Untill recently we were unaware of the severity of Dad's hearing loss. While in his 20's, he worked around loud machinery and now combined with aging the hearing decline is severe enough to be considered a disability. Hearing aids did little good and were such a menace because of the dexterity required to maintain them. Next week, we are taking him to an audiologist that will evaluate him as a possible candidate for a cochlear implant. Any experiences, pro/con you can share with me would be helpful. We need to have real expectations
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My biggest advice is not to expect big hearing change quickly. For us it has been a slower process than expected!
The update: He has been to the audiologist for several mappings since his surgery in August. Just yesterday, we are starting to see the difference in his hearing level. I was elated to notice that he did not make me repeat any comments during our half hour phone conversation yesterday. This major when compared to giving up after 10 minutes of repeating everything before giving up!!!
Good beginning to compare experience of others so you get ideas of what you might experience. Pray about it and make a peaceful decision.
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Well it is going very slowly for my Dad. The surgery was easy and recovery quick although it caught up to him and he needed to slow down together extra sleep. He claims he is hearing better every day but we are not seeing it. Of course, I watched too many dramatic utube videos that made it seem miraculous! Not happening this way for Dad. I have wondered about the mental decline and their effects on his adaptation. (A good question for her doctor). He has not given up hope as he is willing to give it 6-9 months as spelled out in all the literature, and it has only been 2 months, so we keep plugging away. Let's keep each other posted. FYI: my dad chose the Med-El device and will get the Rondo next week.
Nearly deaf and limited to a text telephone (called TTY for the deaf), my first implant in 1996 saved my social life. In 2011, at age 75, I qualified for an implant on the other side. This time implantation was much easier---no over night hospital stay, minimal side effects from the surgery and anesthesia, no shaven head, healing of the incision faster so that I could be “hooked up” to the sound processor in little more than a week.
It’s important not to harbor expectations that the implant will restore hearing. But implants have given most of us the renewed ability to comprehend speech sounds, allowed us to converse more comfortably in many settings (background noise is still difficult) and to have a social life once again. Enjoying music is difficult but can happen with lots of practice. I now love listening to music although it’s different from music with normal hearing.
I hope your father gets an evaluation and am glad to answer questions Emily