Marion Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 To be able to help the Audiologist I feel that I need to describe and try and get it across to her exactly what I am hearing so that afterwards there will be an improvement when she hopefully has made the necessary adjustments. I get quite nervous with mapping adjustments because sometimes the result is that it is sometimes worse than before....and I feel that maybe I didn`t explain myself clearly. By telling her that I feel like I am talking in an echo chamber would that give her a clue as to what to alter? When people talk to me the clarity is not there because their words are sounding hollow. After the adjustment the Audiologist naturally says "and how does that sound"? And because you are in this perfect setting it always sounds good until you get outside and then it is either still good or it is worse. After my last adjustment in May everything was great and I felt I was progressing (activated 4th March) things were looking up and then beginning of July this echo started so not sure why. Quite puzzling when I was hearing so well. Now I`m struggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted September 5, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Marion, echo is a great descriptor. Keep a note pad with you and jot down what things sound like and try to give as much detail as you can. Not only what your hearing but also describe the environment you are in. Very small room, lots of people, no people, large auditorium with a lot of metal, electronics like TV or radio......... This will really help your Audie dial things in. Ask for a normal program ( for situations you are in the most) plus a program for situations you are not in maybe as much, or that you struggle with. Try it for a few days and see how it works. Again take notes so your Audie can make more adjustments Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 5, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 And you may want to ask your audiologist to put your present program in slot 4 in case the new one doesn't work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted September 5, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Definitely last advice by Mary Beth - always save the previous setting so you have your safety net if new is not good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted September 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2015 Thank you all for your good "sound" advice much appreciated. Marion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikHaugsby Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Hi Marion, Just wanted to add a bit here from our audiologists and rehab specialists at MED-EL. The key bit is that this can be a difficult situation--and you are not alone. Sound is something that's hard to describe and it's perceived differently by everyone. To add to that, sound quality will change over time as your brain learns how to hear with a cochlear implant. Here's what they've said after reading your post: Many people find this difficult, so you are not alone with this challenge. We have very few words in our language to describe sound, so even for hearing people describing the quality of different sounds can be hard. Some things you can tell her to help her are: Are there any sounds which are uncomfortable for you? Which situations are easy to hear in, which are difficult? Are some people easier to understand than others-if so, are they females/males, do they have high or low pitched voices, can you describe why they are easier to understand? Which environmental sounds can you hear well, which are more difficult? You may also want to consider keeping a sound diary for at least a few days. When certain situations arise, describe as much as you can about the situation. Having specific situations you can refer to can help the Audiologist understand more about how your sound quality changes in certain environments or with certain individuals. The comments you have given would be very helpful for the audiologist. If you wish, you can ask the Audiologist if you could go outside during your fitting appointment to try out the new program in different situations. This way if the sound quality is not ok for you, then the Audiologist could have the opportunity to improve it for you before you leave the office. You can also request that the audiologist keeps the ‘old’ program as an option in your processor, so that you can return to it if you want to later. I really hope this helps, in addition to what Adam and Mary Beth have said. Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted September 10, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Or in one sentence - the inevitable part of the process of the neuroplasticity is so subjective matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted September 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Hi Erik, I do appreciate the extra suggestions that you made....and the suggestion to step outside to try out the adjustment is a good one....I will remember to ask her if I can do that. Thank you very much for your help so much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted September 10, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Marion, please let us know how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 I had my meeting and mapping last week. Everything seemed to be better and I had a walk around the hospital for awhile with my family and chatted with them. The tests were not just as good as last time but the audiologist put it down to my being a little "uptight" and said next time to try and relax. It is 6 months since my implant and of course everyone will progress at a different pace. I progressed for awhile and seemed to be coping in most situations but to me I seemed to have slipped back. Today for instance I had to go to the lab for a blood tests I struggled to hear the two lab technicians. (they were close range at that). I went to a store, again bluffed my way through the short conversation - had lunch out with a friend and struggled to hear her although I admit the restaurant was noisy. Since being implanted March 4th on a daily basis I have diligently been online and practiced the various "Listen and repeat" exercises just with my implant. I wish I could understand how, or when will it get better or is this it? Sorry to sound so down..........maybe I need to hear....."if I continue to do my lessons" in time by brain will start to understand better". How does this get better....is it time itself? I thank you for this forum it is a good place to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 17, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Hi Marion, I'm sorry you had a frustrating time. When you say that your tests were not as good as last time, are you referring to your speech testing or the tones in the sound booth that are plotted on your audiogram? I am at 6 months also. However, my other ear is awaiting an implant and it is not presently aided. So I am functioning with my CI only. For me, this journey has been amazing- but frustrating at times. When I expect to hear better in a certain situation and don't it is upsetting. There are several things that seem to effect my ability to hear and understand with my CI. If I am tired, feeling ill, etc my performance decreases, I asked other CI users in a Facebook group, when that would go away. They were polite in responding but basically they told me that it doesn't go away. When they are tired, upset, ill, etc they have a harder time understanding speech. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 17, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Marion, Do you notice that you function better with only your CI now than when wearing your CI and hearing aid? That happened to me around 5 months and I had to stop wearing my HA. It was actually hurting my performance. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted September 17, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 That's a good point Mary Beth. When I got my 2nd ci, I was told to wear my other one as little as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted September 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Thank you both for your input. Mary Beth......the speech testing was not as good as previously and as for the tones I was struggling - and yet the Audiologist. said that it can fluctuate at times. I am impressed that you have only had your CI to rely on. I actually function better when wearing my HA and CI. Even though as mentioned I do better wearing both and I struggle with just the CI.....maybe I am relying on my HA too much and not giving the CI a chance...so I`m beginning to think to not wear the HA as much? Marion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 17, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Marion, Even when my HA was helpful at the beginning, I wore only my CI as much as possible. It helped me. Check with your audiologist to see how she/he wants you to proceed. Best of luck. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted September 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Actually, Mary Beth, during my last appointment with my audiologist I asked if I should just wear the CI and not the HA to enhance my progress, even though I struggled to hear with just the CI. She said for me to continue to wear both!! I should have questioned her more at the time as to whether it would help or not. I think she based her answer on the fact that I`m no spring chicken (76) and maybe she thought I would be more stressed out with just wearing the CI. Nevertheless with the input I have received I am going to just wear my CI more - I need to start progressing more and this may help. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 17, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Marion, I am always amazed at how varied the approaches are of our audiologists. I am very fortunate. My audiologist has always been comfortable with me using the hearing aid when needed. At first I just went CI only at home and then expanded on that. Let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes hadron Posted September 18, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Hi Marion, I applaud your determination to see progression of your hearing ability with your CI. It is frustrating when the mapping changes are based on the "Does this sound better?" question by the audiologist in a quiet environment in a locked room, which is not a normal environment for most people. Unfortunately that is the standard approach used by many CI audiologists. If you want to understand more about your hearing ability you should ask your audiologist for a copy of your audiograms for both scenarios (2 CIs, CI and HA). This will show your hearing loss across frequencies. Lower frequencies consist mostly of vowels and higher frequencies of consonants. The middle frequencies are a mix of vowels and consonants. Pay particular attention to the /s/ sound because it the most used phoneme in the English language. If you cannot understand that you will have difficulty conversing with people. Now overlay your audiogram with the Speech Banana. The Speech Banana is a figure which shows the hearing levels across frequencies required to hear all the phonemes. It is obviously shaped like a banana. If your audiogram shows your hearing loss above the speech banana you have normal hearing. If it shows you have hearing loss within the speech banana you will have problems with conversation and those problem phonemes should be something you can work on. Some CI audiologists use this approach but many do not. I wish more would adopt this approach. There is also an exciting new auditory rehabilitation app for adults developed by Johns Hopkins University aptly called Speech Banana. I have not looked at in detail but I believe it does the phonemes testing required to let you know where you have hearing loss within the speech banana. You can looked it up on the web. I believe it runs on the Apple IPad and IPhone and you can download if from the AppStore. I went to graduate school at Hopkins and conversed with the Professor whom developed the software and was told Android and web versions will soon be in development. Performing aural rehabilitation with the Speech Banana app will hopefully improve your hearing ability within the banana. Follow up audiograms will confirm it. hadron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Ivana Marinac Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Hello Hadron, Interesting news, you brought in your post. I have tried to find this program within the Appstore but without luck. Is this really the name of the application? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes hadron Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Hi Ivana, The website for Speech Banana app is: http://speechbanana.jhu.edu/#home If you click on "Try the iOS app today" it will bring you to the Appstore" to download it. If you just want to download a copy on the App store it is located at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speech-banana/id944371734?mt=8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 I have downloaded that app twice and there have been glitches in it each time. Hopefully you will have better luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Adam Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Is there a webmaster address you can contact maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes hadron Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Hi Mary Beth, Can you describe the glitches you are seeing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Sometimes the sentence that it says does not match the answer. This was verified by a person with no hearing loss so it wasn't just how I was hearing it. It happens on a kind of regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted September 19, 2015 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Adam, I just deleted it from my iPad and I use other apps to train with instead. I'm sure there is a way to report it but I didn't pursue it. The other apps I use all work fine so I just deleted that one. Mary Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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