Possible Answer to my Speech Discrimination Difficulties

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Good news! After listening to some music through headphones this evening, I

think I know what may be contributing to (or causing) my speech

discrimination problems. I suspect that very high and very low frequencies

may not be equalized. When I listen to a song that has very high or low

pitched notes, the lyrics and harmony become louder and distorted with an

overlapping " echo voice. " Since I've been wearing a HA in my right ear until

last week, I probably didn't notice this until using the CI alone. 's

question about my CI being mapped for my HA is also a something that may be

contributing to my difficulty understanding very high and low pitched

voices. I will ask my audi about this tomorrow and will be interested to see

if she agrees. I feel so much better knowing this may be the cause of my

frustration. It's funny how the possible answer to a problem just suddenly

falls in your lap without you realizing it! <smile>

Left ear - Nucleus 24 Contour Advance with 3G

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Right ear - Nucleus Freedom

Implanted: 2/1/06 Activation date: 3/1/06

Deafblind/Postlingual

Severe-profound hearing loss since 1995

[Guest guest]

:

Your hearing in the ear you first had imiplanted should not have changed

after surgery, but I suspect you are going through a recovery period. Your

surgery probably temporarily upset the " hearing infironment in yout head. "

This

should go away. I sometimes loose high and low frequencies or hear echos

when I have a very bad cold.

Hang in there and relax and look forward to hearing with two ears.

Nan Rosen

_www.rosetwig.com_ (http://www.rosetwig.com/)

[Guest guest]

:

Talk to your audiologist about this and give kyourself time to adjust.

Nan

In a message dated 2/8/2006 1:14:42 PM Mountain Standard Time,

lisak70@... writes:

Nan,

I think the hearing in my right ear has decreased after surgery. Before my

surgery, I was able to hear drumbeats and male vocals with hearing aids and

headphones. Although I could not understand what was sung, I could tell when

a male vocalist was singing. Now with my stereo set at the highest volume

level (while listening to headphones), I can hear low frequencies (such as

drumbeats or bass guitars), but cannot hear male vocals or understand

lyrics. I guess the issue of residual hearing is mute considering that (in

most cases) it isn't useful for understanding speech even aided. I guess I

was surprised at the fact that I retained low frequency hearing given the

fact that I had no residual hearing in my left ear following my first

surgery.

Nan Rosen

_www.rosetwig.com_ (http://www.rosetwig.com/)

[Guest guest]

Nan,

I think the hearing in my right ear has decreased after surgery. Before my

surgery, I was able to hear drumbeats and male vocals with hearing aids and

headphones. Although I could not understand what was sung, I could tell when

a male vocalist was singing. Now with my stereo set at the highest volume

level (while listening to headphones), I can hear low frequencies (such as

drumbeats or bass guitars), but cannot hear male vocals or understand

lyrics. I guess the issue of residual hearing is mute considering that (in

most cases) it isn't useful for understanding speech even aided. I guess I

was surprised at the fact that I retained low frequency hearing given the

fact that I had no residual hearing in my left ear following my first

surgery.

Left ear - Nucleus 24 Contour Advance with 3G

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Right ear - Nucleus Freedom

Implanted: 2/1/06 Activation date: 3/1/06

Deafblind/Postlingual

Severe-profound hearing loss since 1995

[Guest guest]

It is a marvel how the brain adjusts to the CI!

Nan Rosen

_www.rosetwig.com_ (http://www.rosetwig.com/)

[Guest guest]

,

I don't recall having the problems you mentioned between my second CI

surgery and activation other than sounds being a tad bit quieter. I wondered

if you may have been having an off day hearing we have from time to time,

but perhaps it is as you say, the high and low tones are not equalized.

[Guest guest]

Hi Nan,

I've been listening to music with headphones most of the day in order to

relax and get myself into the frame of listening with my CI only. Today I

listened to a song that had quite a bit of an echo voice in the very high

frequencies. When I heard the same song today, it sounded mormal, So what I

think may be happening is that my brain is gradually getting used to not

having any input from my right ear. As that happens, sounds are probably

becoming even more normalized than they were when I used my CI and HA

together.

Things are going great and I think I'll be just fine until my activation in

a few weeks! <smile>

Having said that, today I heard a sound with my CI that I haven't heard the

same way before with my CI and HA together. That was the sound of my

apartment intercom. Before with my CI and HA, I could still pick up the low

frequency buzzing sound with my HA. Today with my CI only, I heard the same

low frequency buzzing, but it sounded *much* louder and clearer than before.

Left ear - Nucleus 24 Contour Advance with 3G

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Right ear - Nucleus Freedom

Implanted: 2/1/06 Activation date: 3/1/06

Deafblind/Postlingual

Severe-profound hearing loss since 1995

[Guest guest]

said:

I guess I was surprised at the fact that I retained low frequency hearing

given the fact that I had no residual hearing in my left ear following my

first surgery.

,

That's great and interesting that you retained a small bit of low frequency

hearing. I read on Cochlear's website: " The industry's only Softip electrode

is designed to protect the delicate cochlea during surgery, which may lead

to the preservation of residual hearing. " Of course, you can't expect to

have any residual hearing. However, this may explain why you retained some

of your low frequency hearing in the Freedom ear as opposed to the one with

the Nucleus 24.

Lynn

[Guest guest]

,

In the end minimal residual hearing was preserved with the Freedom, and

there is not a strong enough in-the-ear aid to benefit me. . Before the

surgery I could not hear anything with the unimplanted ear without the aid

and with the aid I heard environmental sounds. Could you hear without the

aid prior to surgery?