I've worn 2 hearing aids since 1999 starting with the ITE amplified garden variety then when my hearing got worse I purchased my first digitals also ITE.
The next set were digitalis but the loss was still getting worse so I now had BTE with a remote volume control.
The next set came from the VA and were digital BTE with Bluetooth capability so I could answer my cellphone w/o picking it up and hang up as well. After experiencing a major episode from Stiff Person Syndrome I had a much harder time hearing from my right ear, understanding what was being said was near nil and the right side of my body was off kilter. A quick evaluation from my neurologist had him scurrying around and feverishly writing notes like I've never seen him do as he was getting no response from anywhere on the right side of my body reflex wise but the left was fine. Thinking I may have had a stroke he had several tests done over the next two days and when I went back to have the results every reflex was back to normal except my hearing shift did not change.
I was referred to a surgical ENT and seen by the audiologist as well. The loss was profound so I was consulted to an ENT that does things not many do like the perfusion I have quarterly. I have experienced an even further shift in my hearing so had to see the audiologist anyway since it was time for my checkup.
Once again another profound shift, so much so that I'm legally deaf w/o any hearing aids and am lucky to understand 20% of a conversation, the only way I get by is that my ability to lip read is around 86% so between that and what little I can hear with the aids I do get by but it is a struggle.
The audiologist told me I am a candidate for Cochlear implants and is consulting me to the ENT that does my perfusion quarterly so I will see him early in July for my perfusion and consult. There's no guarantee I will have this done as there is much testing involved and if I am cleared I will have the surgery, wires will be routed internally to inside my ears the the implants attached, I will also wear 2 BAHA's (battery assisted hearing aids) sound waves will come from the AIDS to the implants to the bones inside my ears so my sounds will be frequency vibrations through the bones.
There is quite a bit of a learning curve for the brain to interpret the sound waves to vocalization, and sound, so I will have a sort of series of speech lesson and sound lesson therapy. This is a huge undertaking given I didn't have a good outlook when I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2008 but here I am 8 years later still taking on bionics!
Anyway I was hoping if anyone here either has Cochlear implants or knows someone who does so I can get a bit of advice from the layman in terms of what to expect, pro and con, thanks for listening (yeah pun very much intended) regards.
banjo
The next set were digitalis but the loss was still getting worse so I now had BTE with a remote volume control.
The next set came from the VA and were digital BTE with Bluetooth capability so I could answer my cellphone w/o picking it up and hang up as well. After experiencing a major episode from Stiff Person Syndrome I had a much harder time hearing from my right ear, understanding what was being said was near nil and the right side of my body was off kilter. A quick evaluation from my neurologist had him scurrying around and feverishly writing notes like I've never seen him do as he was getting no response from anywhere on the right side of my body reflex wise but the left was fine. Thinking I may have had a stroke he had several tests done over the next two days and when I went back to have the results every reflex was back to normal except my hearing shift did not change.
I was referred to a surgical ENT and seen by the audiologist as well. The loss was profound so I was consulted to an ENT that does things not many do like the perfusion I have quarterly. I have experienced an even further shift in my hearing so had to see the audiologist anyway since it was time for my checkup.
Once again another profound shift, so much so that I'm legally deaf w/o any hearing aids and am lucky to understand 20% of a conversation, the only way I get by is that my ability to lip read is around 86% so between that and what little I can hear with the aids I do get by but it is a struggle.
The audiologist told me I am a candidate for Cochlear implants and is consulting me to the ENT that does my perfusion quarterly so I will see him early in July for my perfusion and consult. There's no guarantee I will have this done as there is much testing involved and if I am cleared I will have the surgery, wires will be routed internally to inside my ears the the implants attached, I will also wear 2 BAHA's (battery assisted hearing aids) sound waves will come from the AIDS to the implants to the bones inside my ears so my sounds will be frequency vibrations through the bones.
There is quite a bit of a learning curve for the brain to interpret the sound waves to vocalization, and sound, so I will have a sort of series of speech lesson and sound lesson therapy. This is a huge undertaking given I didn't have a good outlook when I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2008 but here I am 8 years later still taking on bionics!
Anyway I was hoping if anyone here either has Cochlear implants or knows someone who does so I can get a bit of advice from the layman in terms of what to expect, pro and con, thanks for listening (yeah pun very much intended) regards.
banjo
