I am bimodal with both a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. I have found that the CI audiologist who assists me has a better understanding of the bimodal situation than my hearing aid audiologist for the most part.

This is a bit tricky because my products are not compatible. I have a Widex hearing aid and a Cochlear Americas implant (Freedom) which I received in 2005. In 2005 there was no 'compatibility' feature, nor were the accessories like the mini mic available yet. To make the two products work together I used a neckloop with the telecoils in both. In a venue with a hearing loop, I simply turned on those telecoils and connected. With FM or IR the neckloop plugged into the receivers provided. They all worked well for me.

While I tried a recent version of the ReSound hearing aid that is compatible with my N8 CI processor 2 years ago, I didn't hear as well as I had with the Widex in typical situations. I worked on that for 6 weeks and ended up returning the ReSound and went back to the old Widex. I'm now at the point of needing a new hearing aid. I'll give a more recent ReSound a try again as I know that having them work together is a logical improvement. I use the Cochlear mini mic in noisy social settings. Due to incompatibility, my hearing aid won't work with that accessory. That's the tough part.

This is a complex issue for a couple reasons. The ReSound with rechargeable batteries does not have a built in telecoil. What a shame! The model with a telecoil uses disposable batteries. I have no issue with that other than convenience. I just want them to work together with the available accessories. Telecoil connectivity is priceless. (So is Bluetooth in some situations. I want/need both.)

Again, though...this is 2 years after my last experience, so I'm hoping for a better outcome.

My hearing aid audiologist is a gem. It is difficult to change providers, but sometimes it's the only way to get things figured out. With the current CI products, it is different than it was even a decade ago.

I have absolutely no regrets about being bimodal. I know I would currently qualify for a second CI, but the bimodality has kept me in the hearing mainstream. I'm very thankful for that so am where I am by choice.

Julieo4