Cochlear Implants

Hi @mwbucket, welcome to Connect! Here is some information I was able to find on cochlear implants: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cochlear-implants/basics/definition/prc-20021470

I would also recommend looking into the "Expert Answers" tab of the link I included above for some information on common questions you may also have.

Have you had a consultation or spoken to your doctor yet about your consideration of a cochlear implant?

I had a cochlear implant 5 years ago and it was so successful I had the second ear done 3 years later. My hearing tests revealed an improvement from 9% to 96% in the right ear and 14% to 70% in the left ear.

Hi Michael, welcome to Connect.
Thank you for sharing your story about Cochlear implants. I moved your message to a discussion that @mwbucket started a while back asking if anyone could share their experience about this procedure. MWBucket, did you since get the implants done?

I'm also tagging @graveltruck @rosesareredmylove2016 and @faycarole who have talked about cochlear implants in discussions on Connect. Fay, how was your husband's experience?

Michael, can you tell us a bit more about the procedure itself? What was the surgery like? How about the rehabilitation?

If all goes well, surgery is 1.5-2.5 hr. procedure A small incision behind the ear where a receiver is implanted and electrodes are threaded through to the cochlea. Release from the hospital the following day. Minor discomfort for 2-3 days. Back to normal in 8-10 days. Had cochlear unit fitted in 4-6 weeks. Absolutely amazing the second it was turned on. Remember hearing my wife's voice for first time in a long while. Because your brain needs to retrain itself to using the new cochlear unit my hearing continued to improve with each new hearing test over 1.5 year span. A game changing decision on my part and an excellent procedure performed by Dr. Driscoll and his staff at Mayo Clinic. Follow up testing and consultation by Amy Olund was second to none.

I am completely deaf in one ear from a virus that attacked my left ear, as well as caused vertigo. Has anyone had a cochlear implant? How much did it improve the background noise?

Hi @arlys. 4 years ago I lost my hearing to a rare condition that also causes vertigo. I did not think anything would help my hearing loss. The doctors at Mayo thought otherwise. I went from 0% in my left ear to 75%, and from about 20% in my right ear to 97%. The advances in technology keep improving sound quality all the time. The brand I have does a very good job of cutting out background noise, in my opinion.

Hello and Welcome to Mayo Clinic connect, @dstell! Thank you for your post. Comments like this are such a great help to the previous and future member.

So you have a Cochlear Implant for both ears? Did your vertigo improve after the Implant? I'm so happy to hear that your hearing is improved with your Cochlear Implant.

I do have CI's in both ears. First one in 2013, almost exactly 4 years ago, and the second one in April of 2015. As for my vertigo, my left ear was determined to be completely dead, no hearing, no balance, prior to implant, and I was undergoing treatment for my vertigo when implanted with my second one. I asked my ENT if the CI would affect my vertigo in any way and he said no. 2 different organs, 2 different functions. With that said, my vertigo has been virtually non-existent for 3 years now. I don't miss it.

Dennis

Dennis, do you mine me asking who did your Cochlear Implant?

My surgery team at Mayo was headed by Dr. Colin Driscoll, assisted by Dr. White.