Cochlear implants vs hearing aids

[CoffeeWithMyOxygen]

Posting here for traffic. Does anyone have any direct experience of being a hearing aid user but then having the surgery and switching to a cochlear implant? I’m trying to research what it’s really like as all I can find is articles by hearing people taking through the practical pros and cons. It’s a huge decision, and irreversible, so I’m trying to take my time weighing it all up.

Is it for you or a young child? My daughter is profoundly deaf. She had to try hearing aids first, but as they didn't really make a difference she went on to have the CIs. She's doing really well now, much better than with hearing aids. If the hearing aids had worked for her, she wouldn't have qualified for cochlear implants.

For me. I’ve worn hearing aids since I was 10 but have now been told I’m eligible for a cochlear assessment. Trying to work out how I feel about it.

Sorry, I don't have any experience for an adult. My daughter couldn't really tell us how she felt about the implants, but she seems to love them because she wears them all the time and we've definitely noticed a difference.

I work in Audiology although not CI assessment so don't have much specific professional knowledge on it other than general training years ago, but I believe cochlear implants sound very different to hearing aids and they can take a long time to get used to hearing through them when implanted as an adult.

Outcomes in children, especially if prelingually implanted, are excellent due to better brain plasticity.

I have a relative who was profoundly deaf from childhood but only switched to cochlear implants in her 30s. She really really struggled for the first year but with a lot of rehabilitation she is now doing well with them!

I've worn hearing aids since i was about 6 weeks and had a cochlear implant as an adult. Personally it has been fantastic and I adjusted very quickly to the new sound. It was different sound wise at first but then it became the sound I've always heard just clearer.

But everyone is different. There are several cochlear implant groups on Facebook - most centre's have group for their patients. It's a great place to chat to other CI users and there are often meet ups as well. Perhaps look for your area?

Thanks @snowflake29 - this is what I’m scared of, a whole year of adjustment sounds terrifying. I have a full time job and two kids, I need to be able to function well.

@daisychicken can you put into words at all how the sound is different - is it just the usual “robotic” thing like when you get new aids or more complex than that? What made you decide to switch?

At first the sound was very basey, very low frequency and voices were a little squeaky. I've never had robotic or mickey mouse sounds. But it very quickly adjusted to the sound I've always heard.

i changed to a CI as I had a profound loss, hearing aids were not really helping and I was really struggling. Then I lost the hearing totally in one ear, my tinnitus went sky high and my 4 year old was acting as my interpreter. It was a no brainer to try (CI went in my totally deaf ear) and see if it would help.

You've had hearing aids for a long time, have you managed well with them? Adults who have done well with hearing aids over a long period tend to be good CI candidates. That is worth bearing in mind.

Where would your nearest implant centre be? They can put you in touch with local CI users to chat to.

Marking my place here. I have had impaired hearing in my left ear since childhood. In my 40s, I started losing my hearing in my good ear.

At the moment. The hearing in my right ear is passable, although I ask people to repeat things a lot in spite of wearing two hearing aids. The hearing aid on my left ear gives me reasonable volume but I have no clarity of speech so couldn't use a phone on that ear.

In terms of loss, my left ear falls in the severe range and my right ear is mild. Would CI help me? What puts me off is the idea of killing my left ear even though the hearing is not usable apart from picking up a bit of background noise and stopping me from getting run over