafdyke said:
Well when you were a kid, could you hear words and voices with your aids?
If so...I would definitly go for the implantation. Have you talked to an audilogist about this? It sounds like even hearing some words would be an improvement over hearing aids...
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I think so, I cant really remember anything before age 8, but according to my parent and teacher (report cards) I could respond of them without looking at them. to speechread or look at the signs. Now i cant at all. lol
 
Okay - there is a link for you to read about the regeneration hearing.
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Umm so? It doesn't have really any new information that I didn't know about before. I just think that they should concentrate on diseases and disorders that REALLY devastate humans, like Alizhiemer's, cancer, depression, scheizophernia etc.
darkangel, I think another reason why some Deafies were against implants in the past is b/c a lot of the publicity and stories about them made them sound like they were a cure. Nowadays the publicity and stories about them are a lot more down to earth and realistic.
Just thought of something......are there people and kids with all types of hearing losses involved in the deaf community where you live? If there are, then I would stop worrying about being accepted b/c of your CI. If hoh folks are accepted, then surely implantees who would be functionally hoh with implants on, will and can be accepted. If you're still agonizing come on and join the American Society for Deaf Children's listserv parent-deafhh. There are a TON of Deaf adults on the list who would be VERY happy to give you advice....and I really haven't seen too much opposition to CI from the Deaf adults on the list. Remember almost 1/2 of all implantees are TCers!
 
yah i think i will go for it.. but now the next step is going to see the audiologist.. and the appt wont be for another month or so cuz it is summer time and that means vacation times.. sighs.. oh well.. everybody needs some vacation once in a while.. hehe.. I just hope that I will be accepted..
 
darkangel8603 said:
yah i think i will go for it.. but now the next step is going to see the audiologist.. and the appt wont be for another month or so cuz it is summer time and that means vacation times.. sighs.. oh well.. everybody needs some vacation once in a while.. hehe.. I just hope that I will be accepted..
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yeah.. you're not the only one.. i had to wait 3 months for the appt with surgeron, audiologist, and doctor for all the test to be taken.. oh god! its on oct 12.. hurry up!
 
I'm cynical that hair cell regeneration will ever become a reality. I mean there's too much profit in terms of health care dollars. Oral schools will go out of business, audis and otos will lose their jobs and so on
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It will be a reality some day. I am not sure why it matters that these schools and professionasl will lose their jobs. They can always go back to school. Things changes. Why does it matter that much? Maybe these deaf kids will not need to struggle with extra, extra support in these schools. It costs a lot of money for years of extra education and government taxes to be put towards deaf education. Once you have your hearing revived again, then you're off to school and a possible normal life--(HINT: That doesn't mean abhnormal). They will lead life near their homes and save parents the hassle of searching for extra help and extra time finding what's best for their hearing child in terms of education.

Sorry, but I don't know why are you so anal about cures for deafness.
 
I am 17 years old, and I am going through a hard time deciding about CI. I would love to hear again and I think it would be good for my future because I want to become a vet, and there is alot of hearing clinets that will not know how to talk to me etc. I am more likely maybe 80% sure I want a CI, but other 20% I am not sure, because I am afraid of the deaf community will hate me. But I promised myself that if i do get a CI i will still be involved in deaf community. It is a hard decision for me.
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You need to decide for yourself. You may lose some of these friends who are against it, but they are not true friends. You can always be involved in the deaf community. Nobody can stop you from that, and you won't become hearing--just have a much better hearing. What's wrong with that? Nothing, right?

I understand your goals, so go for it. Remember, you may need to go through Auditory Therapyt to learn to hear through the CI. I would highly recommend it. Therapists will tell you to practice at home with your parents at least 30 minutes to 1 hour daily to maximize the use of your CI.

It's important if you want to get maximum results with it. It's very good that you were able to respond without looking at your parents' lips. That's really good, and I do think you are a candidate for this.

Worry about yourself and your future, not the deaf community. True understanding friends will stick around.
 
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