← Return to My Cochlear Implant - a journal
DiscussionMy Cochlear Implant - a journal
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Jul 22, 2023 | Replies (159)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "My activation was 4 weeks post surgery-- standard practice here in Rochester. Healing was smooth and..."
I often wonder where and who I'd be today if I had not received a cochlear implant in 2005. My progressive sensorineural hearing loss had reached the profound stage. The only way my hearing aids helped was when I used assistive technology with them. Even then I was understanding less than 30%. After a few years using the CI and one hearing aid (bimodal) I was testing in the 90% range. My brain accepted the new way of hearing, and also accepted the bimodal pairing between the hearing aid and the CI processor. It's pretty amazing, and I'm so thankful I took the advice I received through my involvement in The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), to go for the CI. I had been watching people I knew make that decision for several years before I did. Their results and stories encouraged me.
It really helps to meet and talk to others who have decided to go the CI route. I am so grateful to HLAA for providing that opportunity. It also helped me to determine which of the three manufacturers I would choose. I choose Cochlear Americas and have no regrets. The assistive technology they have developed that works with their processors has helped me a great deal. It just keeps getting better. 🙂
The HLAA Chapter in my area has a CI support/discussion group that meets every other month on Zoom. That group is not brand specific, so it's possible to compare devices. The attached newsletter has information about the link to the upcoming chapter meeting, and the contact information for the CI group as well. The meetings are open. Registration is required.
2022 March NL FINAL for circulation (2022-March-NL-FINAL-for-circulation.pdf)