Happened to me also, in the 90's....I had 2 surgeries in N.C., and 2 in Fla. Still, I have drainage/infections and pain...and the last specialist told me there would be no more surgeries for me! Ear drops and infection antibotics have been the norm for many years!....
I went to Mayo clinic to get their opinion there, as the pain worsened. That's when they told me "You would be an excellent candidate for the CI!"...But we might have to do some more surgeries on ur ears due to the problems. Gave me all the brochures, etc., to make up my mind. (Along with different "ear drops" and pain medication.
I was floored! After so many surgeries and all these specialists cannot help me with my ear(s) problem and they suggest a CI????
WTF???....After 4 prior surgeries....then suggesting MORE surgeries....then suggesting a CI ?? I believe to implant a CI itself, consists of several surgeries, right??
Hey!...I'm not the smartest lady on the block, but would anybody in their right mind even consider something suggested like this??
HA's dont work on me, as my nerves are dead (after a blotched surgery)...and I have no ear drums!..So there ya go! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to undy this!
Thanks for sharing your story. Don't ya hate it when others try to pressure/force CI on others? I know CI is a choice but no one should force it on others!
Not only that, but this is subject to interpretation and competing agendas. I can see that SOME audiologists might push CIs for somebody, but not all audis do that. Making blanket statements is not only unfair, but its also wrong. A CI is NOT appropriate for someone who isn't bilaterally profoundly deaf. It's really that simple and any audi should know that. I know the FDA has relaxed the criterior for children, but even then, no surgeon will implant someone who isn't profoundly deaf.
I really, really wish people on both sides of the issue would stop pushing agendas as it serves no purpose. Each person has the right to make up his or her mind about the CI. Vampy had an experience and made his decision accordingly. He appears happy with his HAs and that's great! So, what's the problem????? I don't see one here other than someone making a mountain out of a molehill.
An audie may causally mention CIs but no one has the right to push CIs on anyone. I would be fine if my audies said "some profoundly deaf people find CIs benefit them" then if I was interested, I would do my own research. But no audie can say "you really need to go out right now and get CIs!" If someone was against CIs, they can have written in their medical files "NO CIs" like was done with someone I read about. The audies would view his medical files and not even mention CIs because they know he's simply not interested.
Again, I never said I am against CIs, only that I am against CIs being forced on anyone and I made this thread to state the point that audies need to back off! That's the problem we all see. CIs were forced on him and it upset him!
Deafdude-I think anyone is allowed to have their own opinion but starting multiple threads trying to disprove CI's and why everyone shud have the best hearing aids before even thinking bout ha's, and gains, etc is just a bit much. We got the point with the first few threads but now it's just getting redundant.
This is not what this thread was about! Please re-read it. The issue I was discussing is CIs were forced on him and his audie even "cheated" to make his hearing worse than it was as to trick him into getting CIs. He's not dumb and saw thru this but was still offended by his audie playing tricks like that. I wanted to let others know to beware if their own audiologist attempted any tricks like that!
You will notice that ive said nothing against CIs to you or anyone. I know you want CIs, I know you are paying for them, that's your choice alone. Good luck!
DeafDude -
It seems that you have an ANTI-CI agenda going on...you're going all over the damn forum digging up old shit from a few years ago.
Show me where did I ever say I was against CIs. I am only against CIs being forced on people like VamPyroX.
DeafDude -
nor do we need you pushing us away from CI and towards a HA even when it is obvious that there are some people who CANNOT benefit from a HA and who actually DO qualify for a CI like me, but you seem to think those people still would benefit from a HA.
I never pushed you or anyone away from CIs. If you read my other replies to you, I agreed 100% with everthing you said. I never once said youd benefit from a HA. You already shared your long story and I carefully read your story and I understood 100%. I know what a 115db loss is like and I understand personally what it's like
not to hear high frequencies. You don't hear even low frequencies! That's why you stopped wearing HAs! Again, if my hearing got as bad as yours, id get CIs for myself! How can I be against CIs then?
DeafDude -
We are even capable of catching audiologists doing something that they should not be doing, as Vampyrox has clearly proven. He caught the audiologist red-handed. We're Deaf but not dumb at all, we can catch people who try to do shit like this, just like hearing people can.
Show me where I said any of you are dumb. I am not a rude person! I was pointing out that some audiologists lack ethics and have the right to explain such cases. If anyone is offended by me pointing out that some audiologists lack ethics, fine let those audiologists serve you, it's your choice I don't care. I am avoiding those audiologists and that's my choice. Nowhere was I rude!
Most Deaf people I know will not go "ooooh cool I want a CI" and go get one...they usually say "no way!" and they usually hold on to their HAs and wear them for some length of time, even years, before they finally decide to just go without anything to aid their hearing, or they decide to go with a CI. For most Deaf people it takes several years to even come to a decision to go for a CI or not. It's completely their decision, so please stop pushing people away from a CI - it's THEIR body....even if the person has a moderate loss, it's HER/HIS LOSS and HER/HIS problem and if she/he goes for a CI, that's HER decision since it is her body. She/he has the rights to risk her/his moderate hearing loss for a CI if she/he is an adult.
That is good for anyone that takes CIs seriously. I respectfully disagree with anyone who buys into the hype but I would never be rude! I am not pushing people away from CIs, only providing facts so they can be informed. I am happy when people give me facts about anything and let me decide myself. No one can decide for me, but everyone has the right to give me the facts!
I have the right to refuse to be part of an insurance plan or company that approves CIs(and other non life-saving) surguries willy-nilly. I do not want to subsidize their decisions with my money via higher insurance premiums! But if that person pays 100% of the cost of CI(or any other surgery) out of pocket, you are right it does not affect me at all. As long as people's decisions do not affect me or cost me money for nothing, I don't care!
If I were a CI surgeon, it would be my right to turn down some that want CIs. Ive read about people with moderate HL being turned down by surgeons, well there was one who was turned down by insurance but his surgeon agreed because he was paying 100% of the cost out of pocket and signed a waiver stating the surgeon is not to be held liable if he hears worse with CI than HA. He got lucky and ended up hearing a little better with CI and that made him happy. Fine, that was his choice and it didn't cost me nor insurance anything.
I'd like to see the proof of this woman with this loss getting a CI - where is her blog? I want to see it. And what are the losses at the rest of the frequencies? 250 Hz is not the only frequency they use. I want to see what her losses are at the higher frequencies.
In her better ear, she has 10-20db more hearing in the mid frequencies than in her worse ear. I made her above audiogram in paint on her slightly worse ear. She was not wearing the best HAs, I know this because my aided scores will be better than hers. I really wish I had her audiogram, I would hear so much better with my HAs! The blue dots are the best possible aided scores, of which hers were way below. The red dots is her unaided hearing. She actually hears some sounds
unaided while I am deaf without HAs. I really wish I could hear some sounds unaided!
But anyway she was scoring 95% on an online speech comphrension test while I scored a 72%(which is still way above the 40% maximum for CI) so I know well that her huge boost in the low frequencies is making that difference. We both lack high frequency hearing, however I really wish I had her low frequency hearing as id hear so much better as well as understand alot more speech like she is! I really, really, really wish her luck with her CI(She's a nice lady) but would have been curious to know how well she would have done with the best HAs that she never tried!
This is my audiogram I created in paint of my
better ear. Her worse ear is so much better than my better ear! My worse ear is like 5db worse in the mid frequencies and I doubt I can hear 2000Hz. The blue dots is the best I will ever hear aided, but doesn't mean ill achieve those aided scores. My audiologist is going to try however when he reprograms my HAs.
