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I haven't been having an easy time with activation but earlier was playing around with my AudioStream and forgot it was on. Also didn't realize it had automatically connected to my phone. Anyways, I'd been having issues with audio on my phone when using InnoCaption so over the long weekend turned it off and forgot about that too. Just recently, I got a tune in my left ear and realized it was my phone ringing. I was in a work meeting so couldn't answer anyways, but did have to return it quickly as I recognized the number as being the office an SLP I've been waitlisted with. Of course my phone streams to the AudioStream and before I know it I'm on my first actual call with just the processor and am at least catching all the important stuff. To cut a long story I have a virtual appointment for today in like 30 minutes and did that with just my processor, no HA or captioned call. It was far from perfect, but still gave me a much needed boost.

Invites going to @Mary Beth @Kylie @Joan @Jared Charney @Kirk S. @John R @Shiyi Wang @Bill C @Lauren @Dave in Pittsburgh @Jdashiell @Dianna First time @OrlandoDadx2 first time (I need your email address for the invite)

Have you ever considered pursuing career as a spy? I am pretty sure that normal hearing person can not do this

Today after 3 years of having a CI, I had a new wow moment! The person sitting across from me was on the phone and she had the phone to her ear and I was able to make out what the person was saying to her on the phone! Not bad for someone who hasn't had a mapping in almost 2 years! 😊

From One CI User to Another: My Hearing Loss & CI Journey Mary Beth My hearing story I was born with typical hearing but by age 13 my progressive hearing loss began. I have otosclerosis which is genetic but my version started earlier than normal and progressed faster than normal. My hearing continued to decline. The doctors tried to surgically fix the hearing in my right ear but after 4 surgeries on that ear, I had lost total hearing in that ear. So for the next 24 years I only heard from the hearing aid in my left ear. I needed more and more powerful hearing aids as time went on. Eventually hearing aids just were not enough. My world was shrinking as I needed to rely on speech reading with the left hearing aid to follow conversations. I am a teacher and hearing all day in class was exhausting. I came home tired and frustrated from the challenges of listening every day. So in late 2014 I went for an evaluation to see if a cochlear implant would help. My dead ear was implanted first in February 2015 and turned on (activated) in March. At first it only heard static and beeps but within hours it was starting to hear words. Absolutely amazing! I practiced with listening exercises and apps every day and every day I could hear and understand more and more. Absolutely life changing! I could not wait to get my left ear implanted and hear this good in both ears. My left ear was implanted 8 months after my right. Within months of its activation I was listening with balanced ears for the first time in decades. It is so awesome! I remember very well how frustrated and anxious I felt before getting a cochlear implant. These CIs have been the best decision ever for me. Life changing. Wishing you the very best! My hearing loss and journey to cochlear implants Podcast interview with transcription https://cochlearimplantbasics.com/2021/06/mary-beth-napoli/ First cochlear implant Guest blog https://blog.medel.com/why-a-teacher-of-the-deaf-chose-a-med-el-cochlear-implant/ Second cochlear implant Guest blog https://blog.medel.com/bilateral-cochlear-implants-mary-beths-story/ Cochlear Implants: Selection and Activation YouTube captioned video https://youtu.be/uAG0fCgafqk Cochlear implants and music journey Guest blog https://blog.medel.com/3-steps-to-rediscovering-music-with-a-cochlear-implant/ YouTube captioned video https://youtu.be/1WNwVDH9G2k

Hi! I am Ray! My operation was simple, painless, and had no real complications. I did have a couple of days of all over the place tinnitus. Also, during the healing period before turn on I had a 100% background sound which totally matched my heart beat. After turn on, it disappeared and I haven’t heard it again! My wife and I joked that if that heart beat sound ended it would mean I was dead! It is gone, and I am still here! Hang in there! Time helps! Good luck! Ray (Screech)

Oh and i gotta tell you, with ha, ive been through 3 sets and still have the habit of reaching for the volume button and finding its maxed and i still couldnt get the words spoken. Now i simply reach into my pocket for remote however, with the implant i dont have too!!!!! Im getting it all, cat meow, creaky floors, running water, i can tell whats going on in the house!

Matt, i am similar. Just turned 65 and retired. I have been thinking that if i could have done something like this 20 yrs ago my career would have been totally different, in my opinion you need to go for it so you can continue in your field. Im no doctor but i can tell you my last 24 hours have been amazing and with the non ear i get what the implanted ear is missing so at the very least i feel ahead of the game already. I will continue to advise "go for it" Di

Activated friday, heard sounds that night hadnt heard....cicada and hummingbirds!

I have been doing my reconnecting via my phone Bluetooth settings rather than the audio stream cover as I was also concerned about this. It achieves the same end. I just tap connect and it finds it again.

Hi all, activated yesterday, wonderous listening today. I was activated and given some mechanical instructions. Hope to read about and get autostream going soon. Still unpacking lol. Funny, yes so excited to get going but this morning just enjoying the humming birds.

FYI I got an email from Audi saying ASM 3.0 was finally available.

I also had none of these problems. In fact my tinnitus improved. I believe these complications are possible but uncommon.

I just had surgery on August 23. No issues at all. No pain meds just Tylenol. I had nausea for about a week after but then subsided. Incision healing without issues. Cochlear turned on yesterday. I hear sounds already- wow!

@Mary Beth Maybe: Messages, Activity Stream, and editing profiles. And possibly... Knowing in advanced that the site can save a post-in-progress would have saved me a heart attack when I was typing something up and my browser crashed on me. The only issue I've had with HearPeers has been uncertainty (100% on my part) on the appropriate topics to post to due to being new to the experience and not always knowing what I need to ask based on what I'm experiencing.

@SKOM@Mary Beth AudioStream will only work properly if there is only the one device being used with its Bluetooth turned on. Having both the phone and tablet with Bluetooth turned on prevented my placing a iPhone call. Both devices have the AudioKey 2 app installed. The reception was extremely spotty to being impossible so I hung up and checked my iPad to find that the Bluetooth was still on from when I had used it the day before. I turned BT off on the iPad and then made my phone call with no issues. AudioStream will work on one device and stream both Sonnets, if both are connected to AudioStream. I am going through Mary Beth’s wonderfully detailed explanation to see where I might be doing something differently than the MedEl instructions. I am not going to change anything if I do find differences because it’s working almost perfectly for me and I am so afraid of changing anything and having problems. 😄 The only times I have noticed connection problems is when I turn off my phone and go use my iPad. I go into listening settings of AudioKey 2 and connect both Sonnets. There have been times I have had to do that twice.

I use Bose QC35 headphones for phone calls as I get a better audio quality with those than I do with the Artone 3. I use Artone for yoga classes and hikes (paired with their little mic) and just the neckloop for podcasts to bike/run. I'm hoping for success with the AudioStream, but haven't bought those yet. I'm really quite fond of the Artone and Bose set up, and don't want to move away from that unless the AudioStream can kick both to the curb. I have two sonnets (the first version).

How all this is the latest instalment of my VLOG @Eric in Tulsa@Mary Beth@Justin @Kirk S. @Shiyi Wang https://youtu.be/PmRMkH_G1a4

John I am so glad you have made another instalment to your VLOG. Every one of them has been very encouraging to me. I am a month and a half in after activation. Voices are sounding better than I ever expected. Music still sounds strange and gurgly. The rehab exercises are actually fun. That segment you included of the early fragmented sounds reminds me how strange it was. We are so fortunate to have these miraculous devices.

Thanks @John F for sharing your experience. i feel that I am much more confident in getting CI now based on the information I have obtained so far. I have lived with one good ear only for almost two months. Trying to understand others in a meeting with one ear plus tinnitus just simply exhausting. Sometime I just simply zoom out. I will have my final consultation soon, unfortunately there has no change since last time he saw me. I was told I needed to go through some preparation session first if I decided to go ahead with CI . Thank god, the CI is free here in Australia if it is approved by doctor.

So far invites are going to @Jdashiell @Bill C @Dianna FIRST TIME @Shiyi Wang @John R @Kirk S. @Mary Beth @Kylie @Joan @Lauren @OrlandoDadx2 - check the top menu for theenvelope icon. I sent you a HP mail message to get your email address for the invite

I borrowed AudioStream covers and disposable battery packs from a friend to see which sensitivity and volume settings block out most environmental sounds when wanting to stream only. Sensitivity set at zero percent by my audiologist in a special AudioStream program did not reduce environmental sounds enough for me. I can still hear and understand speech from across the room while streaming. But sensitivity at zero percent + using the remote to reduce volume to the quietest setting possible + increasing my iPhone volume (not all the way to max) does dampen environmental sounds enough that they are not bothersome. It is not the same as T only with Artone or 100/0 mix with AudioLink but it does reduce environmental sounds a lot for me. I will have these AudioStream only programs tweaked to reduce volume so that when I wish to use AudioStream for streaming without being bothered by environmental sounds, I can just quickly move into these programs. I will keep these AudioStream programs at zero percent sensitivity.

My phone is older than that. It runs 12.5.4 . I do not see any options for sound on phone calls only “speaker”. When I had hearing aids they showed up but nothing now. Often the pairing is as you say, 1 or 2 minutes but sometimes it just will not connect. I try everything. And then it works. For the Life of me I don’t know why it decides to work. I have been sharing this experience with an engineer at Med-el.

I’ve got the latest iPhone version too. I still often have to open and close the audiostream covers and sometimes one starts before the other. There is often a slight delay anyway. What I find is that if I dial a number once, if I dial the same number or another number straight away it connects much quicker and both connect at the same time. On the whole, it probably works a bit better than the previous version

In general AudioStream works fine, but when it stops it often takes about an hour to get connected again. I try and try using the AudioKey app and then suddenly it connects. I have not figured out why it connects after about 12 attempts including : Forget, Reset, Restarting the App and shutting off every Bluetooth device in the house. One strange thing is: both my iPad and iPhone can adjust the volume, sensitivity etc as long as both windows are not open at the same time even though the iPhone shows “not connected “. I am pleased with the streaming. My only problem is iPhone does not stream on phone calls. I must use the speaker.(my phone is old, maybe that is it.) Cheers everyone

@Beau I read this forum too before my surgery and asked questions. It was so helpful and reassuring. And helpful in new ways afterwards!

@Mary Bethgood morning, for the most part it "works" but I have to say if it were any normal consumer product I would have returned long ago. I would say at least 2 X per week I have to spend a good amount of time to get it back up and running which drives me a little nutty. That said I really like for example when I'm going for a run to stream NPR or music. Overall I have to say I'm happy but some days it can be really tricky to get it to work

@Kylie @Mary Beththanks so much for your reply. It’s so good to hear from people who really understands me. I have read some journal articles in regards to the single sided hearing loss and CI. All research results indicate positive outcomes. Nevertheless, I still wanted to talk to someone who had the same experiences with me and I am glad you understood why I needed that. I really appreciate you sharing your experience with me. It gave me confidence to go ahead. I love my classic music and I still want to do so with a CI. I am not sure if anyone has ever told you that what you guys have been doing is amazing. Your replies lay out all aspects of having a CI. It helps the new comers like myself to get the answers that we really want to know. It also helps psychologically. Thanks again!

Great questions @Beau! Nothing is too elementary. Firstly I would reassure you that you have permission to grieve for your hearing loss. A sudden permanent disability is a huge change in your life. My loss was also sudden, at the age of 38, and I also cried many many tears for this. I don't know if it is better or worse than the gradual hearing loss others experience, but it ultimately doesn't matter as they are both legitimately awful. I have had my CI for 2 years now and I can attest that I only have 1 'channel' of sound now. It didn't start like that - it sounded electronic and layered for a while but it resolved nicely into 1 much better sound. No weird echoes or reverb like you might imagine. This is more due to time and practice than the maps themselves. When I listen with the CI by itself for targeted practice it does still sound different to but with my 2 types of hearing together it is perfectly lovely.

@Helgeo I tried to run a test on listening with AudioStream in noise. I listened with my everyday program which mixes at 50/50 first. That was difficult. I had to turn up the phone volume a lot to counterbalance and that would not be pleasant for long. Then I switched to my AudioStream program with sensitivity at zero percent and volume as far down as the remote allows. So so so much better. Very doable. Definitely having a dedicated AudioStream program will work best for me when a 50/50 mix is not wanted.

Regarding the IR neckloop. Things are getting better. The receiver for church is finally the right one. Originally they purchased an RF receiver but it is actually an IR system. Now that we have the right receiver John is able to hear but the sound is intermittent. He needs to constantly adjust the neckloop and place it close to his Rondo. When he does that he hears very well. John is the only person that requires this device and they have been great trying to help him. Thanks Mary Beth for all your help. diane

Yes you do

@Mary Beth I have tendency to favor Ted Talks. I’ve come to realize that the phone will be a life long issue with CapTel landline and InnoCaption on the cell phone I manage very well.

That was amazing Mary Beth. Thank you so much for your story. As a child I remember going to the doctor and getting a reply of "at least you have one ear". With that I went 35 years happy I had one even with the struggles that came with that. With these posts and all the new technology for this I'm for the first time excited to try something. If I can pick up one conversation I would have missed without it is a win in my book.

Thank you mb. Gonna train with speakers today

@karenRS That is very unfortunate. It may be helpful to ask Med-El when your warranty expires on the AudioStream so you are sure to check for cracks before the warranty is void.

Ill be looking for more of this as i begin, plus i have samsung. Lol samsung s10 and samsung smartwatch, wow so bionic!

Funny note tomorrow i get activated on my birthday lol, so all those gates you say your dob to get through gates and offices at the clinics lol

Perfect, thank you. Doing some last minute studying before tomorrow. My big day

@Mary Beth Like the other posters, my TV doesn’t have anywhere to plug in the RCA connectors. However on my cable box (Direct Tv) there is an audio port for headphones. I pug the Audiolink directly into the cable box using the headphone adapter plug to stream to Rondo 3. All cable boxes aren’t the same but this is working for me.

@SKOM and @Karen T Karen is using bilateral Sonnet 2 processors which connect via BT directly to phone/tablet to use AudioKey2 app as a remote. (Which is why they are probably listed under BT as Sonnets.) @SKOM Please refresh my memory. Are you using Sonnet 1 or Sonnet 2? Are you unilateral or bilateral CI?

Thank you so much Karen for your help Do you mean to say that for the iPad mini the audio stream shows up in the Bluetooth settings and not in the accessibility options as these are MFI ? I just tried it that way a few times and nothing happened let me see if I can attach the screenshot I took I have the new iPad 12.9 inch fifth generation that I am working on right now and this is the one that has not been connecting and pairing after the first 10 days I have had this iPad for about four five weeks now and the rest of the time I have been troubleshooting spending a lot of time with Apple Tech and support and Med El on the phone and at the Genius Bar I have tried several different ipads at the store to no avail. They finally said its probably a compatibility issue with the Audio processor and IPad —I have today sent messages through Verena at MedEl to their engineers too. Oddly my wife’s iPad 11inch pro connects well!! Which is the only iPad amongst all the ones I’ve tested I am now using Artone with IPad until someone gives me a magical solution here, thanks again Karen and Marybeth

Let’s tag @John R so he sees what you are asking @SKOM

@Mary Featherston Yes. My left ear is very tricky to MAP. But fortunately we always figure out a great MAP for it each time. But honestly, it would be nice if it was as stable as my right side. Smile

Interesting... Thank you for this information. I'll check it out as I miss bimodal streaming.

Thankyou

@Ralph34 I am glad you are sharing your experiences with an engineer at Med-El . Real life experiences with AudioStream are very important to finding fixes. I believe you about sometimes it just will not connect. Others are reporting that as well. So far I haven’t experienced that yet.

@Helgeo I think that will vary by user. For me, I wanted less environmental sounds than that provided and a faster way to get there. So for me, a dedicated program by my audiologist works best. See what happens when you move both sensitivity and volume all the way down and then counter that by increasing your phone volume. (Some android phone users are using a free volume booster app to get more volume. @Kylie has experience with that.). Let us know what ends up working best for you.

@TexOkie congratulations for being eligible for a CI. My CIs have been life changing. I chose Med-El for their electrode array options. The deeper the array goes into our cochleas, the more access we have to the area of the cochlea that is designed for bass tones. Med-El Sonnet/Sonnet2 now has direct streaming from all mobile phones. It is called AudioStream and is a special battery cover that has a BTLE receiver built in. Here is a link to my CI journey if you are interested. I wish you the best on your CI journey.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/blog.google/products/chrome/live-caption-chrome/amp/