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I am thankful for this gift of hearing that is enabling me to hear hours and hours of remote meetings and instruction.

My department is working from home. We connect via Microsoft Teams every work day. There is video and audio. I'm amazed that I can hear what my colleagues are saying when I have minimised the window and I'm working in another app. This would not have been possible without my CI. I've been wearing only Rondo2 since last week when I started to work from home. I've also been doing a lot of Zoom meetings and hear well with just Rondo2. Artone is still my goto ALD if I'm in office and have a webinar though. Also great for listening to music!

Dear HearPeers, As the situation around the world develops due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), we just wanted to let you know that MED-EL is here for you. Our local teams continue to offer customer support in whatever way country restrictions allow them to. You can find the contact for your nearest MED-EL office here: https://www.medel.com/about-medel/med-el-offices-worldwide We are still moderating this forum during the week (Monday to Friday) so if you have any other questions you are always welcome to tag or message us. All the best, The HearPeers Support Team

Thank you @Mary Beth my wife and I are on self imposed lock down in our house. We are not sick but at almost eighty years of age we do not want to take a chance. Everyone please be careful out there.

@Mary Beth my wife has made several masks and sent them to our daughter who is a physician working in a hospital in NH. She is working in the ICU but required to reuse n95 masks as there are not enough. She used a pattern from the hospital and it had the elastic around the ears. That’s probably not best for Sonnet users but it’s better than nothing.

Thanks for advised 🙏🏻🌺

Thank you @Terry Bush and @Mary Beth Very reassuring to know. It was unnerving when it happened. I will be extra cautious clearing the bats out of the cave from here on.

I took it easy when blowing my nose after that and it happened several more times. It took about 6 months for it to disappear and now it doesn’t happen at all. It just takes time for the swelling to do completely away and for everything to sclerose down so that contact can’t be broken.

I am sorry this happened to you @Dan W. You can find reports online about this potential issue related to nose blowing and CIs. I hope it does not happen to you again. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/coa.12042

https://open.spotify.com/user/medelcochlearimplants/playlist/4wi6FARvfDXt1WgcqunPIm?si=w744iZ8bTG6XKGXj2yvbvQ

@Mary Beth we have to use Skype (which is being phased out) and Microsoft Teams. I'll have to check on the captions next week. I'm off this week - I was supposed to go to Med-El to participate in the research but it was cancelled, and I decided to take the week off anyway. It's the end of the first quarter, and I haven't used any vacation yet - it's not possible to use up five weeks in the second half of the year!

I've had my Artone 3 neckloop for a couple of years now - I first got it right after activation and used it for audiobooks for rehab. Lately I haven't used it much but at work our meetings are cancelled due to the need for social distancing - which in practice means conference calls. I tried using the speakerphone on my office phone but it's not very clear. Got out my neckloop, charged it up, and BINGO. I've been in several meetings a day and have been able to hear most of what's going on. It's amazing.

@Mary Beth audio only. We could actually do video, but nobody does. We're all on the phone, and if we need to see a file or something people can display their computer screen, but I've never seen anyone do a video conference. At least, since our acquisition. We used to have a video conference setup back before 3M bought us - we had regular meetings with the team in the UK. And back then, there wasn't a chance I'd hear. 🙂

Live captions during video meetings Remote learning for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and adults After reading numerous reports of using the live captioning features on Google Hangouts/Google Meet and Microsoft TEAMS, here is what I have learned so far. Just sharing in case it helps someone. GOOGLE HANGOUTS/GOOGLE MEET Google Hangouts has live captions but inviting someone to a video session in Google Hangouts requires the person to have an email address ending that matches my school account (@district dot org). If the person does not have an email address that matches my school account, the video session is automatically moved to Google Meet. Google Meet has live captions as options for all. Here is the catch.....someone must have Google Suite in order to schedule the Google Meet. The live captions have ranged from excellent to terrible depending on the strength of the connections. MICROSOFT TEAMS Microsoft TEAMS has live captions for apps downloaded on computers and phones. It appears as ONLY those people who have a Microsoft account (school/business/personal) see the option for live captions. Others who have been invited as GUESTS who are signed in with an email address that does not match a Microsoft account, do not seem to have the option for live captions. The live captions have been terrific. WORK AROUNDS People are finding work arounds when not every participant has access to live captions. Here are a few work arounds: 1). Running a speech to text app like LiveTranscribe on a second device while streaming the audio of the video meeting through their main device’s speakers. 2). One person shares their screen that has captions with the group so all can see the captions. 3). One person sets up a second device that is running a speech to text app like LiveTranscribe right next to their face so their video feed includes both their face and captions. 4). Using three devices! Use one to participate in the meeting as usual. Use a second one to run a speech to text app like LiveTranscribe while allowing your main device to play audio through its speakers. Use a third device set up to zoom in on the captions to join the meeting as a separate “participant”.

Thanks so very much for these great suggestions...I feel like something has changed over the past 2 weeks with my hearing...cannot pinpoint it...last appt with research dr he said my hearing seemed to have gotten worse & he questioned my mapping...with all that is going on, I think I just panicked a bit...thanks for the suggestions and for the reminders...I will keep at it and listen to music at my own pace... So so grateful for your time...take very good care! ❤️

@Mary Beth @Helgeo the only reason I like the audio link is I do not have to change from T mode and I dislike The roger fm battery sleeve due to small ears. Therefore I put up with the inconvenience. When at home I do use artone still the best on sound and distance beside the price factor

Yes, there are connectivity issues. It seems to work OK up to about 3 meters (10 ft) as long as there is a free line of sight between CI and Audiolink. But once I start moving around one of the sides will loose connection, typically when turning the head so that it comes between the Audiolink and the CI. This makes it hard to use when going for a walk, audiolink in jacket pocket does not work well. Attaching it to collar or hanging it around neck is better, but then you have the issue of where to put the cable and the phone. Lets hope that the next Med-El processor will have bluetooth stereo built in just like Cochlear N7 has.

@Mary Beth if the situation in May hasn't changed much (and I suspect it won't have) then I'd be surprised if my appointment weren't cancelled. Even our veterinarian is only seeing ill and injured animals, not doing checkups.

Fortunately it is quick to ease off, it is just the first 10 seconds and then the 15 seconds of vacuum when it comes off. I will take time and adjust it down as part of the take off routine. Easy answer to both issues. I just got the artone 3 max in the mail today and will pair it up with the phone to put some sound directly in. Thank you for the input and wisdom Hicksy and Mary Beth.

@Mary Featherston People are reporting that their MAPping appts are getting cancelled at some CI centers. Every hour more and more things close down to try to keep people safe. Whenever you do have your next MAPping appt, you can request no changes. Smile. My audiologist calls it an OLD FAVORITE. No need to tweak something that is working great. I like when that happens. I know I need a tweak soon but time will tell if my appt goes on as planned.

Stay ar home, do not get out if you have nothing urgent to do. I live in paris france, things changed at an incredible rate. Just 1 week ago it was like the virus did not existed. On sunday some were still out taking sunbathes denying. Today the whole country is in lock down. The shit is real, italy and spain are learning it the hard way and for France it is begining now we are going to follow them because people did not believe even knowing what happened to our italian neibourghs. We asians have made stocks since at least 1 month and we wore the masks, many westerners were in deny making fun of us for the masks. Stay safe, do not meet people. Call them. Prepare yourself.

I agree @Jdashiell. Each is different. Has its own pluses and minuses. The Artone 3 MAX BT neckloop is my preferred item due to ease of use and connectivity. It is also priced hundreds of dollars below the other items. I encourage everyone to test out the devices before purchasing if possible.

I do too,

Thanks! I’ve just emailed my audiologist about it

I am suppose to get my Sonnet 2 very soon. My audiologists will just have to hold it for me a while. My Rondo 2 is working fine so I can wait.

@Mary Bethmaybe one day remote mapping will be a reality. I'd be happy to be a guinea pig for that.

Thanks @Mary Beth. Ten confirmed cases here when on Monday there were none. Looks like I will have to cancel my mapping appointment for April. I wish we could be mapped remotely. Everyone keep safe.

@Mary Featherston and @Dave in Pittsburgh Your health is most important. There will be other opportunities to participate in research. Stay well.

My audi also does MCL everytime I go for a mapping.

@Mary Beth I was there last week. What a great experience. And the research team was terrific. It was definitely exhausting but they made it very comfortable. And, boy, are they smart!! I’d go back in a heartbeat!

Hi Mary Beth -- Thanks for the thoughts -- I did my week in January -- it was great and I hope to do another in 2021! F.

No, not yet. I asked my doctor if he had any other American or English-speaking CI patients in Japan, but he said No. My doctor speaks excellent English (he did a research project at the University of Nebraska), but surprisingly few people in Japan speak English or any foreign language. Japanese is an extremely complex language, very different from English or other Western languages, so it takes a huge commitment of time and effort to learn. Since 98 percent of the population in Japan were born and raised here (as well as their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc., etc.) there’s little incentive to do so. I study Japanese regularly, but even after living here 10-plus years, I still can’t converse in Japanese very well. Especially so after I began to lose my hearing. Hopefully my new CI will make a difference. In the meantime, I think my best bet for “community” will be the Forum. Let me know if you have any ideas on that. Thanks! がんばりましょう! (“Ganbarimashou!” Which translates roughly as “Let’s all try hard to do our best and good luck to everyone!”)

Thanks, Mary Beth! As a matter of fact, I’ve watched your “Getting the Most Out of Your Cochlear Implant” video a half-dozen times. It’s one of several videos that I watch repeatedly via my CI/neckloop as a way to work on and measure my progress. The video is very well done and you have a nice message. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you from here in Japan. Best, Kirk

@Helgeo No Roger transmitters send the same exact sound to both receivers. True stereo options for Sonnets..... -DAI cables (Red jack mixes 90/10) -headphones (BOSE QC35) -Stereo silhouettes (music links) -AudioLink (but it gives me too many sound quality, connectivity and range problems)

@Helgeo You are correct. For true stereo effect I use BOSE QC35 BT around the ear headphones. I have heard that the Sonnet 2 uses the same internal receiver as Sonnet 1. If that is true, the AudioLink experience would be similar. I hope Med-El offers true stereo, direct connection to phones for all audio types with great sound quality, range and connectivity soon.

@Helgeo I experience sound quality, range and connectivity issues with AudioLink as well. My most used assistive tech is the Artone 3 MAX BT neckloop.

@Mary Beth Had an appointment through the post this morning, my activation is for next Thursday 19th March!! Yay!!!

uhuh...with Artone included...!!! 👏👏

Hi Mary Beth I return in two weeks March 26, 2020. Also they have the new equipment. I have what you sent. Thank you

You and many others @Joan!

@Mary Beth Love my Rondo2s!😊

@Mary Beth I recently switched from my Rondo2s to my Opus2s for a week. When I was ready to switch back to the Rondo2s, I put them on the air chargers the night before to recharge them. However, neither displayed the red charging light so I set them aside, assuming a malfunction that I would deal with in the morning. The next morning, without thinking about it, I put both Rondo2s on. Imagine my surprise when both were working just fine...this after having been stored away for an entire week and not having been recharged! I then wore them for 16 hours before removing them for the night and both were still active when removed. Amazing battery retention!

@Tracey_66 don't worry about questions. I understand your because all of us here pass through them. The only gadget I have is Cozyphones, I didn't decide by other yet, but sincerely I watch TV, ear the phone... directly with processor. It is something difficult mainly at the beginning, and in my case it is not perfect yet, but I don't use additional devices. Depend of processor you select or center give you come with all necessary accessories to operate it, don't worry about it. Additional gadgets could be buy by you later, but don't hurry the first months. This is a voyage, and you must to have patient. I don't know where you are implanted, all center has different policies about maintenance. The more expensive cost I have at this moment are batteries (around 150€). I ad bought some loops for secure Rondo to glasses, and no more cost, but as I said, depend of your center. MED EL headquarter really are in Madrid, but them don't do map to you. This is done by your implant center. I live in Canary Island,, the center that implanted me me are here, and They do the map to my processor. I've never to go to Madrid for this process. If you have more questions, go ahead!! 🙂

@Nikki see @Marion nancy’s post above about AudioLink tips from her audiologist to try to reduce the static.

@mary Beth I tried to pm the full note from my wonderful audiologist but it it did not work therefore here goes. It would great if everyone was blessed with such a wonderful caring audiologist reasons for static:the audiolink should be vertical at all times for best clarity. Never on its side.. the audiolink should be in your direct line of site something between the audiolink and speech processor could cause static from what I am reading this is quite the temperamental 3 year old 👶 as I have been in with bronchitis and getting bored I will try these optons this weekend and see if it reduces static

@Nikki (so good to see you here again!) Yes my audiologist is amazing!

@CArgo I’m not sure where in the US you live, but if by any chance you are near northeastern NY I would be happy to let your son test out these options. Or if you are near western NY, we could meet while I am there for the ALDAcon in October. I am a bilateral CI user also and for almost all settings I just use my processors and no assistive tech. For hearing his tennis coach from afar with Sonnet processors right? I would choose Roger Select transmitter worn by coach (it magnetically clips to a shirt) with Roger 21 receivers on each Sonnet. The benefits of using this set up include.... -better distance than the AudioLink -your son just needs to have on the Roger 21 integrated receiver battery covers on his Sonnets. He stays in M so will also hear through his regular Sonnet mics. When the Roger mic is not in use, the Roger 21 will go to sleep and the Sonnets will revert automatically to their regular mic settings according to his MAPs. When Roger is in use, his Sonnets will automatically switch to omni mic setting and mix the audio 50/50. -for TV at home the Select dock can be cabled to your TV. It will be a 50/50 mix. -for TV at friend’s homes, the Select can be set near the TV speaker. -for hanging out at a table in noise, the Select can be placed on the table ——————— As for streaming music and audio from a phone....... Artone 3 MAX BT neckloop wins for me. So easy to use. So small and light. True hands free for phone calls heard on both sides. MUST have a way to switch to MT (mix) and T (streamed audio only) so a remote is needed. Will encounter EMI (electromagnetic interference) in some places (vehicles) which sounds like unpleasant buzzing. Sounds the same on right and left sides (blended stereo signal). My most used piece of tech by far! (The reason I am not recommending this for tennis is that the neckloop would bounce around while running and that would be annoying.) ——————— Now for use on planes......Roger and AudioLink can NOT be used on planes per their own manuals. Artone neckloop will encounter EMI buzzing on planes. BOSE QC35 BT noise cancelling headphones to the rescue! These are fabulous. These also have the best audio for music and are true stereo (separate right and left instrumentals). I love them! I wore mine this past week while traveling. Awesome! Watched movies from my tablet, streamed music from my phone. The BOSE app allows you to share audio to another BOSE headphone. So we watched the same movie and each heard it and had separate volume control. —————- If I could have 2 devices, I would choose the Artone neckloop and the BOSE QC35 BT headphones. But I do not require remote mics in my daily life. I hope this helps. Use of and types of preferred assistive tech vary from person to person. If at all possible, let your son test out the options.