HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted October 5, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 We have several members who are soon to be bilateral or are posting about considering a second CI. I thought it may be nice to have a topic. @phobos512 scheduled @Samantha scheduled @Megan L. Considering Am I missing anyone? Megan L. and polyesternapkinstowaway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha Posted October 5, 2020 Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 Definitely looking forward to going bilateral and hearing in surround sound! polyesternapkinstowaway, Mary Beth and Mary Featherston 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Megan L. Posted October 5, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 I’m letting it marinate and definitely considering it a lot more now that I don’t have to go into the office until June 2021. Huge plus 👍🦻 polyesternapkinstowaway and Mary Beth 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes polyesternapkinstowaway Posted October 5, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 @Megan L. While you get that time out of the office it looks like I'm probably going to have to go into the office the week after my second surgery so...yikes. We'll see about that. I told them that it's going to be iffy. If I'm having too much dizziness I'm not going to be comfortable driving. I don't remember how long it was before I drove after the last surgery but it wasn't immediate. Though oddly the dizziness didn't kick in immediately either. My wife is really nervous again but I think for a different reason. She's talking about how I may be without any natural residual hearing and that's going to be hard, and I tell her it's not doing me any favors right now anyway and it's not like without my hearing aid and current processor I could carry on a conversation or use the phone or anything so what's the worry...? I'm excited to move forward but also expect to have weird emotions on the day of the surgery; I did last time. But then I was fine immediately after and ever since so...eh. Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Megan L. Posted October 5, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 @phobos512 Ooooo that’s rough. I couldn’t imagine going into the office a week after surgery. Maybe they’d consider letting you work remotely the second week? Hope the surgery goes smooth and you have very little dizziness! My first surgery, I was so dizzy I couldn’t walk by myself and I’d throw up majority of the time...🤮 It was only for the first day and half and then I was fine unless I looked at my cell phone or computer - then it started again. So funny you talk about residual/natural hearing! My Audi said to me “if you get the other ear done you have to be ok with letting go of whatever you have left. You may not hear anything when you take your HA out or when you go to sleep.” 🤣 HAHA I don’t hear anything anyways Without my ears and if I did it’d have to be SUPER loud. No conversations being heard over here with out my ears in 👋 I feel the same way - excited at the possibility but nervous when I think about the surgery. Which is why I have to mentally prepare and imagine myself in the situation in order to be able to do it. It’s a process for me! I did the same thing last time 😆 I’m sure it will happen for me, I just have to work up to it. Did you decide what processor you are getting this time around? Mary Beth and polyesternapkinstowaway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Featherston Posted October 5, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 2 hours ago, phobos512 said: @Megan L. While you get that time out of the office it looks like I'm probably going to have to go into the office the week after my second surgery so...yikes. We'll see about that. I told them that it's going to be iffy. If I'm having too much dizziness I'm not going to be comfortable driving. I don't remember how long it was before I drove after the last surgery but it wasn't immediate. Though oddly the dizziness didn't kick in immediately either. My wife is really nervous again but I think for a different reason. She's talking about how I may be without any natural residual hearing and that's going to be hard, and I tell her it's not doing me any favors right now anyway and it's not like without my hearing aid and current processor I could carry on a conversation or use the phone or anything so what's the worry...? I'm excited to move forward but also expect to have weird emotions on the day of the surgery; I did last time. But then I was fine immediately after and ever since so...eh. That was exactly how I felt - my natural residual hearing was almost worthless. Two CIs are not. I got my second implant as soon as I could after the first. Mary Beth, polyesternapkinstowaway and Megan L. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Megan L. Posted October 5, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 5, 2020 @Mary Featherston Exactly!! My residual hearing does very little for me but one my CI does everything 👌 Mary Featherston and Mary Beth 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes polyesternapkinstowaway Posted October 6, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 @Megan L. Sticking with the Sonnet 2s, I am hopeful that the AudioStream will be released before my surgery but no guarantees. And yeah my current CI is my primary too my hearing aid I kind of think of like Charlie Brown's teacher if you're familiar but the CI is giving clarity and keeps improving bit by bit and day by day. Regarding work I work from home normally now but there's a big in person meeting scheduled tentatively the week after my surgery. Might also be before. Should know more tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Megan L. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersail Posted October 6, 2020 Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 I'm considering going bilateral. It's been my plan since the beginning. I'm just not sure when. I know I'm doing better with speech than when I started. Even with speech in noise. Listening on the HA alone, it's amazing how different it is. By itself, the HA is so muffled, unclear, blurry sounding, and missing a lot in comparison. But, I'm a long way from what I originally expected. I still have trouble separating layered sounds. Music is still a challenge and feels like I'm missing a lot. And some sounds are overwhelming like running water or crinkling paper. It's like what they say about how to get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. Still, understanding speech is my priority. So I'm still in a debate with myself: do I wait for the CI ear to be more "natural", or do I keep forging ahead and get the second CI. It's nice to know how other people reach their decision point. This discussion topic is great for that. Mary Beth and polyesternapkinstowaway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted October 6, 2020 Author HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 @Watersail I did not realize you were considering going bilateral too. Great to know. I hope a MAPping adjustment can help with the annoying loud sounds. Are you using a Sonnet 1 processor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes polyesternapkinstowaway Posted October 6, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 @Watersail Have you considered bringing recordings of the sounds that bother you to a mapping session? Or, if you can find a video on YouTube or some other service that properly represents them and has the same effect, then play that while you're at a session? For me, music is probably the most challenging listening environment, which I expected going in. Songs I'm long familiar with I can easily recognize but new stuff is hard. The only thing I can do though is keep trying with it like you said (practice practice practice). It's not a determining factor for me to go forward as I'm not a musician and I don't spend lots of time listening to music, never did really. It was just a means to block the noise when I was on a plane, which I used to be a lot in the before times. Now, I don't need anything to "block" the noise, not since whatever happened happened. Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Megan L. Posted October 6, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 @phobos512 I would get the sonnet 2 too. I’m eligible for an upgrade next year but my Audi said to get 2 Sonnet 2s and then use my sonnet 1 and rondo as backup, save the upgrade. Seems like a good idea. Fingers crossed you don’t have to go in for the big meeting 🤞 Mary Beth and polyesternapkinstowaway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes polyesternapkinstowaway Posted October 6, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 @Megan L. We've moved it so now it's the week before so it'll be a bit easier to deal with. At least I won't be dizzy. Mary Beth and Megan L. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Megan L. Posted October 6, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 6, 2020 @phobos512 Awesome! Glad it worked out for you 👍 Now you can relax a little and not worry about work and being dizzy polyesternapkinstowaway 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersail Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 On 10/6/2020 at 4:12 AM, Mary Beth said: @Watersail I did not realize you were considering going bilateral too. Great to know. I hope a MAPping adjustment can help with the annoying loud sounds. Are you using a Sonnet 1 processor? I am using a Sonnet 1 processor On 10/6/2020 at 6:34 AM, phobos512 said: @Watersail Have you considered bringing recordings of the sounds that bother you to a mapping session? Or, if you can find a video on YouTube or some other service that properly represents them and has the same effect, then play that while you're at a session? For me, music is probably the most challenging listening environment, which I expected going in. Songs I'm long familiar with I can easily recognize but new stuff is hard. The only thing I can do though is keep trying with it like you said (practice practice practice). It's not a determining factor for me to go forward as I'm not a musician and I don't spend lots of time listening to music, never did really. It was just a means to block the noise when I was on a plane, which I used to be a lot in the before times. Now, I don't need anything to "block" the noise, not since whatever happened happened. Yes, that is a good idea. I'll do that for the next map I do. I can also run it through a spectrum analysis to figure out where in the frequency range it is and provide that to the CI audiologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy123 Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 Hello everyone , been a while since I have posted. I just found out it's possible I will have the option here in Canada to have a second implant. I absolutely love my first implant, been life changing for me.. What are your experiences for those that have had the second implant done? Thank you.... Mary Beth and Mary Featherston 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted October 19, 2020 Author HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 @Sandy123 WOW! That is terrific! Did Canada change the rules or are you participating in a research study? Bilateral is terrific! Once the new side balances with the first side, you will notice so many improvements. You have Sonnet 2 and Rondo 2 correct? Which processor are you choosing for your second side? On last Sunday’s virtual chat we had 2 HP members who are soon to be bilateral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy123 Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 Hello Mary Beth, I understand from time to time the Can. Gov't will provide funds for adults to have bilateral implants. I had talked to a few people on FB forums and knew some Canadians had them but I was told at this time they were not offering a second implant. I have the Sonnet 1 and I purchased the Rondo 2 and I must admit I prefer the Rondo over the Sonnet.. So if I am chosen to receive a second implant I want to be ready with my decision about going bilateral.... Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted October 19, 2020 Author HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 @Sandy123 fingers crossed for you! And the Rondo processor family is fabulous. I’m planning on upgrading to Rondo 3. Sandy123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmscarlett10 Posted October 21, 2020 Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 @Megan L.and @Mary Featherston, I cannot agree more on the issue that audiologists have about residual hearing. I think it is safe to say that most people who are eligible for a CI - or not yet eligible, but still wanting one - have little to no concern with what is left, but what they can gain. In my case, I have one dead ear that we do not know yet whether or not is implantable; but we are going along as planned to implant it next thursday, and give it a shot. However, with my other ear, that I believe has moderate sensorineural hearing loss, and is eligible, but only because of the dead ear; they don't want to implant that one in fear of losing what "good" amount of hearing is left... even after I said that I do not care if all of my residual hearing is lost in place of the implant! Only if the first implant does not work will we "consider" the other ear. What is there to consider?! I can barely hear, I can't understand anything, and HAs don't help! ... I'm sorry, I had to vent a bit... Anyway, so related to all of this bilateral conversation, if somehow I could get bilateral implants, is it more beneficial to get them together, or at separate times? My doctor said that he would rather do two separate to keep from a longer surgery time, but I want to hear from others. Megan L. and Mary Featherston 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Featherston Posted October 21, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 @tmscarlett10I was offered a twofer both implants on the same day. But I chickened out and did one, to see how it went. And then I said, man, I should've got 'em both at once. But it was scary facing, possibly, the last hearing I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted October 21, 2020 Author HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 @tmscarlett10 I had mine sequentially 8 months apart and I am glad I had one side at a time. That way I could comfortably sleep with the non newly operated side on the pillow. It took awhile after surgery to be able to sleep with the implanted side on the pillow comfortably. Megan L. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Megan L. Posted October 22, 2020 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 @tmscarlett10 We’re here for you anytime you need to vent 😁 Johns Hopkins only implants the worse ear first Incase it does not work. Then you’d still have some hearing in your “good” ear. I was fine with that and cautiously optimistic since my left ear hadn’t understood words in over 20 years. Now my right ear is just hanging out 4 years later 🤙 JH doesn’t do bilateral implants at the same time for adults not sure about kids. I agree with @Mary Beth - so important to be able to sleep on at least one side!! It took me at least 8 months to be able to sleep comfortably on my implanted side 😆 Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy123 Posted October 23, 2020 Report Share Posted October 23, 2020 I agree with Mary Beth, if I had the option to have both implanted at once which I did not here in Canada I would choose just one at a time. It took me a good 9 months to be able to sleep on my implanted side comfortably. But having said that someone else may have different reasons to have both ears implanted all at once, time off work is just one reason.... Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted October 24, 2020 Author HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 24, 2020 Lots of scheduled and potential CI surgeries in our group. @Samantha @phobos512 @Megan L. @tmscarlett10 @Watersail Wishing you all the best! tmscarlett10 and Megan L. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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