New EAS User

[CI39]

My name is Tracy, and I was just implanted 2.5 weeks ago with an EAS. I would love to hear from anyone that has an EAS or is considering one.

[jnparis]

Hi Tracy,

I just joined HearPeers and saw your post.  I had my surgery in March 2010 as part of a EAS/DUET1 clinical trial in the US.  I am very happy with the natural way I preceive sound with the implant.  The native hearing that was preserved was 750 htz and below.  I lost the 100 htz band during surgery, but thankfully everything else was left intact.  Take it slow after activation.  It took almost a week to be able to identify the telephone ringing.  After that, progress came with practice doing the homework.  The homework is easy.  You just need to do it and it will be over before you know it.  The richness of my listening experience continues to get better, but was very comfortable with my level of listening experience after about 6 months.  I am able to enjoy music to a great extent, but that takes some practice too.  Instermentals are far easier than vocals, but the vocals will get better with time.

 

I signed up with HearPeers to inquire about bi-lateral implantation.  I am considering whether to get it done now or to wait for FDA approval of the EAS/DUET which could be as far off as 3 years.  Call me impatient, but I just want to have the benefits that come with bi-lateral listening, like sound location and better speech comprehention in restaurants and get togethers with friends.  I do much better with one duet than with 2 hearing aids, but still need improvement in noise. 

 

Post again to let me know how you are doing.  I am at your service, if you so desire.

 

Jon

[cnudelman]

Hi there,

I am going to a clinical site this week to see if I am a candidate - my audigram is  a perfect fit; but need to meet the team, etc.

 

I'm wondering how does sound "sound" if you can hear low frequency but the high frequency is digital.  Is it different that when you heard before?

Also, on losing even a bad- is that something you notice or replaced with the implant?

 

Thanks!

Christie

[Adam]

Christie,

Welcome to hearpeers. I have a CI but there are a number of folks here that can answer any questions that you might have. Again, Welcome and we look forward to getting to know you.

 

Adam

[kenm]

Hi Tracy, Jon, Christie, Adam and others

Returning to this forum after a period of absence.

 

My right ear EAS op was 30 July 2012. CI processor connected 3 weeks later.

The HA mould was connected 6 weeks post op as the inner ear fills with fluid

and does not clear for 4-6 weeks.

So I have about 8 months experience with EAS.

I made detailed diary notes but will give only main impressions now.

 

Recovery from op was longer than I expected - my balance was off for a week or two but I returned to golf after 4 weeks and swimming after 7 weeks.

Listen to post op advice. Sneeze with mouth open, sleep with head elevated etc.

 

CHRISTIE: I lost a bit of hearing due to the op.  I think my HA cuts in at about 700 and above that I am CI. The transition is seamless.

 

From the first week or two I was hearing sounds in nature that I have not heard for 20yr or more - birds calls and rain on the roof.

Speech is different. My progression was  'normal' - bell chimes, then chipmunk, Donald duck voices which very slowly become more like real voices.  I still have a way to go.

 

With the onset of a hot SH summer I encountered a setback - perspiration caused erosion of the pins on the connector cable between processor and magnetic coil. I was forced to reduce my use of the EAS to 2-3 hours per day during our long hot summer (Jan -March). With the onset of cooler weather I am now able to wear the unit most of the time. I found broad head bands as sold by outdoor stores to be very useful during warm weather to block perspiration.

 

Loved a local production of 'Le Mis' with 26 piece orchestra, also loved the Le Mis movie. However we recently attended 'Jersey Boys' and I struggled to appreciate the music -  can't explain why.

 

JON: thanks for your encouraging post.

 

All for now

wishing you all the best and thanks to all who have shared their experiences.

 

ken

Perth, Western  Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Adam]

Ken,

 

good on ya mate! sounds like things are starting to settle down. That fluid build up can be a pain. I have had a tube in one ear for the last 5 or 6 years because of it.

Have done a good deal of open water swimming so I had a custom plug made for that ear.

eargear might help ya with the sweat issue. If you prefer a headband, I would check out joybands. I have not tried the bands but hear they do a great job.

[cnudelman]

Hello all,

Thanks for the warm welcome.  I had a full day of testing today and so far it looks good.  My only real questions is, with low frequency hearing, but high frequency loss; and the pros/cons.... is it really worth it?

 

Ken- thanks for the details, but can you hear in speech better?

 

thanks, I'll keep you posted!

Christie

[kenm]

Hi Christie

You are wise to take your time. In my case it was nearly 16 months from my initial referral for MRI/CT Scans (March 2011) and my operation (July 2012)

I finally decided to proceed because

- I was dissatisfied with my expensive hearing aids.

- I was advised that my hearing loss was slowly progressing and HA's would, in years ahead, be less and less useful.

- CI/EAS for me is a long term solution. I hope improve over the next 6-12 months and then maintain that hearing for years.

- I have retired from the work force so length of recovery was not really an issue.

- I could not resist the chance of better speech hearing

 

At about 3 months post activation I scored 8 or 9 out of 10 in a speech recognition test with my audiologist (1 HA, 1CI-EAS). This was a surprise to both of us as my earlier scores with 2 HA's was usually 2-3 out of 10.

 

This result may be a little misleading as I find my speech hearing varies greatly according to the environment and the person talking - the speed at which they talk, modulation, background noise etc. However I am in no doubt that in general my speech hearing has improved significantly.

 

For balance I will list a few negatives

- 2.5 hour operation with inherent risk and 4- 6 week recovery.

- lengthy period of adjustment to CI/EAS, working with audiologist, expect some down days.

- bulky unit but not uncomfortable. Chews through 3 P675 batteries in 5 days (I buy these online - much cheaper)

- processor susceptible to moisture/sweat (ADAM - thanks for the tip , I will check out eargear and joybands)

 

All for now, don't rush your decision.

 

kind regards

Ken

 

 

[Heviink]

Hi all,

I am the husband of a wonderful (she may read this at some stage, so I have to be nice) woman who just got her EAS activated - around 14 days post surgery.

 

So far we have found that recovery has been more painful than what we were led to believe, but overall things are going well.

 

From what we understand her hearing is only viable from 550hz down, a bit of a loss from where she was pre surgery at just below 1000hz. Hopefully that number climbs a little again with time.

 

One question though: which battery brand is everyone using - IE has anyone found what provides the best the best life on the Duet2?

[Matt]

Hi Joh,

welcome to the forum. Hopefully someone will be along to help you with the sound question.

Regarding batteries, I've tried all the ones available locally and find the cheapest ones -Zeni Power - give the best life.

David and Allison Herridge run HABEX which sells batteries and other products like dry bricks. They are in Sydney but obviously post anywhere. They have a trial pack which contains the three brands they sell so you can compare them yourself.

Hopefully your lovely wife will drop by here herself, but you're welcome to stay as well.

Just don't mention origin.

Matt

[Heviink]

Thankyou for pointing me in the direction of HABEX - to be honest I was getting confused with all the different types and ratings available elsewhere. Was nice to find that they were on par or cheaper than ebay for most items, and I am supporting a local company. I picked up the trial pack, but also bought the 66 zenipower pack for $33 while I was at it, as well as a pack of dessicants, magnetic battery remover, battery keyring case, and the zephyr travel case (we like to move a lot, camp out etc).

If the batteries all last about the same time, then I will just buy the cheapest - but if there is a significant difference then we may change as required.

 

Thanks again for your help!

[Matt]

Glad to be of service.  

Let us/me know how your personal experience goes, not sure if the EAS will be more or less efficient than a regular CI??

[Myclements]

I realize this is an older thread, but wanted to post my experience in case it may help someone. I was implanted 8/2008 in my right ear with the EAS device. My recovery from surgery was smooth and I had great success upon activation. I did lose some residual hearing during surgery, which is pretty normal and I maintained the rest for quite a while. However about four years later my residual hearing started to rapidly diminish. Not only on the implanted side, but in my "good" ear as well. I made the decision to switch from the Duet processor for the EAS, to a Rondo. I don't feel that the switch made a lot of difference either way, but because my left ear had lost so much hearing I decided to go bilateral. I cannot speak for the results of that yet, as I have not yet been activated on the left side, but I will say that even with the continued hearing loss, I am perfectly happy with my decision to get the EAS in the first place. I hear far better with my processors than I ever did without them. At first things sounded strange, but I was hearing as close to normal as I think possible before I knew it. My biggest fear was my daughter's voice not sounding the same to me post implant as it had naturally. I was very relieved to find her voice sounding very normal to me. Although the EAS did not work for me long term, I would do it again in a heartbeat because I have gained so much more than I have lost!

[Barb]

I received a Duet EAS in my right ear in February, 2011.  My speech comprehension in both ears had been prematurely declining for many years, but my right ear was worse and the hearing aid in that ear was no longer helping.  There were no serious side effects from the surgery other than a bad headache that lasted a week.  When the electric portion was activated, the sound did not even seem like any natural sounds I was used to.  It sounded like aliens trying to communicate through a Moog synthesizer.  At home, I could not detect the difference between water boiling on the stove or rain falling outside.  Sound gradually improved and sounded more natural.  I'm not sure how much this had to do with activation of the acoustic portion.  (When I remove the acoustic portion, sound seems just as natural although the frequencies change a bit.)  I remember being outside walking through a parking lot and hearing an odd clicking.  Eventually I realized it was a bird chirping.  Even with a hearing aid in my left ear and the EAS in my right, I still have difficulty identifying and localizing unexpected sounds (like something the cats knocked over in another room), and can't hear soft sounds like when somebody whispers to me.  This should be correctable during one of the annual mapping sessions, but so far they haven't been able to increase the volume of soft sounds without increasing the volume of loud sounds of the same frequency.  There's also a garbled quality at certain low frequencies that I suspect is the result of too much emphasis on low frequencies through the combination of the electric and acoustic operations. You have to work closely with the mapping folks to get the best result.