Here comes a new challenger

[Evren]

Hi everyone,

So after a long wait, my Rondo 2 finally activated on Monday  I've introduced myself on another topic but let me do that again. My name is Evren, I'm 35 and my implant is Synchrony ST /w flex28 electrode array. This is my first implant and I'm currently using hearing aid on my other ear which is slightly better (about 10%) than my implanted ear.

Wish I'd say I had an amazing activation but I unexpectedly  fainted after testing out the higher pitched sounds. I have to talk to my ENT about it on my next appt, but weird that, I've not read anywhere that something like that would happen, nor my audi encountered it before. 

My Rondo 2 didn't stay on my head so my audi switched to 4S magnet but still it fall down sometimes. Guess, I have to wait for the swelling to heal.

Fortunatetly, things only got better after first mapping is done. I scored 65% on my first speech discrimination test with Rondo 2, and it's up from 6% w/o hearing aid and 14% with hearing aid. 

The first sounds I heard were really funny. My audi clapped his hands and I was not expecting to hear pair of "beeps" instead of regular clapping sound. I think it will go more natural in time. 

At home, I've tried out some familiar tunes on Spotify. It's nowhere near perfect but I can hear vocals so that's something!

Day 2- I can understand my wife better even without the hearing aid. Being invaded with so many f, s, h letters help maintaining better speech perception I guess.

Sniffs and inhales  

Light switches, office equipment, peeing etc. sound fuller and richer than before. I didn't even know clothing make so much sound as well. 

In the afternoon, I was at my regular cafe and I heard the ambient music and made out the soft vocals in it. That's a new!

Day 3- Hello birds (lots of birds)  

I still have loud ringing post-op tinnitus (newly developed) on my ear, and Rondo 2 didn't help much to reduce it. Hopefully it will fade away in time and I will keep you updated  

 

 

[Mary Beth]

@Evren

Wow!  You are hearing so many things so soon!  That is terrific.  

Sorry about the fainting.

I had loud strange tinnitus at first and it settled down over time.  I hope the same happens for you.

Looking forward to reading your updates!  Enjoy!

[Evren]

thanks @Mary Beth

You know, my loud tinnitus started 30 hours post-op, settled down in 4 days and I was OK for 2 weeks. Last thursday it appeared again and now it's getting even louder at work. When sleeping it's not noticeable at all. I wake up and tinnitus wakes up with me. Such a strange phenomenon.

[Mary Beth]

@Evren

Tinnitus is indeed strange.  You may find that as your ear and brain get used to the auditory input from your CI, your tinnitus eases up.  I hope that is soon for you.

[Rick H]

Hi Evren

Just thought I’d check to see how your activation went, I know you said you were getting activated on Monday! 

Wow sounds like your experiencing a lot of new sounds! That’s really exciting! Sorry about the fainting spell but maybe you were just too excited by that much new sound! I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about! 

Of course I don’t know yet but everything I’ve researched about it sounds normal, the odd sounds, & increased tinnitus. All that should calm down in the coming weeks & you will begin to progress to the point where things seem normal! I’m still about 6 weeks behind you. I get implanted in 2 weeks. Can’t wait!

How is your wife liking you hearing her better? I know my wife can hardly wait to be able communicate better with me. I’ve been with her almost  35 years so she’s used to me using her as my own personal interpreter! Lol.

well wishing you the best my friend! 

Keep us posted on your progress!

Rick H

[Jewel]

Hi @Evren

Sounds like you are off to a great start. Congrats. Things change rapidly in the first few weeks of  activation. 

When is your next mapping appointment? Have you started doing aural rehab? 

I hope the tinnitus settles down soon. 

Looking forward to reading more updates from you. 

[Evren]

@Rick H

Agreed, must have been too excited and I remember fainting on a hearing test when I was toddler. Now I know why some people faint after listening to opera singers

My wife and I only had a chance to talk at home and I'm doing better than I imagined because I can't even read lips without wearing a hearing device. Now with just Rondo 2 on my left side, I can understand most of the conversation but I've to do more aural rehab to do it without lipreading and looking directly at someone. (I was able to do it with hearing aids)

@Jewel

My next appointment is 1 month after the first one. My audi loaded 4 programs, each one about 4% louder and today I'm going to switch to the last one. I've downloaded iAngel Sounds and Hearoes apps but I need to get some bluetooth speakers as my phone doesn't have a decent speaker. I haven't purchased Artone 3 Max yet.

I'm using Rondo 2 with hearing aid on other ear at work. At home I'm doing my rehab without the HA.

Currently I'm trying to watch movies/shows with subtitles for rehab and am going to get some audiobooks soon. I want to focus on enviromental sounds but it's hard to do so with loud tinnitus.  When sleeping even if I wake up in the middle of it, there's no loud ringing in my brain except maybe some white noise, so I hope it will settle down soon

 

[pdk]

Keep it up Evren, you are doing all the right things  .listening with text to speech will probably get you going the quickest .

Peter 

[Jewel]

@Evren

You seem very organised. My audi told me to just read aloud to myself. So you have that option too. 

Sorry about your tinnitus. Tinnitus sucks. 

[Evren]

Thanks @Jewel yes, I read a lot so why not read aloud to myself. I should do that till i get some audio books.

So I did more testing with different sounds today. Whistles, I can't even hear my own whistling. It sounds distorted and dull. I can't hear basic guitar solo (intro of Sweet Child O' Mine?) Some sounds are natural (forks, spoons) some are not. I feel like there are some inactive frequencies out there. Curious about the next mapping session. 

[Jewel]

@Evren

It might take a few months for music to start making sense. Patience is the key. 

[pdk]

One of the things that really impresses me is the sound of my own voice (I just realise what I typed)  after each mapping I judge it's success on how my voice sounds. It's seems so much better than with a hearing aid. What I'm trying to say is reading out loud could work well. 

After 6 months my guitar still sounds terrible. 

I think the way the CI filters in frequency bands causes missed frequencies. The brain starts filling the gaps somehow. 

It's fun trying to analyze what is going on and suddenly realising a sound has changed over time. 

In the early days squelch wins. 

Peter 

[pdk]

Try downloading a signal generator program and see what you can hear. 

Peter 

[Evren]

@pdk Thank you Peter   I'll do more testing on upcoming days. Today I was late for work, because didn't want to get up as my tinnitus is almost non existent when I sleep.

Fortunately, after I wake up it was settled down to a level of static white noise. Still loud, but not louder like post-op and pre activation tinnitus. 

Today, I had a fairly strange, if not funny WOW moment. My co-worker was talking to me from behind. I used to figure out what he was saying when I had a pair of HA's on. Today I understood almost every single word he said clearly but my brain was still trying to guess what he was saying. Fun times. 

[pdk]

That sounds like progress....... 

[Evren]

A little update...

My music perception is so much better now... Couple of posts above I said I couldn't even hear the intro of Sweet Child O' Mine. Now I started to hear it really good along with more rock/metal tunes. Besides, on my laptop I'm listening with only 20% volume up. I didn't even have good perception with 2 HA's and 100% volume up. I'm not even wearing my other HA. Good times.

[Mary Beth]

That is AWESOME @Evren!

[pdk]

13 hours ago, Evren said:

A little update...

My music perception is so much better now... Couple of posts above I said I couldn't even hear the intro of Sweet Child O' Mine. Now I started to hear it really good along with more rock/metal tunes. Besides, on my laptop I'm listening with only 20% volume up. I didn't even have good perception with 2 HA's and 100% volume up. I'm not even wearing my other HA. Good times.

Great progress. I find I'm very tempted to jump from one piece to another but really get best results by listening to a whole CD. The more you try the better it gets. 

Peter 

[Evren]

@pdk

Indeed Peter,

I've listened to same tunes over and over on week period and noticed the improvement on music perception. I was skeptical about training my own brain before the implantation and now I'm amazed with how things improve so fast. The hype is so real

[pdk]

Try my app on https://sourceforge.net/projects/bendmyear

Make sure you have set permission on your phone.. 

Angel also helped tremendously 

Peter 

[Evren]

Thanks Peter,

The app looks cool but sadly I don't have any Android device. I've downloaded iAngel and Hearoes and they both work great. I also downloaded official rehab docs from Medel website. Gotta check them out soon. 

[Mary Beth]

@Evren

I know!  It’s quite unbelievable.  Our brain’s neuroplasticity is amazing!

[pdk]

20 hours ago, Evren said:

Thanks Peter,

The app looks cool but sadly I don't have any Android device. I've downloaded iAngel and Hearoes and they both work great. I also downloaded official rehab docs from Medel website. Gotta check them out soon. 

iAngel sounds a lot more sophisticated. 

Enjoy 

Peter