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Curious why so many do not consider cochlear implant

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I see many here with as bad a mine and am curious why more people do not pursue the cochlear implant option. I have had mine over a year and am happy with the improvement. And, since it was covered by insurance, it was cheaper than buying a new .

Do ’s ever suggest them? There is somewhat of a disincentive for AuD’s to recommend because that means no more HA sales. So many more people qualify for them than get them.

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Many folks tend not to opt for a surgical route regardless if needed or not, plus the cost out of pocket and all that is a big weight.

Yes - left and Phonak Link M in the right. They work really well together.

Cost - for me cost is the reason I pushed into the CI world - my out of pocket was much less than the cost of a new HA.

Stigma - I can say no one has asked about it, although I am happy to talk and share about how much it is helping. Although my hair can hide it, I often wear it over my hair “as a barrette” to keep the hair behind my CI ear. Only person who asked about it so far is another CI wearer - she was 20 and thrilled to see someone else in our town wearing one.

Yay Lou!

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In reply to @joanhawsey

@joanhawsey said:

Yes - CI left and Phonak Link M HA in the right. They work really well together.

Same here. I love the combo.

No idea why more people don’t get one. Probably the surgical aspect of it. That can be a bit off-putting compared to simply fitting a . But I love mine. The brings me far more sound than my last HA ever could.

Edited

For me at least @joanhawsey there are several reasons… The risk factor, I have a heart condition, and I suffer with Anxiety. They would want to implant my good ear, and any failure would be devastating. The rehab might be challenging. I am retired now, so I don’t see or envisage much need for ’s. I have lots of Roger ’s, so if it’s important, then I will hear perfectly fine with Roger. I hear well with Nadia Lumity UP’s, mainly because, I have always been aided since the onset of . I can Lip Read, I can Sign, I can therefore communicate, in conjunction with my aids, I am totally relaxed about my hearing loss, it is who I am… I do very much appreciate you guys & girls whom took that brave decision, then went ahead and got implanted, but it is not for me, I am quite happy & content the way I am… Cheers Kev :wink:

Thank you @joanhawsey… Approximately 3 years ago, I was offered to go for assessment via the NHS, the A.uD gave me 3 months to make that decision, had it been 5 or 10 years earlier, I would have bit his hand off, with that offer… For years I fought the system, and a certain Head Surgeon, funny enough once he retired, I was given that CI offer, it was basically down to a clash of personalities, I didn’t appreciate his dismissive and arrogant approach, I also didn’t kowtow to his very superior attitude, he kept on moving the goalposts, so subsequently, I capitulated and gave up the fight, probably after about 15 years of trying…Perhaps, there was fault on both sides, but I was too thrawn or stubborn, he didn’t like me, and the feeling was mutual :rofl: I didn’t hate him, I just disliked that attitude, but such is life… Unfortunately, he would have been acutely aware of my opinion of him :upside_down_face: Cheers Kev :wink:

Adventures in health care. And the personalities. Thanks for sharing that honest story.

If you reference my photo, the part that rests on the ear is not a hearing aid but a “processor”. Attached is a wire leading to the magnet disc that is attached to my head. Underneath the skin where the magnet rests is my cochlear implant. It is tucked just under the skin and attaches to parts that are surgically inserted into the cochlea to pick up the sound that the ear itself can no longer interpret. There is nothing actually in my outside ear like a is. The processor uses either rechargeable batteries or there is a backup version that holds a regular battery like a HA. Yes, the replacement parts can add up, but all should last for years.

In reply to @joanhawsey

Thanks for reply and all very interesting, I’m also guessing you unplug it before going to sleep. Looks like it would be painful to lay on that side with it on. How does music sound with a cochlear? I play a digital piano and it always sounds weird through hearing aids. so most of the time I use headphones with extra amplification.

With single-sided deafness, I was recommended by my audiologist to be evaluated for a . What I couldn’t fathom was the sound discrepancy between my “hearing ear” and the monotone of a CI; how would my brain adapt to such disparate sounds? Turns out, I was not qualified for a CI because the hearing in my “hearing ear” was “too good.” I’m currently on the ReSound Nexia bi-cros, which works well for me.

I believe that I would hear better with a but the thought of the surgery bugs me. I know several people that had botched implants. The risk is low, but it does happen. I will wait as long as possible before getting implanted. When the time comes, I’m hoping a robot assisted procedure is an option. I’ve heard that robots have helped for CI so an extra hand makes sense.

In reply to #3

@Baltazard said: (unavailable)

I think there is a cure (other than HA & CI) (think plant and medicinal herbs), but we as a specie, haven’t been able to find it yet.

For YEARS I’d hear and read of ginko biloba being a cure for tinnitus and hearing issues. Took it for YEARS, and lookitme now. Nothing to brag about, LOL.

In reply to @joanhawsey

Hey, your is BETTER than mine in some frequencies … but yes, a bit worse in others. I don’t know if I’d do better with , but I feel like I do AMAZING with the Phonak Lumity Life aids. Now I’m trialing Oticon Intent 1, so I seem to be managing my cinderblock ears with these models.

I’m super active and live in a very humid area. I’d be concerned about humidity and activity on the CI kit. Not so keen on having to have a surgical procedure with possibility of one of my cinderblocks being rendered unusable for even an aid. No idea what CIs cost or if Medicare chips in.

It’s wonderful you’ve found a solution to your hearing challenge. Always good to know there are options out there.

In reply to #3

@Baltazard said: (unavailable)

I think there is a cure (other than HA & CI) (think plant and medicinal herbs), but we as a specie, haven’t been able to find it yet.

Could be a medical treatment eventually that would regrow the damaged cells.

In reply to @Baltazard

Interesting. Are you in the US?
As for the monotone, our brain actually does the work of adapting over time. Now, my CI ear sounds pretty good. It’s def not monotone! I can manage with just my CI if I need to and the just adds to the overall comprehension. Our brains are amazingly elastic and after a while it “hears” what it remembers it should sound like and not the robotic monotone you would think. Think of how electronic keyboards now do such a good job of sounding more like a piano. It May lack the depth for trained musicians, but for the most part it does a darned good job!!

In reply to @Baltazard

I do. I have the Phonak Link M that is designed to work together with the . Hands free phone calls with no extra equipment. I can answer the phone by tapping my or CI toggle and my phone can be across the room. Bluetooth in the ears is lovely.

I have never had an audiologist utter the word implant. My talked to me about it.

I can hear well in a one-to-one conversation in a quiet room. It gets worse with more than one speaker or with background noise, until there is so much background that i turn on the Roger ON. Then im back to hearing everything.

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