Is it now time to go bilateral?

Cochlear Implants
#1

I’m bimodal with N7 & Resound Enzo 3D. The Enzo 3D to the best of my knowledge is a super power aid. (Please correct me if I’m wrong) With binaural aided WRS of 96%, August 2022. Does Resound have a more powerful aid?

It was a beautiful Spring day here so we went on a road trip to Traralgon in Gippsland yesterday, with the music playing very loudly, volume on 20, max volume is 35, my son has music roaring as young ones do. In bimodal mode I could understand every word of every song quiet clearly, and hear every note of music perfectly. (not streaming) For some reason I removed the magnet to see what I could hear with my L aided ear. Here’s the clanger, I couldn’t understand one single word of any song and could barely hear the music either. It was just pure and simple noise! I tried this on several different song genres, they were all the same… This has come as a heck of a shock.

The L aided ear has congenital loss, of over 7 decades. My surgeon didn’t want to operate on this ear 3.5 yrs ago, because he didn’t know if I would get any sort of a reasonable result. So he did my good ear instead, which I have had an excellent result from my CI. If people are talking to me I’ve noticed I put my Processor ear closer to the person talking. If I’m streaming it appears that my L ear is coping better than my CI side?

I still have some mild difficulty in a crowd hearing clearly, I adjust the CI app, but other than that I thought I was managing really well… As I don’t need any of the following, phone clip, TV streamer or mini mic 2. My R ear without the processor can only hear sound, but I can’t determine any speech at all, just sound or noise. Obviously my CI is carrying all my communication with people.

I’m very aware that I will need a hell of a lot of rehab for this L ear, and I may not even get a reasonable result, even with rehab. My L ear has reasonable lows and virtually no highs left. I’m retired and have a lot of time to dedicate to rehab. How do you know when it’s time to go bilateral?

I knew this would happen sometime in the future, but I didn’t want it to happen so soon after my first CI operation. I have so many health issues going on, that I really don’t need this to happen now…

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#2

They have the Enzo Q series. I have the same WRS score as you do. the question how do you perform in noise, that the key question you should be asking yourself.

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#3

Let me rephrase to see if I’ve got it right. Overall you’re functioning pretty well except some mild difficulty hearing in a crowd. Your concern is that you recently realized that your left ear is pretty awful. You’re wondering if you should do something about it (like CI). You have other health concerns and really don’t want to deal with it now. My take from my experience as a RN is that health is not about some ideal state of perfection, but getting along well enough to function and get some pleasure out of life. It really doesn’t sound like your left ear has much impact on your life in that until you checked it, you were unaware how bad it was. (In my mind, kind of like going to the doctor saying that your left arm hurts whenever you poke it. The solution: stop poking it.) If you really want more info, I’d consult an ENT or two to see what kind of a result you might expect from CI. Regarding hearing aids, as SSA mentioned there are newer models. I doubt they’re more powerful. Don’t know if you use an audiologist or self program. If audiologist, consider a visit and see if they can optimize. If you self program, make sure you’ve got the optimal setup for your hearing aid with big tubes and occlusive ear molds and see if you’ve got any headroom for more gain. Keep us posted. However, from what I’ve heard I think you’re doing pretty well as it is.

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#4

The brain really gets used to two hearing ears. If you take one away it makes a big difference.
Did you try taking the hearing aid off during these tests? I bet you would see interesting results with just the CI as well. But both ears are doing really pretty well together.

I agree with the in noise hearing results. If you are having a tuff time in noise maybe a second CI is the answer??? Noise is the challenge we all deal with.

As you know I am bilateral. If I take one of my processors off it really changes how well I hear. I can have a conversation with either processor off and the other on, phone calls too but I do have to pay more attention to understand.

MDB has made some great points.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

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#5

@ssa depending on the level of noise, ambience of where we are etc, I use “iOS live listen” an awful lot. But most recipients have varying degree of difficulty with background noise.

@MDB

I struggle with anything IT so yes I have most definitely got an audiologist.

When I saw my ENT surgeon last he wouldn’t give me any guarantees on a success rate if I had a CI in this ear. As I haven’t heard highs since I was born.

I’ve always known it wasn’t good. I didn’t mention that in the last 3 weeks the L ear developed intermittent soft tinnitus. Along with not hearing as well as before, yes I’m concerned. But I’ve left it to long to try steroids.

@Raudrive

No I didn’t take my aid out. I was shocked I couldn’t hear with it in.

I’ve made an audiology appointment to see if the aid might need an adjustment or two. Or even try a newer Enzo power aid.
My thoughts overall after reading everyone’s thoughts is “I’m better off with the devil I know than the devil I don’t know”.

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#6

This i didn’t know about you. I had the understanding you did not need hearing tools other than the CI and hearing aid.

Do you know what your word understanding is on your aided ear? I suspect it is very low from your comments.

#7

I don’t use or have any Cochlear tools. But I do use live listen in noisy situations.

I haven’t had my L ear tested since my pre op evaluation. At that evaluation it was 22%.

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#8

@Raudrive

Live Listen works with any MFi HA / CI / BAHA.

You don’t need anything else (apart from an iPhone.)

#9

All the best in what you decide to do.

:slight_smile:

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#10

In my case, I perform so well in noise bimodal without using any listening device. (75%-80% in multi speaker test on both side tested seprately )

You have the decision waiting for you. I have a good problem, I want (but don’t need) a second C but everybody says no to me because my hearing loss is not as severe as your CI ear. I’ll not push it because i am doing fine with current config until a hearing aid breaks and I won’t perform well/ in noise. I wish Cochlear make hearing aid for their bimodal recipients, they clearly have the capability to build a hearing aid…

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#11

My point was that your phone using live listen is a tool. I had the understanding you were doing great with your bimodal hearing.

Have you thought about getting your hearing aid ear tested for word understanding? It’s been a while and your hearing may have changed.

Have you tried Forward Focus in noisy places? It works well for me. The new Omnia Hearing aids have a similar technology I believe. It too is supposed to help in noisy environments.

@Zebras I knew about iphones and live listen. It’s a pretty cool tool.

#12

Shame my Phonak’s don’t have it.

I tried it when I tried Oticon.
Very good feature.

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#13

@Raudrive i have made an appointment with my audiologist in 2 weeks time. I’m hoping my AuD can tweak my aid sufficiently.

I tried forward focus when I first got my N7, it didn’t make a noticeable difference. So I didn’t bother with it until about a month ago. It did make a noticeable difference then. So I have been using it this last month.

@Zebras thank you.

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#14

@ssa Gosh, so do I… Currently I have 2 AuD’s, 1 for hearing aid and 1 for CI. I just wish they were in the same building, that would be a hell of an improvement, not 20 km apart. On public transport that 1 hour away from each other.

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#15

I’m feeling lucky after my AuD appointment today. She did an audiogram and I have lost a further small, possibly about 10% of my hearing from the marked area. So I had an adjustment to my Resound Enzo, and I’m hoping this is all I need for quiet some time…. At this stage I’m going to persevere with my bimodal system and see if the adjustment helps any….

The bottom graph I found interesting, I’ve not seen one like this before. It charts my hearing from 2014, and shows my hearing loss over the last 9 years. Not a huge difference at all thankfully.

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#16

What is your word understanding in that ear?

#17

Rick I haven’t done a WRS for a few years but it was 22%. That’s going back to my CI evaluation though. This is the ear that’s been like this for over 70 years. And it’s that 70+ yrs that’s my major concern, and my. not moving forward to go bilateral.

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#18

To me the WRS tells you a bunch even if the audiogram doesn’t.

Earlier you mentioned your hearing in noise has gotten worse in your hearing aid ear. Your audiogram might not show it but your WRS probably would.

These are points I see concerning going bilateral.

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