hello @Dani .
we need update … Enjoy your story very much as you describe it very accurate … amazing
Last updated in March now AUGUST.
There will be an update as soon as it is time for an update.
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Hi Raudrive,
Yes of course I can. You know my highs were totally away before my surgery. Since after activation my highs are back the first time since 14 years (of silence 
). Now I have a full bandwidth again in hearing speech (with both ears, i.e. HA and CI in combo). Intelligibility has improved a little bit at the beginning and from mapping to mapping it is still getting better (from 55% to 85% with both ears). But you have to find out what has to be improved (eg what frequency range or the amount of how much an electrode has to be moved in frequency (shifting)).
Music however is still not the same as before. But for most known songs I can tell the name after the first few notes already. Meanwhile I love listening to drums solo what I hatet in earlier times. That sounds really sharp. My audiologist didn’t believe that I like this programm.
Next time (9th September) I will try to get a real music program with a higher(!) compression but less “wide” dynamic range. I want to get a static “dynamic range” (no changing compression rate) to hear all sounds, low and high volume at the same time. I will see.
Btw I am really excited so I am already planning my 2nd CI…
(Still keep in mind that I don’t hear anything above 2kHz with my HA ear!)
And it’s really a good idea to brew Oktoberfest beer since there is none this year 
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im happy for u , now after 6 month ( CI )
- Can you speak on the mobile phone?
- Can you hold a dialogue with someone without missing a word?
- Can you hold a dialogue with someone without missing a word?
Yes. I even can listen and understand what the caller or called is talking about, even though the voice is not familiar. It’s difficult but I can handle this because I am used to hear very bad. It’s easier for me now than with HAs even though I could use a streamer before surgery to listen with both HAs simultaneously. At the moment I don’t use a streamer nor am I connected via bluetooth or MFi.
It’s no problem compared to my time before surgery
No. I still and probably will ever struggle with missing or false heard words, more than normal hearing people. A CI is a deep benefit for those of us having severe to profound hearing loss only.
After 6 month my left (HA) ear has decreased in WRS from 55 to 30%, my audiogram did not change. My right (CI) ear was at 55% just right after a new mapping in June, I suppose it has increased since then, I will see in a few days at the next appointment. Nevertheless I no longer need that much concentration for listening than half a year before. You can see that by comparing my new and old WRS for my left ear - that’s no longer trained enough because my brain doesn’t need to.
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This is what I have been seeing too. This is why I want to get both ears done at once.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It is so very helpful.
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I still benefit from my HA ear (no matter if with or without the hearing aid) because of the low frequencies I get from my left ear. But I am sure I can manage this at the next appointment.
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Thank you for sharing your incredible journey. Many of our members seem to have vision problems. Is there a connection between your hearing loss and your poor vision?
Hm, I don’t think so.
In my case it is congenital. In the vast majority there is no relation between vision problem and hearing loss. Indeed most HOH can fully correct their eyes with glasses and most patients with RP (like me) have an excellent hearing (except me).
I don’t think this applies to Dani, but I think the connection between vision problems and hearing for many of is that we’re old. I’m guessing forum members (in general, not everybody) have more arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer than a group that was younger on average.
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I think both answers are correct.
For many of us, MDB’s answer is right on. These sensory losses are part of the aging process. My hearing loss is pretty typical prebyacusis with progressive loss of high frequency hearing. I used to be able to get along without my hearing aids, but I cannot anymore. If I live long enough, I suppose, I’ll have little useful hearing, but I hope and pray the process doesn’t speed up. My vision is going down because of age-related cataracts but these should be correctable.
Dani’s journey is fascinating, and I am so grateful he is sharing it with us. I hope he continues to keep us up to date. It sounds as if Dani has a genetic condition like Usher syndrome, which causes retinitis pigmentosa and sensorinerual hearing loss in young people. Question: I wonder how many of our members have underlying undiagnosed genetic disorders (not just aging or noise exposure) affecting only hearing or both hearing and vision. --Steve
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@StevenS
You’re right, it’s usher Syndrom. But that’s very seldom.
@Raudrive
I’ve missed an audiogram from end of June. There I have a WRS of 70% at 65dB and even 90% at 80dB with my CI only. I.e. this is already better than with HA pre surgery and there still is a chance to perform better.
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Your progress is unglaublich. Are you planning a second CI?
Thank you
I want my second CI be done by the same surgeon so that the results are as similar to my first CI as possible (position of the electrode array within the cochlea and position of the magnet - and he did not hurt my nerves in any way). But he is overbooked so my next visit to the surgeon is in early November. The surgery will probably be next year. I hope it to be done as soon as possible.
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Just like putting off getting HA’s because of laziness and expense, I put off cataract operations because of a little bit of apprehension both for messing with my sight and how the recovery and all would go. I had a good surgeon and had good operations and recoveries and am unusual in that my optometrist says my distance vision in both eyes combined with distance lens inserted is something like 20/15 (usually no better than 20/25 or so and could be worse-outcome not guaranteed). I have slight astigmatism that I didn’t want corrected with the lens inserts and ditto for presbyopia, so I wear glasses for both. I went to a university medical center and Medicare and my supplemental insurance covered everything except for the co-pay on the drugs, ointments, and drops you use before or after the operation. So life is short. I’d encourage anyone who qualifies for Medicare coverage not to put it off. It really improved the quality of life for me, especially nighttime driving with the glare of oncoming car headlights. My cataracts had not degraded the acuity of my vision enough to qualify on that basis but there is also a glare test and both eyes qualified on that basis. I’d say the recovery process requires a bit of discipline so perhaps good to get cataracts fixed while you’re still “young” enough to be disciplined and organized (I had multiple drug/drop taking reminders going in a smartphone app as the recovery meds had to be taking with different frequencies per day, etc.!).
Sounds like you are really doing well. 2 cochlear implants should really step up your hearing.
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Cataract surgery is a no brainer as far as I’m concerned. I got mine for acuity reasons over 10 years ago (couldn’t read street signs) Surgery is super quick and easy and results are nearly immediate. I couldn’t believe how bright colors were. I still wear glasses. I don’t need them for distance but I found that after having worn glasses since I was 11, I relied on them to protect my eyes. I kept getting poked in the eye by small branches so went back to wearing glasses.
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Hi, Dani, Did you post a picture of your CI? —Steve
I posted a picture in June:
Awwww zebras are yours!
Back then I didn’t remember names but I did remember pics.
I like your zebras!
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