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My implant date was Jan25th..my activation date was Feb6th!! I was hearing immediately on activation! I was SO thrilled! At first voices sounded a little like Donald duck,but during the visit voices became more normal.Im only 2 days out,and there are things to smooth out and to learn about my Sonnet.But I have to say,I'm on cloud 9 !!

Mine is simply the fact I can talk to people again. I was always an outgoing guy and didn’t let my hearing loss stop me while with close friends despite messing up big time occasionally but I was really withdrawing otherwise. Now I can go into a coffee shop and chat with anyone. Getting my life back! (And some new friends)😀

I wish the fine tuner was actually an app on my phone so I don't have to travel with a fine tuner and a mobile phone! Also the vain part of me would like to see a smaller BTE processor lol!

@Jewel You made an awesome list!!! Now I’ll add a few specific ones of my own 😁 *I recently went with a friend to see Anastasia on Broadway (for the first time since getting my CI) and could follow the entire story and dialogue. I loved that. *I work in apparel (Technical Design to be specific) and during fittings it’s my responsibility to take fit notes/comments to send to the vendor on pattern and garment fit corrections and I would never be able to do it without my CI. There is a lot of talk during these fittings between different departments (PD, Design, Merch) that if I didn’t have my CI, I’d never be able to follow!! *At work, I’d never hear people calling my name from across the room, now I do! *I love that I can understand accents from around the world with very little effort *Music sounds the best it ever has - like a complete song not half or part of a song *Its been very freeing being able to talk and listen on the phone with ease *I can eavesdrop on conversations at work...hehe so fun! Never could do that before Thats all I have for now off the top of my tired head 😴😁

Well I only have one CI but I certainly do love it. It has literally changed my life in the past 5 months since I've been activated. 1. I got my life back! I can be the independent person I was previously. I no longer have to depend on someone to do things for me because of my deafness. 2. I now remember my love for music! For so many years I couldn't enjoy music. Now I play it as soon as I hop into my car. 3. I can follow the storyline and genuinely laugh with the rest of the audience when I go to the cinema or to the theater for live plays. 4. I can make and receive phone calls with no problem. I can call coworkers instead of having someone else make the call for me or me having to literally walk to the person's office! 5. I can hear the ambulance and police sirens which I have not been able to do in over a decade! 6. I can look at a person's entire face and enjoy the conversation and not have to focus on the person's lips and rely on lipreading and hope that the person doesn't realise that all I am doing is looking at his/her lips! 7. I can tune into webinars at work which aren't captioned and which I couldn't benefit from before for work. 8. I can follow along generally with ease when I'm in a meeting. 9. I can hear people talking behind me and actually hear what they say! 10. I can actually carry on a conversation while driving, irrespective of whether the person is sitting beside or behind me. 11. I can hear the raindrops on my car! 12. I can hear the car indicator. 13. I no longer have to say "What?" every few minutes. 14. I can block out what everyone is saying by going to telecoil or removing the processor or I can welcome the sound by using M or MT. 15. I can hear people with soft voices. 16. I sometimes forget that I'm deaf thanks to this amazing device! 17. I can hold a conversation on an intercom at a gate. 18. When I wear the processor, my voice sounds better (so I'm told). 19. I have been able to keep my job (so far). 20. I can enjoy the various sounds all around me, like the birds chirping. I used to think that there are hardly any birds in town cos I couldn't hear them. Now I am hearing them even if I don't see them. And I hear the lizards and crickets too. 21. I can enjoy YouTube vids and audio recordings. I could go on and on and on! 😂 Please chime in @Kara of Canada @Marion nancy @Emily C. @Hicksy @DaveD

First day "WOW" moments. -The wine pouring in my glass - My daughter said, "I love you Daddy" and I understood it! -The rustling of a plastic bag -Steak sizzling on the grill. -Throwing a handful of stones and hearing them hit the ground 20 feet away -The sound of water from the tap running into the sink -I could rub my fingers together and hear it in my right ear OMG this is great! Thank you to the mentors on this site. Especially the three super stars; @Jewel, and @Mary Beth, and @Mary Featherston! You are all so wonderful for us newbies getting ready to embark on this incredible journey. Thanks! You are the BEST!

@Daniel the Stranger and @Joseph it wouldn't have occurred to me to think about the impact of getting your CIs in a country and a language that's not your native ones in either case. I will say, though, that I have an enormous amount of respect for you guys - not just the CI rehab, but even moving to a new country and living with communicating in a new language. I've spent quite a lot of time in Spain, and quite a lot of time in Israel too, and though I was reasonably proficient, if not fluent, in Spanish at the time (it was a long time ago and most of my vocabulary has, like Elvis, left the building, as I'm reminded every time my friend Jose Miguel posts on my Facebook page) but I could understand. But that's a far cry from being able to communicate on a level that would make me employable, and adding CI rehab to the mix - well, you guys, as I said, you have my respect.

I'm doing great! Totally off all pain meds. Took my first shower and washed my hair yesterday. Just waiting until activation on the 21st. Looking to hear how @shaun does on his activation on the 20th.

I love that I can wake up, put on my CIs and just go about my day hearing everything! This weekend my CIs heard so many wonderful things. -laughter, jokes and conversations of 15 cousins in a noisy pizza parlor -moving music of Carole King in the Broadway musical Beautiful -beeps, traffic, and city noise of NYC -accents of multi-lingual people all discussing how cold the weather felt -moving story in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hanson -conversations with friends in noisy restaurants and while walking on noisy sidewalks -conversations with my awesome audiologist at a MAPping appointment -variety of music on our 5 hour ride home What do you love about your CIs?

Well, there you go. @Jewel covered pretty much everything. 🙂 Probably the biggest thing is the impact on just normal interaction at home with my husband. I hadn't realized till I got my CIs how much I was withdrawing and just not communicating. We talk again, and do more together again.

Haha @Mary Beth @Mary Featherston I'm so glad it's not just me! Yes I'm sure many pictures will follow @Jewel when I have all the hardware to put them on. It's nice to have some things to be excited about already.

Okay!!!! It Freakin works!!! I was activated today and it is amazing! So many wow moments already!!! My latest wow moment is hearing the wine pouring into my celebration glass! My Audiologist said I'm a rock star! I could make out words within about 5 minutes. Check out the two videos below. https://youtu.be/oabi-7ddjO4 https://youtu.be/e6PYT6sivlY

I'm taking my 10 year old daughter with me to my activation tomorrow. She will record it. I am so excited! Low expectations, but sky high hopes!!!

Me either! In fact, my activation was supposed to be Thursday February 21st. But I called my audiologist and told them that I could stand by in case they get a cancellation. And sure enough they had one for tomorrow! Yay! I get to hear some sound in my right ear for the first time in over 18 years!

2/12/2019 I have received and wear the Rondo2 since December 2018, I absolutely love the the all day rechargeable battery, and the freedom of the ear space for eyeglasses. I wear it in conjunction with my Rondo(1) on my Right ear, and only need to change batteries on that one every three days. I also use the clothes clip connected to my shirt collar for safety. I use the Roger Pen and have the Roger MyLink receiver to hear on my iPhone or or at restaurants so I can hear and understand the other people at my table. I also have and wear Sonnets with Roger X and Roger 21 receivers, but for now I am really enjoying the Rondo2/Rondo combination. The hearing quality is excellent, I am able to locate sounds sound as elevator door dings, and while shopping hear the store clerks to respond actively, if you know what I mean... grin. I still need to work on hearing on the landline telephone, speakerphone or not. But overall I am living well with the Rondo combination, listening to music, playing guitar and bass, listening to audio books and reading, hearing the TV news and Netflix shows, working my hearing loop installation job. I have enjoyed the use of the Roger Pen with the receivers (Roger X and Roger 21) on my Sonnets. I also have the Roger Select which is amazing in a conference or restaurant situations. Now with the Roger MyLink and the Rondo2/Rondo combination, I set the MT setting on my FineTuner and am ready for incoming calls or place outgoing calls and am prepared for this difficult hearing situations to hear and understand using the Roger Pen/MyLink combination to hear with more clarity. Life is good.

@Daniel the Stranger isn't it great to be hearing music again? Not everything sounds great to me but I listen in the car every day to and from work, and that gives me an hour of music listening practice! And tomorrow it should be more like two or three hours if it keeps snowing. 🙂 @Joseph - we are here for you. You're right, one step at a time, it's all you can do. And remember you're practicing listening to English every day in London, every time you talk to someone. Good luck!

Hi @Joseph English is my second language. I was first implanted 8 months ago and second implanted 3 months ago. My understanding of Spanish has improved a lot, I can talk much better on the phone and I have made progress understanding speech in music. I think I still have a long way to go. However with English the story is very different. I'm going to give more time (1 year with both sides) to make sure whether I have to go back to school to practice my listening and speaking skills. The conclusion I''m getting from this experience is that the English language I was taught while using my hearing aids was very different to the one I'm hearing with the implants. So in other words, I think I have to relearn my listening and my speaking as if I was a new English student. I have to say that English sounds much better with the implants. I have felt progress at my workplace but I feel they are still very small steps. Thanks @Mary Featherston for calling, writing these kind of experiences is helpful to give it a thought on what to do to improve our hearing.

Aww thanks for this. Still awaiting my letter with my surgery date! They said Feb or March so hopefully any day now I'll hear (pun intended). Will keep you updated!

Hello Joseph. I live in Skipton, in northern England. I’d go to my GP or indeed to the nearest Cochlear Implant Centre and explain the problem. The National Health Service is the provider for almost all CI users here. They run regular follow up services for us, after the initial year of rehab is over, usually to see an audiologist once a year for a check/remap if necessary etc. I don’t think there is a limit to this in terms of numbers of years since the implant. I have a friend who moved from a different part of the U.K. after getting her CI and she just transferred to the nearest centre after she moved. I don’t see why that wouldn’t be the case for someone who got their implant in another country. I know you said you didn’t want to burden the NHS but, given that almost all of us have implants paid for by the NHS, I don’t think there is an infrastructure of private audiologists specialising in CIs that you might find in other countries. You could also contact the National Cochlear Implant Users Association and ask them or indeed contact the MEDEL U.K. people in Sheffield, who I’ve always found enormously helpful and supportive. Good luck. Vera

Here is the info you asked for.... There are technically 4 mic setting options on the Sonnets but we tend to think of them as three. omni uses one mic and picks up sounds from all around us natural uses two mics and has a fixed focus to the front for low frequency sounds and is omni for high frequency sounds. This is the setting Med-El recommends for everyday use. adaptive uses two mics and is beam forming. It dampens noise behind us and shifts to focus on speech in front and to our sides. It is quite amazing in noise. the fourth option is a modification of adaptive called auto adaptive. It stays in omni until sounds around us hit a trigger level (55 or 60 dB) and then switches automatically to adaptive I encourage people to try various mic settings and see which work best for them in their lives. Contrary to popular opinion, I do best in omni mic setting and do not like natural mic setting at all. It is too limiting for me. I enjoy sounds from all around. Adaptive is great in noisy places and performs best if the noise is behind us. So don’t sit with your back against the wall in noisy restaurants like our HA days. Smile. Sit with the main restaurant noise behind you.

Everything went great! I'm a CIBOURG! My surgeon said my cochlea was fine and he got the flex 24 fully inserted. I'm home from the hospital with a nice headache. New tinnitus now, but that just means that the nerve is working. Speaking of nerves, I've got absolutely no facial nerve issues or taste problems. No nausea either. So far so good!

@Mary Beth I've already voted. If I vote again, do I have to move to Chicago?

Hi @Beth Which is a better processor? - question is, in which field the two are competing. Technologically, one reason the sonnet may be superior- it has microphone bidirectionality - but this feature may or may not become a main player in success of your particular hearing journey. Rondo 2 is a one piece processor, which is very easy to use and is convenient and virtually worry free when it comes to powering your processor up. Technologically speaking, to my limited knowledge, it does not feature major advancement from the rondo or opus when it comes to managing hearing in noise and challenging situations. Please correct me if i'm wrong. I'm not sure there is one answer that would fit everyone to the question which is better. They both are fabulous in their own way. It really is personal choice. Ask yourself which will fit your life style and personality better? Are you on the go or want a processor which will be virtually maintenance free and easy to use? I'd explore Rondo2 further. Are you oftentimes in challenging hearing situations (multi speaker gathering, background noise etc.?) You might want to learn more about the bidirectional mics Sonnet offers. Add more questions from your own life/ journey Perhaps your audiologist can offer insight from booth scores although I'd take that info only as part of the whole picture which is also how people do in their daily lives outside the office. And I hope other users who tried both can give their take on it. As for me, since day one, the rondo design really appealed to me but I went with sonnet due to mic feature and Audi recommendation. I love the way it sounds. Becoming bilaterally implanted during plusRondo2 promotion period, Rondo2 came and again i'm very attracted to the ease of use but Sonnet is still my own personal choice for daily use processor. To me it makes listening easier and it could be just habitual but for right now I choose my sonnets and i'm keeping the Rondo2 for days that i need the convenience of one piece processor. Best of luck to you @Beth!

I can understand what my boss talks over the phone in Spanish... he doesn't know it 😂 I can understand what my wife says to our cat in the lounge next to our bedroom. (Yes, our cat likes to chat) I enjoy music more and more everyday during my daily commute.

Love that I forget the sad part that in fact, once upon a time, I completely lost my hearing, and with it a big chunk of things I cared about in life. It was not really long ago but now feels like a different lifetime. From the moment I have my CIs on till the time they go to the dry box at night, I have my life, my music, regular communication, lots of sounds as well as birds song - back. At the end of the day I feel I can accomplish anything. Improved mental health definitely a huge plus. I love my CIs for giving me a reason to love life again. I also love that my CIs made it possible for me play music . Something I haven't done for over 2 decades.

@Mary Featherston I believe it would be typical. Once the sticker is in place and the device is attached it was immediate. Of course the sound is through bone so it was a little different at first but the longer it’s on the better. I only notice a difference now when it’s noise with vibration (the signal light in the car, the phone ringing etc) I am so happy with the results. My audiologists said that insurances are more likely to pay for Adhear because they’ve added the headband as an option for wearing on top of the sticker. I still have not seen a bill and I’ve had the device since before Christmas. We decided that no matter what it was worth it. I believe the cost is around $2100. I hope your friend is able to try it and that it is covered for him as well.

Hi Eve - I'm about a week into using a Bonebridge and it doesn't make a static noise. This seems like something the audiologist might be able to tune out? I certainly wasn't warned that it might make a static noise, nor have I seen it reported in the literature - I'm hoping this suggests that it's either a mechanical fault or something the audiologist can fine tune away. Is the sound a constant hum/buzz or noise distortion like a speaker turned up too loud? I occasionally have the latter (even when the device is turned right down) and am going to try to get the audiologist to adjust the settings when I see him next week. I see that Med-El have been in touch with you, anyway, so I really hope they help you find a solution to this. Must be very frustrating after all the angst and high hopes of the op. Good luck, and do shout if you have any questions. Happy to help if I can. Jamie

Hi @Mary Beth, Sorry for taking so long to get back to you on this. The implant housing of SYNCHRONY ST is slightly thicker than the Mi1200. In addition, only the Mi1200 is available with a pin fixation. Although the Mi1210 SYNCHRONY ST cochlear implant was approved by the FDA, at this time there are no immediate plans to release this product in the US. Thanks for your patience, and sorry again for the delay in replying :). Kind regards, Mary

My family just told me that they saw a little girl, around 6 years old, who was the splitting image of me when I was that age. She was wearing two cochlear implants! I hope I bump into her and her parents one day! I would love to know whether she did the surgery here, etc. Nice to know that there are other CIBorgs on this island 😊

Thanks for your kind words @Mary Featherston, sometimes I wonder why people say I'm boring as we don't do much on weekends lol. I'm usually very tired on weekends, and perhaps this is why maybe I haven't done proper rehab since both CI activation. I'm mentally exhausted not because of the new implants but because I need to make more effort in my day to day job to be able to communicate with my coworkers. I can go to the gym after work but I don't want to do Rehab, go figure! I know at some point I will need to go to the public library and grab some ESL books with multimedia to practice the English language again. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very happy with the way things are going with my CI and in that short period of time my communication has improved a lot. And music has been a blessing, I can tell you that I used to call my dad daily during my driving to work but now I only do it twice a week... I want to listen to music!

Mary Beth,The audiologist gave me a list,which l don't have at hand now,but one was a Med El one,and there was one l believe called Angel..hearing? I will post them here, tomorrow if you like,when l have the list in hand.

Very thoughtful @Mary Beth - I was just wondering how @Monte is doing? I’m feeling much better and looking forward to my activation on the 20th. Doesn't look as if there is enough residual to use the acoustic attachment to my Sonnet. I knew that part was a gamble though.

So a few days ago a friend mentioned to me how she didn't like that I always told her not to speak to me while I'm driving. I don't think she has gotten it into her head that I'm deaf. This is someone who has known me since I was about 9 years old when I had normal hearing. The next day I drove her and three others to the country. The journey each way was over an hour. I was able to hear and make out about 95% of what they were saying while I was driving! I was wearing my Rondo2 and I didn't use the car program and the wind didn't bother me maybe because there was so much chatter in the car! I don't think I would have heard so well if I was wearing the Sonnet. I definitely need to get the Omni put back on my Sonnet! The things people take for granted mean so much to me when I can now do them pretty effortlessly. My CI really has changed my life! Thanks Med-El!

@Mary Featherston I think setting new goals helped me develop my listening skills with my CIs. When I achieved a goal, I celebrated it and documented it in my CI journal and set a new goal. I repeated this process countless times. Smile. And still am doing that in a way with musical pitch. We will never know how wonderfully we can hear with our CIs, if we don’t keep setting higher and higher goals. 😊 The fast paced WOW moments slow down. However we still experience WOW moments. I am still entering WOW moments in my CI journal almost 4 years later. Sometimes I read the journal from my first entry. WOW these CIs are so life changing! I am glad you are doing so well and that you are not satisfied and willing to set higher goals and work to achieve them. It is the roadmap to awesome listening with our CIs.

@Mary Beth I'm using Invisible fishing line and, for security I change it every 6 months. I have a reel of 100 meters probably for a large time and support 7lbs of weight (Rondo is more light) 😉 😎

the age of smartphone is an Important fact to consider. Some apps aren't work with all OS versions of phones, specially the oldest. Operators do not usually limit applications, or increase the invoice for use of data connection.

Nice wishlist

Thanks Mary Beth! I can tell from all of your posts that you are really a wonderful mentor! I watched your video the other day. Loved hearing about your journey. My activation is set for the 21st and I am taking a little road trip right after they turn me on. I plan to play the same pear, apple, banana game with my family that you did with your spouse! That was a great story and has me motivated! 2 DAYS UNTIL SURGERY!!!

And the thing I am 2ndly most forward looking too is also mentioned in the poll: direct streaming from.phone to processor, that would also be awesome! 😃

The choise FOR me is made: Sonnet. Cant get a Rondo at this moment. Maybe later when the adjustment of my brain is made with the Sonnet...

@soojjan I swim with my Rondos in waterwear and hear great! I use EarGear covers with a tether and clip. Over that I wear a nammucap. Very comfortable and everything sounds fantastic. Hearing in the ocean is one of my favorite CI experiences.

Welcome to HearPeers Joos! @soojjan I have otosclerosis as well and also had surgeries for otosclerosis that did not work. In the end, that ear became completely deaf and stayed that way for 24 years. I am a Teacher of the Deaf and I used to tell my students that my right ear was dead and I only kept it around to hold up my glasses. Oh how wrong I was! It is an amazing ear with a CI. Almost 4 years with a CI in my right ear and I am still shocked that I can hear so well with that ear. I wish you the same amazing journey. Aural rehab was my friend. Check out our topic on rehab for lots of great tools to help on your journey. I will send you a private message via HearPeers mail. Look at the top envelope icon to find it. I am looking forward to following your journey! Welcome!

Mary Beth, Sonnet. I am unsure the flex electrode. Jan 2017 was my first implant on the right side with Sonnet. Both surgeries at Ohio State University Eye and Ear Institute

Yes @Mary Featherston I went to Vanderbilt to participate in one of their Image Guided CI programming research studies. After that my awesome CI audiologist has created my MAPs using the targeted electrodes from that study.

Merci Med-el Moderator. Je les contaterai dès que possible

A thoughtful summary, @Nikki and very close to my own experience.

@segoro72 @Nicole is a terrific speech and language pathologist! I work with her in our public school system. Smile.

Hi All! @Jewel@Mary Featherston@Mary Beth I have been away from the forum for some time but thought I'd chime in with Rondo 2 experience and other updates. With the Sonnet processor I have been doing quite well. Still not totally happy with low frequency rumble and 'sharpness' on high frequencies. Overall, comprehension of speech is vastly improved over HAs. The Rondo 2 with omni map does well but I like having the 'Natural' and 'Adaptive' maps on the Sonnet at times. I think my audi just copied the Sonnet omni map to the Rondo 2. Like others have noted, the Rondo 2 does seem to be a bit loud. Turning volume down with the FineTuner seems to help. Someone (maybe @Jewel) mentioned a map for Rondo 2 for car use. I'd really like to learn more about that and share it with my audi. Also, if there are other mapping idiosyncrasies that I (meaning my audi) should know about, please let me know. I was a little bit bummed that the Rondo 2 didn't come with it's own FineTuner but I learned that it's dirt simple to change the FineTuner from one processor to the other. I really like that I don't have to worry about battery changes all day! Having nothing on my ear is also great. I don't like the microphone sensitivity. Hair that touches the mic cover and wind noise seem much worse than with the Sonnet. I'm looking forward to spring weather so I see how bike riding works out. I had a pretty good system for the Sonnet. I stuffed the processor in a microphone windsock and laid it on top of my head. I held the processor and coil in place with a skull cap then plopped the helmet on. Everything stays in place and wind noise wasn't too bad. I'll make an effort to be more involved on the forum. This really is a great group and sharing of experiences has been so beneficial. Dave

Here in Norway it used to be bilateral for children and one side for adults. But the last couple of years they have started to give bilateral surgery for adults as well. All costs are covered by our free health care. We have high taxes, but it is worth it 😊 Just got my second implant two days ago.