Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Need advice on CI and it's benefits

15 replies248 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Reply

I am 58 years old and recently started using this forum for information on hearing related issues. This is great forum and getting useful information on many aspects related to hearing loss.

I Had hearing loss on left ear since 20 years and almost stabiles now. Hearing loss on right ear was developed 10 years before and since then getting gradually impaired. Right ear hearing is fluctuating wildly and sometimes (2-3 days in a week) getting improved (Middle frequency 500 to 3000). I have started using Widex smart 440 in both ears since 3 years. Whenever my hearing improves in right ears, I can manage with for day to day things. Even with improved hearing, it is difficult to understand speech in noise or social gathering or meeting.

But whenever it gets worse, I am not able to understand speech even with one to one with more than 1.5 meters distance. Speech is distorted even with loud volume and no clarity. Not able to understand speech on mobile speaker and also directly in HA through Bluetooth. Generally avoiding to talk on those days. I have not yet done WRT/ and planning to do it.  

As per doctor the fluctuation is due to hydrops and inner ear issues (meniere's).

Need advice whether can solve this problem. How to decide?

7 people in this conversation6 min readJump to latest

I’m not an or , I’m a recipient. IMO a CI will help you get better quality of hearing. It might or might not give you better control of the Meniere’s and hydros. The CI certainly will not cure either of them though.

As long as you understand a CI is not a magic fix for your speech comprehension. It’s a 12 month marathon of rehab and mappings until you get the best result from the CI.

Good luck to you.

Thank you for response. I understand that can't cure the underline issues.

I am interested to know following from CI users and their experience.

After 12 months marathon and rehab, Is CI better than for speech recognition, speech in noisy background, comfort in social gathering, clarity of voice from distance, talking on mobile or phone speaker?

If this is definitely yes, I am ready to go for marathon and take risk.

@KKS said:

Is CI better than HA for speech recognition

Simple answer is yes most definitely better. My went from 26% to 94% at 12 month mark.

@KKS said:

speech in noisy background, comfort in social gathering,

Noisy background can be difficult. I have N8 and Resound aid. I turn my sensitivity down which cuts out unwanted noise.

Social gatherings are a lot better if it’s just conversations. If you have loud music going in the background it’s difficult.

@KKS said:

clarity of voice from distance,

My hearing clarity from a distance is good. As long as the person is facing you. If the person is walking away talking to you clarity can be hard.

@KKS said:

talking on mobile or phone speaker?

Talking on a mobile phone in mode is excellent. The voice streams directly into your ears, & processor. I don’t miss a word, or a sentence.

I took the risk after sitting on the fence for a long time and got my life back. Not having to ask people to repeat themselves constantly is heaven. It’s the best decision I ever made.

Good luck on your new hearing journey.

In reply to @KKS

I’d definitely get the WRT/ and updated first, ideally testing both your good and bad hearing days. candidacy depends heavily on how well you understand speech with properly fitted hearing aids, not just the hearing-loss level. Given the suspected Ménière’s/hydrops, a CI evaluation at an experienced center would be the best way to know if it could help.

In reply to @KKS

@KKS said:

I am interested to know following from CI users and their experience.

Maybe I missed it it but have you had a evaluation? If not, this evaluation will answer many of your questions.

You asked if CI is better than hearing aids. That's a huge yes. Beyond imagination for some. If you qualify for CI there typically is a big improvement in all hearing arenas. You will find the environments you get into often will improve the most. Environments you do not get into often will be more difficult. It's a learning thing.

You also mentioned a time frame for better hearing with CI. This is a tuff question because everyone is different when it comes to hearing with CI. We have members who understood sentences at activation and others it took longer. Typically most can have a good conversation in a good hearing environment within 6 months or less. This applies to phones calls too. Phone calls can actually be easier due to better streaming.

Good luck with this.

Let me mention for others who might be reading this thread, there are a lot of cases where is NOT better than a hearing aid if hearing is not that bad. I just don't want people seeing the above comments as a blanket recommendation.

But yes, go for the eval in your case and see what they say. I have one patient with hydrops who was implanted. Doesn't sound like she had quite as much fluctuation as you, but her clarity had gotten very poor. Her hearing thresholds were somewhat better than yours and she was a bit older. She had excellent CI outcomes with 70% word recognition at activation.

As mentioned the evaluation will weed out those that have too good of hearing for CI as well as others with medical issues. The evaluation also covers lifestyle, the ability to commit to the needed rehab and other personality characteristics that could hinder good results from the implant surgery. CI is a one-way street you might say. It's an important life changing decision, good or bad.

In reply to @KKS

Sorry you both are going through this. RP can affect hearing and the inner ear, and these fluctuating episodes sound particularly challenging. A specialist experienced in autoimmune inner-ear disease and relapsing polychondritis may be worth consulting, especially with the changes. Keeping a detailed record of symptoms and hearing tests during each episode could also help identify patterns.

It depends on what you are looking for. If hearing aids don’t work well for you, and you want better hearing while being able to accept the appearance of a cochlear implant, then a cochlear implant can be a good option. No one can guarantee that a cochlear implant will always sound better than hearing aids, but most of us with implants hear far better than we did with hearing aids!

I recommend consulting hearing specialists at a hospital. If you are in good health, weigh the pros and cons carefully before making your decision. Specialists can offer great advice. From my experience, it’s best to talk to more than one expert. Everyone sees things from a different perspective, so you can get more viewpoints. I hope what I shared helps you.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have a plan to get evaluated next month. Just curious, does appearance so annoying? ( seen your post for removal). I am just worried because of fluctuations in hearing and if my evaluation would be correct due to it.

Your story was almost identical to mine. Just activated yesterday on a , so things are still in the weird sounding stage. but just having sound again on one the side that went completely out is a wonderful thing. My audiologist still looks amazed that my hearing aid ear can test 20~30db different in some frequencies over a months time period. I just laugh, and say that it's normal to me...

In reply to @KKS

I saw from your post that you are 58 years old, so I guess appearance may not matter as much to you. I was only 22 when I found out I had hearing loss, and I really struggled to accept it. If I were 40 or older, I think I could come to terms with how the device looks and care less about what other people think.

Related discussions