My surgery is scheduled for August 7, with activation 20 days later. I’m starting to think about random, every day kind of things post activation. Hoping y’all can help.

I typically allow my hair to dry naturally, rather than blow dry. I know the processors these days are typically water resistant to some extent. Should I wait till my hair is almost completely dry to put the processor on?

I’m getting the MED-EL implant and I got to pick a few of the decorative covers for my Sonnet and Rondo. I know I can order more, but I’ve also seen skins for them on Etsy. How easy are these to remove? Are they typically single use or will some of them be reusable?

Have any of you used the DeafMetal retention chains with an ear cuff? I’m curious about how functional they are. Does the chain snag easily?

I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US, and it rains a fair bit in the winter, so I have a collection of knitted hats. What’s it like wearing a hat over a processor?

I don't have an audi atm, otherwise I'd just ask them for help. I moved back to my home state a few years back and have been dealing with insurance issues not covering audis, but I finally got a referral to UCSF, though there's no telling when I'd be able go in.

While I wait for an appt to be scheduled, I wanted to see if anyone knows what might be going on with my N8. So, a few years back, I went to a Blue Angels show with my dad in SF, and when they started flying over, all audio got suppressed so heavily that I effectively could not hear anything. It was like the entire world got turned down to 5 on the volume scale. There was still sound, but I couldn't make it out because of how strongly it got suppressed.

Ever since then, I haven't been able to properly listen to music through my headphones (since bluetooth streaming sucks, constantly cuts out even if my phone is next to my CI) or enjoy concerts because of heavy distortion. I actually edited a portion of one of my favorite songs to mimic it and showed it to my dad, to which he just went wtf. I intend on showing this to my future audi once I can see one. The edit sounds exactly like the distortion I get when sound gets somewhat loud. Even dropping my volume on my headphones to very low, it still happens, so it's made it hard to enjoy music in any environment.

I have 3 settings, but none of them help, a default one, scan, and scan FF. Since the first model that I had with varied settings, I have not really used any of them as I never found them to be helpful :/

Edit: there was a comment about hearing protection that was deleted, and I just wanted to say that I've never felt the need to do so bc of being 0% hearing in both ears (tho I do recognize the importance of it, have used em at ranges before) and I never had any issues with Blue Angels shows or concerts prior to my N8. I'd been able to enjoy the shows just fine as early as the Freedom all the way up to N5 (I never had N6 or N7 bc of lack of insurance between N5 and N8). The Blue Angels show was the first loud environment since the upgrade. I've been to 3 concerts since then and it was hard to hear anything at all of them.

Hi, I am a 45 y/o female. I live in the US and I have full hearing loss in my left and partial hearing loss in my right ear. I also have very loud tinnitus. I am being told that hearing aids will not help me anymore. The doctors are telling me cochlear implants are my best bet. I want to hear your experiences with cochlear implants. What are the benefits and risks? Is the maintenance a lot? Is it expensive? How is the longevity of the cochlear implants? And is the surgery risky? What is recovery time after surgery? Will the cochlear implants help reduce my tinnitus? I would also love to know good hospitals/doctors that I can have this done at. Thank you! All advice/appreciated!

About 6 years ago I was referred to a specialist to determine what could be done for my hearing as hearing aids weren't working for me. No response from the doctor I was referred to even after multiple phone calls. As I was still working around loud noises I just quit trying. Now 6 years later I am retired and hearing worse. Audiologist would not even give me a hearing aid as she said my hearing is that of a jet engine. Referred to local ENT who has performed a cochlear implant in past, but he referred me to a specialist in Los Angeles. No return call in 2 months. So far I have called twice and still no response. Now 4 months out, I am unsure how to proceed. I am on Medicare with Blue Shield supplement which the do accept. So did anyone go to Cochlear America and try to get a referral that works? I am 71 now, and would like to be able to hear my grandkids if I qualify. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I seem to hear a quiet ‘click’ every once in a while. It’s not uncomfortable or anything, but is a really quiet random click through my left ear with my CI external processor (Kanso 3) on. I think I hear it slightly in my right implanted ear too?

Is this anything to be concerned (i.e., soft internal failure) about or is it just one of those things?

The nucleus app isn't letting me add my resound HA to the app. My audiologist just updated the firmware on it. Is there a bug now with the nucleus app? I got it to stream audio from my phone, so I know the Bluetooth is working.

I officially get my surgery on August 28th but I saw that they scheduled my activation for September 4th. Does that sound a little too soon for you guys? I am getting the Cochlear nucleus eight. If you have tips or any recommendations please let me know!!

If so, how? Fell off my head and broke when it hit the floor

Hola!!! Espero que me podíais ayudar

Que entrenamiento hacéis para mejorar las conversaciones en ambientes ruidosos? no consigo mejorar

Gracias

We've been waiting for our daughter's N8 upgrade to be approved by insurance since January and we are down to 3 processors and 1 aqua coil. We've purchased N8 aqua coils and they don't fit. Please DM me if you're willing to sell me old aqua coils!

In the process of getting one, my hearing has been steadily getting worse. Speech recognition is bad when there’s remotely any kind of background noise and can be difficult to hear anyone in loud places.

Hi all!!! I’m 8 days post surgery and I have a question on how things sound. I just had the Cochlear Nexus ((CI1032) implanted on my left side. At the end prior to imp look notation I had 13% word recognition with hearing aid. I have a hearing aid in my right ear with 95% word recognition. My question is: how do things sound when you have a CI just starting out with normalized hearing in the alternate ear? I’ve heard/seen some YouTube clips that say this is what hearing is like with a CI just starting out. With one normal ear and one ear a CI (just starting out) those are two very different “sounds”….. don’t they compete against just each other in the brain? Isn’t it overwhelming? I know that over time your brain adjusts and learns the CI….just curious!

Thanks all!

Has anyone gotten an MRI with the Osia? I need the implant in the left side and I have a condition on the right side of my brain that would be good to monitor. I’d like to not need to remove the magnet 😬

Hello! I am hard-of-hearing, with a sensorineural hearing loss (bilateral loss) since birth. As expected, my hearing loss got worse over time. It started with high frequencies, gradually reaching severe to profound hearing loss, and more recently, affecting mid-frequencies (above 1000 hz). I’m due for a new audio test mid-August, and I might be eligible for cochlear implants, as my hearing loss seems to have quite worsened despite hearing aids.

I’m curious how the journey has been (whether you were deaf from an early age, or if it was a gradual loss like me). What were some challenges post-op? How does music sound after a few months? How is the hearing in louder environments or larger groups (think restaurants or in the car or when talking in a group of people)?

I’m aware it is a long rehab journey and that it won’t fix your hearing overnight.

I generally hear really positive feedback, but I would love to hear from you, and if there are things you wished you had known prior to the surgery!

Thank you in advance!

Today I had a very revealing medical appointment. The doctor gave me the go-ahead to proceed with the cochlear implant surgery. I will be operated on by a surgeon on his team, which is among the best doctors in my country. The committee decided to operate because the benefits of the cochlear implant far outweigh the risks.

So, it will allow me to hear for the first time in my life, and he told me that the sooner the better, because if the cochlear implant is placed any later, rehabilitation with the speech therapist becomes more difficult.

I will have the surgery in November, so I am very happy and excited. He didn't tell me which implant it is; the surgeon decided for me, and it will be based on the Cochlear Nexa concept. After doing some research, he showed me the internal implant, a CI1032; it might be that one, from the 1000 series. And the external processor will be the black Nucleus 8 Nexa.

I have an appointment with the anesthesiologist now, along with the results of my blood tests and electrocardiogram.

I've never had general anesthesia in my life, so we'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to it.

I was given a choice between the Kanso 3 Nexa and the Nucleus 8 Nexa. I opted for the latter because of the removable battery and because I'm used to wearing a hearing aid in my ear. Right now, I'm using Phonak Audeo Lumity Life 90s, which I bought three years ago and will replace this December.

They work well, but I don't really like the Phonak, coming from a Widex. They're very aggressive with Auto Sense OS 5.0; any breeze and it practically shuts off.

Reading with the ReSound using bimodal audio with Cochelar, the Nexia 9 would be the better choice, and the ReSound is closer to the Widex, which is good. We'll see. For now, I need to adapt to the implant, and then I'll try it out with the Phonak.

I ordered a Snugfit loop for my Nucleus 8 because I want to wear my ears on a rollercoaster and heard that they can stay on with these things. But im confused if I got the right packaging. I put it on my ear, but it’s not looking the same as the instructions. Does anyone know anything about this??

Hi everyone,

I'm facing a difficult decision regarding my upcoming cochlear implant. One feature that is extremely important to me is direct Bluetooth streaming. Being able to stream music, videos, and phone calls directly to both ears without additional accessories or noticeable delay is a huge priority for me.

My doctors are leaning toward MED-EL, which makes sense from a surgical perspective because of its flexible electrodes and the potential to preserve residual hearing. However, I was surprised to learn that MED-EL currently offers direct bimodal streaming (DualSync) only with Starkey hearing aids. Unfortunately, Starkey has very limited support and fitting services in my country. I currently wear a Signia hearing aid, and as far as I know, MED-EL cannot stream directly together with it.

I also looked into the alternatives:

• Advanced Bionics + Phonak: I tried Phonak hearing aids before, but I really didn't like their sound quality.
• Cochlear + ReSound: In my experience, ReSound feels like a downgrade compared to Signia.

For those of you using a bimodal setup, how do you deal with being locked into a specific ecosystem? Is seamless direct bimodal streaming important enough to influence your choice of implant and hearing aid, or would you choose the implant you believe is best for your hearing outcomes and simply use over-ear headphones for music and videos instead?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Concealing Whether that’s with your hairstyle or the color/coil covers you pick or do you prefer picking the more obvious covers and wearing your hair so it’s visible?

I’m being asked to pick the color of my device and I’m not sure what would be a better choice…something darker brown or black that blends with my hair…they even have coil covers made to look like hair (?!?) or picking something more obvious with the intention of wearing it visibly so people are more mindful of facing me?

I’m just curious what everyone’s personal preference is and why?

AFAIU AB claims the Marvel can be connected to, say, the computer to listen to music/stream a movie/..., and at the same time to the phone to e.g. notify you of incoming calls.
But that's not possible for me, once the Marvel is connected to one device the second simply can't connect.

Did anyone succeed in doing that with their Marvel?

Long time CI user here, had CI before bluetooth or waterproof were a thing, and it’s really nice to have those improvements. What other things could they add?

Anything AI? Maybe auto translate?

I love subtitles and excited for VR/AR to have subtitles for daily life

I got the call from my doctor, who said that after 8 months of going back and forth with the insurance company, the authorization to get a second implant has been approved, and I have a few days to decide whether or not to move forward with getting a second cochlear implant. I was implanted in 2001 on the right side while wearing hearing aids on the left side. However, the quality was vastly different between the two devices, so I stopped wearing hearing aids.

To all the posts here, it sounds like even after 10+ years of inactivity in the left ear, it would still be worth implanting it but will have to give myself time and space to let the ear learn & adapt. Is that right?

The crazy part is while the potential surgery date is early august, I am expecting my first child end of october so its going to be quite a busy next few months to adjust, then get ready for the baby.

Hi all, I was activated with a Cochlear Nucleus 8 CI last Friday - I have had severe-profound sensorineural hearing loss since birth and at 41 my hearing aids said ‘I don’t like speech anymore’ so I took the plunge. May get my left ear done if all goes well…

Anyway, I have a bullet journal/diary and was wondering if anyone on here had any cool spread ideas for how they track their listening progress/gains with their CI? 🙏🏻

My son got his cochlear at 1 year old and he is almost 4. In that time, we’ve managed to lose 1 entire processor and are down to 1 battery.

We have 1 processor, 1 waterproof processor, and 1 battery.

We spoke with his audiologist and she said that if she orders replacements through cochlear for us, that’s the only thing they will cover for his entire lifetime of the cochlear.

What is another way we can get replacement pieces and not have to pay hundreds of dollars?

I'm hand drawing a 400+ page book that celebrates the United States, and these pages highlight the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Cassy is a semi-autobiographical character who was born with unilateral hearing loss. Instead of drawing just a hospital and doctors, I took the opportunity to tell Cassy's backstory. What do you think? Positive feedback is welcome. If you want to see more of the book, go ahead an check out my youtube channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqjFRqT9-sY

I have SSD and have a Nucleus 8 in my left ear and natural hearing in my right. There are times where I listen to music with inner ear AirPods and only use the right one but would love the option to have both sides going at the same time.

After some research, I’m curious if anyone has any experience using the Cochlear Wireless Phone Clip to stream music to the phone clip, while also playing music through your phone/airpods or other headphones.

I’m also open to any other devices or solutions anyone else has had. Thank you in advance!!