Caroline having surgery on 11th Jan

[Caroline]

😃

[Mary Beth]

Exciting @Caroline!!  Wishing you the best.

Which processor did you choose?

[Caroline]

Hi I am not totally sure - I think perhaps I didn’t ask enough questions and am getting quite stressed. I am having the one that attaches by magnet on the head not behind the ear. Which is that one?  Any tips for Wednesday?

[Andrew42]

@Caroline: Your original post is blank for me but your later post gives some thoughts.

1. Try not to be stressed out. Easier said than done. But you have taken the main decision - to have the implant.

2. I'm no technician but each implant consists of two parts. The first part, for which you go into hospital is to insert the electrode array in to your ear and attached it to a glorified circuit board which will located under your skin somewhere above your ear.

3. The second part is the processor which, on activation is attached by a magnet to the "circuit board" under your skin.

4. That second part may be a "behind the ear gizmo like a glorified hearing aid or it may be, as I have, an independent  Rondo 3. In the States some get to have both types. Here in Switzerland you opt for one but with  the chance to switch to the other during the first months.

5. There are advantages to both but from my set of circumstances the Rondo is preferable because it sits off my ear and I have one ear much smaller than the other for other reasons and behind the ear stuff like Covid Masks etc  are problematic.

 

Goood luck!

[Mary Beth]

@Caroline

If you wear glasses, it may be helpful to remove the arm from the surgery side.  I did that to an old pair of glasses and found it helpful until I healed a bit.

Wearing a button shirt for surgery day and a few days after helps. 

I slept in a recliner or propped up with pillows in bed to keep my head raised the first couple of nights.

I found recovery from CI surgery easy both times.  I just followed the restrictions my surgeon gave me before surgery.

I did not take any prescription pain meds.  I did take Tylenol for a day or two.

The processor that is off the ear by the Med-El brand is called Rondo 3.

 

I noticed you are in Australia.  @Kylie is there too.

[Kylie]

Indeed! I am in Perth, where are you located?

[Dianna]

Hi caroline! I was sooo nervous, of course you are! I went shopping and picked up my favorite drinks and some snack jello and pudding. 

I had surgery late in the day, got home around 6pm. My family made me a bed downstairs as my bedroomis upstairs. I relaxed in a recliner though and slept til morning. I was tired and a little weak, took pain pills 24 hours, took bandage off, showered, napped. Be good to yourself! I could get up and walk around outside but not too long. Third day went upstairs to my bed for sleep. I have two small pillows i use on unimplanted side to prop up. A little weak but almost normal!!  Im retired so had no worries about work. Id say by 4th day i went for a car ride and was fine. But still babied myself until activation at 14 days then excitement!!!! 

Everyone is different of course, still scary! Give yourself time and rest!

[Caroline]

Hello 

I am overwhelmed with the replies to my silly post saying I am stressed - everybody must be a bit before surgery. Thank you so much everybody I wish I had discovered this forum before. 

It is the rondo which was advised by my audiologist, but am sure I can change later if I need to.

My problem is total single sided deafness and I am so hoping somebody can tell me how it works when the switch on happens with normal hearing in the other ear. How do the two sounds combine from the two ears as I am told that the hearing from the implant is so different. 

Yes Kylie I am right on the other side of Australia from you I am in Port Stephens which is about three hours drive from Sydney, but nice to know you are there.

Andrew and Dianna I so appreciate your detailed replies - I am retired but no supportive family and am not sure How I will go with the rehab. As I hope I don't need another person to help me with that and am able to do it with the help of the audiologist at home. 

I will check in with everybody after surgery and look forward to more chats ongoing.

[Tim]

Caroline,

Best of luck!  I'm getting my surgery on the 10th.  Given that we are on opposite sides of the dateline, we are in effect on the same day! 

About 36 hours from now I could be headed to post-op recovery. 

Let's stay in touch during recovery! 

The Google Meet that Mary Beth is organizing is a few days after my activation. I'm planning on being there.  

Tim

 

[Mary Beth]

Wishing both @Tim and @Caroline the best this week!

[MelG]

That’s awesome! Best of luck x

[Kylie]

Hi @Caroline

I am also single sided deaf, and have had my implant for 3.5 years now. I became deaf 4.5 years ago so I clearly remember what 'normal' stereo sound was like. In my experience - initially the sound from each ear was completely different (1 normal and 1 robotic and layered) but over time and plenty of rehab practise they did resolve into 1 high quality sound together. There is no longer any feeling of double sound input. The brain is so amazing how it adapts! 

The most important things are to wear your CI all the waking hours (maximum opportunity to flood your brain with input)  and to do your targeted rehab exercises. You will need to do your rehab by yourself too, so your hearing ear does not interfere - just use the audiostream or cable to plug into a device with exercises you can use, like a special app or audiobooks, podcasts etc. There are some great rehab tips on other forum pages.  Also we have a regional rehab specialist if you need to talk with someone other than your audiologist - Rebecca Claridge - you can reach her here if you ever need https://www.medel.com/en-au/contact-med-el

You should expect this process to feel weird at first and also quite exhausting, so please give yourself kindness and compassion!

[Caroline]

Hi Thank you so much for that great information. I am so looking forward to being able to start on the rehab as soon as they switch me on after the surgery. It sounds as though you have had fabulous results, so I am feeling really positive. it seems that as long as one is prepared to put in the work, which I am, the results are really good. i am sure I will. Be coming back to you with updates and also would certainly get in touch with Rebecca Claridge the more help the better.