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Cochlear implant or new hearing aids

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I live in the UK and have just had an NHS cochlear implant assessment. Whilst my hearing loss is in the “severe to profound” range I was surprised to find that my bilateral word recognition test showed a result of 63%. As a consequence I am not eligible for an NHS provided cochlear implant. (NHS word recognition threshold is 50%) I currently wear Phonak Naida Marvel aids and in quiet surroundings I can cope reasonably well with understanding most peoples’ voices although inevitably noisy surroundings leave me effectively deaf.
I am considering making an appointment with a surgeon to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of arranging for a privately provided cochlear implant. I am also considering upgrading my hearing aids to the Naida Lumity or The Audeo Infinio (with or without Sphere).
I imagine that others have already been through this decision process and any advice or thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thanks

David

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Edited

I would qualify for an NHS cochlear implant, but I have never seriously considered it. I would have thought the reason you have a 63% word recognition score is that you have good low frequency hearing, in comparison to the higher frequencies.

Part of the reason why I haven’t considered a cochlear implant is that I am unsure that a cochlear implant would provide one with the ability to hear in noisy surroundings better that the current tech set of hearing aids (Sphere Infinio/Intents/Starkey Edge) - although none of these have SP models, although I saw a recent rumour that Oticon are coming out with a BTE version of the Intents in 2025.

But with respect to the performance in noise of cochlear implants, I just don’t know enough - others on this forum should be able to give their assessments of the latest cochlear implants in noise.

@glucas said:

Part of the reason why I haven’t considered a cochlear implant is that I am unsure that a cochlear implant would provide one with the ability to hear in noisy surroundings better that the current AI tech set of hearing aids (Sphere Infinio/Intents/Starkey Edge

The technology that hearing aids have also has if needed. The big difference with CI is you hear most frequencies. This allows the person to learn and adapt most environments with practice. Noisy environments is a great example. I personally can hear pretty good in most environments, bilateral CI.

Does the NHS do bilateral CI?

Yes, I believe so. I have met people and spoken to people in my town fitted with them, provided by Addenbrooks hospital in Cambridge. Their speech capabilities were astonishing to me, for people who were profoundly deaf.

Ahh…Okay. That is interesting. I assumed that they will be hearing in both ears even though I saw the mic etc on one side of their head.? I thought a receiver would be implanted in both ears I mean.

You might find adults with two that aren’t blind and that would be because they got implanted when they were a child.

Or……

10 years ago, I worked with a young lady who’s Auntie got her CI from the NHS and then got a second CI privately. She remortgaged her house to fund it.

In reply to @glucas

@glucas said:

Their speech capabilities were astonishing to me, for people who were profoundly deaf.

Being able to hold a conversation with someone in a different room someone without looking at them. It goes on and on.
It can be a life changing thing.

Best CIC/IIC? Any advice on other brands?
Yes I am an audiologist in Europe. I will know more in January but yes Oticon has hinted that there will be new shapes of Oticon Intent, so BTE and customs. So IICs should benefit from their DNN 2.0 but not from the 4D sensor as they call it. Honestly, if you have to ask for REMs, then the professional will probably try to do it but won’t be convinced of the benefit of it, therefore he won’t master it and the results might be even worse than before doing it. So if you have to ask for it, find…

I was fitted with an Advanced Bionics in my right ear in 2023. I also have the Phonak Link in my left ear. It really is a game changer!

My decision making? I was almost totally deaf in the ear that was implanted. What did I have to lose? But remember you are likely to lose most or all of the natural hearing you have in that ear. So with that much word recognition I would think twice about it.

@whitten_d my is very similar to yours. But my was only 26 in my R ear. I went with a after much procrastinating and research. My evaluation was 2017. In 2019 when I had my CI implanted in my R ear I was so brain exhausted at the end of the day. Ultimately getting the CI has been a huge game changer for me. 12 months after getting the CI my aided WRS was 94%. It’s not an easy road to walk, rehab is very important after being activated.

How long do you have to wait before you can be re evaluated? If you go for another evaluation don’t guess words, only answer if you clearly heard the word. As for the increasing white noise!!! My thoughts on that, bah humbug…

Good luck with your decision making.

@Deaf-piper Thanks. I have to wait another year before the NHS will evaluate me again. I think that I shot myself in the foot during the Word Recognition Test as I am very used to trying to guess what people have said. If I go back in a year then I definitely won’t try so hard!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I think that I will try and organise a trial fo the Infinio Sphere aids at sometime during the next few weeks. If they give me sufficient improvement then I will wait for another year and repeat the NHS assessment. If the Infinios don’t work out then I shall give further thought to a privte cochlear consultation.
Thanks again
David

In reply to @glucas

My brother got a cochlear implant. He has genetic deafness but he was also in a vehicle when a gun went off and so is more deaf than me. I also have genetic deafness. I wear hearing aids and I’m profoundly deaf. What I have discovered about my brother’s cochlear implant is that it was HUGE gain for him but that everything is relative. At the table with lots of chatter he’s doing less well than I am with my Bernafon aids. I do really poorly but he’s absolutely unable to join in at all. He’s had the implants now for 2 years.

Edited

I have recently had a single side Nucleus 9 from the NAIP (NHS Nottingham UK). I was switched on in August 2024 and the experience has been nothing short of life changing.

My only just qualified me for CI evaluation and the consultant was doubtful about referring me, but I pushed and she did. In the subsequent evaluation a few months later my was 33%, well below the threshold 50%. In the one month post CI follow up it was over 90%.

I was using Resound Omnias in both ears before and still have one in my left ear. I was apprehensive about this use, both from the control side and the aysmmetrical hearing aspect. Now I am completely used to it and actually thing it is good thing. The Omnia in my left ear provides more natural sound but with poor high frequencies of course, and the CI provides the high frequency and my brain marries it all up. At one point I thought I would want a second CI but not now. The control aspect works extremely well and I can adjust both Omnia and Nucleus 9 from the same Cochlear app on my phone.

I would say that the biggest benefit for CI has come from hearing a single voice, either one to one or in a group when only one person is speaking. I still struggle if more than one is speaking or noisy situations…BUT the mini-mic works extremely well with the Cochlear, and I hear much better using the mini mic in difficult situations than I did pre cochlear with the mini mic and two omnias.

Telephone calls are now completely OK, and I have no hesitation in making phone calls which I used to avoid if at all possible.

With hindsight I would have benefitted years ago instead of paying small fortunes for small improvements in the latest greater hearing aids.

Many thanks for sharing your experience boreham. Your audiiogram looks similar to mine so I will definitely go for another assessment next year. I am quite good at guessing or deducing what people are saying (albeit sometimes I get it completely wrong) and my mistake was trying to work out every word with the test. I would have been better off ony answerng when I was sure of the word being presented.

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