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Second Mapping

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I had my second mapping session last week and the audiologist thought I was doing great with a 93% sentence recognition and a 64% recognition of single words. It has now been al ost two months since my activation on April 13, but I’m not sure that I am as excited as my audiologist. Since the mapping all communication is excessively loud, to the point that it isn’t as understandable as before the mapping. Does this appear to be norma? I’ve turned down the volumn, but that doesn’t seem to help much.

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Roberto2 you are doing exceptionally well. What device do you have? If it’s the N8 go into the NS app and try to turn the volume down a little bit if it’s been activated. If you still don’t have clarity after turning the volume down contact your and get a much earlier appointment to get things rectified.

The idea of mappings is to increase the volume at each mapping until you reach a certain level. The louder the volume means more stimulation is going through the electrodes. But they are meant to retain clarity or improve your clarity not decrease it.
Good luck.

If you can, give new mapping a trial for getting used to. Or, as @Deaf_piper described, you can make minor adjustment, but I still recommend keeping settings louder than before mapping.

The more information get into auditory tract the more effective rehabilitation should be, but indeed, loudness shouldn’t be discouraging.

@Roberto2 said:

a 64% recognition of single words.

This is realistic but still very good for such a short time activated.

The loud issues after your second mapping might be very normal. Usually you should acclimate after a week or two from the new louder mapping. Like Sheryl said, if it persists too long contact your audiologist.

Keep us posted please.

Thanks for your feedback. Yes, I do have the N8 for my right ear and a new (10 days old) Resound Nexus in my left ear. I’ll give it a while longer before I get back to the audiologist.

@Roberto2 said:

Since the mapping all communication is excessively loud, to the point that it isn’t as understandable as before the mapping.

First, your scores are looking great!!!

Yes, for me after updated mapping the sound is loud and it makes it seem like hearing is worse than before the change. But the increase in volume is critical and within a week or so it won’t seem as loud. And for me, there have been times I realize going into the next mapping that I could use the volume to be taken up as it sounds lower than my other ear.

Edited
@Roberto2 said:

Since the mapping all communication is excessively loud, to the point that it isn’t as understandable as before the mapping. Does this appear to be norma? I’ve turned down the volumn, but that doesn’t seem to

What the mappings are doing with regard to loudness is its increasing the stimulation (volume) going through the electrodes. If your has given you 4 new scans with each visit, scan 1 will be the softest 2, 3, & 4 will be a bit louder each new scan. If you feel they are too loud tell your AuD and ask her if you can go slower with the increase of volume each mapping appointment.

My AuD pushed me hard after my first mapping, after electrode 1 & 2 were turned off. I spoke to her about my volume being too loud, I got told because I could understand speech at activation she wanted me to work with the loudness. I couldn’t turn it down because I had an EAS attachment (the attachment) therefore I didn’t have full access to the app. (Sensitivity & master volume) weren’t available to EAS attachment recipients. You also possibly don’t have full access to the NS app.

Congratulations you are doing incredibly well.

Thanks again for the information and encouragement. It has now been almost a month since my second mapping, and I’m scheduled for another in about a month. You’re correct in that with time the extreme loudness has become more manageable during the past month. I have a meeting tonight with 8-10 people. The last meeting was a month ago and it didn’t go well. I understood very little, so I’m hoping that a month more of practice will make a difference. Also, I will be using my mini-mic.

@Roberto2 said:

I have a meeting tonight with 8-10 people. The last meeting was a month ago and it didn’t go well.

How did your meeting go? Was it a bit easier to understand portions? You are early yet and already doing so well!

Actually, it went pretty well. Thanks for asking. I understood much better—probably about 75% vs. 25% the last meeting. That is until the last part when people began talking over one another, and then not so much. All in all, it’s going pretty well. Prior to the implant in my right side, my hearing was slightly better on the left side, hence the implant on the right side. I have an aid in the left side and I hear much better from that side than on the implant side. I wonder if the implant will catch up?
How are you doing by now?

First - you are WAY further along than I was after 2 mappings! You are doing great.

My right ear (good ear) is pretty good; unaided. It has taken me about 6 months to get to where my ear and good ear are pretty close. In loud restaurants it’s more of a struggle. BUT I went from 0 wrs pre CI to now I am about 70% wrs and 90% sentence.

SO happy for you!

In reply to @Roberto2

@Roberto2 said:

That is until the last part when people began talking over one another, and then not so much.

That’s the situation all of us hard of hearing have issues with. Try to keep going to loud places like you have described. That will get better and better.

You are doing great. Patience grasshopper.

At my first mapping the audiologist set my N8 volume at 6. At my second mapping there was a temporary Audi, since the first was on maternity leave and she left the setting at 6. I’m now at almost seven months since activation and I have my third mapping in another week. I’m wondering if I should push for a higher volume. I’ve bumped it up to 10 the past few days, but it seems too loud and not very understandable. Waddya think?

That number 6 is relative. There are many other ways to raise and lower volume without that #6 you mentioned during your mappings.

When you do bump that #6 up to #10 you said it's really loud. If you leave the volume at #10 does it become less loud over a few hours or days? If it does sound less loud do you understand sounds better? It takes your brain so time to acclimate to the new sounds.

If I look at my Nucleus Smart app the volume is at #6 too. That's the normal setting the volume is left at by your audiologist.

Do you have master volume under the more button in volume? It's another way to move volume around as needed and leave the #6 alone for fine tuning. Sensitivity is another useful control, have you got that?

When I increase to 10 it’s louder but not clearer—probably less so; however I didn’t know about the setting on”more”. I’ve increased that some and we’ll see how that works. What’s the difference beteeen that setting and the other at 6?

@Roberto2 said:

What’s the difference beteeen that setting and the other at 6?

I am guessing somewhat, a hypothesis.

The master volume has probably 10 times the actual volume adjustment as your 6 volume control. Master volume can hurt you if you get crazy with it. There have been a few times in the past I used my master volume to turn the sounds down. In the beginning I used the master volume to increase sound to improve my hearing.

There is a fine line between too much and too little volume when you are doing rehabilitation. It takes time to acclimate to more sounds but you have to hang in there and be persistent. My audiologist said I was like the kids he has done with. Children like sounds louder than adults and he teased me about being young at heart or something like that. I am probably old enough to be his dad. That's where I first heard about being a superstar concerning CI. It's a big compliment to the patient who exceeds at CI.

Edited

In reply to @Roberto2

@Roberto2 said:

When I increase to 10 it’s louder but not clearer—probably less so

It's normal. To get better results with rehabilitation, you should, for example, set to 8, use that for few weeks to get used to and then set 10.

 

It was my case over 2 months ago. They set new mapping, louder, but comfortable, but they also provided me space for increasing volume and master volume even more.

At first, new maximum values were uncomfortable and I had poorer understanding. But gradually I've acclimatised and got maximum values comfortable in 2 weeks (YMMV).

After next 2 weeks I realised significant improvement in my hearing, but noticed also that still I have too little stimulation (it's too quiet) and I need new mapping again.

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