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The following story is one person's experience with a cochlear implant. Your experience may be very different. Success with a cochlear implant is influenced by many factors including how long a person has had hearing loss, the age a person receives an implant, medical and anatomical factors and more. Please consult your cochlear implant professional and/or the Bionic Ear Association with questions.
My name is Kristin Pagliuca and I am 30 years old. My hearing loss journey began when I was diagnosed at age 5 with a moderate hearing loss in both ears. I was immediately fit with hearing aids. My hearing loss continued to progress throughout grammar school, high school, and college. As time progressed, everyday listening situations were becoming rather challenging and often times, impossible. I completed graduate school in my mid 20s, entering the interviewing arena with a severe/profound hearing loss. If you are deaf or severely hard of hearing, you can probably empathize with the feeling of frustration during the interview process! I wouldn't worry about how I would answer certain questions, but more so, if I would hear them. Even the most powerful digital hearing aids could no longer accommodate my level of hearing loss.
I finally decided that I had enough of asking friends to make my phone calls, requesting that people look at me when they spoke, and constantly asking people to repeat themselves knowing that no matter how many times they may do so, I probably still wouldn't understand. I asked my audiologist if there was anything available that would provide me with more than my hearing aids. She recommended cochlear implants, thus beginning my extensive research process. I obtained literature on different options, corresponded via email with cochlear implant recipients, and went for a cochlear implant consultation at my local center. I was impressed by Advanced Bionic's HiResolution sound processing and its ability to deliver a wide range of sounds, from a soft whisper to the loud rumble of thunder, at such a fast rate. Amongst other variables was the T-Mic, rechargeable batteries, and AB's commitment to ensuring that I would be able to upgrade processing strategies as technology evolved. The BEA understood the importance of my decision to decide whether a cochlear implant was right for me and was readily available via email to answer all of my many questions. I felt comfortable not only with my decision to obtain a CI, but confident that the Advanced Bionics cochlear implant would help me best re-enter the world of sound that I so much missed.
My surgery (02/18/2005) and activation (03/10/2005) dates are forever embedded in my memory. Looking back, I wonder why I waited so long to make my decision! I felt both excited and nervous on activation day. Although I didn't understand speech without lip-reading that first day, I heard pitches that I haven't heard in years. To me, that made activation day quite successful. From that point on, I knew that I was hearing much more than my hearing aids could deliver. Every day brought new sounds: tapping of my fingers on a computer keyboard, soft swishing sound of moisturizer on my hands, and the constant humming of my refrigerator: I never knew appliances were so loud! What shocked me the most was how little I had to rely on lip-reading in such a short span of time. One on one conversation was no longer fatiguing and even hearing in restaurants was becoming easier. As time progressed, I was quickly able to understand conversations on my cell phone while driving along the noisy highway, follow conversations in noisy restaurant settings, and sing the RIGHT words to my favorite songs while listening to them on the radio! I can't believe how much I used to rely on my brain to fill in the gaps and how incorrect my guesses would be! Now when I go to the beach with friends, I can follow the group conversation with ease; I can hear the beauty in the unique sounds of the ocean waves crashing to shore, birds flying overhead, and laughter of my niece and nephew playing in the water that sounds like pure magic to my ears! My cochlear implant has enabled me to function independently with ease in just about any communication situation.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the clinical trials with Advanced Bionics to evaluate the new Harmony BTE with HiRes Fidelity 120. I agreed, even though I didn't think it was possible that things could get any better. But once again, I was mistaken. The best way to describe the clarity of HiRes vs. Fidelity 120 is comparing it to watching a conventional TV verses a new high-definition plasma TV. I can understand and easily follow the conventional TV, but the high-definition adds elements of detail and sharpness that make it even more rich, lively, and enjoyable.
A particularly exciting experience was when I attended a concert and listening to the music using the Harmony BTE with HiRes Fidelity 120. I was amazed at how much better I was able to distinguish between different instruments playing at the same time, along with the vocalists. It was immediately apparent that I was hearing so much more detail with Fidelity 120. The battery life on the new Harmony BTE processor also doubled. One battery lasted two days, thus reducing the frequency of charging and doubling its overall life span.
As an administrative professional at the Hearing Technology Center in Boston, at a world renowned health care facility, it is important for me to understand diverse dialects both in person and over the telephone. Without my cochlear implant, the success I've found in this position would not be possible. I am frequently corresponding with a diversity of patients varying in dialect, in addition to professional colleagues in meetings and on conference calls. With my hearing aids, understanding face to face communication would heavily rely on lip-reading and meetings would require either CART or an interpreter. In just one year, I am able to independently succeed in all of those communication settings without exhaustion, thus increasing work place productivity.
Obtaining a cochlear implant has significantly impacted not only my life, but also the lives of those around me. I remember sending an email update as to how life changing my cochlear implant had been to a friend who knew firsthand how difficult it was to communicate with me. If she was speaking behind me, I wouldn't even know she was there, let alone understand the speech! She frequently had to repeat things, look at me when she spoke, and slow down her rate of speech. Here is her response: Wow, welcome to our world of screechy voices and nails on the chalkboard! It must be strange to have your world suddenly change. It sounds like you are doing well with this big adjustment. That's great news. We won't be able to whisper around you anymore (kidding!). Reflecting back on my choice of the Advanced Bionics cochlear implant, I remember how all I wanted was to hear more than I heard with my hearing aids. Never in a million years would I have envisioned that cochlear implant technology was so advanced that it would provide me with so much more then even the highest powered digital hearing aids that I wore for years. I function independently in all communication settings; I can participate more fully with family, friends, and colleagues; daily life is so much easier and enjoyable!