Cochlear implant at 93

Not knowing you or any thing about you, my observation is that you are already an amazing 93 yo. Based on your writing skills and thought process, I pray that I have my brain cells firing as well as you do at 93.

At 74, I understand your hesitancy for anesthesia. I might challenge the doc for sedation alternatives that are not typical forms of general anesthesia. I have had good results with propofol because it is so easy to reverse when the procedure is over and you aren't all brain foggy afterwards. .

Best of luck!!

I am 85 and had my CI implant in 2022. I am very happy that I made the decision to have this done as my hearing loss was less than 30% in both ears. I went into surgery at 7:30 a.m. and was on my way home at 10:30 a.m. I did all the homework and speech therapy required of me. I hadn't realized just how bad my hearing was. I have problems in noisy settings such as restaurants and meeting rooms where people are all talking. This is a very common complaint among hearing loss patients. You sound like you are a good candidate and very cognitive. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

Here is another link related to assistive technology that might be helpful. As I mentioned earlier, I depend on my 'mini mic 2+' that works with my hearing aid and cochlear implant. All brands have them but call them different names. Phonak is the Roger Device.

How Remote Microphones Help Hearing Aid Users Cut Through the Noise | Hearing Health & Technology Matters (hearinghealthmatters.org)

I have Phonak hearing aids and also have the Rogers Mic. I don't find it helps me much at all in noisy settings.

I'm sorry to hear that the Roger isn't working well for you in noisy settings. That is a quality product. That may be due to settings that you're not using.

Did your audiologist take time to teach you how to use it?

No, she didn’t and that’s probably part of the problem.

I assume she sold you the Roger device along with your hearing aids. You have paid for her help and support. I encourage you to let her know you're not doing well with that EXPENSIVE piece of assistive technology and ask for further support.

It also helps to meet other people in person who use hearing assistive technology. HLAA chapters provide that opportunity. HLAA has advocated (to deaf ears) for audiologists to hire assistants who can and will focus on providing extra support via support groups on assistive technology. HAT can make a very positive difference for people who struggle even with top quality, well fit hearing aids.

My audi didn't show me how to work the Roger, but I also didn't ask. I thought it was plug-n-play. But I've experimented with the Ambient balance button on the Phonak app and by adjusting the slider left or right (I believe it is left) I can block out a little or a lot of the noise around me. You also can't lay the Roger on a table if it is in a loud bar as laying it down like that will cause out to pick up 360 degrees of sound. You would need to point it to the speaker at the table. But I also use Roger on the middle of the table of a Board of Directors meeting and it works great. No adjustments needed to Ambient balance since Board meeting are more civilized than a sports bar! So Roger definitely works well, but you need to see Audi and tell them specifically what situations you want to use it in and have them show you how to do it or add a program to do it.

It is an expensive ALD but it can be worth every penny if used right. I can't live without it. I also use my mini partner mic for one-on-one situations like in a car.

Good luck
Mike

I have a Roger mic also. I also have a problem in noisy settings however it does bring clarity to speech. Glad I made the purchase. Anything to help understand conversation is a plus!

My AB Bionics equipment including the Rogers Mic and the TV Connector were sold to me by a saleslady who came to the house. I am remiss in not doing better with the mic. I like the tv connector very much.