CI questions

Cochlear Implants
#101

I saw the Audiologist this morning. I’m a little bummed. She is recommending I trial CROS amplification. She doesn’t think I’ll qualify for CI’s due to the SRT score of 48% at 95db. She also said that CROS would give me some directionality back. Not sure how that could be.

Even at 95db she sounded like she was in a tunnel huffing helium. I get the feeling that distorted sound isn’t a consideration for CI’s. She told me that everyone would sound like Darth Vader with Cochlear Implants. That sounds contrary to what some have posted.

If anyone knows what the maximum SRT score is to qualify for CI’s, please post it for me.

I see the ENT tomorrow and I’m pretty sure he will go along with the Audiologist’s recommendation.

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#102

Just read some interesting information comparing MedEl, AB and Cochlear. Cochlear is a bit less strict about SRT scores, levels of hearing loss at different frequencies.
We’re you tested in noise?

My first few weeks with each implant people sounded like cartoon characters but that went away totally. Brain plasticity is amazing.

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#103

@kathykillea04 I’m sorry to read about your situation. Has your implanted array been tested thoroughly to see if all electrodes are working properly? I’m just wondering if you received a faulty array… It’s just a thought I had when reading your story.

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#104

No I don’t believe so. However, in my graph above is says “55” under contra. masking.

I believe that means masking in my better ear, but I’m not sure and I don’t remember any white noise during that test.

#105

I had an Integrity test performed that looks at all the electrodes and evaluates whether or not they are working.Everything is functioning only I still have no word recognition. I have 40% sound but I should be at at least 60% at this point (13 months)I was told anything below 45 % is considered a poor response.

#106

yes it was a significant increase but I was told by the audiologist anything below 45% is a poor response after 13months-

#107

I believe you are correct about masking the other ear.

The CI evaluation is more than hearing test scores. It includes if the candidate is medically able and also lifestyle reason ability. CI takes a mental drive to hear better. The audiologist will ask questions about family and job hearing needs.

Anyway……
Not an expert but looking at your left ear, without knowing all the details, it sure looks like a CI candidate.

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#108

I am going to second the recommendation to stream audio to the CI, that is how I did most of my rehab for my first CI, streaming podcasts to it. Now I had good speech recognition right away so it was more to clear up the sound then to increase understanding although it did both.

You might want to try getting unabridged audio books and read along with a print copy to start. Your local library may be able to help with this. If it works you will find that you get more and more from the audio and need the print less.

Hopefully this helps.

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#109

Speech recognition is done differently for a CI evaluation. Basically it uses a quite room and not headphones and is done with your hearing aids. The first is sentences in at 60 dB in quite and then again at 65 dB in a 60 dB background noise.

You can’t really compare the numbers to a regular hearing test. I posted about my test in the first couple of posts in my thread here. What my audio gram showed had very little relationship to how I was hearing with aids (what do you know those things can actually do something). If I was only evaluated in quite I never would have been implanted. In noise I was useless.

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#110

Kathy I agree with Pat, streaming directly into the ears is a great way to help. I’m in Australia and our local libraries have several free audible apps that stream books. Borrow Box and Libby are just 2 that I can remember, you borrow everything electronically. Also borrow the hard copy and read sling with the audible version. I’ve lost count of the 100’s of books I streamed for my rehab. I also streamed podcasts and Ted Talks. I struggled with the American accent to start with. Good Luck Kathy.

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#111

Yes, the accents! I am thrilled that I can actually distinguish accents again. Listening to different narrators is great rehab. I am listening to “Irish Country Christmas” just now (from Canada) and delighted to hear that soft Antrim accent I associate with my Northern Irish relatives. I vouch for streaming books/podcasts/talk radio. It’s so important to get used to different speakers - their intonations, rhythms, timbre. I found that it was quite hard to keep up at first, even though I could hear words quite early on and hear them well, but it seemed like my brain wasn’t up to speed in processing what I was hearing. I had become too used to the printed word, be it texts, emails, closed captioning. Stick with it, Kathy!

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#112

@cfr70 my left ear has been severe profound since birth as well. I can still hear low frequencies unaided on that side, but it’s a struggle. When I went for my assessment and saw the CI surgeon he said no he won’t do my left ear first. Simply because it had been over 7 decades as it is now. He couldn’t give me any sort of guarantee that it would be a successful operation.

After my right ear was a tremendous success he asked me if I wanted my left done as well. I pondered and researched this for 6 months, quizzed other recipients, and asked the question on the boards here as well.

I decided against going bilateral, until such time my left ear declines more. I’m fully resigned to the fact that I might have to get it done eventually, but not now.

To answer your other question regarding my bimodal heating. When I have both my devices on I can understand 94% of what’s being said to me. And 88% with just my Ci processor on.

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#113

cfr 70, you are NOT alone. There are a large number of hearing impaired persons and the shear number of people with hearing loss (driven in part by an aging population) has really being the driving force behind CI technology. The implants are great now and continue to improve. I’m not yet implanted but will go for evaluation early 2022 and I have NO hesitation about being implanted. You do not have to live is silence. Would love for you to start a thread on your CI journey. And Merry Christmas!

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#114

I am still shocked at the number of audiologists who do not strongly steer patients toward a CI when there is clearly no benefit from blasting the few hair cells remaining in the cochlea. But oh yeah, I’ve got a “new, more powerful, more expensive aid”; just lay out another 8 grand for this one. This comes from my experience, helping family members with aids and many hearing loss forums. Rant over, sorry.

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#115

My audiologist has recommended it for years. I’m not interested. I guess he’s not that desperate to sell me new aids. I go to him when I think it’s time for new aids. My decision not his

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#117

@billjack that was my experience as well. $7500.00 later and useless hearing aids. 18 months after outlaying that on aids that were not satisfactory I was implanted. I’ve not looked back since then.

What an awful lot of people don’t understand is, you are far better off getting a CI while you have a reasonable amount of natural hearing left. If you leave it until you don’t have much natural hearing left a lot struggle to get good results from the implant.

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#118

Good luck with your testing and let us know how it goes.

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#119

Yes D_p, the consensus from what I’ve gathered is to keep the 8th cranial nerve stimulated as much as possible to get the best results from a CI. Although, I am impressed with the results people are getting from implanting a long term “dead” ear as well.

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#120

billjack I’m bimodal, I decided not to go bilateral just yet. As my other ear is congenital loss over 7 decades ago. While I still have good lows I’ll stay bimodal. When/if my lows decline I know I’ll have to go bilateral. No doubt that time will come, but until then I’ll sit on the fence yet again.

Good luck to you at your evaluation. (Take a bottle of water with you. As it’s a 2 hour long intense session) Let us know how you go.

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#121

I just met for my first cochlear conversation and when I asked about music she had an interesting observation. Anecdotally she thinks that the blue tooth streaming capability has improved the rehab needed for hearing music pleasantly with CI. People can stream it more hours of the day and push the rehab along faster. She has had fewer complaints about music sound from CI patients and thinks streaming might account for it.

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