Hi everyone, Anyone of you guys have a Cochlear implant? If so I would love to hear about your journey, if your willing to share Steve
I do. I got it on April 1, 2003, in my left ear, concurrently with a labyrinthectomy in that ear. . I am severely bilateral, with no balance function left in either ear now. My first CI was a Nucleus. I struggled with it for two years, wearing it daily, getting audiological adjustments every three months. It proved more irritating than helpful; what little sound came through was tinny and garbled. I gave up for a number of years, even when I received a new Nucleus 5. In the last couple of months, I finally did what I should have done years ago. I visited Dr. Jennifer Derebery at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. Among the many other things she has done to help me, she had me work with their audiologist, Dr. Donna Mills. She calibrated my Nucleus 5, made sure I could do the necessary adjustments, and scheduled a return visit for 3 months. She cautioned me that I shouldn't expect a lot until about three months because I had not been using a CI for so long. It has already helped immensely. Yes, I get a sort of tinny, rushing sound, sometimes intermittent. But happily, that both blends in with one of my tinnitus sounds, and actually masks another. So my tinnitus has improved, and my hearing comprehension talking to my family (I am essentially home bound except for doctor visits) has improved approximately 20%. If you are considering a CI, I strongly urge going to Dr. Derebery at House. They are the top of the line for CI work; I had mine done at UCLA, which was fine, but UCLA is minor league in implants compared to House. If you have other specific questions, I will happy to try to answer them for you.