Anyone out there who went into surgery with a strategy for low frequency hearing preservation?
Eager to hear how it’s gone. Literature suggests many attempted low frequency maintenance patients eventually deteriorate.
I’m a singer and musician, which has been my biggest impediment to considering a CI, despite my being a candidate
I had good lows pre op. I still have good lows post op. Getting a CI didn’t effect my lows at all. But it did effect my high frequencies, I list the standard 20% high frequencies. And they managed to preserve my residual hearing. Sadly my residual dropped out 15 months post op.
Well, I had a strategy, but it is out of our control. I hoped to preserve my good low frequency hearing and use the acoustic ear hook attachment for my Advanced bionics CI. My surgeon from Vanderbilt university - a leader in CI research - said it is pretty much a 50/50 shot. I was surprised and thought a surgeon would boast better results. I was quite concerned. I did not keep any residual hearing, but it has not bothered me as much as I thought. The CI has helped me a lot. I enjoy most types of music, including classical and opera. I used to play piano, but am certainly not a musician. I use the Phonak Marvel Link HA in my other ear and find it helps provide more warmth to the music. I do not capture the melodies as much as I’d like with just my CI, but with both, I find it a pleasing experience, even if different. Music specific rehab can help. I played around a bit on my daughter’s piano and did have some success better differentiating high notes after some work. It might be like the electronic keyboard vs the true piano - there a depth and richness to the real thing…however the real thing is mostly gone or none of us would be on this forum…so.
Your hearing journey is not over.
I definitely am still learning to hear better.
Music is a challenge but getting better the more I listen to it. As are all sounds around me. Just paying attention is all it seems to take.
IME the good surgeons are like engineers, grounded in reality. Bad surgeons are like car salesmen.
I’ve considered CI for my worst ear, nice to hear it can work out. Thanks for sharing your journey!
Curious, where did you get this information?
I find it a little out of line.
I can also say I have been around engineers most of my life. They are very human as well. Many are worthless and others are great.
I’m an orthopaedic surgeon. My wife is an ENT surgeon. The point is well taken. I am evidence-based to a fault and would feel terrible if I misrepresented risks/benefits to my patients, but that is definitely not a universal n my field…
That’s fair. Basis; this engineers personal experiences with surgeons, discussions with surgeons about surgeons, particularly with regard surgery for hearing. Maybe it’d be more accurate to specify “good engineers.”