So I'm making the decision...

I also pointed out in previous threads that insurance requires the non-implanted ear to have up to 60% speech. His dead ear has 0% speech which passes the 40% maximum but his good ear is way above 60%. However he is still going to try and I agree it's worth trying. If insurance wants to pay for his dead ear, he's getting a CI. If insurance won't pay, he will need to come up with $50,000 or wait a while.
 
On the other hand, it's possible that Phisis' docs are gonna go "off label" for him.
I gotta say....I do think that 85% hearing with a hearing aid is decent.
 
deafdyke said:
I do think that 85% hearing with a hearing aid is decent.
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I agree.

If they implant him "off label," that will validate deafdude's arguments about CI candidacy qualifications being loosened.

I don't mean to sound rude or judgmental, but if Phi is implanted with 85% aided speech discrimination, I will be very surprised.
 
I should be clear, however.

The only test my audie performed on me was a speech without noise test via headphones in a soundbooth, where I got 85%. In the real world, I do have a fairly hard time getting everything (especially when additional noise is around) even when I'm lipreading on the TV because the camera switches to a different angle and doesn't show the person's face. I can't really use captions on the work TV set.

IMO, it's probably not 85% when I'm asking myself "What?" after nearly every other convo (sentence) with another person and I have a very hard time discriminating speech from women (especially quiet women and quiet individuals).
 
Phi4Sius said:
The only test my audie performed on me was a speech without noise test via headphones in a soundbooth, where I got 85%.
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With the use of an FM system (which blocks out background noise and brings sound directly into your ear), you could still end up hearing 85% or thereabout.

Has your audi ever mentioned FM systems to you before?

By the way, I'm not trying to discourage you from being evaluated for a CI. I'm just mentioning other possibilities you may be unaware of.
 
I agree.

If they implant him "off label," that will validate deafdude's arguments about CI candidacy qualifications being loosened.

I don't mean to sound rude or judgmental, but if Phi is implanted with 85% aided speech discrimination, I will be very surprised.
Click to expand...
As I've said, I think that "offlabel" implantation can be a good thing. (eg tinnituas, and significent recruitment....and I do think that those conditions should be OK'd for implantation by the FDA)
Yes, there are plenty of people who decide to get implanted after a long hard decision making journey. But, it does seem like there's a significent minority who think that the CI overcomes ALL the disadvantages of hearing aids/being hoh.
 
Hear Again,

Actually, my audie and I have discussed all of these possibilities (including bi cross hearing aids) already. :)

And yes, I know you're only making sure I'm aware of the other possibilities. I appreciate the thoroughness!! My audie was flabbergasted when he learned of the ENT with my insurance company that tried to tell me about the BAHA route even though I have a sensorineural loss.

However, the FM system or other options available won't solve the profound sensorineural loss in my left ear.

I realize CIs may or may not solve the loss in my left ear completely, and I'm aware that I may be in the very few minority where the CI doesn't work at all.
 
deafdyke said:
As I've said, I think that "offlabel" implantation can be a good thing. (eg tinnituas, and significent recruitment....and I do think that those conditions should be OK'd for implantation by the FDA)
Click to expand...

People aren't considered CI candidates because they have tinnitus or recruitment.

I had recruitment prior to my CI surgeries, but that isn't what made me a candidate for implantation.
 
People aren't considered CI candidates because they have tinnitus or recruitment.
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Offically, no.......but I do know that some people have gotten it "off label" due to severe recruitment or tintintuas......(they've found for example that implantation cures Meinure's)
And Phi4is, no it wouldn't help in your totally deaf ear......but the fact remains that you have decent hearing in your aided ear. Have you tried a power aid in that ear? I know it wouldn't help your deep profound ear.....but on the other hand it does seem like a lot of the issues you're complaining about, are basicly everyday hoh issues, that even unilaterally dhh folks deal with.
 
@deafdyke- I'm actually using a power analog hearing aid right now. Digitals were far too quiet for me and difficult to use (even a Phonak Exelia).
 
Phi4Sius said:
I should be clear, however.

The only test my audie performed on me was a speech without noise test via headphones in a soundbooth, where I got 85%. In the real world, I do have a fairly hard time getting everything (especially when additional noise is around) even when I'm lipreading on the TV because the camera switches to a different angle and doesn't show the person's face. I can't really use captions on the work TV set.

IMO, it's probably not 85% when I'm asking myself "What?" after nearly every other convo (sentence) with another person and I have a very hard time discriminating speech from women (especially quiet women and quiet individuals).
Click to expand...

So you scored 85% unaided. You will score much better aided. Without HAs, just headphones blasting out 105db HL, I guessed my way to 4% speech. I should score much higher with HAs but have not been tested aided at this time. I would love to hear as well as you do, this is why I am waiting for stem cells to improve my hearing. Yes I feel stem cells is going to be much better than cochlear implants.

My audiologist says if I had 20db better hearing, I should hear perfect with HAs. You can understand phones and watch TV without CC! You also can hear some sounds unaided, something I really would love to achieve. I have read your enormous success with your analog HA and showed your posts to my dad. He says that's because you have only 50db hearing loss and I have 70db hearing loss. 20db makes that much of a difference!

That said, you can still try to get a CI in the dead ear. It is not up to me to decide, but you, your audie, CI team, surgeon and insurance. Just let us know what they have to say and if they approve or reject you for a CI. A CI will at least give you a sense of being able to tell where a sound is comming from. Some people get bilateral(two) CIs for that reason.
 
(edited post)

When someone is evaluated for a CI, they will be tested with and without hearing aids. They will be asked to repeat words as well as sentences in quiet and noise both with and without hearing aids.

My testing was as follows:

Words: Left ear unaided
Words: Right ear unaided
Words: Left ear aided
Words: Right ear aided
Words: Both ears unaided
Words: Both ears aided

See above for sentences in quiet

See above for sentences in noise

Audiogram aided and unaided.
 
Phi,
I do kind of understand what you're dealing with right now. It does seem like a lot of audis subconsciously modify their speech to make it easier for dhh folks to understand them. As a result their say the word tests aren't really an accurate reflection of what you can actually hear in real life.
Have you tried a SUMO? Or is that just for severe-profounders? What's your audi like? Maybe a good idea might be to go see an audi who is very experianced with young dhh folks, like in a university setting or a school for the deaf. They may have a better idea of how to help you hear then your average run of the mill audi.
On the other hand, no hearing aid or CI will overcome the defineceies of being hoh. Even the best hearing aid or CI cannot give you awesome hearing.
 
Define "awesome hearing," My digital hearing aid gives me awesome hearing. And, no, it's not perfect but certainly gives me plenty of pleasures to hear just about everything.
 
deafdyke said:
On the other hand, no hearing aid or CI will overcome the defineceies of being hoh. Even the best hearing aid or CI cannot give you awesome hearing.
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This is true. My sound booth scores are much higher than they are in real life. I score 97% for sentences in noise and 100% for sentences in quiet.

However, in the real world, I don't hear that well although it is certainly better than what I heard with hearing aids.
 
This is true. My sound booth scores are much higher than they are in real life. I score 97% for sentences in noise and 100% for sentences in quiet.

However, in the real world, I don't hear that well although it is certainly better than what I heard with hearing aids.
Click to expand...
Hear Again, it does seem like there seems to be a population that thinks that the CI will automaticly overcome the disadvantages of being hoh.
I don't think that this population is the majority at all, but it does seem to be a sizable minority. It could be that it seems bigger then it is, b/c the population is so small......
Also, in the pediatric dhh world, there is a population of kids who were trained to think " Oh I need the newest most modren hearing aid."
(one of the tenants of auditory verbal methodology)
 
deafdyke said:
Hear Again, it does seem like there seems to be a population that thinks that the CI will automaticly overcome the disadvantages of being hoh.
I don't think that this population is the majority at all, but it does seem to be a sizable minority. It could be that it seems bigger then it is, b/c the population is so small......
Also, in the pediatric dhh world, there is a population of kids who were trained to think " Oh I need the newest most modren hearing aid."
(one of the tenants of auditory verbal methodology)
Click to expand...

I agree with you DD.
 
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