Glynn Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Good Morning Everyone -- I am a new member because I decided to have CI for my left ear. My hearing loss has been gradual over the last 10 years or so; and I am now to the point where hearing aids simply do not do the job for me. My current audiologist (a NON-CI type with no hearing loss) recently told me to get with the program and have an implant because it would definitely improve my life. So...I am on the program. My surgeon and audiologist will be from UCI Medical Center, my family support team is in-order, and now it is time to pick a company and a product. IMHO, I have an open mind and will listen (pun intended) to any input you may have about products or UCI Medical Center. Glynn Shaw San Clemente, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted June 20, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Hi Glynn, Welcome. I applaud your willingness to embrace a CI. I know the transition from HAs to CIs is a difficult journey to begin. I came to that point this past fall. It's a great ride and I am so happy that I now have a CI. I wish you the best. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted June 20, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Good afternoon Glynn, I started losing my hearing in my 20's. I now have bilateral (2) implants. I would start doing as mu ch research as you can. You (if you are in the United States) have 3 companies to choose from. MED-EL, Cochlear Americas and advanced Bionics. Each company is going to send you a bunch of information about their company and info on studies showing how they are the best. You can also talk to some people that have a CI from each company. Let me warn you that the CI recipients can be VERY passionate about the CI company they chose, as they should. I will say that you will hear with all three companies. A lot will determine what you want to get out of the implant. One thing I did was make a list of things that were important to me and things that I didn't really care about one wY or the other. This might help you narrow down which company you want to go with. It is a very important and personal decision that you need to make for yourself. I don't want this to be too long of a post so I will end it here. please feel free to ask as many questions as you want. I have no problem at all sharing a little more of my hearing history or why I chose MED-EL. There are no stupid questions. Again welcome to hearpeers, looking forward to getting to know you Your bionic buddy Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glynn Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Thank You Mary Beth -- Embracing the CI was the difficult part until I realized..."Hey, El Stupido. You have very close to zero hearing in your left ear; so how bad could an implant be?" I have fully embraced the concept, decided to accelerate my implantation date, and told my two grandchildren they could call me Grandpa Cyborg or Grandpa Cy. Now I need to decide about product. If you have the time and desire, I would like to hear your primary reason for selecting Med-El. Thanks, Glynn Shaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted June 23, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Hi Glynn, I will be completely honest with you about my product choice journey. I read EVERYTHING that I could find on all 3 companies. In the end I came to the realization that people are getting great results with all 3 CIs. The fact that MedEl has such a great record on past devices is quite reassuring to me. I love MedEl. My CI is wonderful. I feel fortunate to have this CI and I am thankful to MedEl everyday for how this CI has changed my life. I wish you the best on your journey, Mary Beth 4Boomer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted June 24, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Glynn, I had some of the same reasons as Mary Beth. My first concern was reliability. All three companies say they are the most reliable. I knew 2 of the companies ( not MEd-EL) have had either fairly recent or many recalls or both. I decided to go to the FDA website. every company has to report to the FDA any problems with their CI's. Let's just say that was a huge eye opener for me. The other thing that concerned me was future upgrades with specifically the software. I am "fairly" young so was looking for an implant that had plenty of room to grow with new software upgrades. I wasn't really concerned with looks or bells and whistles as I just wanted to hear. Good news is, all those bells and whistles will be available VERY soon in the US. With the Sonnet processor I would not change a thing. Overjoyed at the results Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glynn Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Hi Glynn, I will be completely honest with you about my product choice journey. I read EVERYTHING that I could find on all 3 companies. In the end I came to the realization that people are getting great results with all 3 CIs. The fact that MedEl has such a great record on past devices is quite reassuring to me. I love MedEl. My CI is wonderful. I feel fortunate to have this CI and I am thankful to MedEl everyday for how this CI has changed my life. I wish you the best on your journey, Mary Beth Mary Beth -- Thanks for your input. I also concluded that any of the 3 CIs would yield favorable results with low failure rates. Substantially all Users LOVE their MedEl, their Cochlear, or their AB Bionic Ear. That's great news, but it makes product choice difficult because I can't seem to locate anyone who thinks their CI was a mistake or that they should have selected a different brand name. Looks like personal preference, life-style or gut feelings will be the deciding factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glynn Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Glynn, I had some of the same reasons as Mary Beth. My first concern was reliability. All three companies say they are the most reliable. I knew 2 of the companies ( not MEd-EL) have had either fairly recent or many recalls or both. I decided to go to the FDA website. every company has to report to the FDA any problems with their CI's. Let's just say that was a huge eye opener for me. The other thing that concerned me was future upgrades with specifically the software. I am "fairly" young so was looking for an implant that had plenty of room to grow with new software upgrades. I wasn't really concerned with looks or bells and whistles as I just wanted to hear. Good news is, all those bells and whistles will be available VERY soon in the US. With the Sonnet processor I would not change a thing. Overjoyed at the results Adam Adam -- Thanks for your input. You are exactly like the Users I described to Mary Beth. You LOVE your MedEl CI...and that is a good thing. I also went to the FDA site (I think it is called MAUDE), but my conclusions are slightly different (probably because of my background, training and age). First as to reporting requirements. Basically there are no reporting requirements. It is a voluntary system (so "reporting" could be slightly different between companies). Actual recalls...basically none except for the problems Cochlear had with one of their products. As I read the information, Cochlear had a choice of a voluntary recall or a mandatory recall by the FDA. Of course, they chose the voluntary recall. Failure Rate. I asked myself...what are the chances that a device from any of the 3 CIs will fail during my lifetime? It is 1-2%. Since my PC Hard drives have a higher failure rate, 1-2% is acceptable. But...your comments cause me to believe I should re-visit the FDA site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted June 24, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Glynn Any problems are supposed to be reported to the FDA. You are correct. It is voluntary, not mandatory to report. Usually the company will recall voluntarily first. cochlear had a recall in 2011 on their CI1500 series, and 1995. advanced bionics had a recall in 2010 on the Hires90k, had a recall in 2009 same issue. had one in 2006, 2004 and 2002 and in 1995. Medel has not had a recall that I could find. Looking at the number of people implanted each year, you are correct. The percentage of hard failures or soft failures is very small. Again it goes back to what you feel is important to you in an implant. You will hear with all 3 companies. Whatever reason you have for choosing the company you go with, then that's the right one. Nobody should tell you different. If you go with medel, that would be great. If you go with another company, that is fine too. The ultimate goal is that you hear and you are comfortable with your decision. The stats I provided came from Cochlear Implant Online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Sandy Posted June 24, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Hi Glynn, I didn't have a choice in the CI I received, however, I am totally satisfied with it. I had zero per cent hearing two years ago and now I am at 84%. Medel is a fantastic company to work with and the Rondo was the best choice I made. Good luck and keep us informed of your progress? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted June 24, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 The master is back. Great to see you Sandy. I have not had the opportunity to try the rondo. I would probably stick with the BTE's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted June 26, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hello Sandy - glad to see that you're back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted June 26, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hello Glynn, Your question is valid but impossible to be answered from the correct point of view. I don't kniw for the case that someone was reimplanted with another device because he or she was not satified with model they have. Also - how would they know what would they gain in the subjective perspective which hearing certainly is: 2 person with similar hearing threshold levels does not function equally. Is there anything else - yes, technical comparisons. Finally, this is the quiz without right answer just - action. Looking forward to hear you more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted June 26, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hello Glynn, Your question is valid but impossible to be answered from the correct point of view. I don't kniw for the case that someone was reimplanted with another device because he or she was not satified with model they have. Also - how would they know what would they gain in the subjective perspective which hearing certainly is: 2 person with similar hearing threshold levels does not function equally. Is there anything else - yes, technical comparisons. Finally, this is the quiz without right answer just - action. Looking forward to hear you more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tttt Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hi, I am new to the forum and CI. My grandson - 4 months old, is scheduled to have sugery when he is 6 months. I am reading about all three manufactures and as many of you have rightly said.. each of them claim to be the best in the market. I am looking for help in choosing the right one for him. I agree with the opinions above that it is a personal choice. But it is a tough one for us, as we want to make the right choice for him. I thiknk getting the implant at this small age will be a big plus as he will get used to it sooner, in other words grow up with it / liking it. Apprciate all of your comments on this and look forward to being a part of the group. How about support, warranty etc. Any good/bad experiences? Thanks much. T. Tharappel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted June 30, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Hi, I have had great experience with MedEl support and service. I definitely like the size and weight of MedEl's Dcoil (the magnet you wear on your head) and that may be something you want to compare between companies for a child. Good luck. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted October 23, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Hi Glynn. I am from Ontario Canada. Here you go to the implant centre and they choose for you as it is covered by government funded health care. So I was told I am receiving a Sonnet in a week and a half. My case is a tricky one. I had meningitis as a baby. My hearing has deteriorated since. But due to the meningitis I have scar tissue on my left cochlea and little to no balance function on the right. Even though I have more hearing on the right (about 14%) they chose to implant that side. I only have 4% on the left with full balance function. So to reduce the risk of damaging the balance nerve the surgeon and I decided it is better to do the right side. That being said they also wanted to preserve as much of the hearing I still have as possible. That's the reason I was selected to get the Sonnet. As it has a longer electrode that can go deeper into the cochlea. If this helps great! Good luck Glynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted October 24, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 Actually Kara - longer electrode does not have anything with hearing preservation, it's purpose is to cover wider frequency spectre because each part of your cochlea (each turn) is responsible just for one frequency - this is called tonotopic organization: https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Spring_8W1_2014/CECS_5420_080/epb0021/cochlea.htm Hearing preservation matters, actually, how accurate is your surgeon during the process of inserting the electrode. And your better ear is chosen because it has better possibility for the hearing rehabilitation. And - your healing process lasts cca 15 days to a month. After that period you get outer unit. And than - let's a wild ride begin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted October 24, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 Thanks for clarifying I wasn't given too much information on that. I am truly excite for my surgery! I hear your are the techie of the group. So thanks for setting me straight I wouldn't want to give misinformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted October 26, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Hi Kara - actually Adam & Hadron are more techie, I lost after first few numbers...;P but, medic stuff - is my pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted October 26, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Now it clear!!! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted October 26, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Huh? What Kara? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Kara of Canada Posted October 27, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 You made me have a perfect understanding. Perfectly clear thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms_D Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hi! I had my cochlear implant done in January of this year, and decided to go with the Rondo as my primary processor. I love my Rondo. When you first get it activated, everybody will more than likely sound like a robot. Don't expect to hear great right off the bat, it takes time. My activation day was February 12th. Eight months later, I still have much room to improve, but I am hearing better with it, and it seems to me like my right ear (which I have the processor in - I was born deaf in that ear) seems to slowly becoming my dominate ear. :-) I even fail to notice that I did not have my hearing aid in one day recently. When I am only wearing the Rondo, no one (not even family) notices that I am not wearing my hearing aid. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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