Re: Bilateral Questions

[Guest guest]

when i had my second CI activated ... during this time of mapping i did and

do turn off my first CI after tweaking the second and all seemed fine i

turned on my first CI to experience

bilateral for the first time it was amazing i have always used

both CI together, everyday

this is normal or as normal hearing as i can get because we do have

two ears when i was activated with my first CI i heard garble .... all

garble but did learn to understand speech over time when i was hooked up to

my second CI i heard a voice .... then did understand what was being said

my brain had already done the work of learning to hear again

during the first few months when a new CI needs mapping more often there were

times when i felt hummm off balance sound wise the new CI wasn't up to

the old one which meant in need of mapping even though at first the

mappings were no where near the same i still felt a balance of sounds as

i

progressed with the new one my mapping increased in thresholds by leaps and

bounds which was very different than my first one

i use a walkman and use my t-coil settings i got this thing from radio

shack that connects two CI to one port on my walkman i hear in stereo using

t-coil settings fantastic sound if i may say i have tried and

sometimes do use t-coil for phone while the other CI is on

but most times i end up turning off the other CI and using just one for the

phone my calls are not long so i don't bother patching in with an adaptive

cable but if you have a computer to hook into then using two CI will

be wow!!!!!

i have sat and listen to tv while my kids were talking to me i can

hear them and then hear a little of what's going on with the TV but for me i

do best when i focus on what i'm listening to meaning i don't

understand when not focusing or .... this is my new goal i'm working on is to

be awa

re of sounds around enough to understand and it is happening ... slwly

but still better than before i am still amazed at how much more i can

do with time and mappings and work i always have these mini goals i set

and work on shocks me to no end that i can do them in time

hope this helps

susan

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry, what's an earpiece?

Regards/

Jerome

Bilateral Questions

Those who were implanted sequentually, what is the usual process, turn

off the old CI for a period of time (weeks, months) while mapping and

adjusting to the new CI. I'm sure one is off during mapping, correct? And

when it comes to both sides, what is involved when trying to " balance " the

two sides?

Another question. Have you been successful in using tcoil with 100% on

one side while listening to the environment on the other side, talking to

people, etc? One reason I'm curious about this one is that I need to start

using a screen reader on the computer and would most likely patch directly

into the sound source to not only reduce chance is missing what the computer

is telling me but to interact wiht others if I was in a position to input

data from someone. I am looking into some future possibilties where this

would be ideal and very possible with bilateral CIs. The diea cma eot me

when I was visiting a blind friend at her work. She was talking to me while

working on the computer and I could not hear a thing, turned out she used an

ear piece. LOL

Well, thats it for now.

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

I think the mistake a lot of us make is thinking the state-appointed shrink

is our friend.

--Jack Handley

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

[Guest guest]

earpiece = piece that goes in the ear.

Or, earphones. Also called ear buds. LOL

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

" I want to share something with you - the three sentences that will

get you through life. Number one, 'cover for me.' Number two, 'oh,good

idea, boss. Number three, 'it was like that when I got here.' "

--Homer Simpson

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

[Guest guest]

,

Sounds like what I would expect. Who knows how long before I find

out for myself. LOL

What did you get from Radio Shack, a y-adapter? The you used the

personal audio and acceesory cables?

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

Quit? Me quit? It's purely your imagination...

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

[Guest guest]

robert

yes it's the Y adapter thing and then i uses the what ever the cable is

called that hooks to my walkman and my 3G but i do know that when i

listen to the computer or CD's or book CD's bilaterally i really am able to pick

up almost everything so maybe you won't need a direct plug in ....

susan

[Guest guest]

,

Well, we have a lot of options and that is what the game is about.

I also have headphones which work with the t coil on but direct plugin

would be better.

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

Always and never are two words you should always remember never to

use.

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

[Guest guest]

robert

that's what is really great about bilateral there are so many more

options!!!

susan

[Guest guest]

OH! , I recognized your name in your earlier message about batteries,

and now I see this. We've one thing in common, if I've got the right

from Oregon. See my next message on details.

But here I am with a question related to my possibility of getting a

bilateral CI. My Federal Blue Cross has " new policy " for this year in that

they no longer will give pre-surgery approvals for any surgeries. I'm a

prelingual Deaf, and now blind as well. I am very hesitant to go ahead with

the surgery without being certain if they would really pay for the surgery.

I'd not hesitate to do this if it was the first time around, though. Any of

you out there experience with this sort of thing?

One other question in relation to bilateral CI's, is there a special

listserve for this topic?

Thank you!

Jeff

Re: Bilateral Questions

> robert

> that's what is really great about bilateral there are so many more

> options!!!

>

>

> susan

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Wow! Neat to see you on this list, Jeff! My name is from

Minnesota and I have seen you as President at AADB conference. I have Uhser

II but am down to light perception and use CI on right side since 2000. Like

you, I wished I had had auditory training with the CI because it took me a

very long time to adjust to the CI and recognize sound I could not see and

understand voices, and was all the more stressful while trying to stay

employed. I requested auditory training but was told it was only for

children. I believe blind people should have auditory training and wish

there was a way for this to be available to blind receivers of new CI. Good

for you to go for a second CI. In the future I hope to get second CI to help

with localization. If someone is talking to me, I think they are standing in

front of me and later find out they are behind me.

Introducation

> Hello All:

>

> I would like to introduce myself to the list members. I'm Jeff Bohrman

from

> Columbus, OH.

>

> I have Usher Syndrome, Type I, and have been completely blind for the past

> 14 years now. I grew up oral and did not learn how to sign until about 17

> years ago which I use for my receptive communication on the most part.

What

> bothers me these days though is that my speech is not at all as good as it

> used to be when I could see - this came to light when a couple of years

ago,

> I heard my wife over voicing me while I was talking to my aunt with whom I

> had been very close to for many years. I've often " mourn " for not seeing

> that the CI's were available back in the '40'2 but I'm just happy that I

am

> not living in the closet and am very much out in the community.

>

> I've been in the world of CI's for over 20 years now! Yeah, this long! I

> first got my 3M single channel implant back in December 1983. It was a

> completely new world for me cuz I sort of never wore a hearing aid - I was

> once labeled as being the most deaf student in my school with my audiogram

> showing my responding to only three frequencies on the very bottom of the

> chart! This is no bragging but it's a fact! Then I got my N22 in April

of

> 1990. I was on disability that time and with more time back then, I have

> often wished that I had more intensive auditory therapy but I did not take

> advantage of this - there wasn't much support group back then. Since

> joining several listservers, I realized that I should have gone through

the

> process......and so that's why I am so anxious to go for a bilateral to

> replace my 3M magnet still in my head. I've been medically approved for

the

> surgery which was originally scheduled for June 29th.

>

> One last thing ...I'm married to another CI recipient; however, this was

> indeed irony of all ironies! My wife of almost 34 years was HOH and

> suddenly went deaf seven years ago through vertigo and tinnitus and ended

up

> getting a CI six months later! She's delighted with her CI and even does

> better with it than her HA!

>

> Jeff

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Nice meeting you, end, again and glad we're on the same list! I agree with

you that the blind people should have auditory training - I just hope that

my insurance would allow this after I get my bi-lateral. I can sort of

localize the sounds by loudness. If someone is trying to talk to me, I get

better attention when the person is either on the side where my CI is or in

back of me. If they talk to me from the other side of my head, I don't

often respond unless they touch me.

There has been sc scientific findings that for DB, it's very beneficial to

have bi-lateral CI's. I know one is the ability to localize sounds - this

would really help me crossing quiet streets and also know where the people

are talking, etc.

Jeff

Introducation

>

> > Hello All:

> >

> > I would like to introduce myself to the list members. I'm Jeff Bohrman

> from

> > Columbus, OH.

> >

> > I have Usher Syndrome, Type I, and have been completely blind for the

past

> > 14 years now. I grew up oral and did not learn how to sign until about

17

> > years ago which I use for my receptive communication on the most part.

> What

> > bothers me these days though is that my speech is not at all as good as

it

> > used to be when I could see - this came to light when a couple of years

> ago,

> > I heard my wife over voicing me while I was talking to my aunt with whom

I

> > had been very close to for many years. I've often " mourn " for not

seeing

> > that the CI's were available back in the '40'2 but I'm just happy that I

> am

> > not living in the closet and am very much out in the community.

> >

> > I've been in the world of CI's for over 20 years now! Yeah, this long!

I

> > first got my 3M single channel implant back in December 1983. It was a

> > completely new world for me cuz I sort of never wore a hearing aid - I

was

> > once labeled as being the most deaf student in my school with my

audiogram

> > showing my responding to only three frequencies on the very bottom of

the

> > chart! This is no bragging but it's a fact! Then I got my N22 in April

> of

> > 1990. I was on disability that time and with more time back then, I

have

> > often wished that I had more intensive auditory therapy but I did not

take

> > advantage of this - there wasn't much support group back then. Since

> > joining several listservers, I realized that I should have gone through

> the

> > process......and so that's why I am so anxious to go for a bilateral to

> > replace my 3M magnet still in my head. I've been medically approved for

> the

> > surgery which was originally scheduled for June 29th.

> >

> > One last thing ...I'm married to another CI recipient; however, this was

> > indeed irony of all ironies! My wife of almost 34 years was HOH and

> > suddenly went deaf seven years ago through vertigo and tinnitus and

ended

> up

> > getting a CI six months later! She's delighted with her CI and even

does

> > better with it than her HA!

> >

> > Jeff

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >