Be sure to get tested at a cochlear implant center in your area. I know several people who were told they did not qualify for a cochlear implant by their audiologists and/or ENTs. I also encourage you to use the telecoils on your hearing aids with assistive technology. A lot of people give up on their hearing aids because they are inundated with noise they find difficult to deal with. Hearing Assistive Devices can be very helpful in noisy settings like restaurants, church coffee hour, bars, sports events, etc. I believe that the tests for speech discrimination are a key factor in determining candidacy for CIs. So if you're doing OK in the testing booth, you may not qualify. Of course that environment isn't 'real life' if you are a social person who enjoys people. That's where the ALDs may be helpful to you. I use both a CI and a HA, which is called 'bimodal'. Both technologies were working well together. However, prior to having the CI and the time it took for my brain to adjust, I was doing poorly with the HA. The brain's ability to relearn to hear is amazing. Good luck to you.