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[turtle]

I have 2 Rondo and 2 Opus 2.  Mainly I wear the Rondos.  We are going to Hawaii next month and I would like to at least be able to play in the ocean if not swim.  Has anyone tried wearing a swim cap or figured other options for protecting their processor?  Any ideas on when Med El will have a water proof casing for the Rondo or Opus?

[Leblisa]

I highly doubt a swim cap will be sufficient to ensure the Rondo's stay dry but maybe if you put two of them on you'd have some luck.

Whenever I've gone to the ocean I've put my hearing aids in an airtight container and left them in my bag on the beach when I go for a swim and that's what I plan to do with my CI and HA when I go swimming this summer.

If you, on the other hand, really want to be able to hear when playing in the waves and are willing to risk ruining your Rondos, you could try the double swim cap or check out the YouTube video of how a Dad used some device normally used for sealing food for long-term storage, only he used it to seal his son's CI in a small, air-filled bag that was then covered by a swim cap.  It worked for them.  You'll have to search for the vid.

[Leblisa]

I found the video!  here it is:

 

[Sandy]

I don't know that I would want to risk my warranty. I thought in one of the forums that Med-el was working on something. Lisa, will you not have to wait until your hair dries before putting on your CI? I don't even bother taking mine to the pool.

[Ivana Marinac]

 

I don't know that I would want to risk my warranty. I thought in one of the forums that Med-el was working on something. Lisa, will you not have to wait until your hair dries before putting on your CI? I don't even bother taking mine to the pool.

 

Same here - growing up I was rather not going underwater than put my HA on a wet hair.

Same now with BB - container is its safe home until my hair is really dry. People who are with me, know for that fact so no-one is bothered.

[Leblisa]

I will put my HA/CI on when my hair is still quite damp if I'm with people. I figure I can always dry it out later with extra time in the Zephyr.

 

I once washed both my HA's part-way through the laundry cycle before remembering they'd been put in my pants pocket.  I stopped the washer and made a mess grabbing them out as fast as i could.  It was a Friday night and I then kept them in the Zephyr, going continuously, until Sunday night before I put in new batteries and tried them out..... worked perfectly.

 

The trick is: don't even think about turning them on until you are SURE they've fully dried out.

 

What did you think of the video?

[Camille]

I've not tried swimming with my CI, but I did try sitting in my hot tub friends about 3 years ago using my opus 2.  I did not get it wet, but the moisture in the air was enough to make it start cutting out.  I freaked, ran in the house, took my CI off, pulled it apart, put it in the Zephyr and prayed it would survive.  The next day it was fine, but I won't do it again.  Recently friends were in the hot tub and I just pulled up a chair close by, wrapped up in a blanket and sat near so I could talk with them.  I hate not being able to be in the hot tub with them, but at least I'm with them.  And as others have stated, I'm not willing to risk the warranty.

[Camille]

I've not tried swimming with my CI, but I did try sitting in my hot tub friends about 3 years ago using my opus 2.  I did not get it wet, but the moisture in the air was enough to make it start cutting out.  I freaked, ran in the house, took my CI off, pulled it apart, put it in the Zephyr and prayed it would survive.  The next day it was fine, but I won't do it again.  Recently friends were in the hot tub and I just pulled up a chair close by, wrapped up in a blanket and sat near so I could talk with them.  I hate not being able to be in the hot tub with them, but at least I'm with them.  And as others have stated, I'm not willing to risk the warranty.

[cmoose24]

It's about time Med-El have an answer for waterproofing in my opinion! My little 2.5 YO LOVES the water, but hates to be without her "sound." I'm really dreading this summer if there is not an option for her

[Miriam H]

I'm thinking Med El will come out with something for swimming sooner or later.  And maybe we will see the other brands coming out with single units, like Rondo! So I feel it's ok for us to be patient, and wait and see.

 

However, I am a mother of a child with a CI, and on encouragement from many other parents I tried the swim cap/zip lock trick for the first time last summer. By then my daughter had her CI's for 10 years without us even considering trying this... It took a lot of messing around, getting the magnet to stay on, with the processor "laying on the head", at the same time as you're putting on a super tight, rubbery swim cap = not an easy task! We save it for occasional social swimming happenings, when my girl has friends in the pool that she wants to be able to hear. And she tells me the sound is quite muffled. So with that said I will stay neutral in this subject (like the true Swede that I am!) and neither recommend or discourage it. Our CI made it fine those times we tried it, it stayed completely dry, but like I said, we don't do it often, and it's not easy.

Although my daughter enjoyed to hear in the water, she also doesn't mind taking them off when she swims, that's what she's used to.

 

Have a great time in Hawaii - with or without hearing in the water!