Swimming with CI...

Cloggy

Cloggy

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(Go to her blog to see some pictures..)
Swimming - With CI - Why Not !!

Lotte & swimming is a great combination. The one minor setback was that she could not wear her CI. We used signs when we were in the pool, but it was clear that for us - and Lotte - that it mattered that she couldn't hear..

Some time ago we came across an excellent suggestion for swimming with the CI... (via CiCircle - see video-link below)
You do need to have the rechargeable batteries for this (as the others need O2 to operate), and since November we are using them. (To our delight.. another success story...)

The solution it to seal them in a plastic bag. (Video on YouTube..)
However... we don't own one of those seal&vacuum machines for the kitchen like shown in the video, and getting one in Norway is not easy - nor cheap.
Dutch as we are, or just creative, ( :) we found those plastic bags that can be closed with an air ( and water-) tight seal/strip.

So... we put the CI processor and coil in the bag.... closed the seal, put it all in a second bag (just to be sure) and all this went under a swimming cap....
And ... it worked!!

Lotte loved it, and for us, being able to talk to her when she is in the pool reduces a lot of stress....
In the pool she is very happy on her own, but we do see the will to understand the other children. And let's face it, the sounds around the swimming-pool are part of the experience. Same for experiencing sound under water....
And it seems as if she experiemented with it... she would lie in the water, head (processor) under water and just lying there.... very "Zen"....

Here the video that gave us the inspiration
 
I think this is a repost. Correct me if I am misaken
 
Are you talking about a zip lock bag? So the coil attached to the magnet on Lotte's head as usual but all inside the zip lock bag and swimming cap? Was it tricky to position it?
 
No its not a repost - he did make another post a while back about swimming, but this one is different.

Cloggy - I have a question - was the sound muffled at all for her? I find it surprising that putting the CI in a watertight bag doesn't stop it from picking up sound!
 
R2D2 said:
Are you talking about a zip lock bag? So the coil attached to the magnet on Lotte's head as usual but all inside the zip lock bag and swimming cap? Was it tricky to position it?
Click to expand...
Yep...that's the name.. (have to put that in her blog..) all inside. And the coil has enough "power" to stay attached... most of the time. We tested it frequently. (Calling her to see if she could hear.)
neecy said:
..........Cloggy - I have a question - was the sound muffled at all for her? I find it surprising that putting the CI in a watertight bag doesn't stop it from picking up sound!
Click to expand...
No idea what the sound was. We never ask as she can't explain. For her it's natural I guess....

And the processor was behind the swimming-cap and two plastic bags, but she heard fine!

You girls anxious to try it??
Had a look at the video ??
 
Ziplock bags are far more prone to leaking.. that's a huge risk to be taking, in regards to water damage. Could you try ordering the foodsaver through an international shop and paying the extra postage? Seems a great deal cheaper than repairing the damage.
 
You're probably right, but that's why we tested before we used it.
Also, we only used 1 CI. Never the 2.

The ziplocks can actually hold quite some pressure. And we experienced that the bags were never wet on the inside. (Some moisture in the first bag, but never anything in the second one..)

But of course one takes a risk. Then again.... children should be as free as possible to play. Hearing is part of that freedom..
 
I am so afraid of damaging my CIs, I can't do it. I jumped into the pool with my ha on when I was about 12. Since then I am so worried about doing it again.
 
Same here and it won't change unless Cochlear can come up with a CI that is completely waterproof. Apparently, as a young girl I hated swimming and my mother withdrew me from lessons but I did eventually get to a stage where I felt comfortable with not hearing anything in the water. You get by.
 
I experimented with an enlarged balloon, except I used a headband to keep it in place. Also, I used pliers to open it and turned it inside out to avoid getting the powder inside the components, its still a risky thing to do, but luckily, no leaks. The sound quality sounds like hearing with a bucket over your head, but increasing the volume helps. One tip, careful with slamming or splashing your head into water, you will hear one good bass drum to the nerve! LOL
 
SCBassist,
First-hand experience - excellent. Thanks !!

And a balloon... good idea!

About splashing.... she didn't seem to be affected... but then.... to her, when she would experience that, it's the normal experience for her....

LotteJump.jpg


LotteSplash.jpg
 
This is great! I watched the video linked on your blog, too. I am wondering, can she hear under the water? I know water is a good sound conductor (ask a dolphin!) but I think hearing people cannot hear/understand sound under the water. But maybe a CI can! Have you ever tried talking to your daughter while she is under water and then having her come up to say her answer?
 
Etoile said:
This is great! I watched the video linked on your blog, too. I am wondering, can she hear under the water? I know water is a good sound conductor (ask a dolphin!) but I think hearing people cannot hear/understand sound under the water. But maybe a CI can! Have you ever tried talking to your daughter while she is under water and then having her come up to say her answer?
Click to expand...
Have to try it.
She can stay under water quite long.
Mind you, speaking under water is not easy..... Something to do with water entering the mouth....
 
In my experience, low frequency sounds can be perceived, higher frequency sounds are next to impossible to hear.
 
SCBassist said:
In my experience, low frequency sounds can be perceived, higher frequency sounds are next to impossible to hear.
Click to expand...
Whales, dolphins and submarines would know everything about that... :cool:

Got interested and found some good info:
Sound under water travels at a speed that is five times greater than in the air. One might expect that hearing under water is easier but this is not so. The volume does not depend on the speed of sound; rather, it is dependent on the amplitude of sound waves and on the perceptive capabilities of the audial organs. There are two methods of perceiving sound waves; the first being air conductivity (outer audial opening, eardrum or tympanum, audial bones of the middle ear) and the second being bone conductivity (the vibration of the bones of the skull). Air conductivity is prevalent in the air, whereas bone conductivity is prevalent under water. © Bill WoodThis peculiarity is due to the fact that the acoustic resistance of water is close to that of human tissues and the loss of energy for the transition of sound waves into skeletal bones is less under water than it is in the air. Air conductivity under water disappears because the outer audial opening is filled with water and there are no conditions for normal vibration of the eardrum. It has experimentally been proven that bone conductivity is weaker than air conductivity by 40%. Consequently, hearing under water is impeded. The distance within which sound can be heard depends on tonality rather than on the volume of sound. Sounds of greater tonality can be heard at greater distances than those of lower tonality. Sounds that are being emitted under water are usually inaudible above the surface of the water and vice versa.
Click to expand...
Relying on one’s hearing, it is extremely difficult to orientate oneself under water. In the air, sound reaches one of the ears .00003 seconds earlier than the other. This fact allows the source to be identified within an error of 3?. Because of the high speed of sound under water, it is perceived by both ears virtually simultaneously and the orientation error may reach up to 180?. Bad orientation under water is also due to the prevalent bone conductivity. Sufficient audial orientation is possible to be acquired only after systematic training. After training ceases, however, this ability disappears.
Click to expand...
The human ear is an extremely sensitive pressure detector in air, but it is less efficient in water. A sound must therefore be more intense in water (+20 dB to 60 dB, SPL) to be heard. Hearing under water is very similar to trying to hear with a conductive hearing loss under surface conditions: a smaller shift in pressure is required to hear sounds at the extreme high and low frequencies, because the ear is not as sensitive at these frequencies. The SPL necessary for effective communication and navigation is a function of the maximum distance between the diver and the source (-3 dB SPL for every doubling of the distance between the source and the measurement point), the frequency of the signal, the ambient noise level and frequency spectrum, type of head covering, experience with diver-communication equipment, and the diver's stress level.
Click to expand...
 
Norway should have a great deal of experience using sonar to locate Russian SSBNs possibly lurking close to the fjords. This explains the strong amplitudes necessary to "hear" the sound in water. :grin:
 
as a past hearie lol..u can hear underwater kinda..like loud noises and if ppl are making noise under the water too u can hear it somewhat..if u put ur head underwater (in a tub) and u speak with mouth out of the water...it sounds very muffled. I can't hear very many noises while im under water anymore lol
 
Good news for the above: Advanced Bionics how has a waterproof Cochlear Implant for swimmers.
As a daily swimmer absolutely no interest in a waterproof implant which one takes off after swimming to "dry off". Not unduly concerned about not hearing the music playing. I have got used to "DEAF swimming" over the last 25 years.

To each their own!
 
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