Cochlear Candidate

[Ltmarple]

I was diagnosed with severe hearing loss when I was 5 years old.  Now 41 years later my hearing has declined to severe/profound.  I have worn Oticon BTEs all these years.  I was just told that I am a candidate for implants.  I went into denial because that now means I am deaf and really have been all my life.  I have never really considered myself deaf because I grew up in a mainstreamed setting and kept my hearing loss to myself.  I did not want people to know because I wanted to be just like everyone else.  Well now with that announcement that I am qualified for implants tells me that I am indeed deaf and and need to accept it.  I do not have a fear of the surgery itself but do have a couple of questions:  The audiologists opinion after performing a "repeat the word" test and a tone test was that I was a borderline candidate. He felt that i was on the 50% mark of where they decide if i am a candidate, whether it would benefit me at all, that I hear too well with my hearing aids.  He told me I should look into assistive devices to help with my current hearing aids and come back next year to be tested again.. I asked him to send all the reports to the board regardless because I wanted to complete the whole process.    Now all of a sudden I am a candidate and I should come in to pick out my device that I want.. I called and made the appointment to do so but  I wanted to know what the board had to say before I go any further.  BUT I am set up to meet with the audiologist who felt it wouldn't benefit me!!  What advice do you have for me?  I want this however I want everyone involved to be 100% sure I will benefit from the implant..  My surgeon thinks I should have it right away.  he thinks my "deaf speech" will get much worse the longer I wait.  Audiologist say my speech is just fine.  Here is my audiogram and would love to hear from you whether I should go to a different hospital or place to get re-evaluated.   I'm not happy with the conflict of interest between the Dr and Audi's with my Hospital although this is where I ultimately want to get the procedure done.https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxVu7MSwk03NeDU1elA4ZW5jQ0U/view?usp=sharingThank you for any advice! 

 

Thanks all!

Linda

[Kara of Canada]

Hi loads welcome to Hearpeers!! We will definitely help you as best we can. Which country are you in first? You can change an Audi anytime you want. You just ask for a referral from the surgeon. I'm in Ontario and I don't get to pick which implant I want. I am very happy so far with my implant-processor!! I have been activated 7 weeks now and I have only one. I am loving hearing again!!! I have a sonnet processor and concerto implant. The others will also have wonderful advice for you. Keep us posted!!

[Kara of Canada]

I'm sorry I can't get the edit button to work! I was meant to say hi Linda!!

[Sandy]

Hi Linda, welcome to Hearpeers. Like Kara, I did not have a choice as to the implant and processor I received. The hospital made this choice in Ontario. Luckily I received the Medel Rondo. I've been implanted for almost three years and it was the best decision I made. My hearing started to deteriorate as a young child and got progressively worse in my early 30s. It didn't bother me as I lip read. Hearing aids did not help. It was just the past 5 years that it bothered me. Getting the implant is a personal decision only you can make. Your audiologist and surgeon should be providing you with as much information as to the why or why not surgery so you can make an informed decision. The people on this forum are here to help you, so ask any questions you need to and one of us (or all) will do our best to help.

[Ivana Marinac]

I'm sorry I can't get the edit button to work! I was meant to say hi Linda!!

 

Hello Kara,

 

it`s easy to find EDIT button - it is just on left of MultiQuote and Quote button but you have to go with your cursor over it so it shows up.

[Ivana Marinac]

 

I was diagnosed with severe hearing loss when I was 5 years old.  Now 41 years later my hearing has declined to severe/profound.  I have worn Oticon BTEs all these years.  I was just told that I am a candidate for implants.  I went into denial because that now means I am deaf and really have been all my life.  I have never really considered myself deaf because I grew up in a mainstreamed setting and kept my hearing loss to myself.  I did not want people to know because I wanted to be just like everyone else.  Well now with that announcement that I am qualified for implants tells me that I am indeed deaf and and need to accept it.  I do not have a fear of the surgery itself but do have a couple of questions:  The audiologists opinion after performing a "repeat the word" test and a tone test was that I was a borderline candidate. He felt that i was on the 50% mark of where they decide if i am a candidate, whether it would benefit me at all, that I hear too well with my hearing aids.  He told me I should look into assistive devices to help with my current hearing aids and come back next year to be tested again.. I asked him to send all the reports to the board regardless because I wanted to complete the whole process.    Now all of a sudden I am a candidate and I should come in to pick out my device that I want.. I called and made the appointment to do so but  I wanted to know what the board had to say before I go any further.  BUT I am set up to meet with the audiologist who felt it wouldn't benefit me!!  What advice do you have for me?  I want this however I want everyone involved to be 100% sure I will benefit from the implant..  My surgeon thinks I should have it right away.  he thinks my "deaf speech" will get much worse the longer I wait.  Audiologist say my speech is just fine.  Here is my audiogram and would love to hear from you whether I should go to a different hospital or place to get re-evaluated.   I'm not happy with the conflict of interest between the Dr and Audi's with my Hospital although this is where I ultimately want to get the procedure done.https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxVu7MSwk03NeDU1elA4ZW5jQ0U/view?usp=sharingThank you for any advice! 

 

Thanks all!

Linda

 

 

Hello Linda,

 

although this forum is not intended toward medical advising which would directly advised patients what to do because it is the decision which you should make with the implant team you are comfortable and trustable. I am an otorhinolaryngologist or Ear, nose and throat specialist but my practice is in Croatia, Europe - different countries have sort of individual perspective on the matter of implanting so please take as final word of your chosen surgical team. 

 

So, I will try to conduct you in the process of considering. Looking at your tonal audiogram it is a typical curve - little bit up in the lower frequencies, worse in middle and higher frequencies. But the curve is not the one which actually determine whether you are a candidate or not because hearing a tone is not supposed what hearing actually is. A hearing is process of understanding words and understanding it as meaning so let we look your speech intelligibility curve which reveals your hearing capability. It actually means that with both ears your understanding of 50% words is on 90dB. If you understand what are usual intensity, it is pretty loud. 

 

I know it is hard to except the fact when you are actually at the crossroad between two worlds: beside my profession I am moderately hearing impaired person since my birth and today the Bonebridge implantee. It is a different kind of implant since my hearing loss is conductive not sensorineural like it is yours. Still, I was mainstreamed and have not had feeling that I am missing something. As time passed by I have understood that I do miss certain amount of information - I have functioned well when someone told me something directly but missed all those indirect situation which I should hear but I did not. All these situations effected, in certain amount, to my social functioning. It has changed tremendously.

 

Although the process of hearing rehabilitation is different in different type of loss it is promising process. At the forum we have members who are so good rehabilitated which actually wondered myself to get more into the field of the cochlear implantation and understanding of neuroplasticity, the process or "rewiring" patient`s neural pathways which actually help not just to preserve present hearing status than to improve it so hearing in a loud environment or restaurant, or even whispering become reality. I know it is hard to understand now but I have also gone partly through this process and I am amazed by human neural capabilities to adapt to different situation. 

 

But, for a totally transparent process where you will be comfortable try to find an audiologist to whom you feel you can work after because the surgery is just one phase of the process, rehabilitation is far more longer process where you actually have to work with your audiologist during the tuning process.

 

If you have any other inquiry - please ask, we are jolly gang who like to socialize here and exchange "a-ha" moments or else.

 

Ivana

[Mary Beth]

Hi Linda,

It's important to have a great working relationship based on trust with both the surgeon and the audiologist in this journey. A quick look at your aided word score at 65 dB (which is louder than typical conversation levels) shows it is 78%. I wonder what your score would be at 50 dB which is more typical of normal conversational levels?

Best of luck on your journey. In my experience with progressive hearing loss, I knew it was time to get a CI because I could only have 1:1 conversations while aided with speech reading. My world was shrinking fast. I love my CIs.

I wish the best for you,

Mary Beth