HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 19, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 I did the same Adam. But not really a choice. My right ear had better hearing and my left ear had better balance nerve. The right ear had little to no balance nerve function and the left had excellent function. Also there was scarring around the left cochlea and nerves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted February 19, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 I did the same Adam. But not really a choice. My right ear had better hearing and my left ear had better balance nerve. The right ear had little to no balance nerve function and the left had excellent function. Also there was scarring around the left cochlea and nerves. It was a choice because of THAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Sandy Posted February 19, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 The surgeon recommended the good ear for me. It was scary, but the right choice at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 20, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 Better outcome I guess. Ivana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted February 20, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 My surgeon wanted to go with my dead ear first but I wanted the better one. He had no problems with that. Thankful to have a surgeon who considers your opinion and treats you as part of a team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 20, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 Yes absolutely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted February 20, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 Better outcome I guess. Ivana That's right - better outcome with better ear. Ossified cochlea is problem because the electrode has to go smoothly in but if there is an obstacle - it is a big problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 20, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 So the next one will be tricky!! I'm very thankful for a good surgeon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 20, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 20, 2016 The cochlea itself is not ossified but lacks fluid and has scar tissue around it and the hearing nerve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 So the next one will be tricky!! I'm very thankful for a good surgeon! Yes - skillful surgeon is in this situation more than welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 The cochlea itself is not ossified but lacks fluid and has scar tissue around it and the hearing nerve. This is better situation but scar tissue can damage the electrode - this is the key problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 So what would they do about the scar tissue. Just hypothetically speaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 Ossification, scar tissue and lack of fluid are all things that concern our surgeons, rightfully so. These issues, the fact that the ear had not processed any sound for 24 years and however else my right cochlea looked on the MRI images made my surgeon strongly feel that I would only get help speech reading out of my right ear. I almost didn't have the surgery. However, my competent surgeon was able to get the medium electrode array inserted and in a good position. I did my part with extensive auditory training. And thanks to all of that and a bit of good luck, my right CI performs great on open set speech. In fact I am listening to an audio book right now in that ear alone as I type. Science gives us lots of information and valid statistics on what we may expect given the situation. However, there are always the exceptions. Finally my hearing falls in an exception group that is positive! We will never know what our CIs can bring to us until we do our part. Sometimes we just get lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 Amen Marybeth Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 So what would they do about the scar tissue. Just hypothetically speaking. It is a matter how cochlea looks like on the CT or MRI; and of course it is up to the skillness of the surgeon - whether find it is worth of the risk. It is not absolute contraindication without a thorough examination of the patient's CT or MRI scan. Usually, not both cochleas are in same conditions - that's why surgeons choose better ear for the first implantation believing this will get better result. Anything above that - is up to the patient. That's why this is an active co-operation, not just a visit to your haircut. If it is really too much ossified it will not be able to transfer the signal - there are, however, cases where people was implanted with the ABI because the result was not achieved. Of course, this I can explain to you only hypothetically because neither my teachers nor me were in this position - this is really a question for only few surgeons in the world and a very tough question. If both cochleas are equally bad shape, lots of surgeon would even reject the patient, especially if it is 1-implant country without experience or choice for the implantation with ABI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted February 21, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 Thanks guys. I understand better now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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