Mappings from Hell

Cochlear Implants
#1

Yesterday I went to have my 12 month assessment for my CI. My regular Aud was off sick on the day and I had a different one. So the assessment didn’t happen just new mappings from hell.

Well she got stuck into me and told me I’m not utilising my EAS, “not to worry I’ll fix that for you” Jeepers did she ever fix my mappings. I have 4 new ones, all louder than the previous one. All a pitch or 4 higher than what I’m used to.

Everything is so sharp, the S & SH sounds are cringe worthy. All I can hear is someone screeching, very squeaky and screaming at me. Even making a cup of coffee and stirring the coffee. The spoon scraping on the cup is so sharp. I don’t dare drop anything on the sink as I jump it’s that loud. And I have to put up with this horrid noise for 8 weeks.

I’ve lowered the sensitivity to 5, lowered the volume to 2 and it’s still screaming at me. I’ve just discovered that my “master volume” hasn’t been activated neither has bas or treble icons.

I’ll give it a week and try to adjust to this new sound as I realise new pathways need to be made. But if after a week I’ll go and get my old map added and take off one of the new ones…SIGH… Why do some Auds have to interfere when things are going very well?

#2

Sorry to hear about your mapping from hell. Too bad you didn’t recognize it was so bad before leaving the office.

Last week I had the CI evaluation. My left ear has 4% WR, right ear has 8% WR, right ear aided has 31% sentence understanding and both ears aided have 69% sentence understanding. The audiologist was very surprised at the combined aid sentence understanding. She was skeptical of my self programming at first. So, I was told I am not a candidate for CI.

#3

I think they’re afraid of being seen as incompetent if they don’t do anything, and since they are incompetent, they mess up things because they don’t listen what we ask them to do or not to do.

If she made such a mess, go and ask for undo. You know your brain best and how and when to push it. And if you come and your audi is sick, just ask for a new appointment. No one will stand up for you except you…

I had two similar ‘smart wannabes’, one erased my settings completely and I had to go to the other side of the town to the shop where I got it to load me my settings. And all I asked for that new one, therapist, was to increase loudness for me.

After that my first sentence is ‘download and SAVE my settings before you touch anything else’. Unfortunately, I had close contact with another ‘know it all’ but since he did save my old, after he couldn’t even repeat that let alone make it better, he returned me my old one. If he messed that up, this time I would need to fly to another country for that redo.

Sorry to hear that you had someone messing things up, after so many good steps you’ve done already.
Make notes, and don’t hesitate to ask for undo. And activation of options you want.

#4

@Raudrive you were told your not a candidate because of your self programming? Is that the only reason or did your sentence understanding that made them say no?

If you have another clinic within reasonable traveling distance book another appointment. How can they say no when your word recognition for both ears is under 10?
I don’t understand that decision.

#5

It was the 69% combined sentence understanding. I think the limit is 60%. The Physicians Assistant was very surprised at my understanding with aids. We talked about programming for a while. I was pretty let down about not getting a recommendation. My hearing is pretty bad.

I hope you can deal with your new mapping. Dropping something in the sink is something most of us can relate to.
Good luck.

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#6

Did they do the hearing in noise test with you? How did you do there, if so?

Did they do a new audiogram on the spot and reprogram your aids consistent with that audiogram?

69% is pretty good, all things considered. I forget, I remember some time back I posted the Medicare or SSI criteria for CIs, pretty sure it was in response to a comment you’d made…Is that your provider?

#7

It’s amazing how a simple phone call to CCC to get all my devices repaired properly can be misconstrued!

Yesterday I rang the CCC to try to get an appointment to get all my BT issues sorted. Just now I received a phone call from the CIC asking me what’s going on ?? And if I’m unhappy with my mappings to make an appointment at the CIC. As I explained to the head Aud that rang I didn’t complain to the CCC, my mappings weren’t mentioned, I rang with an entirely different issue regarding BT and bimodal setup.

WOW! How stories get confused!! The CCC has just rung me, and I explained what was going on…that my aid has just come back for repairs, and I feel sure it’s all BT involved. I now have an appointment for Monday arvo to get all these BT issues sorted out.

#8

They need to learn how to listen :laughing:

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#9

No they did not test in noise.

Yes, they did a new audiogram, it is worse than what my avatar shows here. The audiologist was surprised at my sentence understanding with both aids in.

#10

That’s odd, my understanding in quite was 94% combined, it was when I was tested in noise and came back at 40%, 36% and a combined 20% that I was qualified. If I could have held all my conversations in a testing booth I would have been fine, in the real word my understanding sucked.

At least on the form that Cochlear uses testing in noise is standard. I would at least contact the office and find out why it wasn’t done.

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#11

My testing was done with Cochlear. The forms are Cochlear. It has a section for testing in noise but it was not done.

I am hijacking Deaf pipers thread, sorry Sheryl. Glad you have an appointment for Monday about your aid.

#12

Deaf_piper - sorry to hear about your setback. Its always a tough call when someone new gets involved (who was unscheduled) to work on someone’s hearing aid or CI. Do you cancel the appointment because you’re unfamiliar with the new (Audi) or fill-in or do you continue on and take your chances. Trust is such a key factor when dealing with a Audi and its takes time to build up that trust. Then someone new shows up and you are back to square one.

#13

Just looking at your hearing chart - you should be able to find a suitable hearing aid that can deal with your hearing loss, that will out perform a CI. With your hearing loss I would not rush to get a CI but would start testing current power hearing aids or wait for the next round to pop up end of year or next. A CI will not let you hear better in background noise or loud restaurants. Everyone struggles with that along with those who currently wearing hearing aids.

#14

Thanks for your thoughts but you really don’t understand my hearing loss.

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#15

@Raudrive it’s all good, I’m not worried by your conversations. :blush:

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#16

I feel for you.
I mean, sentence recognition in quiet, to some 70% might sound good, but to me it doesn’t sound good. I’m looking from a perspective of (hopefully soon) working person, and workplace isn’t ideal environment like their test booth, but even if we assume it is, your result say that you don’t get at all 30% of spoken things. That’s a lot IMO. I can’t imagine how you feel going by everyday with so much need to ask people to repeat themselves. I guess it’s probably easier with familiar voices.

My word score in that pathetic noise with good ear and aided bad ear was around 80 and I felt defeated (good ear alone was lower, which shocked me). It hit me hard how much HA really don’t help for new words and people. Like, I had a feeling but now I have measured value.

How can anyone say that’s fine and you don’t need more help, if that help is technologically available, it’s beyond my comprehension. It’s not like they’re paying for it anyway.

But I guess they hear good, so they cannot relate what really means not getting 30% information in.

I think main criteria for all those fitters, audis, people who make such decisions should be that they themselves are hearing impaired and in need of help. Especially those for testing CI candidacy. Then I believe we’d have different outcomes and definitely more empathy. Or maybe that they test them on empathy and ask for high score.

Until then, we’re alone in this, in some way.
And yes, trust is important and keep searching for it, both of you. My hugs to both of you. This journey really is tough…

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#17

Spectrumplay, Raudrive has a slight better audiogram than me. But I can tell you: speech intelligibility with one CI since March this year is a HUGE different for me. In the booth the WRS didnt increase very much atm (55 -> 60%). But in real live with both HA and CI I can understand people much more easyly. I dont need to ask my family for repetitions that much any more. I can understand conversations with wrong pronounciations at all like my polish colleague does. I even can follow my TV without a streamer (but it’s still difficult though, my wife turns it very low - too low even for my childs), as long as you don’t get a hell mapping :smiley:
But yes, conversations within noise is to be learned again. But at least I can participate in other’s life again. That’s very valuable.

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#18

@Deaf_piper, I am so sorry that your last appointment was such a mess. I had my 3rd on June 2nd at another Aud - I knew that before. That mapping wasn’t too good, too. But I had a saved one on my 4th program as a fallback. I wonder that you didn’t get one saved. My clinic is only a 1h travel away from home so I could schedule another appointment for last week. That mapping is much better now, but I had to know in detail what to change, that wasn’t easy for me.
I am lucky to have my clinic in the nearby. Most of my CI friends have to stay at least overnight for each adjustment. I think that spplies to you, too?

#19

@Raudrive, that’s my suggestion, too. It’s in your hand to reach 69% again. I’ve tried to fail getting good WRS with both HA when I was at my clinic the first time, too, just by reprogramming the HAs with my Aud’s settings :smiley: . I’ve strongly wanted my first CI and I am now looking for the 2nd one. Maybe in 6-12 months.

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#20

@Dani I’m about 1.5 hours away from my clinic, it’s right on the edge of the CBD with absolutely no parking within cooee of the Clinic. It’s 3 hours for both ways. So I have to get a bus then a tram for the appointment. If parking was available it would take 30 minutes both ways.

I have an appointment on Tuesday at the CCC, to get my BT sorted. I also hope to get the master volume, treble and bass icons activated. Which will help give me better control of the God awful mappings. I’ll persevere with these current mappings for a few weeks. As I do need to lay down new sound pathways for the high pitches. With better volume control I’m hoping they will be tolerable.

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