End of hearing aid, beginning of CI

Cochlear Implants
#1

Freq L R
250 60 75
500 55 95
750 65 95
1000 70 90
1500 75 90
2000 75 80
3000 85 85
4000 105 100
6000 105 100
8000 105 100

Word recognition:
Right 90 dBHL 4%
Left 85 dBHL 12%

I’ve avoided an implant for a long time because of all those risks you read about online. But I’ve had to face the reality of not being able to understand conversations - anywhere. I knew things were bad during the pandemic but it was hard to differentiate between hearing loss and masked lips. Now that masks are gone and I’m still struggling. (I tried for an hour to post my audiogram on this forum but could not figure it out.)
I have an appointment for an evaluation at Mass Eye and Ear on February 17. I live in Maine so this is will involve some travel. I’m not wild about driving in Boston but I wanted to go somewhere I was confident with. I’ve already learned a lot through the posts on this forum and my research continues. I found an implant comparison chart which presents technical information but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a site that compares different user related features like use of phones and need for other accessories.

Any help/advice is appreciated.

Liz

3 Likes
#2

CI can sure be scary.
Sure looks like you have done a bunch of research already. Getting the CI evaluation and asking questions is a sure start for success.

All three CI manufacturers are good in my opinion.
Does your surgeon or CI audiologist have a preference? Staying close to home can be an advantage for appointments.

Without any intermediate devices Cochlear/Resound and AB/Phonak are really nice. I really haven’t heard much about MedEl so I can’t say much.

Reliability might lean towards Cochlear, maybe.

I am bilateral with Cochlear. Support is super good, couldn’t ask for better.

Good luck.

2 Likes
#3

Hello, Liz!

I had my first hearing exams in over 30 years at Mass Eye and Ear a couple years ago. I’m no where near needing CI, and my current audiologists says she think I’ll probably never need one. But they were very thorough and careful. I hope they do as well for you.

Best wishes!

WH

2 Likes
#4

Raudrive, thanks for words of support. I know from past experience that I don’t do well with “intermediate” devices. I’ve had devices that I carried in my pocket, hung around my neck, and hung around other people’s neck.

I wish I could to this closer to home but there is only one doctor in Maine that does implants so there is sort of a bottle neck when you try to get an appointment. Boston is less than 100 miles so it won’t be too bad I guess.

White Hat, yes Mass Eye and Ear seem to have their act together. I don’t think I could find a better place within driving distance.

Liz

3 Likes
#5

Are you thinking of bi-modal, or bilateral CI ?

WH

1 Like
#6

@eam4094 welcome back to the forum. The CI recipient numbers here, have grown substantially over the last 4 yrs.
If it’s important to you not to need extra devices, other than HA, CI, and phone as Raudrive said it leaves Cochlear and AB. @Dani is a Med El recipient.

What brand of HA’s do you have? As Cochlear pair with Resound aids. AB pair with certain Phonak aids and Med El pair with anything. Out of those 3 companies AB has had the most recalls on faulty internal implants. The most recent was last year.

Have a read through the individual journeys on this forum. 99% of us have had amazing results. But to get these results most of us did hours upon hours of rehab, to retrain our brains on how to turn new signals into speech. It’s a long journey, 12 months of back and forth to the AuD clinics for mappings. The first 3 months it was every fortnight for me.

Good luck for your 2 hour evaluation. I didn’t get a break so take a bottle of water with you.

1 Like
#7

Deaf_piper,
You’re right, I am a Medel recipient.

Hm, Med-EL can’t pair with more hearing aids than the other brands. Indeed if one is going for bemodal only then you should go for AB or Cochlear. Actually there is no practical way for direct streaming to Med-EL and any other hearing device except for a second CI from Med-EL.

4 Likes
#8

Thank you @Dani i have learnt something from your statement.

1 Like
#9

I will probably end up with bilateral CI but right now I’m just thinking about one for my right ear. I still have some hearing in my left ear if I use a blue tooth mic or streamer. I wear Phonak hearing aids so AB might be the logical choice but I don’t want that to be the deciding factor.

The importance of rehab is one of the reasons I haven’t had an implant until now. Right now, listening is such a struggle and so exhausting that the thought of putting in the effort at rehab just seems overwhelming. But at this point my back is against the wall – it is either put the work in on the rehab or accept that I won’t be able to communicate in most situations.

I’ve read about the importance of rehab on this forum. Listening to audio books actually sounds like fun. We shall see.

1 Like
#10

Everyone is different about rehab with CI.
I personally didn’t do any of the stuff the audiologist or the members on this forum talk about doing. I watched old rerun TV shows I new by heart with closed captioning on with a TV streamer. Worked great for me.

My speech understanding with each CI is 90 & 95 percent. Not too shabby and I am one of those that didn’t understand anything for about 3 weeks after activation. I was very frustrated at first.

I too was a Phonak person for many years. Went with Cochlear America at my surgeons recommendation.

3 Likes
#11

I also wanted my worst ear done first. When I saw my surgeon he wanted to do my better ear, as he felt I would get a better result from the CI on my R ear and not my L ear. I just went with the flow, and got an excellent result. I’m still on the fence about getting my L ear done as it’s been profound loss for over 7 decades now.

1 Like
#12

Prefacing I’m currently a Bimodal user with Sonnet 2/Rondo 3 and an Oticon More 1.

I’ve had my right ear CI done at MEEI. And I’ll be getting my 2nd CI end of March. I went with MedEl for the music aspect of things. If I could turn back time, I’d probably reconsider one of the others tbh as I feel MedEl has fallen behind the curve in the tech department and the lack of proper streaming irks me to no end.

If you’re Bimodal or will be for a while in between, unless you have an Android phone then you’ll be annoyed to learn the only way to stream to both is via a Telecoil neckloop system. Even then, it’s iffy. iOS / Apple doesn’t support independent Bimodal setups with MedEl. AudioStream by itself does allow you to stream from the iPhone to Sonnet 2. Or you can stream from the device to the HA side. Not both without the neckloop.

I have no experience with Cochlear/Resound or AB/Phonak Bimodality. But if you do choose to go with MedEl, then definitely get a supported Android phone and tablet to stream to both ears without an intermediary device. It’ll help a lot. Finicky to set up at first but you’ll quickly get comfy with it. And no cowbells/neckloops involved. All MedEl backpacks come with Audiostream so pick the AudioLink since that costs a pretty penny. If you really want the Telecoil neckloop, you can buy the Artone Max for like $30 on Amazon later on. I’m not a fan but I know of at least one MedEl user that promotes it.

As far as MEEI, they’re very professional and know what they’re doing and you’ll be in and out in no time. Since you mentioned going with AB, then you’ll be in the right hands as my Audi there said the majority of their patients are AB users but as usual, inquiry to the surgeon you’re referred to which brand they implant the most.

They also just got both a new music and speech therapist after letting go of their one speech therapist they had whom was questionable at best. Definitely inquiry about that to help with the training after you get activated down the road.

Don’t be deterred if you do not hear well for a while after activation. It’ll come through. Music is more complex so that takes the brain longer to decipher and relearn than speech. Watch a lot of familiar shows. Audiobooks go a long way. My surgeon actually suggested simply reading aloud to even a pet if you have one (my pups endured the entirety of Lord of the Rings). Plenty of apps out there to assist with whatever you’re working on as well.

Good luck. It’s a big step but you’ll get used to it quickly. It took me 5+ years to finally pull the cord on the first surgery from the first time my Audi at MEEI suggested it. I’ve lost majority of my hearing in the other ear since that surgery (unrelated) so I’m not as trigger shy this time around. And above all, pace yourself. The fatigue can get to you easily.

2 Likes
#13

Hi Liz,

I am bilateral with AB and I chose them based on my surgeon’s recommendation. I am happy with the sound quality but I have some issues with their customer service.

I had my surgery in the USA, and the customer service was okay, but after I moved back to China, nightmare began.

AB outsources their customer service to dealers in China, and the replacement parts are frequently out of stock. With Naida Q90, I had to replace the cable every three months.

I pay for everything out of pocket, including upgrading from Q90 series to M90 series which cost me 23,000USD. Super expensive, but I could really use the direct phone connectivity.

Additionally, customer service is not available during holidays/weekends in China, and it took a long time to get the replacement parts. I complained to both the CEO of AB China and the CEO of Sonova China, but no one seemed to care. I know I could continue to complain, but I have a life to live and the thought of doing so is frustrating. In contrast, I have a friend in China who chose Cochlear and her experience has been pretty good.

No doubt that AB has many benefits and their product and technology are advanced. (At least I was told so, never tried other CI products). But CI are like cars and require long-term maintenance. For most CI users, this is a lifetime commitment.

In short, I recommend you researching customer service for CI in your area, apart from their technology and product offerings. I hope this information helps, and I wish you all the best in your journey towards better hearing.

Best,
Xinke.

5 Likes
#14

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has responded. All the research in the world probably would not have come up with this info. Deaf piper - doing my good ear first is kind of scary. I have been counting on still being able to hear some with my left ear if things go wrong (?). Frankly, if things go wrong with my right ear it is no great loss. This is definitely a discussion to have with the surgeon. johnf1 thanks for the feedback on MEEI. It will be a slog to get there but I figure in the long run it will be worth it. Maine has a lot going for it but it is well off the beaten path. I already use an Android phone so that is no problem. Wow xinke, that is so good to know. I’ll be sure to talk to the folks at MEEI about support from the manufacturer. It is hard to be a satisfied customer without good continued support. May I ask why you had to replace the cable every three months?

2 Likes
#15

I am bimodal, i chose Cochlear/Resound because they had the best sound processor / HA on the market at the time, when AB/phonak was still using neckloop instead of 2.4 ghz / bluetooth. i knew AB/phonak is behind in term of R&D and playing catch up with Resound/Cochlear, they had a huge lead in 2.4 ghz and now LE Audio is here. they still have that lead time .

3 Likes
#16

CI wearer here, on one side. From your numbers and the low word recognition on both ears, its time for you to make a move. I’d suggest on the right side where your word recognition is worst. It will take you a few months to get used to the CI and understand speech but you will have your better hearing aid ear to help you during this period. I find the natural sound from my remaining hearing aid helps fill the gaps that CI’s leave open a bit,.
Good luck

4 Likes
#17

That is exactly what I’m planning on. Hopefully the surgeon will agree.

1 Like
#18

Q90’s wire is prone to breaking easily, as reported by other users. After a while, poor contact can occur, resulting in intermittent sound and a terrible experience. Upgrading to M90 has fixed the issue.

2 Likes
#19

I had my worst ear done fist, surgeon’s choice. Had not heard anything for about eight years on my left side. Could understand speech from the get go, though it was a little robotic. That was March of 2022. The robotic voices are gone and speech and conversation are not a problem.

October of 2022 I had surgery to go bilateral. Due to ossification the surgeon was not able to insert enough electrodes to do me any good. Mind you this was my better ear. I could hear but not enough to understand speech. Because of the surgery I lost my residual hearing. Without my CI I am completely deaf… I cannot even hear my own voice.

A week from tomorrow my surgeon is going to attempt for a successful outcome. After a CT scan he believes he has found a way to get more electrodes into the cochlea.

I’m grateful I had my worst ear done first. If the second surgery doesn’t take at least I have my left CI.

8 Likes
#20

I am moving in the CI direction. My last hearing test and new aids was in June of last year. I believe the higher power aids are accelerating my loss. I cannot understand speech at all without my aids, even with lip reading.

I’m 72 and fear any kind of surgery. At least my oldest son can sign but he lives in Florida and I would have to learn from scratch.

Jeff

3 Likes