Got an interesting comment from someone who’s read my blog:
I am glad you are purporting success with the device, and are such an active advocate. Indeed your story is miraculous compared to the ones I have come across (numbness, tinnitus, excruciating pain from hair, white noise). So I am wandering if you are another version of the ‘cochlear volunteers’ distributing erroneous information for a kickback your readers are not informed of. I guess if you publish this and an accurate answer, I need not be suspicious and outraged by the ’social networking’ propoganda cochlear will go to maximise their profits.
Ruth
And I think it’s a really valid comment.
I was extremely suspicious of anyone that told me a cochlear implant was good before I had one, and for good reason. It’s just hard to believe how it could be as good as they say it is. And you read all these blogs, and talk to all these people, and every single person has a different experience.
I decided to get an implant after I saw a deaf woman I know who had two cochlear implants talking on the phone. That’s when I thought, oh well, it might work – and if it doesn’t, I havent lost anything.
After I was booked in for this surgery, I started this blog because I thought everyone would think that an implant was a miracle cure, and think I would be ‘fixed’ once I had it, and I knew it wasn’t going to be like that. I wanted my friends and family to know the truth. ‘Course the truth turned out to be pretty good for me. But I didn’t know that was what it was going to be like.
Perhaps my optimism about the implant has come from the fact that I really didn’t expect it to be that good.
My only expectation was really that it would help with my lip-reading. And I knew that it might not even do that. So I was realistic.
My wish was that I wouldn’t have to lip-read, but I figured that was a wish only.
So, the bad parts of my experience are few… I was having dinner with friends the other night in a pub in Perth. We were discussing each other’s cochlear implants (there were three of us there who had just recently had one in the past year.)
We were talking about the horror stories, and I mentioned that I freaked out the day after my surgery when I leant forward and this rusty coloured fluid came out my nose! Thought my brain was melting! But it was only a few drops, and then it stopped, so I figured that I was ok. I forgot to put that in the blog, but I guess you could call that a ‘bad’ or scary part of the surgery. Actually, that sounds lame. It was not really blog mention worthy.
So, what other things suck about cochlear implants? because I really have been too complimentary to them, haven’t I?
Well. let me count the ways:
- I hate the way it feels on my head, both the processor and the internal bit. But it’s worth it to be able to hear ok, and I figure I’ll get used to it. Hey, I’m an eternal optimist. But I must say, I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes with my ear feeling a bit numb, and thinking ‘oh god, I have metal in my head’. That is a bit yuck.
- It’s a stupid design. Every time I want to change a program, it takes a few seconds to press.
- I worry about the bit inside my head breaking. If it breaks, I am stuffed, because getting a replacement internal bit is not guaranteed to work as well as the first one, because removing the implant damages in the inner structure of the ear, i.e. the cochlea. So that is something that is in the back of my mind a lot – I might lose all this at any time.
- You can’t do contact sports any more after this. That kind of sucks, even though I dont play contact sports of any kind – I just dont like being told “You cant do this any more because …” you know?
- It kind of sucks how many batteries it takes – I spend $1 every day on a battery, that’s $365 per year. They are fiddly little things too. When I am 100 years old it’s going to suck changing those things.
- Sometimes I can hear on the phone and other times I can’t. Sometimes I can hear TV, other times I can’t. It’s not consistent.
As for Cochlear Ltd being the best cochlear implant company, I don’t know about that anymore. I mainly support them because they are Australian, and pretty reliable.
From the research I have done, it sounds like Med-El would be a good cochlear implant – it apparently has a slimmer electrode, which goes deeper into the cochlea, and gives you more spectrum of sound, and therefore makes speech and sound more natural.
I am seriously considering getting a Med-El for my second implant.
But who knows!
So there you go… And what’s the answer to the million dollar question?
Is the cochlear implant really that good? Well, the answer is …. for some, yes. For others, no. It’s as simple as that.
Everyone’s different, and that is probably the most frustrating thing about a cochlear implant ever. There is absolutely no guarantee about how it’s going to work.
I was brave enough to deal with the possible consequences, as I was well aware of the possible outcomes – which was that it might not help me at all.
It’s scary.
And that’s why whenever you meet someone who’s had a cochlear implant, or the parent of a child with an implant (because they’ve had to make the same decision!) you should think about the difficult decision they made, and no matter what outcome – give them a pat them on the back and say: “Respect to you for being brave, mate.”
October 19, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Coclear is good. But I find it a bit disturbing that they get a away with the marketing methods they use.
MedEl and Bionics are more low-key so to say..
Thanks for a nice blog.
/Magnus
October 19, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I have heard people talking about these ‘disturbing methods’ used by Cochlear before – what are they? I imagine it is because Cochlear might send out these people who’ve had an implant, and love it, to spout great stuff about it, like religious fundamentalists or something. Like, it might be ok, but its not that great, and yet they go on and on about how it’s the return of Christ or something, or the end of the world will happen if you don’t get one, and the implant is the saviour…Quite an interesting idea actually. If anyone from Cochlear is reading this, you might be interested in that perspective offered by Magnus.
October 19, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I’ve been thinking that about implanted people for some time, that the main thing was that they had taken an incredibly brave decision. (If they were properly informed or informed themselves beforehand, that is.)
And to me it seems that the hard part about that decision is that it’s the good things about having a CI that are uncertain and the bad things (see your list) that are (relatively) certain.
PS: I don’t have a CI but am contemplating the issue for quite some time now.
October 19, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Great post Kate. I guess that makes me one of the “pussies” (sitting on the fence)? Although I guess I can counter that with the argument that I really don’t want to give up on my beloved “contact sports”….
October 19, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Good argument Michael. And one that is very true – you also have to be brave to NOT get a cochlear implant.
Sometimes you just cant win.. It’s a hard business being deaf!
December 28, 2009 at 5:26 am
Hi Michael. Just found this link thru a facebook friend and love the discussion. I am a parent of 2 kids with bilateral implants just so u know my history. Loved your post but just gonna tell u my son plays football with his implants (actally he wears just one) and says he hears good with it!! I know Im setting myself up for posts thinking i’m the worst parent in the world but just thought i’d give u that info!! Have a great day!!
October 9, 2010 at 11:30 pm
hey hi traci….thanks for being a positive feedback for me concerning CIs…as i m finding it very difficult to take that what you called as brave decision for my mom to have the implant…so should i go for it? as i love my mom and cant see her struggling as deaf..
October 20, 2009 at 1:34 am
I just wanted to say how refreshing I found it reading a positive cochlear implant blog. As a mum of a profoundly deaf toddler who is about to go for bilateral implants it is reassuring to read great stuff about what CIs can do. There is SO much negative stuff out there, I suspect because its human nature to focus on the nagative and not bother when its good. So PLEASE don’t stop telling us the good stuff, we can read about the bad just about anywhere else!
October 20, 2009 at 4:20 am
I think it’s also important for people to realize that you had normal hearing for many years and then were hard of hearing for quite a few years. Basically, you are an ideal CI candidate: you already had a good representation of spoken language in your brain. You were learning from scratch, like a prelingually deaf person implanted as an adult has to do.
I do think it so brave of you to overcome your fear (and denial) and go for the implant. So glad it worked out for you!
October 20, 2009 at 6:29 am
Admirable to see such honesty in print. Attitude is a large part of success in any medical undertaking and the better the attitude, the more positive the outcome. So it is rare to hear anyone talk about their CIs without a generous dose of optimism.
Everyone has to ask themselves: am I better off with or without one, considering the drawbacks and inconveniences and ongoing maintenance? It would have to be a lot of payback in hearing/understanding for it to be worth it. When you said you would consider x brand for a second implant operation, that said it all. Best of wishes!
October 20, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Great post Kate.
The little annoyances on your negatives list can be balanced by Little positives to not having to wear hearing aids anymore. I never realized how much I hate earmolds until post-CI when one ear is now earmold free.
I also like having rechargeable batteries, even if they last just 10 hours and even if they may not save me money long term.
I wonder if I missed out on the extra long MedEl electrode by trying to preserve residual low frequency hearing. But then I listen to music played on speakers with a subwoofer and that natural sounding bass is so
nice. Even if it doesn’t come in at all until 60dB.
October 21, 2009 at 8:46 am
I’m an adult CI user who has had the implant for 5 years now. I love it. The reason? Lots of gain, no pain to speak of. I was born hearing, but had a progressive hearing loss, so English is my first language. Deaf culture is my adopted culture, so to speak, and now I am fluent in ASL. I’ve been a signer almost 3 times longer than I was oral, now. I was fine both before and after the implant. My goals were to hear more and lipread better. If those goals were not met, I’d still have been fine. I’m happy to say that both goals were met. A bonus: I can sometimes hear (without looking) common phrases like “Have a nice day” or “do you have any questions?” in context. Drawbacks? very few. my main complaint is that I have to be careful not to lean on any metal, because then the magnet of the headpiece comes off. It’s annoying, especially with the umbrella on rainy days. My CI (a Cochlear, BTW) doesn’t use up batteries at such a rapid rate. A set of 3 lasts for about 6 days, on average. I loved the rechargeable batteries but already lost them both. (sighs) Bottom line: it was totally worth it. As for the surgery, there was nothing to it, honestly. The worst part was having to wait all day without any food or water because children get to have their surgeries before adult patients. Next time, I’ll ask for a less busy day. I have not had any “maintenance” except returning to the clinic for checkups every 6 months or so to check the maps and make sure the implant is functioning correctly. hardly a burden. But each potential implantee must do their own research and ask lots of questions before deciding for him/herself that an implant is worthwhile for them.
October 21, 2009 at 8:47 am
Hi Kate,
It’ll be so cool if you get one ear Med-El and one ear Cochlear! Then you can tell us the difference between the two.
Cayden’s got Med-El in both ears. I think he’s baby no 2 in Australia with bilateral Med-El.
AiKeng
October 21, 2009 at 11:03 am
Wow, AiKeng, that’s amazing. I’ll have to compare notes with Cayden when he’s old enough to talk! hehe.
I’ll definitely be blogging about it if I get a Med-El for my other ear. That really would be fascinating to see the difference.
October 23, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Brilliant blog entry!
A few comments, as I prepare to get a CI for myself…
1) Derby (UK) footballer & 250cc MX racer Katie-louise Bailey would take issue with the contention that one must trade off contact sports when getting a CI. She has an excellent post entitled Playing Sports with a C.I. where she talks about managing the headworn device;
[I'm too old, too fat, and too lazy for contact sports, so that's not an issue for me!]
2) Cochlear implants are rather parochial: Australia is almost 100% Cochlear; while here in the United States it’s about 50-50 between them and Advanced Bionics, which is based in LA (and a smattering of MedEl); while over in Europe MedEl is quite popular.
3) Cochlear’s business practices take full advantage of tax laws that allow bribes paid in foreign countries to be deducted as a legitimate business expense; while in America executives go to prison for paying bribes in any country.
4) In so many words, once you get a CI, you’re pretty much married to that brand for life, so brand loyalty is very strong. And, there are fanatics for each: You can find them at conventions in the CC & AB booths at (U.S.) conventions like HLAA, ALDA and AGBell.
5) Each brand has positives & negatives, in the implant electronics (which is the ultimate limiting factor in the stim that can be applied), the electrode array itself, the processor hardware, and the DSP software:
5A) By a good margin, AB & MedEl have the best implant electronics with separate current sources for each electrode button. AB’s can fire 90k simultaneously bipolar pulses per second on its 16 buttons, MedEl can fire about 56k pulses (but simultaneously either + or -) per second on its 12 electrodes; while Cochlear’s can only fire 30k pulses per second, and only one pulse at a time. This means AB has 128 virtual electrodes, AB has somewhere around 90 (but they don’t claim a number due to their triangular waveform)… While Cochlear only has 22, with a (dodgy) capacity of 44 with current shorting;
5B) The physical electrode array itself is where the action is, especially if residual hearing is desired to be preserved (as poster #7 discusses both here and in her blog). Here, MedEl is on top, while Cochlear is also rather good. That being said:
5Bi) Preservation of residual hearing also greatly depends on the skill of the surgeon, with an overall average of about 65-70%; while the best CI surgeon in the world, Rick Case at Washington University in St Louis (WUSTL) has a 98% success rate, and John Niparko at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (JHU) is right with him;
5Bii) Preservation of residual hearing is also subject to a third variable, besides mfr & surgeon: Whether the electrode is placed perimodially or floating. Perimodial (wrapped in a tight spiral) placement puts the buttons closer to the nerves for a better stim with lower power and tighter focus (especially if current steering is enabled), and it also enables a deeper placement for a given length (tighter radius); but it also entails a higher risk to to residual hearing.
6) The processor hardware is important, as it entails both the number-crunching capacity of the chips needed for speech processing and digital noise reduction, and also the physical container:
6A) On the processor capacity itself, all three are adequate for the stimulations that the implant electronics can deliver at present. That being said, the implant electronics for Cochlear is already stretched to capacity; while I estimate MedEl’s still has 5-7 years to go & AB’s at least a decade;
6B) The physical packaging for the new Freedom 5 is rather good, with waterproofing technology borrowed from RION’s HB-54 series hearing aids; and being shrunk almost as small as the MedEl Opus2. With 50% of CI’s going into children (at least here in the USA), Advanced Bionics’ relatively clumsy processor has turned off many a parent and CI center for infants & small children;
7) The DSP software is also important, as there are two main parts to it: The manipulation of the incoming sound for input levels for noise reduction — Or lack thereof for music — and the conversion of the processed sound into one of the various stimulation strategies… Which is ultimately limited by the electronics in the implant itself:
[At this point, I'm going to break off until I get some technical data from Cochlear on the new Freedom 5 processor]
7A)
7B)
Dan Schwartz
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Dan@Snip.Net
Click here for Facebook
October 24, 2009 at 1:56 am
Correction & addendum in item 5Bii
5Bii) Preservation of residual hearing is also subject to a third variable, besides mfr & surgeon: Whether the electrode is placed perimodionally or floating. Perimodional (wrapped in a tight spiral around the core) placement…
October 25, 2009 at 11:06 am
I am a successful cochlear implantee of 7 years. While Kate’s list of negatives are relatively true for all of us (& I could add a few more) these are nuisance factors when considered with …. the so many, many more negatives associated with being deaf or a hearing aid user and weighed against the positives of being able hear.
Here are a few hearing aid negatives for me which I was mightily glad to be rid of:
-Stuffed and hot ears with ear mould
-Sore ears because the mould must be tight and causes soreness
-Constant feedback-screeching
-Not getting clear and good sound (often not even usable sound) even though I wore the hearing aids
-my hearing aid smelled and I could always smell it, even though it was clean
-wax built up in it always requiring cleaning
The Cochlear Implant for me, has given me back almost normal hearing. It has become part of my life – it simply is the way I hear. I get annoyed with changing programs and batteries and hooking up to the tv – but I had to do that with a hearing aid too. I get annoyed with wearing a device all the time – but once again I had to do that when I was deaf too.
What is the major difference is the payoff. I now get normal sound and hearing when wearing the device. I hold conversations in the dark, on the phone and in noise. I listen to music and play the piano again something I had had to give up about 30 years ago.(and yes sound quality could improve but the songs I know sound exactly as I remember them).
Another annoyance is putting it on the morning. Instead of slowly waking up to sound intruding on my sleep, when I put it on – sound just is. Now usually it’s quiet but if it’s not it can be a shock to suddenly have noise.
Not being able to wear the processor all of the time is an annoyance. In the shower, to bed (& gradually waking up to morning sounds), swimming (& no I don’t play contact sports, but many people do). I just want to be able to hear properly all of the time and am looking forward to the time when this will be possible.
Oh and my tinnitus is gone in the ear I have implanted when I wear my processor. it is worth having an implant in my other ear just to get rid of the constant roar of tinnitus.
November 12, 2012 at 3:49 am
hello dear Felicity,
I would like to ask you if you could hear before you went deaf or if you were born this way.. because i want to know if the sound from a CI is the same with the sound that a hearing person hears?..and if not how different is it?…If someone knows and could inform me i would be thankful..
November 14, 2012 at 12:39 pm
I`ve been activated for 7 months and to me the sound is almost exactly as I remember sound being. It`s a flat out miracle.
October 25, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Can I just compliment Kate for the grace of her answer given what’s she’s been obliquely “accused of”.
I know Kate personally and have seen her before and after her surgery and have had the luck to witness her happiness with the device.
She has got to be one of the most honest and straightforward people I know in my life, the thought of her being accused of being some kind of marketing drone for Cochlear is utterly abhorrent to me.
You can trust whatever she says completely.
Feel free to contact me steven@herod.net if you have any other questions
October 26, 2009 at 7:05 am
Steven, that was so nice of you! Thanks so much mate. Really appreciate it!
September 13, 2010 at 10:29 am
Hi Kate: I am a CI candidate waiting for surgery in the state of CA, USA. I have otosclerosis-a disease that has affected the cochlea. I read this thread & am so thankful to all. Did you choose med el for 2nd CI? IF so, how do you like it? I am so puzzled as to cochlear nucleus 5 or med el sonata to choose. I have spent hours reading so much, still unable to decide.
Thanks,
Suma
October 30, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Steven (and Kate):
As part of my own digging for information on getting a cochlear implant for myself — And as an Electrical Engineer formerly in the hearing healthcare business — I combed through many dozens of blogs, and interviewed in person & via email close to 200 CI’ers (& many more on the way to getting a CI, like Kate back in June); also looking for statistical trends & outliers in CI experiences to date with these people.
For late-deafened adults like Kate and myself, her results so far at the three month point after first stim are not exceptional: They may have exceeded Kate’s wildest expectations (*and I’m happy for her!*); and they are a bit above average…
But many people with cochlear implants get similar results, too.
Kate: Welcome back to the hearing world! ~
November 2, 2009 at 1:58 am
with my hearing aid I could hear about 12% in my right ear. and now after 4 months I can hear 52%. Is it perfect sound nope, but i can hear birds sing in the morning, hear my dog shep walk across the floor. Hear a car coming down the road. its also feel much more comfortable then wearing an hearing aid and having a mold in my ear. I can only say for me its working well and after only 4 months I am very pleased.
November 2, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Kate
I think you are amazing. You are doing a great job in helping people understand what it’s like to have an implant and for some of us who hopefully never have to make the choice, comprehend the challenges you face, but also the joy in having the benefits of such amazing technology.
Fantastic, and tell those people who question your motives for writing the blog to bugger off.
November 30, 2009 at 1:44 pm
hahaha! love it – thanks for the advice Wendy, will do!
November 2, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Hi. I am just wanting to get in touch to say that I have become a deafened adult pretty much over night. I lost the hearing in my right ear ten years ago for no reason and now back in August this year, after a virus, I have lost the hearing in my left ear too. Having been able to hear for 36 years, this is causing me a few probs as you can imagine. I am looking into CI’s as it seems the only way forward for me. I am trying a hearing aid but it gives me mainly noise. I think your BLOG has helped me a lot in believing I could possibly hear again to some degree. Any help or advice would be most welcome as it seems daunting to have been thrown into the deafened world. (although it does sound like my head is in a washing machine most of the time, so its not really silence is it!!…….oh and does the tinnitus reduce wit CI’s too?? So many questions!! Good BLOG. Cheers,
Graham
November 16, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Hi Graham,
My tinnitus has been reduced by the C.I. but I do know people who have not had much change in their tinnitus. So I guess it’s just a wait and see thing.
I would suggest booking yourself in for an assessment for a cochlear implant to really see what they have to say.
But I would say that from what I have personally experienced, people who have had hearing before they went deaf, and children born deaf tend to do really well with a cochlear implant.
Kind of sad that it is not a perfect cure for every person. It will never be that.
Either way, research is the key, so talk to as many people as possible that have a similar hearing loss and cause to you – and then make a decision based on that.
good luck!
Cheers,
Kate
November 18, 2009 at 10:29 am
Graham,
The Better Hearing Institute has a section devoted to tinnitus, moderated by Dr. Barbara Jenkins.
Of particular note is the section entitled Neuromonics Oasis vs Hearing Aids for Tinnitus which also discusses how cochlear implants — And even direct brain stimulation — eliminate that awful ringing.
Follow Kate’s advice and get a CI evaluation. Click here to find a local CI center.
November 19, 2009 at 3:29 am
Thanks Kate & Dan for your feedback. I am due this Friday 20th Nov for a review and retest with the CI team in Bristol, England. I have been informed by my hearing therapist that since my hearing has dropped in the last month or so that she will ‘eat her hat’ if I dont meat the NICE criteria that the NHS require in the UK. Fingers crossed that I get accepted. To me it seems a no brainer to go for it with an Implant. Judging by everyones experience it should help me get some improved hearing.
Thanks again,
Graham.
November 19, 2009 at 3:50 am
Hi Graham!
Since you’re in England, talk to my pal Katie-louise Bailey, as she can give you good guidance and help you in getting a volunteer CI Mentor.
A CI Mentor which is someone who already has one (or two) CI’s, and can guide you through your Journey back to the hearing world
Check out Katie-louise’s excellent CI blog; and if you’re on Facebook (you really should be on there!), go to her Facebook page and send a Friend request — She’s a great kid!
November 27, 2009 at 4:56 am
@Graham:
The best CI center in the UK is Ropewalk (Queens Medical Centre is in Nottingham, where Ropewalk is based).
According to my pal Katie-louise Bailey (@Bionic_Bailey on Twitter), it has been named the top UK implant center; and among their four CI surgeons (of the 33 in UK) Andy Marshall is the best of the lot.
I don’t know if the Bristol CI center implants all three brands (some in UK do) of CI’s — Advanced Bionics, MedEl & Cochlear (Ropewalk doesn’t support MedEl) — so if you need a special electrode for a tricky hearing loss, such as for ossification after meningitis or a deformed cochlea; or a special short electrode for EAS (hybrid hearing aid & CI instrument), you’ll need to go to another CI center.~
Good luck!
November 28, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Do you happen to know why he does not support MedEl? I’m just wondering because my impression is that there is quite a bit of antipathy about this firm (in Europe as well as the US) and I am just wondering why? Is it just because they have contracts with the other firms, do they think their tech is inferior etc…?
November 28, 2009 at 7:02 pm
If that’s true it’s really sad.
Medel is as good as the rest and even better in some ways. Like speach understanding and to get the right sound in situations with variable sound (with the same program all the time – it adopts). Like it is in real life and not just in listening chambers.
If you compare cochlears new implant system – it’s about the same as Medels system from 2006. Cochlear has almost nothing new. But a colorfull ipod like control thingy. Cochlear just have a huge marketing budget and a really aggressive attidude.
In the US cochlear has been really bad with trying to influence CI-teams with gifts and travels. This was back in 2004 but I hope they’re more ethical now.
Best regards, Magnus
November 29, 2009 at 8:19 am
@NQB: My guess is that the Bristol CI center @Graham will be using doesn’t have the patient volume to properly support all 3 manufacturers. Although the MAP software is all relatively similar — I already had a bit of training on MedEl Maestro 3.1 back in June at their US hq in Durham, NC, the real issue is the electrode arrays themselves.
The issue is in the surgical placement of the electrode into the cochlea itself; and although there are similarities, there are also wide differences, especially when attempting a perimodional (vs lateral) electrode placemment when threading it into place.
What you want, especially for the tricky perimodional placement while trying to preserve residual hearing, is a surgeon with a lot of experience with that CI brand; and at smaller CI centers, something has to give.
The relatively small CI program at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta is only for 12 & up; and because they only perform about 20-25 implants per year, took the compromise of MedEl only, because their processor & implant electronics are almost as good as Advanced Bionics (which, as an Electrical Engineer, I’ll be getting in several months); and their variety of electrode arrays is as good as, maybe even better than, Cochlear’s.
Hope this helps explain a few things~
November 29, 2009 at 8:49 am
Thanks for sharing, guys. Whew, it’s getting pretty cramped, here….
November 27, 2009 at 7:18 am
Thanks Dan. Since my last message I have been ‘reviewed and tested’ again at Bristol Southmead Hospital and I have qualified for an Implant. Next will be scans on my cochlears and depending on results and funding will be given an appointment for an operation sometime in the new year.
I will get to choose from Med-El, Cochlear or Advanced Bionics. I guess now I will have to decide which one will be best for me. My surgeon (Phillip Robinson) assumes that as I have been a hearing adult for most of my life that I will not have any occification / bone growth in the cochlear, but scans will confirm anything anyway.
I will be researching each one but feedback on which ones are best would be cool!!
Thanks
Graham.
November 29, 2009 at 8:54 am
@Graham: I just saw that you indeed will have a choice between all three manufacturers.
I chose Advanced Bionics for myself, and here’s why: When you get a CI, you’re just about married to that company pretty much for life. The electronics in the implanted part are what you own; and any ability for processor hardware & software improvements on the outside for a better stim hinge on what the internal circuits can accurately yet quickly decode.
AB’s is by far the leader in the implant electronics, with full current steering for 120 virtual electrodes from their 16 electrode buttons and HiRes speed delivering up to 90 thousand updates per second for the best stims, especially for music & for speech intelligibility in noise.
The downside to AB is in about 5% of implant surgeries because they only make two electrode arrays — The “antenna” that goes into your cochlea. Both the Helix, for perimodiolar placement, and 1J semi-curved, for lateral placement, work well… But not for everyone.
MedEl is about 7 years behind AB on the electrode itself, with about 55,000 updates/second; but they only have partial current steering with their FineHearing; and an estimated 90 virtual electrodes with their triangular waveform.
The upside to MedEl over AB is their selection of electrodes (see link) for almost every type of cochlea imaginable; and custom built electrodes that nobody else can do.
Then, bringing up the rear (from the implant electronics technology, working outwards) is Cochlear. They are hopelessly buried by competitor AB & MedEl patents. Because of this, even though they have a slick new Nucleus 5 BTE w/remote, they are still limited to the same 30,000 updates per second as they were over a decade ago. And, even though they have 22 electrode buttons, the best they can do is 43 virtual electrodes with current shorting — And they still haven’t released it yet!
There are other factors that go into selecting a CI; but basically, as an E.E. myself (and former hearing aid dispensing engineer) is that although I’m insisting on an AB CI for myself, if I wake up from surgery with a MedEl I wouldn’t be too displeased.
On the other hand, if I have a Nucleus 5 wired straight into my brain, I’d be seriously pissed off.~
Dan Schwartz
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
US of A
November 29, 2009 at 9:24 am
I don’t want to get into an extended argument about which brand is better but as a follow up to your outline of the technical specs I’d like to add that “raw firepower” (updates/sec, IDR, number of electrodes etc.), in which AB undoubtedly wins, is only one thing. The other is what to do with it, how to use it. More and faster doesnt automatically translate into better hearing.
I am cautious about non-peer reviewd studies (heck, I’m cautious about peer reviewed studies!) but have a look the studies mentioned in this document: http://medel.com/US/img/download/22076E_r2_SpeechPerception.pdf
I’m intrigued… (waiting for peer-reviewed publication though).
Kate, I hope you don’t mind this comment. Best regards!
November 29, 2009 at 10:53 am
@NQB: Yeah, I’d say we (sorta) hijacked poor Kate’s thread. But then again, the title of this thread is Is a cochlear implant really that good?, so I guess our discussion stays within bounds.
Before I continue, it’s worth noting to readers across Australia and around the world that Kat’s blog is one of the best CI blogs out there… Anywhere! I know several people have told me and others it has eased their worries, even their fears of getting implanted. Yes, it’s a life-changer; and Kate has done an excellent job of documenting her own personal Journey back to the Hearing World.
Anyway, back to NQB: When you look at the various studies, keep in mind that in most of them, there is very little of real substance, as most of it is just common sense, with just enough manipulating (ok, “massaging”) of the numbers to get to a desired result. One of the favorite tricks is to use fancy-named statistical methods that, I can tell you as an engineer, are simply an attempt at
“If You Can’t Dazzle Them With Brilliance,
Baffle Them With Bullshit…“
Why I’m particularly keen on Advanced Bionics is because they stumbled across one of their own customers who has written an entirely new stim from scratch. There is much I cannot say, but I invite all readers — Both with a CI and considering getting omplanted — to visit Mike Marzalek’s CItheory.com website, as it has various free tools as well as a hint of what he’s up to.
While you’re on Mike’s site, be sure to view his biography page. Read the 6th paragraph; and if it doesn’t sink in, rinse and repeat until it does.
There are two other “CI Insiders” who are also guiding me; but what Mike has up his sleeve writing his own stim and testing it on himself as he goes along is the reason why I’ve chosen an Advanced Bionics implant to be the one wired straight into my brain.~
November 29, 2009 at 7:35 pm
What an interesting web site, thanks! Though I don’t see why Mike experimenting with *his* CI should make anybody choose or not choose the same brand. Also I really do hope that you won’t get any implant wired straight into your brain as that is not standard procedure
November 29, 2009 at 10:40 pm
@NQB: It’s much more that just “Mike experimenting with *his* CI should make anybody choose or not choose the same brand.”
Back in January, he was hired by AB as a consulting engineer; and in the last month preliminary clinical trials were approved by the Arizona State Univ. Ethics Board for testing on other people besides himself.
And, once these are done, Mike’s new stim will be rolled out as a software upgrade to present AB users.
And, this is in addition to their ClearVoice noise reduction technology in final trials now, and set for Spring release.
That, coupled with Phonak’s buying of AB back in September (I knew in June they were looking at the books) means that their 50 years of “front end” audio processing will be migrating to the next generation of BTE processors to be married up with the “back end,” the actual encoding of the signal for electrical hearing.~
November 30, 2009 at 7:44 am
I’m happy for you that you have found /your/ brand! AB should be glad to have as tech savvy, experimental and enthusiastic a customer as Mike (and soon, you, too).
However, as this thread could be a helpful resource for newbies I’d like to point out that even though it is an interesting case of customer participation in R&D, it’s still regular R&D. And it’s not as if the other firms didn’t do any. I’m not sure about Cochlear but Med-El has a software upgrade in trials, too.
As for having Sonova and 50yrs of hearing aid tech in the background: That certainly is not a bad thing! But it remains to be seen how much sound processing strategies for hearing aids will contribute to better hearing with CIs. Electrical hearing does seem to have its peculiarities.
Which CI system is better? In the end, only well-designed and robust comparative studies can tell, and those are pretty hard to do. Personally I think that if the ones I posted above (or other, similar ones) eventually made it into a peer reviewed journal (with or without changes)that would be pretty informative.
November 30, 2009 at 1:49 pm
it’s totally cool guys – this is the best part of the blog – prompting discussion about cochlear implants – that is what this is for.
xx
May 5, 2010 at 9:11 am
Hi Graham!
Since we had this exchange five months ago, I’m happy to report that indeed you did qualify for a CI; and that we also met on Facebook through our mutual friend Tina Lannin.
You wrote something above that I want to point out to the readers of Kate’s blog something Very Important:
“I am trying a hearing aid but it gives me mainly noise.”
Exactly. What you have described is a total loss of outer hair cells; and significant damage to the inner hair cells, which are much stiffer and less selective from a tonotopic viewpoint.
Good luck with your new CI!
Dan
December 3, 2009 at 4:46 am
Wow. There seems to be a lot of passion out there about particular brands of Implant!! Thanks guys for all your input. I have to say all the tech info etc is a little over whelming. I admit at first my head was turned by the flashy looking Nucleus with the remote etc but it now appears that Med-El and AB are maybe the ones to choose from. Perhaps someone out there (as well as Kate) could comment on their Nucleus Implant.
I have been given my scan dates in Jan 2010 and final decision date in March 2010 which is not far away!
Great feedback from you all………thanks!!
December 29, 2009 at 9:22 am
Have a look at Dan Connell’s blog http://deafmanblog.blogspot.com/ – he’s not happy with his Nucleus 5.
December 9, 2009 at 5:38 am
I had my CI (a med-el) 10 months ago now and I agree with the comments about “too much praise”. However, I find after spending my whole life wearing hearing aids (still have one in the other ear) the CI is just _much_ better, I hear better, it feels wonderful to have my ear open to the air and as for batteries, I use rechargeables and despite each one lasting for no more than 8 hrs at a time, its much better than an HA.
I agree with the comment about it being a bit of metal & silicon embedded in my head, but on the other hand you put your in dependence of aircraft, cars etc every day so not much worse there then.
So (I wish I could get paid to say this – but no chance!) my CI is something I would never regret.
December 27, 2009 at 11:10 am
I’m hoping I don’t regret my CI either. I’m waiting for my surgery date and expect to get it in Feb/March. I’ve chosen the Nucleus 5 and after finding this thread, I’m having 2nd thoughts. Eek.
December 28, 2009 at 5:09 am
Hi Tina!
Ironic you found my posts here a couple days after we met on Facebook.
In fact, there are other reasons why I like AB, and a couple reasons I don’t — And they’ll be fixed in about 3 years with their next generation of processor that was already in the pipeline before they were bought out by Phonak in September — But now with Phonak’s engineers turbocharging their effort.
As I mentioned above, AB’s processor is the largest of the three — About the size of the MedEl Opus 1 — And because of that, some people are turned off by it, especially some parents of infants (sometimes steered by their pediatric audies) being implanted here in the US where the off-ear battery pack isn’t FDA approved yet. [Since you're in England, you can buy the OEBP from AB UK… I'll be reimporting one myself!]
Basically, it boils down to this: The processor is something replaced/upgraded every 3-5 years — And you do indeed need to live with it until the next upgrade comes out. But the implanted electronics is something you’ll be living with for the next 20 years (or longer); which is why for me, as a late-deafened adult, I’m not getting a Nucleus 5: Whatever level of technology in the stim you get when it’s switched on is what you’ll have to live with. With the MedEl Sonata implant you’ll have 5-10 years of new stims still coming; and with AB you’re going to soon (2-3 years) have the new stim optimized for music Mike is developing for AB. If it does what I think it can do, it will open the door to more people getting CI’s as you won’t have to be quite as deaf to get real benefit — Not to mention faster & better aural rehab, which is often overlooked.
[If it seems like I'm harping on Mike, you're right: Deafness messed with the wrong guy when it bit him... And he bit back -- HARD!.]
—————————–
Being an honest broker, there is one area where the Nucleus 5 is worth a very long, careful look: Infants. Even though the implant electronics are obsolete, the implant itself is quite robust (or at least previous Nucleus implants are), and with infants & small kids they can’t tell you if it’s not working properly. My girlfriend’s Freedom 3G processor has a fingernail-sized LCD status display on it; while the Nucleus 5 has a dual purpose (and bidirectional) remote control that also is a status indicator, duplicating the processor’s LED status lights. This is handy because a parent or teacher can simply walk up to the child with the remote, push a button, and get instant feedback from the processors & implants. This can be helpful when the parents themselves aren’t diligent in watching their children’s hardware; and I’ve had deaf ed teachers tell me this happens, especially in urban areas.~
December 31, 2009 at 6:44 am
Thank you for the positive and fair blog:) I am an audiologist and have programmed Advanced Bionics and Cochlear patients. The biggest thing I wish recipients would know is that everyone’s brain is different. You cannot predict how you will do, so having a choice of processing or coding strategies is key. Just like with hearing aids, some people prefer the sound of Phonak some Oticon, etc. I have not worked with Med-EL so not as up on them, but with AB, they have MPS, CIS, HiRes-S, HiRes-P, HiRes-P with 120, and HiRes-S with 120.
Some people’s brains prefer the sound of HiRes-S vs HiRes-P because they stimulate differently. With Cochlear you really only have one choice. Cochlear patients cannot try out other strategies because there is only one power source. This is also what gives the audiologist flexibility in making a good program for you. Even if Cochlear has new software coming out; with one power source you are limited. I compare it to building a house with 22 rooms. If you only have one light switch you can turn all the lights on or all of the lights off. You need multiple power sources to turn off/on on each “room” individually. This is also why Cochlear rates are slower and they can get away with disposable batteries.
It’s always a great idea to contact each company and speak with one of their audiologists-ask as many questions as possible especially about the research and about the internal capabilities. It’s also great to find a center that has done equal amounts of each company so they have a less biased opinion. The company audiologists are the one’s that will be supporting your programming audiologist and helping your center after you are implanted. Surgeons really only see you once a year and don’t know about the programming. Also they won’t know about the external returns or breakdowns. Another test for companies is to call their customer service line and see how fast you get hooked up to a real person.
May 5, 2010 at 6:38 am
Hi very interesting conversation here about C.I’s, just wish I’d known about this blog before. Basically my son recently underwent implantation of bilateral medel implants, I was beginning to have doubts about our choice of manufacturer due to the relative high popularity of Cochlear, but now after reading this I feel it was the correct decision, just wondering if anyone knows if medel are working on any new technology or upgrades to opus2? best regards. Adeel (UK)
May 5, 2010 at 9:37 am
Hi Adeel!
You made a good choice with MedEl, as it is much better than Cochlear, and almost as good as AB. In fact, if your son received their standard 31.6mm electrode, instead of their shorter 25.4mm (which is the same as AB’s & Cochlear’s longest electrode) .AND. it was placed properly, without piercing the basilar membrane, then he will do just fine.
Also, although not quite as sophisticated as AB’s HiRes 120 implant, the electronics in MedEl’s implants are still pretty good, capable of running their Fine Signal Processing, and the older HDCIS (Hi-Definition Continuous Interleaved Signal) coding strategies.
How old was your son when he got his CI’s? Also, does he have the smaller OPUS2 processor, or the larger OPUS1?
Cheers!
Dan
August 5, 2010 at 4:23 am
Hi Dan
I’ve sent a reply to your e-mail address.
thanks Adeel
August 5, 2010 at 6:21 am
Hi,
I am getting a little tired of reading the extreme views given on the various CI manufacturers by the various advocates.
Thankfully I live in the UK where we have our world leading NHS who have bulk buyers who are simply not taken in by sales techniques and the manufacturers know this.
I happen to have a med-el CI which I can confidently say is no better/worse than AB or Cochlear, but it may be slightly better for me as an individual for various obscure reasons as advocated by the NHS professionals who implanted me.
My understanding:
Cochlear – longest time in the industry therefore safest bet for longevity?
AB – well (I dont really dig the US) they certainly get the biggest advertising budget (like most US companies) – BUT how come a US co. gets taken over by a European Co (Phonak)?
BUT Phonak have been around for a LONG time – most of my HAs have been Phonak.
Med-el – well a co. that is successful in a continent (EU) with pretty efficient public health services had better be good good in order to survive – my CI is pretty good – not too gimicky, not too prone to failure (moisture) and nice & SMALL!!!! – I wore HAs when they were massive things you carried in your shirt pocket – so size is quite a asset.
August 5, 2010 at 7:48 am
Hi Andy
I agree, when selecting the CI, we based our choice on the processor that our son would wear comfortably (not the company). We had a torrid time at the beginning with retention of the coil, thankfully he is wearing the coils most of the time. Would be pleased to hear of speech tips for coaching a 3 year old.
best regards
Adeel
October 20, 2010 at 10:22 am
I am a complete non-expert here – BUT I have learnt one thing – an FM system is an absolute boon to someone (child or otherwise) with an HA/CI (but is costs $$!) – my suggestion is to ensure your child uses an FM system ASAP! and ensure your TV is wired up to this FM system. Then (I assume you are in a civilised country with subtitled TV) have the child watch subtitled TV from an EARLY age – then (naturally probably by watching some non-subtitled channels) deprive the child of the sub-titles and if that doesn’t get them using more & more lip-reading/hearing – nothing will!
That provides INPUT. For OUTPUT – well I can only suggest a speech therapist.
November 19, 2010 at 11:53 am
Hello, all! Today is Thursday, 11/18/2010. Your writings are beautifully informative. Thank you. Imagine what an age of miracles we live in! We’re surrounded by inventions that improve our lives, many of which we have come to take for granted. Look, see, hear, write, and invent. When I get my cochlear implant, it will be a man made blessing. Thank you, everyone one of you as you as you think, read, dream your dreams, reach out with ideas, share thoughts, invent, improve and continue to make our world interactively better for all. I’m an 83 y.o., recently widowed mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, seriously hearing impaired, long time wearer of two hearing aids, regularly upgraded. . I hear sounds, but I often cannot hear what’s being said in a small class where I’m studying to learn another language. I’ve lost the beautiful sound of nature, words and music. I feel fulfilled and happy. Nevertheless, at times, I feel lost, confused, confusing to others, and very stressed when trying to piece together meaning from the few things that I think I hear correctly. I’m often, totally bereft in my ability to understand spoken words, and unable to verbally interact with more than one person at a time, much as I nod, look attentive, respond to facial gestures, and really try to be social.
Sound amplification doesn’t work. My hearing aids give feedback, which I do not hear, nor realize when it becomes annoying others, unless I’m told. Most social situations, I avoid. Why? Because, I cannot decode what is being said during a presentation, hear others at my table, nor interact over coffee and dessert. At family gatherings, I’m there, loved and loving; surrounded by joyful sounds half realized through my ears. I sit silently smiling and nodding receptively to others, feeling lost, while others chat. I do not hear.
For the most part conversations are avoided, as are social gatherings, movies, and live theater performances. Doorbells, buzzers, and alarms,although modified for increased hearing ability, often leave me baffled, going through the house searching for the cause, direction, and sometimes, looking outside to help determine the source of the sound.
I listen intently for key words and phrases. Understanding final content requires instantaneous decoding that proves most difficult in less familiar surroundings. I do not hear. I lack the ability to verbally interact. I’m dependent upon closed captioned T.V. and Cap Tel telephone. Yes, I’m understandably nervous about surgery, feel well informed, in capable hands, trust my doctor’s judgment, and I’m thankful to be approved for a Cochlear implant.
Ive read all the comments here, to date. I’m scheduled for pre-op exam in mid-Dec., and early Jan.2011 cochlear implant surgery. I want, need, appreciate, and greatly look forward to receiving the miraculous technology gift of sound. From what I understand, I’m scheduled for the Nucleus 5 cochlear implant system. Good luck, all. Best wishes. Thanks for sharing thoughts. I hope that I, too have been informative about a choice not lightly undertaken. Thanks for reading and understanding. PBS
December 28, 2010 at 7:35 am
Hi
Thank you Andy for your ideas, this blog has been a great source of information, I hope everyone is enjoying a peaceful Xmas break. I’d like to wish everyone best wishes for the new year.
February 28, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Have had genetic hearing loss for 15 years am losing ability to understand speech.. Have been advised I am a candidate for CI…with the Nucleus 5….Am very concerned about the surgery itself, can someone describe in detail what does the surgery actually involve..
March 17, 2011 at 6:24 pm
(Mafreitag wrote 2/28/2010).
I am responding. Hello. I’m Pearl. Today is Thursday, 3/17/2011. I wrote 11/18/2010 (see above, written prior to my Cochlear Implant Surgery). Cochlear Implant Surgery is well worth the few hours of surgery and hospitalization. I returned home the same day.
I can hear, and understand words, and this is amazing magic, still in process, meaning, it even gets better.
I’ve just entered my second of four once-monthly audiologist appointments geared to sequentially fine-tuning automatic processor settings. The entire process takes four months. What a miracle the result is proving to be, at least for me.
I’m writing to encourage. Ask your doctor. If you need the surgery, pick a well-trained, capable specialist surgeon, ask all your questions, put your faith in his/her expertise, and have it done if your specialist recommends it. Surround yourself with positive people, and a good support system. Cochlear implant surgery heals within a month, two months later the cochlear processor is fitted, programmed, attached, and turned on.
I was taking things in stride until I actually heard sound. I burst into happiness tears, overwhelmed, absolutely awed beyond my expectations. What an experience to have. I was surrounded by magical musical sounds, sweeter, more beautiful than a concert hall filled with a world of magnificently superb musicians engaged in their special rendition of Walt Disney’s Fantasia. My brain was turning speech into a musical symphony of sounds.
Over the next twenty minutes, amazingly, the symphony became words; musical words. My brain was hearing my Audiologist and me speak, first as if we were musical instruments, then musical words, and then, slowly, what I heard was transformed into the actual spoken words of our conversation. My brain was waking up and actually making word sense of what my audiologist had patiently entered into her computer, determined by my responses to a unique variety of computer programmed beeps and sounds. She tested, and documented sounds as I heard them, note-by-note into her computer and then, into my Cochlear Hearing Processor. Once programmed, she placed the processor behind my ear, and magnetically attached it for me to hear. From there on, within half an hour, music turned to understandable words!
Has everything been sunshine and roses? Yes, for the most part.
Have I had any problems as a result of my surgery? Yes, two minor problems. First, during the postsurgical week, I experienced dizziness, and Vertigo for a few days before calling the doctor. He prescribed over-the-counter Meclizine HCI 12.5 medication, and the symptoms almost immediately disappeared. I took it for a couple of days, just to be cautious. Second, my taste buds register food as quite salty. This is annoying. I’m told the salty taste is related to my system’s response to the surgery, and that will disappear as my system adjusts. Recovery is a process, which otherwise, has uneventful. I’ve no regrets. The best is yet to come. Sincerely, Pearl 3/17/2011.
March 18, 2011 at 8:45 am
Pearl
Thank you so much for your reply….I am still researching and am most encouraged on your progress.I know that I am going to make a decision shortly as my hearing is getting worse, so frustrating and not feeling part of any social events….
March 18, 2011 at 11:37 am
Mafreitag
Thank you for writing. Informed decision making is self empowering. You appear to be effectively doing your homework in an effort to be objective and well informed. Good Luck. Pearl
June 30, 2011 at 2:05 am
Hey, I have had the Cochlear Implant for 15 years now i may of been the 100th person in the world to get it, and i cannot explain how much you should get this, because my friends, family and i are quite shocked at the things i have been doing, such as playing guitar for 7 years and getting close to top results in the grade at school. When i saw this forum thread, i knew i had to come out and tell the world how much getting the cochlear implant for the hearing impaired is totally 100000x worth. If anyone else tells you including your parents not to get one, then maybe you should tell them to shut up because they don’t know anything, only i do
I hope this advice helps take care
December 25, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Oh golly! I am so glad I stumbled across this site. I will be getting in touch with my doctor Tuesday after Christmas to set up a date for surgery for a unilateral CI. My left ear has been deaf for 40 years do to a pole vaulting accident resulting in a skull fracture and a severed auditory nerve. Lost most of my right ear`s hearing 25 years ago and am finally to the point where my HA isn`t cutting muster. Very informative. Thank you Kate & everyone. I told my audiologist that I wanted to wait on the final decision on which system until I talked with my surgeon. What is his recomendation and what system is he most familiar with. I was leaning towards the Nucleus 5 but also liked the AB Harmony. After reading all of the posts on this site I possess a much more informed sense of confusion…But my thoughts now are that I would rather have a Corvette inside my head than a Ford Pinto. I`m right back to Oh golly…Happy trails…Tim
January 20, 2012 at 2:47 am
Depannage Informatique PC Urgence…
[...]Is a cochlear implant really that good? « Kate's Cochlear Implant[...]…
September 11, 2012 at 7:46 am
Hi! Do you know if there are any single channel CI users out there who got re-implanted with any of the new CIs, especially the Med-El? I’d love to talk with them…I am scheduled to have my single channel CI replaced with a Med-El next month and I wanted to see how it has been for anyone who’s gotten re-implanted. My doctor said it’s possible he might not be able to re-implant, depending on whether he can easily remove the old CI and put in the new one. Any guidance with this would be appreciated!
September 16, 2012 at 12:57 am
Hi, Pearl, nice that you forwarded the implant question, but it really doesn’t apply to us. I’ve only been implanted once but have upgraded to the processor part (the outside part) three times. She has a Med-El implant which is one of the three implant companies and they use different strategies than Cochlear does. When Cochlear comes out with a new processor, it usually makes it backwards compatible which means that all Cochlear Americas users can use the new processor without having more surgery.
Great that you are reading the different blogs!!! There’s a lot of infomation out there.
October 30, 2012 at 2:11 am
Greetings to you helpful people. I have been evaluated for a CI but as you know, that’s the easy part. I am 81 years old. I have a 34% word understanding with hearing aids. I can understand some people face to face without hearing aids. I can understand most people face to face with hearing aids but it is becoming a struggle. I enjoy music well enough but can’t understand new lyrics. That’s no big deal because I don’t like new music anyway. I understand that I probably would still not hear well in a noisy environment or be able to understand TV. My concern is, would the hearing/understanding be worth the surgery, inconveniences and ongoing maintenance for a person my age. If there is anyone near my age that has had this experience, I would appreciate a comment.
October 30, 2012 at 7:31 am
Hey Bil, I received a CI this past spring. I`m deaf and inoperable in one ear and have worn a HA in the other for 25 yrs. The HA wasn`t doing the trick and right off the start at activation in was hearing as good or better than I did before the trauma damaged my good ear. It`s been a miracle for me. Is it worth it at your age…Hmmm…If it were me I`d say hell yeah what have I got to lose; which is what I said for my own at 58 years of age. Best of luck
October 30, 2012 at 8:22 am
Had my CI in March at 62 years of age…….I have my life back had 0% hearing in one hear and wore a hearing aid in my other ear…..Wore many different hearing aides through the years….Was not able to participate in discussions for years now I feel part of what is going on when I am in a crowd…I have had excellent benefit from my CI and continue to be amazed as to what I can understand and hear…..As my audiologist had said when I was undecided what do you have to lose……Good Luck!!!!!
November 5, 2012 at 3:56 am
Pearl Says: If your primary care M.D. finds you healthy you shouldn’t have a problem, and your Cochlear Implant would not be approved if you’re not. Read my previously posted comments, (3, I believe). I’m an 85 y.o. Hearing is of major importance. Take the leap in good hands and you will be glad that you did. Good wishes, always. Pearl 11/4/2012
November 5, 2012 at 6:15 am
Thanks, Pearl. I’m going to take the leap tomorrow!
January 16, 2013 at 5:03 pm
January 16, 2013 at 1:17 am: Dear 82 year old making an inquiry. My name is Pearl. I’m 85 years old. I’ve written in detail prior to my Cochlear Implant , again, after surgery, and again, months, or perhaps over a year later. I’m happy with the results, however, I suggest you read more extensively among the vast number of comments entered on this blog by others if they are available, including what I wrote prior to and post CI surgery experiences. I don’t have the dates easily available at this late night/early morning hour. I wanted to write you with encouragement before I prepare for bed after an especially long day. I’m doing fine, my family and friends are delighted with my improved hearing and I am enjoying a more participatory life because of my CI, my taste buds have returned to normal, and I have absolutely no regrets. Good luck. Best wishes. Pearl B. Spodick
January 17, 2013 at 3:35 am
Thank you, Pearl. I did read your earlier comments and others on this blog. They were really helpful in making a decision. I decided to take the leap and had surgery on December 13, 2012. It was very successful. I chose the MedEl product. The processor was activated after one week and I have already had two program updates. The audiologist says I am progressing well above average. I can already hear much better, but as you know, my brain still has more learning to do and it will get better. It’s a tough decision but I can recommend it for anyone agonizing over this. Thanks again for your help. Bill Herod
January 16, 2013 at 5:35 pm
P.S. from Pearl: Oops! Dear 81 year old: I did a typo. and didn’t catch it before replying. If you notice, I accidentally typed a 2 instead of the 1, intended, thereby adding a year to your age. I apologize. Sincerely, Pearl S. 1/16/2013.
October 30, 2012 at 8:10 pm
It is so awesome that people are still posting comments to this blog after so many years! I love it.
Update – still haven’t gotten my second cochlear implant yet, but it is definitely on the cards…. Maybe in a few more years. The Cochlear implant is going amazingly. Am hearing really well on the phone, and totally forget I am deaf (until I take it off!).
Cheers,
Kate
December 28, 2012 at 6:28 pm
I am planning CI for my son , he has good speech. Advise me on selection of imlpant device , i live in Pakistan the here is very high do advise on purchase cost
January 15, 2013 at 7:08 pm
I’ve just come across this blog and it’s helping me a lot to decide. I have a 5 year old daughter with bilateral hearing loss and was recommended to have a CI. While still raising enough fund for the operation (here in the Philippines, one implant cost $34,000), i am taking the opportunity to dig in some research about CI- To go or not…. what brand is the best for my child…. pros and cons…. it’s not so common here in the Phils as there are only two doctors who perform this surgery and the cost is very expensive, not many people can afford. Hope to read more. As a mother, my heartaches seeing my daughter in hearing aids with no improvement in her speech… on the otherhand, it’s very hard also to decide if we push through or not… Many thanks
January 17, 2013 at 10:23 am
Hi Dunda
Our son Cayden has bilateral Medel CI’s since 10 months after his hearing dropped to Profoundly Deaf. We also have a friend in Malaysia with the same funding issues. One of the things that we find with CI’s are the amount of replacement cables we go through especially in summer due to C’s sweating. These cables are not cheap. I believe it may be similar with the other brands esp in tropics. You need to budget extra for on-going replacements and batteries (rechargeables and non-rechargeables). The magnet rarely fails, but the processor has failed a couple of times. The costs can add up.
Also my friend’s son has used his CI to blackmail his parents when throwing a tantrum i.e. he’ll drop the processor in a pail of water if he didn’t get what he wanted!
. Hopefully you can insure it in some manner.
Performance-wise, outcomes are similar. We chose Med-el because:
1. Cochlear’s Nucleus 5 wasn’t available at that time.The older model’s processor was huge.
2. Advanced Bionics is not in Australia.
3. Med-el has a good size processor and there were reports that their system sounds more natural, which is important for a tonal language like Chinese. There are a couple of implantees in Australia with one of Cochlear and one of Med-El.
Hope that helps.
Regards
January 21, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Hello Ai Keng,
Many thanks for your response. This helps a lot for my decision making. I am currently dealing with Med-el, they offer Sonata and Concerto, being their latest i think. I still have that odd feeling when i think of surgery, but i am so hopeful also that CI can make miracles for my child to be able to hear and talk later on. Many thanks for the tips, hope to read more on this. I will be posting the development of my child.
Thanks and regards,
dunda
February 7, 2013 at 1:09 am
WOW! I would stop that. Pierce his ear and put a teather to the cable.
January 27, 2013 at 5:00 am
Hi Dunda, you mentioned that your child has bilateral hearing loss, when you mentioned that the cost of the implant is $34,000.00 USD, are you refering to implants for both ears or is it $34K USD per ear? My son is in the same situation and trying to decide whether to get the operation done either in Malaysia or in the Philippines.
January 30, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Hi Cryss,
This is for both ears already. We plan to push through with one ear initially. I met a girl, also bilateral profound hearing loss and had an implant in one ear, the other one in hearing aid. Its so amazing, in just 5 months, she is so talkative already, this is with the help of regular speech theraphy. I’m so positive now
January 30, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Ops sorry, $34k USD is only for one ear.
February 4, 2013 at 1:33 am
Hi i have a couple questions maybe u can answer knowing from experiance. Im 22 i have a three year old daughter now. My daughter was born with a slight hearing problem. But sadly in three years it went from slight to very severe. She babbles alot. But no words come out. She still hasn’t learned any talking she has hearing aids and seems to be reading lips I think for she mouths words back to me but without sound. Her audiologist has recently told me he thinks cochlear implants would bennifit my daughter. How well can u hear with them do u think a kid never hearing will be aable to learn to speak and hear full sentences. Also what’s the most frustrating thing about hearing loss. My daughter gets frustrated with me. I know nothing about being with or raiseing a hearing impaired child. Im learning with her. So if u have any advice on lil things I can do to make things less frustrating for her at all. For I can never know what every day in her shoes is like. Being mom its hard for I feel I should just know and comfort her in her needs. But she gets mad for she doesn’t understand why on alot of things she knows what no means but I can’t explain why no most times. So any advice would be greatful. I want to understand so I can try to make it a lil easier for her please help.
February 6, 2013 at 7:43 am
Hi there to the concerned mother of a 3 year old girl.
I think probably the best advice to give is to meet other parents of kids who have had an implant. I have met a couple of children with cochlear implants, and they usually hear like normal children and have normal speech. Often they under-go extensive rehabilitation, but it’s worth it. Studies have shown that children who get an implant at a young age benefit MUCH more than if they got one later. Google that, and you should be able to find some research.
I would advise you very seriously to get your daughter assessed for a cochlear implant as a first step, and then try to meet other parents with kids a bit older than yours, as well as the same age, so you can see what their experience was.
I have no doubt in my mind, that if my child had a form of deafness that could benefit from an implant, I would definitely get it. But if my child didn’t require an implant, and was doing fine with hearing aids- that is – developing normally like other kids. normal speech etc – then I wouldn’t get one.
Good luck, and rest assured there are hundreds and thousands of other parents in exactly the same boat as you.
Kate