Phonak sphere UP Version.?

Yes I have behind the ear aids. That makes sense thank you. I had RIC many years ago but once it got worse they weren’t powerful enough.

@SandraN You mean you have the Phonak Naida Paradise 90 UP, like the picture below:

Naida is for severe to profound hearing loss, I am surprised you didn’t go for cochlear through the NHS!
Paradise is the technology platform, like Marvel, Lumity and the new one Sphere.

90 is the technology level, like 30 50 70 and 90 is top of the line.

UP stands for Ultra Power.

No news yet on the Naida Sphere, but I hope it is going to be by September October this year !

Hi there. If I were you, I would be practical and follow my mom’s advice when she raised me: don’t look for three legs on a cat; be realistic and see where your feet are.

Some here have suggested getting a cochlear implant. Stop thinking or waiting; get all the information you need for the next steps, and do it. Your life will be better.

I have seen some people with cochlear implants having a lot of fun.

Cochlear implant is NOT panacea.

Hearing aids, neither, and glasses, neither. It all depends on how we look at an issue and how we receive the solution to the problem; some of us (as my mother used to say) make a storm out of a glass of water, while others celebrate every little benefit we receive in a difficult decision.

In this case, it’s the next step, so any small benefit this decision brings should be welcomed.

I can see SandraN have a heavy point in the “caption”, here Chatgtp about it:

Excellent and very practical question.

In short: possibly at first, but not necessarily long-term — it depends.

Here’s why:

Right after getting a cochlear implant

• At the beginning, after implantation and activation, most people do still need captions when watching TV, using the phone, or in group conversations.

• This is because the brain needs time to adjust and “learn” the new way sound is delivered by the implant.

• Early on, sound with a cochlear implant can feel mechanical or unclear. Over time, the brain improves its ability to interpret it.

Over time (after rehabilitation)

• Many people find that after weeks to months of practice, their speech understanding improves dramatically, sometimes to the point where they don’t need captions anymore for some activities (like watching TV or in 1-on-1 conversation).

• But some situations (group conversations, noisy places, certain accents) may always benefit from captions, even with a cochlear implant.

• Some users choose to always use captions as an extra help — and that’s perfectly fine.

Compared to hearing aids

• If you currently rely heavily on captions because hearing aids alone don’t give you enough clarity, then a cochlear implant might reduce this need, but rarely eliminates it overnight.

• On the other hand, if your caption use is more for convenience, you might find yourself using captions much less as your brain adapts to the implant.

Bottom line

Expect to need captions in the beginning with a cochlear implant.

With practice and rehab, your need for captions will likely decrease, but it depends on your specific hearing profile, implant performance, and personal preference.

I’ve done my considering and have made my decision. Thanks but I’m sticking with aids.

@Adrian said:

Cochlear implants bypass damaged parts of the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve.

@anon33641277 said:

Very rarely the problem is only the cochlea. More often it is joined by problems with the cochlear nerve and auditory memory. The cochlear implant does not bypass these parts. But many people cannot understand this moment .

It is quite the opposite. The most problem is with the cochlea, nerve damage is less often and difficult to prove if magnetic resonance imaging isn’t reveal any pathology.

If cochlear nerve problems were so common, then there wouldn’t be as many successes with cochlear implants, and no healthcare system could provide them due to inefficiency in relation to costs.

Regarding auditory memory, that group of patients indeed exists. With prelingual deafness, that group has more difficulties with rehabilitation, but that does not mean CI is useless in those cases.

There are also far too many situations in which a doctor tells a patient that he has a damaged nerve without supporting it with any evidence. I suppose that this is rather due to the desire to simplify explanations to patients, who often do not know what a cochlea is, but they know what a nerve is.

I’ve had it many times before as well. Why people can’t just accept that I have a different point of view with something so very personal, is very strange.

@SandraN On another note, it is this time of the year to best visite the Yorkshire Dales and enjoy the pudding?

Do you use the TV connector?
It’s been a while I didn’t watch Emmerdale

Ta

To answer your original question, I’m wearing i90 sphere UP RICs right now. I am borderline severe / profound.

No I don’t have tv connector but only because I have a table mic that I use instead. My mum has one and it’s great for her though.

And any time of year is great to visit Yorkshire !