Comments on: Why Not to get a cochlear implant http://www.sarasera.com/2009/02/why-not-to-get-a-cochlear-implant/ The Era of Sara... Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:47:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tiffany http://www.sarasera.com/2009/02/why-not-to-get-a-cochlear-implant/comment-page-1/#comment-1075 Tiffany Mon, 25 May 2009 02:15:34 +0000 http://www.sarasera.com/?p=37#comment-1075 Thank you so much. I actually finally laughed when I read Queen Alpos entry... I also decided to quit being so politically correct on my own blog.. I have put some entries in there very recently that tell it like I am really going through... Thanks for the laughs, I needed it. Thank you so much. I actually finally laughed when I read Queen Alpos entry… I also decided to quit being so politically correct on my own blog.. I have put some entries in there very recently that tell it like I am really going through… Thanks for the laughs, I needed it.

]]> By: Sara http://www.sarasera.com/2009/02/why-not-to-get-a-cochlear-implant/comment-page-1/#comment-1070 Sara Sat, 23 May 2009 22:35:47 +0000 http://www.sarasera.com/?p=37#comment-1070 Hi Tiffany. That must be awful, scary and frustrating. I hope things get better for you fast. Here's a blog of another gal who didn't hear right away (and hasn't yet as far as I know). http://www.queenalpo.com/living_la_vida_alpo/2009/05/activation-day-four-days-later.html I wish more people in your situation would share their experiences. It's so helpful to others who need reassuring. <abbr><em>Sara’s last blog post: <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Sarasera/~3/svaZdH8aBiU/" rel="nofollow">Week Two</a></abbr></em> Hi Tiffany. That must be awful, scary and frustrating. I hope things get better for you fast.

Here’s a blog of another gal who didn’t hear right away (and hasn’t yet as far as I know). http://www.queenalpo.com/living_la_vida_alpo/2009/05/activation-day-four-days-later.html

I wish more people in your situation would share their experiences. It’s so helpful to others who need reassuring.

Sara’s last blog post: Week Two

]]> By: Tiffany http://www.sarasera.com/2009/02/why-not-to-get-a-cochlear-implant/comment-page-1/#comment-1069 Tiffany Sat, 23 May 2009 19:48:11 +0000 http://www.sarasera.com/?p=37#comment-1069 I just got my CI activated 3 weeks ago. Today I am having anxiety attacks about having given up one of my ears residual hearing for the Implant. At this time it sounds like I had an electrical transformer inside my head. buzzing and crackling. Every tells me that it will evolve. However every where I look people with implants say they could at least tell that it was some form of sound coming in. I can honestly say.. I am worried that I just made a mistake. I am a nurse and life was hard enough with 2 hearing aids. I did this to improve my life and make it easier.. I wonder now. I just got my CI activated 3 weeks ago. Today I am having anxiety attacks about having given up one of my ears residual hearing for the Implant. At this time it sounds like I had an electrical transformer inside my head. buzzing and crackling. Every tells me that it will evolve. However every where I look people with implants say they could at least tell that it was some form of sound coming in. I can honestly say.. I am worried that I just made a mistake. I am a nurse and life was hard enough with 2 hearing aids. I did this to improve my life and make it easier.. I wonder now.

]]> By: Steve http://www.sarasera.com/2009/02/why-not-to-get-a-cochlear-implant/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Steve Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:51:24 +0000 http://www.sarasera.com/?p=37#comment-95 Very interesting! Almost exactly my thoughts pre-CI. And a very similar audiogram too although my low frequency is a bit worse. It was probably about the same as yours when I was your age (I'm 50-ish now). After a little over a month, I'm still finding that music sounds pretty bad. But it's improving every day and a new alternate program (no AGC) helps a lot for music. The big benefit so far is being able to hear those high frequencies again. It makes a huge difference .. almost like going from shades of grey to colour! <abbr><em>Steve’s last blog post: <a href="http://sevenears.blogspot.com/2009/02/two-plus-two-equals-five.html" rel="nofollow">Two plus two equals ... five?</a></abbr></em> Very interesting!

Almost exactly my thoughts pre-CI. And a very similar audiogram too although my low frequency is a bit worse. It was probably about the same as yours when I was your age (I’m 50-ish now).

After a little over a month, I’m still finding that music sounds pretty bad. But it’s improving every day and a new alternate program (no AGC) helps a lot for music.

The big benefit so far is being able to hear those high frequencies again. It makes a huge difference .. almost like going from shades of grey to colour!

Steve’s last blog post: Two plus two equals … five?

]]> By: Amy http://www.sarasera.com/2009/02/why-not-to-get-a-cochlear-implant/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Amy Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:44:05 +0000 http://www.sarasera.com/?p=37#comment-38 I think you might be underestimating the benefit you might get from a CI, particularly Med-el, which my son has. Only one of his is an Opus (though my 2 year old has two Opuses) and he plays the piano and can discern the differences in musical notes and also even differentiate the difference between tones much closer together, based on testing. He has normal to low-normal discrimination of musical tones, can play the piano by ear, and has 99% hearing in quiet and high 80s in noise. I know it's hard to think losing your music appreciation, but in my discussion with researchers who do hair cell regeneration, it's more than 20 years off... try more like 40. Not only that, but the longer period of time without sound will likely cause hearing nerves to atrophy. And, there is no reason to believe that implantees will not be able to benefit from hair cell regeneration. They are and have been experimenting with delivery of medicine via the Med-el electrode, and so there is a great possibility that the two will go together like peanut butter and jelly! :-) Not telling you what to do, but wanted you to consider some of these things, too. I think you might be underestimating the benefit you might get from a CI, particularly Med-el, which my son has. Only one of his is an Opus (though my 2 year old has two Opuses) and he plays the piano and can discern the differences in musical notes and also even differentiate the difference between tones much closer together, based on testing. He has normal to low-normal discrimination of musical tones, can play the piano by ear, and has 99% hearing in quiet and high 80s in noise. I know it’s hard to think losing your music appreciation, but in my discussion with researchers who do hair cell regeneration, it’s more than 20 years off… try more like 40. Not only that, but the longer period of time without sound will likely cause hearing nerves to atrophy. And, there is no reason to believe that implantees will not be able to benefit from hair cell regeneration. They are and have been experimenting with delivery of medicine via the Med-el electrode, and so there is a great possibility that the two will go together like peanut butter and jelly! :-) Not telling you what to do, but wanted you to consider some of these things, too.

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