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Cochlear Implant Candidate (Hopefully) Newbie
Hi all. I’ve suffered three bouts of sudden hearing loss. The first affected my left ear and was relatively mild, and a single hearing aid helped. The second, about a year later, hit my right ear and resulted in profound loss (90dB and a 12% word recognition score). I was referred for an implant evaluation on my right ear. The evaluation said I was qualified, but I felt the aids were sufficient at the time, so I declined the implant.
The latest sudden loss came about two weeks ago and, again, hit my left ear and it was profound. Left/right measurements are now 90dB/100dB hearing loss and 12%/4% word recognition. My new ENT saw me and referred me to the Stanford Ear Clinic for a new evaluation. We have a month long trip to SE Asia in late March, so the earliest appointment is April 29th when we return.
I have about a million questions, many of which will have to wait for the evaluation, but I am actually looking forward to the implant and a return to a better, more normal level of hearing. My main question, at this time, is how did you decide on which of the three companies? I’m leaning toward Cochlear, mainly because they seem to have a higher presence in those places where we routinely travel. But I’m interested in what others have used as a decision basis and what I should be looking for. Because, gotta be honest, it’s overwhelming.
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I had complete loss of hearing in my left ear. Hearing aid worked for a while but eventually lost everything in that ear. It was pure luck that I had a doctor who suggested I check into getting checked to see if I qualified for the Cochlear implant. When they put the test device on it brought tears to my eyes. Surgery was a breeze and a couple months later I received the sound processor. This was one of the best decisions of my life. I didn’t realize how much I was missing. Medicare covered the costs except for my supplemental co pay of $200. Best of luck to you!
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5 ReactionsSo many forks in the road ahead. I’m a patient at VA, but because staff shortage they referred me to Community Care for my CI evaluation. Assuming that the audiologist recommends a CI then I’ll have to see an ENT and surgeon. Either of those could be with VA or Community Care. And I may or may not have a choice which one. Some surgeons hav a strong preference for a particular manufacturer of CI. So only some of the decisions ahead may or may not be mine. One step at a time. But it’s sure hard to plan for all the eventualities.
Amen to that.
Do you have tinnitus? You had the injection of high dose steroid into your ear or just oral steroids?
I do have tinnitus in both ears. It’s quite high pitched and so interferes with my ability to hear high tones.
I had both oral prednisone and the inner ear injections with the second incident of sudden hearing loss. I was too late to an ENT with the first loss.