March 2035 i’ll be 65, and it would be 3 months before that, i’d be able sign up which would be Dec 2034…a full 13 years away. That’s much too long for me to stay in complete silence.
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There’s open enrollment also for those who are under age 65 and on Social Security Disability.
EDIT: A quick search showed me that I can actually enroll anytime after January 1st…it just wouldn’t start until July 1st.
General Enrollment Period – January 1 through March 31 each year with coverage starting July 1.
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Ok, you are in an area I don’t know enough about to help.
But I wonder if recently losing your last hearing ear could affect the benefits. I really don’t know.
Good luck with this.
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Thanks. It’s really not a big issue or hurdle for me. The only thing is needing to have patience until next July. But that gives me a lot of time to research and choose the best company as I see there’s a few to pick from.
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Cochlear has 2 processors lines, the Nucleus (7 is the current version) looks a lot like a BTE with the cable and magnet attached, it is probably what you think of when you think of a CI. They also have the Kanso line, the Kanso 2 is the most recent and it is a disk that has a magnet and just hangs on the side of your head. In the US you generally get two processors when you are implanted and Raudrive got one of each. I have 2 N7s because my wife is right and my head is too thick so the magnets won’t reliably keep the Kanso on.
I have not had problems with the Nucleus and sweat, certainly not to the degree I did with my last set of hearing aids, but I am in upstate NY so that may also make a difference. Certainly in the amount of the year i have to worry about it.
Another company Med-El also offers an off ear option. I don’t believe that Advanced Bionics does yet, but given the popularity I am sure it is on their to do list. Their is a fourth company Oticon which has just received approval to start offering CIs in the Us so I don’t know much about them.
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When I got my implants I was head strong about getting the Kanso2 processors. Just liked the fact of nothing sitting on my ears after all the years of hearing aids on my ears.
Like Pat the Kanso with my CI612 implants would not hold in the early months. The 600 series implants are the newer ones that are MRI approved. Because of this they do not have as strong of a magnet and this has caused problems for some with the Kanso 2 not sticking well to the implant.
Early on I wore the N7 processors due to the K2 processors not holding but now the K2 processors will hold. It took about 6-7 months for my right side and about 3-4 months for my left side to hold after the surgery. So now I can wear either set of processors but I can not say I really like one better than the other. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Something else that’s nice about the Cochlear N7 and K2 processors are that they are compatible with both iPhones and Android phones that are Android 10 or higher. That means you do not need an intermediate device in your pocket or around your neck.
Things are coming to mind from Pats post. Just wanting to share.
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I just did a search on the Kanso 2 and see it doesn’t have anything hanging on the ears. I really like that a lot after wearing a BTE for so long. This would be my first choice and I like that it’s compatible with Android because i’ve never cared for the Iphones and prefer the cheaper Android.
What do you mean they took months for them to hold? Would they fall off? It’s a bit overwhelming having to choose between the various CI companies, but I definitely like the one that has nothing hanging on the ear. I never seen that before.
The K2 not holding is usually due to scalp swelling after surgery. It can takes months for the scalp to get back down to normal. It was that way for me.
@Dani has the Med EL implants, Med EL has the off the ear processors called the Sonnet. I believe he had concerns about the Sonnet battery life, really liked them otherwise. Maybe he will get in on this thread too.
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When this notification popped up, I was actually on the Cochlear website at the same time reading where it says that there will be swelling at the incision site. I never knew that before so this is all very helpful to know beforehand. But it’s funny that as I was reading that, this post appeared saying the same thing.
I’m looking at Cochlear now (so far I really like what i’m seeing of that one) and still want to look through Advanced Bionics and Med EL. I saw Octicon mentioned earlier…so there’s 4 main CI companies to choose from? It seems hard to pick one going into it with no info. Are they basically all the same as far as quality goes?
Here in Australia we have assessments after being implanted, at 3, 6, &12 months. These assessments consists of audiogram, single words and sentences, plus a new mapping. These words and sentences are recorded and played to you through a speaker. Even if you look at your AuD she’s not saying anything. As you are concentrating so hard you really don’t have time to lip read even if you could. So my 94% WRS was aided and is what you actually are hearing through your processor. My CI ear was 88%.
At lot of the time you might find a surgeon who might only deal with one CI implant company. He/She might not give you the choice of a CI. Meaning if you want one particular brand you might have to ring around to find a clinic that uses the brand you want. I didn’t have a choice, it was the N7 or travel interstate for every appointment at my own expense.
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The Cochlear Implant Help site has a comparison chart for Cochlear, AB, and Med-El on their site it is updated regularly so it is a good place to look at. Oticon is new to CIs in the US although they have been in Europe for years, and while they have received approval I don’t think they are actually available yet.
There are differences in theory and implementation between all the brands and they will all tell you that theirs works best, but there is no real way to prove it. It isn’t like you can comparison shop. There was a study a few years ago now that showed they were basically within 10% of the mean so really the differences are small.
Unless you really fall in love with one then your best bet is to go with what your audi and surgeon are most familiar with as that will probably be a bigger determiner of your success then the choice of manufacturer.
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I checked the clinic locations for all three CI companies, and thankfully I live in a city (Orlando, Florida) where they are all just within miles of me. So I think I can research each company and just contact the one I feel best with and go from there. Or does it not work that way? Since all three are right here in Orlando, I would think i’d be able to choose the one I like best. No?
Next week I will send e mails out to each company requesting info and see if any of them would like to set up an appointment to answer questions, because I have a ton of them to ask lol.
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By “94% was aided” do you mean that was the ear you had a hearing aid in? 88% for the CI ear is still incredible. This may sound silly, but when you listen to people, does it feel like “work” to you? Like do really have to focus and listen to get everything like when you do with hearing aids?
Before I went profoundly deaf, I remember how much work it was just to have a 5 minute conversation. My mind would feel drained and fatigued just from trying to hard to decipher what was being said to me. I gather that a CI has none of that work to listen? I can’t imagine that and would so love it.
I live in Orlando and have Advanced Bionics, Cochlear and Med El all within a few miles from me, so i’m lucky for that and hopefully i’ll be able to choose the one I feel most comfortable with. But of course, I want the one that works best! 
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I was told to find the surgeon I was comfortable with.
Ask him/her what they recommend. I asked why. Was told they are very reputable and back their product. Good enough for me.
That’s what I did.
Cochlear.
I really think all the companies are fine. It’s all about support where you live.
Good luck
I was on the Cochlear website and can’t find that info. Do you have a link to it if links are allowed here? I’d love to see that comparison chart.
Thanks. I got it. I was looking for it on the Cochlear.com website.
EDIT: I see they all have just a 10 year warranty. Aren’t these supposed to be good for life? What happens if it breaks down after 10 years? Would I need to buy a whole new CI?!
Unless you are paying for them yourself the warranty really doesn’t matter. Insurance will view replacement of a failure as a medical necessity.
And on average the implanted part lasts much longer then 10 years. The goal is really to have them last a lifetime, but no one is going to guarantee that.
That’s good to know. And at my advanced age, a lifetime is probably only around 30, 35 years anyway so if it lasts that long, i’m good.
I did not see mention of masks among these responses. I am 88 and have been implanted for a year now. Before that, my speech recognition without lip reading in both ears was zero. I now have the Cochlear implant and Nucleus 7 processor in the left ear and hearing aid in the right ear. The implant has made a huge difference. The Resound Enzo Q in the other ear does practically nothing for me. The surgeon predicted that within a year I would be hearing and understanding 65% without lip reading. That’s just about what the audiologist found on testing at the one year mark. The one major problem is masks. Florida has different rules regarding masks but here in southeast Michigan every health care worker you encounter is masked and many if not most clerks in stores are too. I cannot understand people who have a mask on. There is of course, no lip reading with masks and the mask muffles the sound. Unfortunately, we will probably we wearing masks for a long time. Even though I am fully vaccinated I, too, wear a mask anytime I am at an indoor facility and my friends do as well. That’s a downside for me but, of course, without the implant I would not have been able to hear anyone wearing a mask either.
Good luck. You have received much helpful information from many on this forum. I too, have asked for help on this forum and always received generous help.
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