New Implantee

[Bethlympian]

Greetings Fellow Implantees!

I have joined your ranks as of Monday afternoon (8/23/21 - Synchrony 2 less one electrode) and am looking for your frank experiences immediately post-op. I know about 20 people personally who have CIs and I have read about how 'easy' a surgery this is et cetera, which is the opposite of what I am experiencing. That said, perhaps I'm being impatient and unrealistic with my expectations so far.

Immediately I noticed an increase in tinnitus and different tones including a 'door ajar' tone that went on for a day and was hilariously paired with my heartbeat.

Since yesterday I have enjoyed a concert I can only describe as 'Symphony of Backwoods in Summer.' Sure, there's pain/pressure in the ear and at the drill site too. I'm really curious if you all have experienced dizziness and equilibrium issues and if so, for how long approximately. 

Thank you,

Beth

 

 

[Mary Beth]

Congratulations @Bethlympian!  
 

My surgeries were very easy and I did not experience any vertigo issues during recovery.  Keep in touch with your surgeon and hopefully you will feel better soon.

Tinnitus that matches heartbeats is often pulsatile tinnitus.  It can go away.

Be gentle with yourself as you recover.

Which processor did you choose?

[Bethlympian]

Hello Mary Beth,

Thank you! I am one of the many who had waited years for the FDA to approve a single sided implant here in the States so this has been a long-awaited thing. 

I'm happy to hear this should pass and others have experienced a better time. 

I will attempt to give myself a break but that's not a strength of mine.

Initially choose two Rondel 3s but have since decided on one Rondel 3 and as backup/extra training/battery woes, will also get a Sonnet 2. I think. Whatever insurance approves and whichever is the latest, greatest doodad. I am over wires so was very excited about the Rondo but I've been reading about the battery life especially when streaming. I stream all day to save myself from office annoyances so I imagine my battery will die before I go to bed. No worries if I've got a backup! I also am an avid sporter and sometimes more exuberant and handsy opponents have inadvertently removed my BTE hearing aid or CROS via the wire. Annoying. So the plan is to use a headband to coral ol' Rondo 3 and hopefully I'll just be chasing a headband across the field. 

Meanwhile to get around the house, Libman D. Mop has become my new BFF.

[Screech]

Hi! I am Ray! My operation was simple, painless, and had no real complications. I did have a couple of days of all over the place tinnitus. Also, during the healing period before turn on I had a 100% background sound which totally matched my heart beat. After turn on, it disappeared and I haven’t heard it again! My wife and I joked that if that heart beat sound ended it would mean I was dead! It is gone, and I am still here!

Hang in there! Time helps! Good luck!

Ray (Screech)

[Bethlympian]

Hello Ray,

I'm glad to hear this is normally...uncomplicated.  I'm just lucky to be in the low percentile. 

Activation is Thursday.  Still I feel 'out of phase' or drunk in regards to my balance.  It's certainly not as bad as it was but it remains.  Tinnitus, of course, as well as ear pressure and a constant 1-3 on the pain scale (which is easily ignorable for me) also persist.  Another really interesting thing though, has anyone lightly blown their nose at maybe .000000001 bar of pressure and felt as though their grounding electrode moves underneath their skin?  It's certainly a fascinating sensation but I am not willing yet to increase the pressure to see if something explodes.  Mainly because I do not care to interact with my surgeon any more than necessary.  The Med-El Shangri-la in NC is 6+ hours away, which is where I'll go next time if I need anything fixed.  I'm not saying anything here as down and dark negatives...just informational.  Would I, having experienced apparently a lot of abnormalities with surgery and recovery, do it again?  Yup.  In a heartbeat.  I also want to put this out there in case someone else runs into the same things so they aren't discouraged by 'everyone else' having sunshine and lollipop experiences.  

[Mary Beth]

@Bethlympian

I hope you feel back to normal soon.

[Bethlympian]

Thank you @Mary Beth

I'm looking forward to that day and am encouraged by your experiences and journeys too.  

[Jared Charney]

@BethlympianThe first month after the surgery my tinnitus was even worse than when I lost all hearing (inner ear viral infection) but I tried my best to keep calm and realizing that the surgery most assuredly "rattled the cage"--at the time of the activation and when sound was traveling once again into my right ear I found that the tinnitus disappeared. When I take the processor off it is of course still there but has quieted back down to pre surgery levels. I also had pain longer than expected but it did go away completely. I hope the best for you at activation and look forward to your updates. 

[Dianna]

Welcome! Well belated welcome ha ha.

 

My surg was 8/26, activated 9/10. I took pain meds first two days then stopped. I really didnt have pain or dizzyness, but i did know when i over didvor bent over too long for the first week. Activation was pain free, ive not had any discomfort at all since then. 

I do rehab nearly all day, and when i feel tired from it, take a break.  Take lots of breaks. I stream music at least an hour daily also. There are a few artists ive found palatable, the music improves daily also.

 

Be kind to yourself. Go as fast or slow as you want. And it will come.

Welcome!

Di