Soon to be bilateral or considering bilateral

[Megan L. 468]

@Mary Beth

I’d rather get something in my activation kit I’d use a lot instead of something that might work from time to time. So that’s my thinking. I have some time as long as I don’t open my audiolink 👍

[Mary Beth 2,788]

@Megan L.

Did you see Med-El US just added a HangOut meeting?  Topic is bilateral CIs.  My friend @Colleen Powell is presenting.

[Megan L. 468]

@Mary Beth

Ooo I’ll have to check it out. I need to look at that email they sent again because it seems they’ve added all these events from the last time I looked! Thanks MB 😁

[polyesternapkinstowaway 125]

@Megan L. Glad the activation went well and you are already able to distinguish sounds and speech already.

I decided I'm going to randomize all my usernames online and since this is a rare place that actually allows one to change it, I did so. I used DiceWare to pick my name here and various other places and then modified slightly until I found something amusing.

https://diceware.dmuth.org/

(I just demonstrated to my wife and it came up with "unvocaltadpole" lol)

For me it continues to be a learning process. I recognize I need to practice more but I have the easy excuse of a newborn keeping us up to all hours (as you'll notice from my post time being at 0332 EST). Can't believe tomorrow is already six weeks. I start back at work on the 25th, but I'm dragging it out and making my remaining four weeks of leave worth eight by going (or attempting to go) half time.

[Mary Beth 2,788]

@polyesternapkinstowaway

Good to hear from you Matt!

I will send you an invite to the chat on Jan 24 just in case you can pop in!  Hope all is going well with your little dude.

[Megan L. 468]

@polyesternapkinstowaway

Thanks Matt 👍 My right ear was my good ear when I had HAs and the ear I depended on, so I’m thinking that factored in. My left ear was nothing like this activation! 

Hmmm interesting! I guess we better not get too used any of your user names 😂 

Time flies 🥳 Glad things are going well with your little man even if it is odd hours. That’s great you have family leave and are able to spend time with him and your wife. Enjoy! The rehab will always be there, family first!
 

 

[tmscarlett10 63]

Hey guys! 

Sorry I've been away for a while

Just a quick update on mois... Still nothing is going on in the left ear; no sound, no vibrations; I still do notice when i have the volume up too high and there's a lot of clatter, my eye twitches lol. So we don't really anticipate anything happening with that ear. We did a ct scan to check on the implant, and it all looks good, so chances are that the auditory nerve is too damaged from the brain surgery that originally caused my deafness in that ear. But we agree that I continue to wear the processor in hope that we could be wrong 😀

On the bright side, I have a surgery date set for March 11, for the right ear ☺ We don't anticipate any complications here. Things are looking up! 

If there isn't one already, I think the whole CI community is going to have to come up with a new word for bilateral implant, but only one working 😆

Anyway... 

@Megan L., I'm glad your recovery went well, and I hope for you too that the sounds normalize for you soon. I would laugh at it, in the meantime 😁

Btw, what is different between the activation of this ear, and your last? What did you hear differently? 

@polyesternapkinstowaway, first and foremost...😆😆😆😂😅😁 Thank you for giving us a laugh with your change of usernames! 

Second, how is your left ear? Has the volume improved at all? 

I hope that you can keep your hopes up long enough to see amazing happen. I can only imagine what it might be like to have to go through all that while caring for a new child; but I guess this way you can train your brain how to notice those amazing sounds 😉

[Mary Beth 2,788]

@tmscarlett10

Exciting need on your second surgery date!  Which processors are you choosing this time?

Have you asked your audiologist to have a Med-El audiologist run an integrity test on your first internal?  That test shows if the internal implant itself is faulty.  It is run by Med-El audiologists at an appt with our clinical audiologists.  Just a thought.

[Megan L. 468]

@tmscarlett10 

So interesting your eye twitches when there's a lot of clatter! I remember when I had my hypersensitivity in both my ears especially the left, loud noises or ear piercing noises would vibrate in my head and throw me off balance a little bit. 

Congrats on your surgery date! I'm excited for you!

For the comparison of 1st & 2nd activation - my first activation I heard no voices, only a ringing in place of voices. I heard music but there was no voice only music. Everything high frequency bothered....so much that I asked my audiologist to tone it down a bit and he said no 🤣 So, it was much more uncomfortable the first time particularly with high pitched sounds. The second activation not at all. High frequency noises don't bother me - water running, silverware clattering, toilet flushing, etc. But I have been living in a cartoon since Monday 🙃 voices and music sound squeaky. Its been pretty funny and it sounds better today, less cartoonish. Today I also had an important phone call and luckily it was only 10 minutes but I realized a lot about my ears in those 10 mins. The new ear is still taking away some comprehension but when I went to take it off, the right side didn't sound as good as with the new ear! So, I think they are starting to work together 😁 And the second time around, I have a persistent humming in my head that I hope will calm down soon 🤞

[tmscarlett10 63]

@Mary Beth, I'll have to look into that. My next appointment is February 22 for pre-op, and to choose my processors. 

@Megan L., I'm glad that your CIs are starting to work together, awesome news! Hopefully that humming goes away soon. And I like how your audi was forceful not to tone down your first CI lol; sounds like he knew what he was doing.😉

So, here's the thing.... 

I don't know which processors I want now! It's driving me nuts!!!😱

I was so certain I wanted two Rondo 3 (literal pain wearing ha or ci with glasses and mask), or one Rondo 3 and one Sonnet 2. Then I was talking to you, @Megan L., about which processors you chose, and you said something about having to hold the phone further up your head with an off-the-ear processor. And I cannot believe how that had never popped into my mind before! 

Anybody have anything they could tell me about either processor, and their thoughts/opinions? 

[Mary Beth 2,788]

@tmscarlett10

I was planning on choosing Rondo 3 for my upgrade processors until I read user reports that their Rondo 3 processors are not lasting their full day without the battery running out.  So I am going to choose Sonnet 2.

You are fortunate that you are at a 2 processor center.  This will give you the opportunity to choose one of each and find out your preference over time.

 

[Dani 4]

On 1/14/2021 at 7:33 PM, Megan L. said:

But I have been living in a cartoon since Monday 🙃 voices and music sound squeaky

Hi @Megan L.,

I've had my activation for my second ear today (Friday, January 15th). I am living in a cartoon, too 🤣 But there is no Mickey-Mouse but more like Benjamin the Elephant. Everything sound too deep. But this had been the case at my activation of my first ear, too. I am glad that both ears seam to have the electrode array at the exact same position.

@polyesternapkinstowaway

Okay, there you are. Nice to meet you again, my friend! 🙂

[Mary Beth 2,788]

@Dani

Benjamin the elephant..... hmm... I’m going to have to look that up!  Smile 

[Megan L. 468]

@Dani 

Congrats on activation! Welcome to the cartoon 🤣 I had to look up Benjamin the elephant 😁....I’m thinking it’s easier to understand people being voices sound deeper? Very interesting both your activations have been similar. Do you notice any differences between the 2?