Amidst all my partying (my social life has gone stratospheric recently) I bumped into Anne, it was a couple of weeks before she was to go in for her cochlear implant operation. I asked her to update me on her progress.
At the beginning of June, Anne went into Southmead Hospital, Bristol, for the operation and [...]
On BBC Radio 4, Paula Garfield of Deafinitely Theatre argued that deafness does not require “fixing” with cochlear implants but Dr Kaukab Rajput of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children said it’s wrong to claim they are dangerous.
I agree that we should be focusing on the social model of disability rather than the medical model. We should be ‘fixing’ people’s attitudes and the environment to assist the deaf person, rather than partially ‘fixing’ the deaf person to try to ‘fit’ them into a hearing world. Having said that, I believe there is a place for cochlear implants, where people have contracted meningitis resulting in total deafness, and have been hearing all their lives. Also, where hearing aids don’t help, a cochlear implant might be helpful - IF the patient has already acquired spoken language (he/she was previously hearing) or is young enough to benefit from a CI implantation. Some deaf people will prefer t
People constantly pester me to get a CI (cochlear implant). I’m getting pretty annoyed about it now. Friends, acquaintances, work colleagues, speech therapists, hearing therapists, all ask me why don’t I get a CI.
I’ve spoken to audiologists in different hospitals and CI technicians at the South of England CI Centre, rather than rely on user feedback.
Why fix something that’s not broken? I’m happy the way I am, I’ve got a Hearing Dog who does so much more for me than a hearing aid ever could, I can speak clearly and understand most people under my own steam. Why risk changing all that?
Why is it risky? Let’s say I went ahead and got a CI. Let’s say it works. Great. What’s the likelihood of that happening? Almost zero. This is because CIs are much less likely to be successful in adults who have been deaf all their lives, like me. I *shouldn’t* be able to speak clearly as I can’t hear you speak - WITH my hearing aids in
Twelve days after the initial stimulation of my Nucleus Freedom cochlear implant, I’m typing this without the processor on my ear. Unfortunately, I began to have sharp, sporadic pain in my newly implanted ear this morning. I visited my local otolaryngologist (ENT) to make sure that I didn’t have an ear infection. He confirmed my suspicion, the ear is experiencing pain from my latest map. With my kids finishing school this week and my daughter’s graduation, I am unable to get to NYU until Friday.
While the pain is a new development, I’m marveling at the the remarkably similar experience to my first cochlear implant rehabilitation period 5 years ago. To date, I’ve had 3 mappings (software programming sessions) for the new ear. Typically, recipients undergo 2 consecutive days of mappings (each ranges from 1-2 hours), then return to their cochlear implant audiologist a week later, then two weeks later for subsequent mappings. Further maps are left to t
The differences between my experiences with the Cochlear’s Nucleus Freedom cochlear implant and the one I received 5 years ago for my other ear are a bit startling and so very exciting. In 2002, I received the Nucleus 24 Contour device, also from Cochlear. After the surgery, I had roaring tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as well as wall-grabbing vertigo (feelings of spinning and tilting as well as dizziness). I also lost taste buds on one side of my tongue. The tinnitus and vertigo only lasted a few days. My taste buds were restored 6 months after surgery. All are considered normal, possible side effects of having the surgery. My surgeon opted to use staples to close the wound behind my ear, an experience I found highly uncomfortable. After a week, I felt better and resumed most activities.
I had my second cochlear implant surgery 3 weeks ago. It was also at NYU but with a different surgeon. (see previous post) After an overnight stay in the hospital, I went home with dissolvable
Sincere thanks to all my well-wishers in the HearingExchange community. I have fully recovered from my second cochlear implant surgery performed on May 16th at NYU Medical Center in Manhattan. My surgeon was the exceptional Dr. Tom Roland. His skill, kindness and compassion before, during and after both mine and my daughter’s surgeries enables me to recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone considering a cochlear implant or anyone in need of an excellent ENT.
I chose Cochlear’s Freedom device for my new ear and will be upgrading my original external implant on the other ear to the same device shortly. My new implant’s activation took place today with Bill Shapiro, the director of audiology at the NYU Cochlear Implant Center (a separate building from the hospital). Bill’s intelligence, easy-going manner and patience in explaining the nuances of programming made the appointment enjoyable.
This surgery differed in many ways from my first cochlear implant surgery in
As we age, many people lose some hearing since the hair cells carrying sound to our auditory nerve often begin to die. Even though it is called “sensorineural hearing loss” the nerve is usually not damaged, but the hair cells are, resulting in hearing loss. In past generations, elders had to deal with the frustrating isolation and difficulties of worsening hearing. Group environments such as holiday get-togethers or restaurant gatherings became places to avoid. The television volume was cranked up so they could hear but was uncomfortable for other household members. In today’s society, there are many options for people with hearing loss including digital hearing aid technology, state-of-the-art assistive listening devices and cochlear implants.
Seniors often write to me asking for help with their deteriorating hearing loss. Time and again they are surprised to discover that they may be eligible candidates for cochlear implant surgery. Their age alone does not preclude
This morning I am off to the city, to NYU’s Cochlear Implant Center, for an evaluation of my non-implanted ear. My left ear used to be my “better” ear, the one I used to talk on the phone with for over 30 years. Now it feels like my “dead” ear. My (right) cochlear implant ear has taken over listening and understanding everything. I remember thinking how odd it was that my right ear, which had never been able to discriminate speech on the phone with a hearing aid, became my better ear with a cochlear implant. After a lifetime of dealing with a progressive hearing loss, I am looking forward to becoming a binaural cochlear implant recipient.
My first surgery was in July, 2002 and now I feel that I shouldn’t have waited so long to get the other ear done. But back in 2002, the traditional thought was to “save” the other ear for future technology. Many studies have been done and now the CI professionals feel that “two ears are better than
Cochlear Corp. held its 2nd Annual Cochlear Celebration in San Antonio last weekend. I attended the program last year and it was terrific meeting so many HearingExchange (HE) members in person. We learned a lot about the origins of cochlear implant technology as well as a variety of related topics. To see what was on the agenda for the 2007 program, click here. Longtime HE member, Mary S. wrote in with an account of her experience this year. Mary has a son with Auditory Neuropathy who wears two Nucleus Freedom processors. Here’s an excerpt of Mary’s report…
We met Graeme Clark, the inventor of the cochlear implant, who spoke on the first day. What an INSPIRATIONAL story! Then Rod Saunders, the first man to ever be implanted spoke and again what a story! I also got a copy of Prof. Clark’s book, Sounds from Silence, which both he and Rod signed.
“Survivor” winner Tom Westman, a parent of a deaf child,with a cochlear implant, was suppos
My daughter, Julie has worn hearing aids since she was 2 and learned to talk as she was dealing with a rapidly progressive hearing loss. Within just 4 years she was a candidate for a cochlear implant. She underwent the procedure in 2002 and really took off with it. You can see her terrific early results in the journal I kept online at HearingExchange here.
We kept the other ear stimulated by having her continue wearing her hearing aid and by doing auditory training with just that ear even as it got worse. Her hearing continued to deteriorate and in December 2006 Julie received a cochlear implant in her second ear at NYU’s Cochlear Implant Center. After a typical 3 week healing process, her new implant was activated on January 4th. Two weeks later we went back to her speech pathologist who works on auditory training and rehabilitation with her. Julie was tested on both closed and open sets of words. (Words she knew in advance and words she didn’t.) With her new implant on
Los Angeles, California (AP): CNN reported that Jeff Daniels and Marlee Matlin are playing the role of a couple in their upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame tele-film "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" in which their child loses his ability to hear. The role of the son has been played by ...
