Cochlear Implants: How well do they work at an older age?

Had my week after activation appoint this morning. Audi was able to bring the loudness up. She also connected me up to the AB app so I could adjust the volume - thank heavens! Bill still has the TV on at full volume and where he normally only turned it on late afternoon he is now turning it on when he first gets up.

Also some tests were done and it turns out that under optimum hearing conditions I am at mild rather than severe loss. With background loud noise I'm still in severe but gaining ground. She said that my progress is at the month level rather than one week. She now has me doing the audio/reading books with only the CI and the other ear plugged (before I was switching back and forth). I could hear every word but voice tinny? Same with doing music that way - can make out the words but no way to figure out who is singing (except I know who it is supposed to be).

Still having some problems with ears being sore by the end of the day (wearing them about 11 hours a day). Turns out I have small ears, which adds to the problem. And the incision has lost most of the swelling but isn't completely back to normal. She also affirmed that there will be up and down days (hours). Guess that is normal for just about everyone in all aspects. Some days you have more energy and can take on the world and other days you just want everyone to leave you alone so you can curl up and read a book and sip on hot cocoa. Or for my daughter, sip on a glass of wine with book and three cats on her lap.

Next appointment is Jan 6 and if all is going well she will test me for residual hearing in the implant ear. Used to be you would lose all residual hearing but things have gotten so much better that more people are retaining some of that residual hearing. It is amazing how technology keeps expanding.

Family got gold stars for all their support and assisting my brain 'learn'. Even Maryland group helping with phone calls. Friends have also all been supportive - and have lots of questions. Like me in the beginning, I had never really heard about it. Robin's friend Heidi, originally brought it up to Robin when she mentioned what a hard time I was having hearing, even using hearing aids. Heidi now has both ears implanted. She was also fantastic at answering questions and giving support. It is groups like this and friends like Heidi that make it so much easier. Thank you everyone.

An interesting Friday. Daughter and I ventured out to our local Mexican Sports Bar. Shortly before my surgery I had been there with my son, DIL, and daughter. They sat us in the area the Hostess considered the quietest - back in a corner where there were two walls protecting me. Still, the noise was overwhelming and I heard almost none of the conversations and had no idea what the waitress was saying. It was painful but the food was excellent.

So for homework, and slightly over a week of activation, we figured it would be a good test. Once again we were seated at the same table and I believe we had the same waitress. At least her voice was similar being very soft with an accent. And I could actually hear her! And hear Robin. At first there weren't a lot of people but it continued to fill up. Plus the TV was playing. Again I continued to hear. My CI and HA adjusted to the background noise. Where before it had overwhelm any conversation this time it was just something in the background I could ignore. Jazzed. I got to actually enjoy the conversation and the delicious old Sonoran style shredded beef tacos that are becoming harder to find. My reward

Robin decided I needed more outside work today so we went off to her Quilting store. An hour drive with the radio playing. I had no trouble hearing her over the radio (before we couldn't have it on). However I really couldn't hear the radio, it was just in the background, Until they played a few old fashion Christmas Carols. Especially Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano. When my youngest son was little he drove the family nuts singing "Feliz Navidad" over and over and over! Apparently my brain still has that permanently imprinted as it recognized the words immediately!

I'm guessing maybe it is a good thing listening to well loved songs and watching favorite movies that we've watched over and over through the years. Little old brain might be happy to recognize something so easy?

With the the TV I still am picking up weird noise on the CI side. Most of the time, under non TV times, the noise is either very light or not there at all. In the beginning I had some sounds on the CI side almost all the time for the first couple of weeks after surgery. But it lessened continually and for the most part I could pretty well ignore it. Oh, and Bill got his replacement HAs on Friday - 3 or 4 days early. Not sure if I was more grateful or our kitty Lady Gray was. I immediately paired them with his TV streamer and no more TV at highest volume! Praise the Lord.

Bill is getting suspicious that Robin and I are actually enjoying my 'homework' especially when Robin and I mentioned a shopping venture at the local mall for more 'homework' and a stop at See's candy shop.

Hey, I'm just following my Audi's instructions! Aren't I???

Thank you for sharing your very positive CI journey. You're doing everything right by practicing in situations that were difficult for you previously. Enjoy those familiar Christmas songs!

Thank you for the encouragement. It is also interesting how many people, while Robin and I are out and about, have questions about a cochlear implant. Either they haven't heard of it (like me) or don't know a lot about it and/or presume you have to be totally deaf to either qualify or benefit from it. They also immediately take us up on it when offered to view the processor and are also surprised that my hair covers it so well. Robin is always busy letting people know when I need an optimum table, etc., and why and everyone is always helpful.

It used to be that people used to hide hearing aids or not wear them due to a perceived stigma but now that so many people go around with earbuds it is almost like nobody pays attention to them anymore. Sort of like glasses. When I was a kid other kids got teased (four eyes, etc.). Now they are fashion statements. We've come a long way baby!

I think hearing loss is turning into something that is addressed much earlier, to everyone's benefit, and no longer just considered 'part of getting old'. And one of these days the government is going to figure out (like going to a gym) taking care of hearing is a smart thing.

Added more time to AB's Hearing Success, especially the SoundSuccess exercises. Noticed today that the CI sound is almost normal to that which is perceived using both the HA and CI. Yesterday there was a difference in sound quality between the two. With the HA plugged in the sound is louder. I switch back and forth. Just tried Tracy Adkins' "Just Fishin'" and with just CI not very good. HA helped some. However Frank Sinatra isn't bad with just CI, although in adding the HA his 'Strangers in the Night' sounds like I remember it. Could be difference in singers, crooner vs country, or the fact that I'm much more familiar with Sinatra's voice than Adkins. I've noticed if I repeat songs that I know each day the sound becomes better.

Another thing I've been fighting since activation is my ears hurt by the end of the day! My Audi said that is fairly normal as processors heavier (and I used ITE rather than over the ear HAs) and I have smaller ears. She indicated if they were still bothering me at next appointment (Jan 6) she would put some moleskin on the processors in order to pad them. I am wearing them from morning until bedtime.

Tomorrow I get to watch my granddaughter play volleyball. A different sound experience. I'm guessing a lot of teenage girls doing a lot of cheering in a gym setting. Should be interesting as well as fun. Regan has been telling her friends about my implant so I also have the feeling that a few of her teammates might be looking for my bionic 'ear'. Just a guess knowing the curiosity of children.

Now, poor me, I have to ignore housework and yardwork and go watch an old favorite movie I just found on the computer. But I'm dedicated to homework!

`Arrived at the Volleyball tournament at 9am (cold both outside and inside). They were set up for four games to be played at once. A lot of family members for all teams in the seats. According to my family the noise was incredible and they knew from before I wouldn't be able to hear anything. Surprisingly the noise wasn't nearly as bad as I feared it would be. Pre-implant I would not have been able to hear any conversations. Admittedly I did miss a few important words (like granddaughter's friends were going to Kansas for Christmas and not them).

One of the weird thing was daughter was on my implant side and I couldn't hear her very well. Shut off the HA and it was much better. It was almost as if the CI was slacking off and letting the HA do the work - only the HA was concentrating on the conversation going on on that side of me. Has anyone else come across this?

I did end up using both CI and HA as safest place for the HA was on my ear. Note to self is to remember to put case in purse in case I need to remove HA or CI! Sounds varied during the time we were there (9am to 2pm). As the day wore on I noticed I had to work harder understand conversations. Felt really good to get home. It was the teams first tournament and they did very well, winning one and coming close on the second and third matches. Everyone cheered both sides, including the teams themselves.

Afterwards we went to a crowded noisy restaurant for a very late lunch. Again I could hear better than pre-implant! Biggest problem in both places is noise made talking/hearing difficult - but apparently for everyone, not just me. As always, male voice (Grand son-in-law) was easiest to hear. His Mother has a very soft voice and she was the hardest to understand. I didn't increase the sound level, although my Audi had set it up on the iPhone so I could. I wanted to see how the AutoSense handled things on its own. And I'm not sure I could have handled louder cheering!

I figure between the volleyball and restaurant and being a Saturday I could take the rest of the day off and just pay attention to normal noises and conversations. Homework finished for the day.

One of those 'down' days. Husband has cognitive problems and at this point feels that my hearing should be perfect - or why did I bother having the implant. And he is resentful when I isolate myself to do 'homework', such is listening and reading an audio book. His speech is getting worse - slurring - and family notices it as well. So no matter how well the implant does I don't think it could ever be good enough to understand him easily. Plus he has the TV on, talks away from me. In bed he talks with his arm over his mouth, face away from me and into the pillow, then wonders why I can't hear him!

I don't know if listening to TV (he has it on from wake up to go to bed) is a good way to practice or not. See Audi on Thursday so shall ask for suggestions. At least rest of the family is supportive. I can't imagine if they weren't. I keep reminding Bill of the realities of implant but with his memory problem it is in one ear and out the other (pun intended) lol.

Down days are pretty 'normal', whatever normal is. Keep working at it. You should be able to use TV for practice. Try watching news or something with a single speaker. Are you using the captions on TV?

For the most part the movies Bill likes to watch don't seem to show the cc - on news the cc is out of sync with the speech. Although I can usually understand newscasters.

You may want to check the settings on your TV for movies. They do not automatically appear on Netflix, Hulu, etc. This is true even when you have your TV set for captions on regular programs. Delayed captions are a reality in most live presentations like news. It's a split second, but it's still there. We always have the captions on, but I try to listen rather than read. With it being a split second after the speech, I'm often able to pick up something I missed. Have been using captions for so long that I'm used to that.