Life with one cochlear implant and one hearing aid

[Mary Beth]

I asked Med-El to create this new topic so that we have a place for people who are bimodal (1 CI and 1 HA).

I hope you share your bimodal experiences so others can learn from you.

[Carol D]

On 2/22/2021 at 8:17 AM, Mary Beth said:

I asked Med-El to create this new topic so that we have a place for people who are bimodal (1 CI and 1 HA).

I hope you share your bimodal experiences so others can learn from you.

Hello, I was hoping there would be some posts here. I am in a quandary as to whether or not I should stay bimodal, or take the next step to 2nd CI. My last hearing test, I did slightly worse with the HA and CI than with just the CI. This had never happened before. It's not like you can do a 6 week demo before committing! No turning back. 

What prompted those of you who have had the 2nd CI to go ahead? What were the main issues you had that you found you could no longer cope with? Thanks all!

[Mary Beth]

@Carol D

There are quite a few bimodal users here- with one CI and one HA.  Maybe they will chime in.

 

I was bimodal and then chose to implant the second side so now I am bilateral CI.  For me, my HA side became less and less helpful in my real life.  It was like I was carrying around my own noise.  I heard better with my CI ear alone.  So I stopped using the HA and we implanted my second side.

I used how I was hearing in my real life as the deciding factor to stop being bimodal and implant the second side.

I have friends who are long term bimodal users and very happy with one CI and one HA.

[Lauren]

I’m bimodal as of June 2021 after wearing two HAs since the late ‘90s. What prompted me was my hearing and word comprehension completely tanked and it was either keep going the HA route or taking the plunge. 

Had a less than stellar start but things started improving in… November I think? It’s a lot of work but worth it. I’m better off bimodal than with just HAs. Currently, if I had to rush out of my house and grab only one, I’d likely grab the CI and leave the HA behind. 

What would prompt me to go bilateral is losing more hearing in my right ear. But I’m hoping to get to a strong MAP for my left ear before that happens but I just keep having setbacks, not all of which are CI related.