Hello! Andrew from Switzerland

[Andrew42]

Two weeks post implant, 17 days from activation. English by birth, Swiss by marriage/adoption I live in the French speaking part of Switzerland. Implant of Synchrony Flex 28 was done in InselSpital in Bern. Processor will be a Rondo 3. Interested to learn anything that can help getting up to speed. Swiss insurance does nothing to help the retired so professional help post activation is not covered for me. I have a hearing aid in my left ear and I am trying to find out if it accepts a telecoil. It’s a top end Resound Lynx but l have a feeling it doesn’t work with telecoil. Any and all advice welcome, particularly streaming phone, tv and music to both ears.
 

[Mary Beth]

Congratulations @Andrew42!

The most convenient way to stream to a Rondo 3 and a hearing aid simultaneously is using telecoil.

Rondo 3 needs to have the telecoil adapter plugged in.  It defaults to a 50/50 mix (like a MT setting).  If we want a T only option, our audiologists need to set that up in a program slot.

Hearing aid needs to have an active telecoil.

Then we can use various neckloop options.  My favorite is the Artone 3 MAX BT neckloop.  Here is a link to my review of the Artone neckloop in case you are interested.

 

 

 

As far as training our brains to use the CI input, check out our section called REHAB for lots of great suggestions.

[Mary Beth]

Here is a link to my favorite aural rehab apps and activities

@Andrew42

 

[Andrew42]

Thanks, Mary Beth. Unfortunately, I don’t think Word Success is available in the uk App Store. Later I will switch to the Swiss store but I’m not anticipating finding it there. 

[Mary Beth]

That’s disappointing @Andrew42.

 

This link takes you to printed practice sheets to use with a partner and follow the same listening ladder as the word success app.  Dave Sindrey created both.

 

[Andrew42]

Thank you very much. I have saved all the sheets and the instructions to a special folder on my PC. Now to activation!

[Mary Beth]

It’s hard to wait for activation!  Just remember that activation is only your starting point.  As someone who did not understand any speech at either of my activations, I am proof that things get SO MUCH better!

[Mary Beth]

@Andrew42

I hope your activation went well!  Will you be joining in Peter’s Show & Tell on aural rehab on Sunday?

[Andrew42]

The activation went very well. I could even recognise most of the numbers I was tested with. I'm not doing any therapy at the moment except that I am operating without my HA in my left ear and just letting my system/brain work itself out. I'm keeping notes/questions for my follow up meeting and a sort of diary. The improvement day to day has been noticeable. I particlaulrly notice sounds like cupboards being unlocked but words are not nearly as distinct. Nevertheless I have conversations with my wife and son relying solely on the Rondo and I'm getting by. Much better than I had anticipated but the advice given me by one of the group not to set expectations high was excellent. I wore the Rondo for about ten hours yesterday and I'm up to seven already to day.

I have a touch of soreness somemwhere around where the Rondo sits. I'm not sure if it is magnet related, if the clip to my hair is actually pulling my hair or what the cause is. Unless it gets worse I'm not going to bother about it and see what happens tonight when I take it off for recharging.

Regarding Sunday, I do not know yet. I'm not sure quite what our programme is going to be. I will know in the next 24 hours and will leave a note one way or the other on the site. I know that Saturday is not on for me becasue the timing is all wrong for Europe: pity.

[Mary Beth]

@Andrew42

Awesome start!  It gets better every day.  Enjoy your journey.

 

[Dianna]

Hi andrew, do you really need the hair clip at this point? Hoping the magnet is working well, i had a couple spots that seemed to be sore but it turned out was glue spots needed removal but it was stuck yo my hair and pulling. I have no sore areas now at 2.5 months after surgery. Hope you have fun identifying sounds.

[Andrew42]

Frankly I do not know if I need the hair clip. I'm using it as a Linus rag just in case I knock it off which I have done a couple of times already. The soreness has disappeared. I took the Rondo off this afternoon when I hwas having a 'flu shot. I put it back on a few minutes later and voilä the soreness has disappeared: magic.

[Andrew42]

I am not sure quite where I should post this as I'm covering more than one topic.

Firstly, yesterday, I had my third mapping. We discussed the last two weeks experience. My audiologist adjusted the volumes and changed my magnet from #3 to #2. This time he gave me the tool and my old magnet so that I can switch it back shoiuld I feel the need.

We discussed telecoil and I asked about the programmes for T, MT and no T (if that's correct terminology). He found them but said they were greyed out for Rondo 3. He attached my telecoil adapter and immediately I heard the ticking sounds so we agreed not to bother with it at the moment and await developments.

He ran some tests which showeed improvement. No way comparable to the remarkable improvement Mary Beth shared with us but improvement nevertheless. Mark you, it would have been difficult to do as poorly as I had done the last time!

Unprovoked by me, he told me that he thought Med-El needed drastically to rethink their whole Audiokey, Audiolink, Audioear set up. He finds it too complex, too overlapping, too many wrinkles and too many obvious failures. This from an audiologist in a hospital that is over 65% Med-El in its implants. I showed him my notes where I had come to exactly the same conclusion. He is contactng Med-El directly with some questions/issues. I have also written a whole spiel on the subject and included photographs (screen shots) clearly showing the problems I have had and have. I have gone on line to Medel and asked for a direct email address in Austria and explained that I have developed this document and would like to send it to someone in Head Office. The contact form on line here does not allow for the attachment of documents or I would have sent it in with the form. I have said that once I have an email address in Austria I will send the data and also copy the local Swiss Med-El representative whom I have met and would not want to blind-side.

The document does not discuss the telecoil situation at all.

I am perfectly happy to share that document on the forum here but thought I would wait until I had had some sort of formal response from Med-El and then share both parts with you.

I fully recognise that three weeks after activation is not a lot of time to gain experience but the short comings I have experienced are so diametrically opposed to what appears to be the fundamental quality of Synchrony 2 and Rondo 3 that I don't feel the need to weigh my actions. 

Mary Beth, if you think this should be somewhere else, please feel free to move it.

 

 

[Mary Beth]

@Andrew42

I do not get bothered by where posts are placed.  No worries.

I think it is important that users share feedback with Med-El .  After all, Med-El’s goal is to help us hear better so it is important that they receive feedback on what is working well and what needs to be improved.

 

If I was you I would not pursue Rondo 3 telecoil until Med-El solves the ticking issue.

[Andrew42]

Update. I was sent an email which came from Med-El's main office here in Switzerland asking me to send my document to them. This I have done. I have had a response from them indicating they have forward it for handling to the Head Office in Austria. With the current state of Covid in Austria I will be happily surprised if I get a response before the New Year. 

Mary-Beth: thank you for your advice on Telecoil which has been taken. I am doing nothing more with Telecoil and Rondo until there has been an update from Med-El.

[Lauren]

Thank you for sending your feedback to Med-El. I am interested to see their response as I 100% agree that the streaming via AudioLink process is too busy with the multiple steps and apps. 

Only the TV/base part is automatic for me and it would be nice if all of the BT worked like that. 

[Andrew42]

I can’t even use the TV base because our TV box only has an optical output and I have zero interest in trying to find a digital to analog converter. Med-El is using outdated technology in their base and among other upgrades need to add an optical input.

[Andrew42]

Update. Received a lengthy response  from someone in Med-El Germany. The response was wrong in several aspects but contained one nugget of information. I was informed that I could download all manuals by going to the download section of my account in my.medel.com. I have an account because to use Audi2Ear i have to log in. Told my kind correspondant from Germany that before replying to his email I would read all the downloadable manuals. Unfortunately when I l sign into my.medel.com and see my profle, there is no download section or very much else at all. I have conveyd this to Germany with screen shots and await a response.

[Lauren]

Through Med-El's regular site, they do have a product support page. Here is one: https://www.medel.com/support/product-support. Maybe that is what the customer service person meant? I have not attempted download so not sure if it would end up in the download section in my account or elsewhere on whatever device I am using to download.

That one is for the products, the main one is: https://www.medel.com/support and has links to the products page and the downloads for Rehab.

[Andrew42]

Turns out I was mis-advised. The download center, apparently, is not available in all countries and not in Switzerland so Germany has sent me English digital copies of the all main user manuals for someone using a Rondo 3. There will now be a hiatus until the New Year as my contacts are taking a break. This will allow me to digest what manuals I have never seen and play more with the system.  

@LaurenI'll get back to you with specifics once they are clearer. What is obvious reading between the lines is Med-El is working on stuff in the Audiolink arena they don't yet want to talk about.