Guest guest Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Hal, If insurance is paying Cochlear that is one thing but 675 batteries can be purchased in any drug store or $1.95 for a six pack on the web. - Gerald halfencer@... wrote: I went in to purchase my batteries thru my hearing institute because they are a provider for my HMO. My audie says cochlear will no longer be selling the regular 675's but will only have the more expensive 675 plus. You might want to load up while you can. Hal ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Gerald, But remember, not all hearing aid batteries will run a cochlear implant. *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* Everyone seems normal until you get to know them. & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Are you saying that not all 675 hearing aid batteries will run a cochlear implant. I usually buy my battiers off EBAy and just look for 675, so far they have all worked fine. > > Gerald, > But remember, not all hearing aid batteries will run a cochlear implant. > > *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* > Everyone seems normal until you get to know them. > & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) > Newport, Oregon > N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup > rclark0276@... > http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 Yes . They dont all have enough power for the CI. Some may last a day, or even less. *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* When the plums dry on your tree, it's time to prune. -- Pun of the Day & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 I was not aware of this, what should I be looking for when I'm purchasing these batteries, I use 3 675 hearing aid batteries for my Medel procesor and get about 4 days use from them. I only just recently saw an advertisement for these battiers that specifically indicated they were for cochlear implants and they were more expensive, " just curious " > > Yes . They dont all have enough power for the CI. Some may last > a day, or even less. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2007 Report Share Posted April 7, 2007 , What kind does Med El recommend? If you are getting comparable battery life then you are fine. *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* In 2003, a funeral company in Brazil released ads on local TV containing a controversial motto: " Our clients have never come back to complain. " & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 I only questioned about the battieres because I don't always use the same kind, I'm usually looking for a bargain price, but it may turn out that one of these times it may not be such a bargain if I wound up with only 1 day or less of usage, just thought maybe you came across a certain type that you knew where not good for CI processors. Thanks for the info - In , " " <rclark0276@...> wrote: > > , > What kind does Med El recommend? If you are getting comparable battery > life then you are fine. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Mike, you started on the highest speed? Good grief that has to be hard. What speed are you using now? Cochlear recommends high current 675 batteries to maintain maxuium quaility in loud sistuations like going to a concert or any nosiy sistuations and some smart sounds setting do use more battery power. > > Hi , > > The number of batteries you will use per month is variable depending > on your program and how you yourself use your CI. I found in the > beginning I was going through about 90-100 batteries per months now I > use 12-15 per month so big difference. I started with Hi Ace at the > fastest speed and now I am at a much lower rate of speed which makes > all the difference, I also noticed if I am in a noisy environment for > an entire day it can shorten the battery life sometimes by almost half > a day. I normally have a quiet setting in my office but when I travel > it can be very noisy and I do notice a difference in battery > performance. > > Regards > Mike " Ears Hopin " P > Implanted June 3rd, 2005 > Activated July 6th, 2005 > Nucleus Freedom > > From: " and Davies " prdavies@... > Date: Thu May 11, 2006 2:49pm(PDT) > Subject: Re: Batteries > > That's great - thanks for letting me know. So it must have taken a > week? > That's pretty good. > > So 96 batteries is about a month's supply isn't it? > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.6/339 - Release Date: > 5/14/2006 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Yeah these CI's are definitely good for nosiy situations. Its fun to eavesdrop, isnt it? LOL *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulted in Linoleum Blownapart. & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 ---, I use Zenipower C675 Cochlear batteries for my Med El processor. They are great and very inexpensive. Jane Motrinec In , " brendac251 " <brendac251@...> wrote: > > I only questioned about the battieres because I don't always use the > same kind, I'm usually looking for a bargain price, but it may turn > out that one of these times it may not be such a bargain if I wound up > with only 1 day or less of usage, just thought maybe you came across a > certain type that you knew where not good for CI processors. Thanks > for the info > > > > - In , " " <rclark0276@> wrote: > > > > , > > What kind does Med El recommend? If you are getting comparable > battery > > life then you are fine. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Hey all, I'm using the Freedom for Nucleus 24 users, and got 8 days with the disposable batteries, and 4 with the rechargeables. Just wanted to see what kind of battery life the rechargeables had. Since I just got it mapped, I don't have any of the bells and whistles on it yet. No ADRO, BEAM or even auto sens. Miss that auto sens, especially when I'm running the sewing machine or dishwasher. Cochlear recommends high power for maps that have a heavy power draw. HiAce or HiCIS would be 2 of them. Regular ACE and SPEAK have lower battery draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 What Would Be a better value for saving money? disposeable or rechargeable? im thinking long term. A. Tucker N24/freedom Surgery: 5/18/07 --- <nucleus24@...> wrote: > Hey all, > I'm using the Freedom for Nucleus 24 users, and got 8 days with the > disposable batteries, and 4 with the rechargeables. Just wanted to see > what kind of battery life the rechargeables had. > Since I just got it mapped, I don't have any of the bells and whistles > on it yet. No ADRO, BEAM or even auto sens. Miss that auto sens, > especially when I'm running the sewing machine or dishwasher. > Cochlear recommends high power for maps that have a heavy power draw. > HiAce or HiCIS would be 2 of them. Regular ACE and SPEAK have lower > battery draw. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 , Best way to do this is determine how much battery life you get with each type then do the math for a year and that would be your answer. The rechargeables that come with the Freedom BTE has a working life of 1,000 cycles. That means every time you charge a battery, that is one cycle. Know someone who can crunch the numbers for you? *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. -- & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 ? Wow, only the freedom rechargeable batteries have a 1,000 cycle lifespan? Hmmm. That sounds like that would be a terrible thing given that I've read that they last up to 3 days. I still got PLENTY of 675 HA batteries I've considered using for my CI when I get it. My Phonak 411 Supero HA lives up to a month on one battery prior to giving up the ghost and requiring a battery transplant. Still with the same batteries, I've read that the freedom gets up to 5 or 6 days most before having to have new batteries. I'd really prefer the long battery life, myself. I know you wouldn't blame me at all there. I've been really considering my options with regards to battery life and quality of the batteries. I have a question for the med el users on the board, I've found a webpage at the med el site that they now offer the Sonata implant with the Opus 2 speech processor. They look almost exactly like the freedom in some ways. If there are any Opus 2/Sonata users, let me know how all that turns out. But still I'm leaning towards the freedom though. So I guess you could say I'm stuck between Med-El (Being in my state, NC) and Nucleus in Colorado. Trying to make a decision by the time I go to pre-op on May 17th. Have a great day everyone! A. Tucker N24/Freedom or Med-El Sonata/Opus2 UNC-CH Surgery Date: 5/18/07 Activation: Mid June PS. I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed at my hook up appointment, I heard Church bells and train horns going off in my head at my first mapping! YEECH! <rclark0276@...> wrote: , Best way to do this is determine how much battery life you get with each type then do the math for a year and that would be your answer. The rechargeables that come with the Freedom BTE has a working life of 1,000 cycles. That means every time you charge a battery, that is one cycle. Know someone who can crunch the numbers for you? *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. -- & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Tucker, This is not what said. He did not use the word 'only'. These are lithium batteries use in way too many devices to even start to mention them. Now because those using the Nucleus batteries are so new at this as far as the CI goes, then I can offer some thoughts. The life of these batteries goes down over time, and it has nothing to do with brand. I really can't give you figures to use because I rotate batteries, and I have some I use on long trips that go back 5 years. Even the ones I had 6 years ago, are still working. So doing the math is not all that easy, and I wish you the best of luck in deciding what to do. Ralph CII 8/01 HiRes 2/03 > Wow, only the freedom rechargeable batteries have a 1,000 cycle lifespan? > > A. Tucker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 , No no. Lets see, the rechargeables will last me a couple days (average is about a day for most people). And I have 2, so if I recharge each one every other day, that is roughly 500 cycles a year. If I had 4 (the charger we get will take up to 4 at a time), that drops down to roughly 250 cycles a year. So looking at about 4 years. The 675's will last me a hair over 4 days. I had just gotten a load of them before getting my Freedom so I am switching between the two types. So, dont look at the rechargeables in a time frame, but in number of charge cycles. And tho the average use seems to be about a day, , using SPEAK, gets more but most of us use ACE which takes more power than SPEAK does. And you cannot compare to other devices like your HA's because the CI's power requirements are way different. Both battery types have their pluses. The rechargeable is easy to change on the fly, whereas the 675 requires you to sit down and work a bit, remove tabs, remove old, insert new. Best of all, either type can be used on the fly, at any time. I like the rechargeables for that ease of change when out doing things. *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* I saw a sign at a gas station. It said 'help wanted'. There was another sign below it that said 'self service'. So I hired myself. Then I made myself the boss. I gave myself a raise. I paid myself. Then I quit. & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) Newport, Oregon N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup rclark0276@... http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 , Feel the bottom of the battery. Notice how it is a U shape all the way around except for one side that is straight? Push the battery into the port with the U shape towards the charger and the straight edge towards you. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hi , My insurance covers both, so it's not a question of saving money, it's a question of convenience. I like having a 6 pack of batteries with me and not having to worry if I have a recharged battery with me, how long it's been out of the recharger, and so forth. Freedom is the only brand on the market now that offers you that choice. Nice to see you made your choice for Freedom! If your insurance does NOT cover batteries (as durable medical equipment) necessary to run a prosthetic device, then rechargeables might be the way to go. However, you can only recharge a certain number of times, and the rechargeables are way more expensive than the disposables. No clue how many times you can recharge either. Make sure you don't submit an insurance claim for " hearing aid batteries " because they will turn those down faster than you can believe. Someone around here has the codes. I think you get batteries with your processor to start you off. What Would Be a better value for saving money? disposeable or rechargeable? im thinking long term. A. Tucker N24/freedom Surgery: 5/18/07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 To all you who have used the Freedom and rechargeables: have some questions. Do you take the battery out of the recharger as soon as it's fully charged? And do you carry it around with you, until you need it? I'm getting more than a day on the rechargeables. Something like 3 1/2 to 4 days. So not sure if the battery will lose its charge if it's out of the recharger that long. AND next question: Do you leave the recharger plugged in, and just disconnect the battery holder part, or do you remove the plug from the wall and leave the battery in there. I so rarely use rechargeables for anything, that I'm a real newbie at this. Thanks, Blonde and bewildered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hi , I use the rechargeable batteries for my Freedom. I have the 1200 speed which uses a good bit of power. I put in a fresh rechargeable battery each morning and it lasts all day. I will usually alternate batteries every other day. I don't carry the spare with me, but I always keep a battery cage and disposables in my purse-- just in case. I haven't needed them. I leave the other rechargeable battery sitting in the charger. I don't ever unplug my charger. I don't believe it will overcharge your battery to just leave it in there. When I go out of town, the rechargeables stay home, and I switch over to using the disposable batteries. Lynn Fairhope, AL Nucleus Freedom Surgery date: 9/6/06 Activation date: 9/27/06 Re: Batteries To all you who have used the Freedom and rechargeables: have some questions. Do you take the battery out of the recharger as soon as it's fully charged? And do you carry it around with you, until you need it? I'm getting more than a day on the rechargeables. Something like 3 1/2 to 4 days. So not sure if the battery will lose its charge if it's out of the recharger that long. AND next question: Do you leave the recharger plugged in, and just disconnect the battery holder part, or do you remove the plug from the wall and leave the battery in there. I so rarely use rechargeables for anything, that I'm a real newbie at this. Thanks, Blonde and bewildered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hi , I have the Nucleus Freedom and for the most part, use the rechargeable batteries. One of the nice things about the Freedom is being able to swap back and forth between rechargeables and disposables. I generally use disposables when I go out of town, but use the rechargeables for every day. Remember that a CI uses much more power than a hearing aid, and your battery life is very dependent on your map speed, as well as some other factors. You won't know what speed is best for you until after you are activated and had time to experiment. Some people prefer the very fast 2400 speed, and others prefer the slower 900 speed. I found that the 1200 was best for me. It gives me almost 3 days on disposables and a full day on the rechargeable. The 900 speed that most people seem to prefer gives longer battery life. My CI center provided me with 2 processors. I chose 2 standard BTEs, and my kit came with the 2 rechargeable batteries and charger, as well as some battery cages and a couple of boxes of disposable batteries. Since I have been using the rechargeables for every day, I still have plenty of the disposable batteries to use, and I've been activated a little over 6 months. You should also be able to use the 675 HA batteries that you have, but they may not give you as much power as the implant batteries. Again, how well they work is very dependent on your particular map. Good luck on your upcoming surgery! Lynn Fairhope, AL Nucleus Freedom Surgery date: 9/6/06 Activation date: 9/27/06 Re: Re: Batteries ? Wow, only the freedom rechargeable batteries have a 1,000 cycle lifespan? Hmmm. That sounds like that would be a terrible thing given that I've read that they last up to 3 days. I still got PLENTY of 675 HA batteries I've considered using for my CI when I get it. My Phonak 411 Supero HA lives up to a month on one battery prior to giving up the ghost and requiring a battery transplant. Still with the same batteries, I've read that the freedom gets up to 5 or 6 days most before having to have new batteries. I'd really prefer the long battery life, myself. I know you wouldn't blame me at all there. I've been really considering my options with regards to battery life and quality of the batteries. I have a question for the med el users on the board, I've found a webpage at the med el site that they now offer the Sonata implant with the Opus 2 speech processor. They look almost exactly like the freedom in some ways. If there are any Opus 2/Sonata users, let me know how all that turns out. But still I'm leaning towards the freedom though. So I guess you could say I'm stuck between Med-El (Being in my state, NC) and Nucleus in Colorado. Trying to make a decision by the time I go to pre-op on May 17th. Have a great day everyone! A. Tucker N24/Freedom or Med-El Sonata/Opus2 UNC-CH Surgery Date: 5/18/07 Activation: Mid June PS. I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed at my hook up appointment, I heard Church bells and train horns going off in my head at my first mapping! YEECH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Make sure you don't submit an insurance claim for " hearing aid batteries " because they will turn those down faster than you can believe. Someone around here has the codes. I think you get batteries with your processor to start you off. , if you (or someone else) has these codes, I'm sure that others, as well as myself would be very grateful to obtain those codes. My own experience at attempts to get reimbursed for the cost of batteries is not such a delightful one. Last May, (2006) I celebrated my " Medicare " birthday. I was informed by a friend that the Cochlear Reimbursement Dept would send a claim to Medicare for me to be reimbursed for the cost. They had me fill out a form and submit to them. I did this right away. I waited. I waited some more. Nothing....so, I wrote, I called, I wrote. Nothing. I finally talked with a person in the Reimbursement Dept who told me the claim was submitted to Medicare in October. Now, why it would take five months for them to even submit the claim to Medicare is beyond my realm of understanding. Well, this story goes on and on....but, the final jest of it is that I still remain without a reimbursement. As to ever getting any sort of reimbursement for the cost of the upgrade to the Freedom goes, I would hope so - but, I'm not counting on it. I have a very good secondary insurance as well - so, it all remains to be seen. I've had the upgrade since December and all the paperwork I can do myself accomplished shortly thereafter. So, good luck if you are on Medicare as your Primary Insurance folks. Evon ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 , I am a Med-El CI user and use the OPUS2 processor but with the Pulsar CI 100 implant........is this any help/ Alison P UK > , > Best way to do this is determine how much battery life you get with each > type then do the math for a year and that would be your answer. > > The rechargeables that come with the Freedom BTE has a working life of > 1,000 cycles. That means every time you charge a battery, that is one > cycle. > > Know someone who can crunch the numbers for you? > > *---* *---* *---* *---* *---* > The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. > -- > & Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie) > Newport, Oregon > N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup > rclark0276@... > http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Interesting that you should be talking about batteries and reimbursement. That was actually the reason for my post about batteries etc and where do you get them. I was asking because Cochlear is not a preferred provider (I am not on Medicare) and if I get batteries etc. through them insurance will pay a lesser amount than if I can get them through a center that is on the preferred provider list. My center does not sell the batteries etc and I was wondering if any centers do. Thanks!!! Connie EBurk56622@... wrote: Make sure you don't submit an insurance claim for " hearing aid batteries " because they will turn those down faster than you can believe. Someone around here has the codes. I think you get batteries with your processor to start you off. , if you (or someone else) has these codes, I'm sure that others, as well as myself would be very grateful to obtain those codes. My own experience at attempts to get reimbursed for the cost of batteries is not such a delightful one. Last May, (2006) I celebrated my " Medicare " birthday. I was informed by a friend that the Cochlear Reimbursement Dept would send a claim to Medicare for me to be reimbursed for the cost. They had me fill out a form and submit to them. I did this right away. I waited. I waited some more. Nothing....so, I wrote, I called, I wrote. Nothing. I finally talked with a person in the Reimbursement Dept who told me the claim was submitted to Medicare in October. Now, why it would take five months for them to even submit the claim to Medicare is beyond my realm of understanding. Well, this story goes on and on....but, the final jest of it is that I still remain without a reimbursement. As to ever getting any sort of reimbursement for the cost of the upgrade to the Freedom goes, I would hope so - but, I'm not counting on it. I have a very good secondary insurance as well - so, it all remains to be seen. I've had the upgrade since December and all the paperwork I can do myself accomplished shortly thereafter. So, good luck if you are on Medicare as your Primary Insurance folks. Evon ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 Hi Lynn, thanks for the info on rechargeables. Wondering if anyone else gets a couple of days on the rechargeables, and if they keep recharged batteries with them, to use when needed. Does the battery hold the charge once it's removed from the recharger and carried around? For those getting more than a day from the battery. Thanks, Hi , I use the rechargeable batteries for my Freedom. I have the 1200 speed which uses a good bit of power. I put in a fresh rechargeable battery each morning and it lasts all day. I will usually alternate batteries every other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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