Your friend referred this page.

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This was sent to you from Healthy Hearing by Alice:

Well - this is quite a testimony of the cochlear implant. Good reading.

Alice

http://www.healthyhearing.com/patient/displayperspective.asp?id=183

The First 20 Years with my Cochlear Implant

When I was 4 years old, I had the mumps, and it soon became noticeable

that I was beginning to lose my hearing. Over the next 9 years my

hearing loss gradually got worse. It was during this time that I began

experiencing a few periods where I could hear almost nothing at all. No

one really knew why my hearing was deteriorating. It was a scary time

for me.

When I was 13, I completely lost all hearing in my right ear. During

this same period of time my family and I also noticed a deterioration in

the hearing for my left ear and I began to experience periods of

Meniere's-like symptoms, including dizziness, tinnitus and fullness in

the ear. This continued until, in 1983 I lost all of my hearing and was

essentially deaf with no measurable hearing. I was 28 years old.

In the winter of 1984, I read an article that indicated New York

University (NYU) was seeking volunteers for an experimental cochlear

implant program. The criteria were very specific, and after reading the

list, I realized I met all the requirements for the study. . I decided

to contact NYU. That initial contact led to extensive testing at NYU and

Bellevue Hospitals. I was selected to be the 5th person to receive a

Nucleus® 22 cochlear implant in their program. I was 29 ears old when I

received my cochlear implant. In the 1980s, I participated in many

studies and tried various types of programming with the WSP to see which

helped me hear better in noisy environments, quiet places, etc.

One month after surgery, I went for my first fitting and programming for

my WSP (Wearable Speech Processor). On the very first day, I was able to

pick out words and sentences from a printed page! As there were no

formal cochlear implant rehab programs in the mid-1980s in my area, my

family and I devised a training program using audiotapes. I also

practiced by listening to my mom read short quips from magazines finally

graduating to whole stories.

I could not talk on the telephone with ease using my WSP. I could

understand my father, but not my mother. For work, I depended on the

relay service for accuracy. Then, in 1996 I received my first upgrade. I

got my Spectra and in less than a week, I was able to talk on the

telephone with minimal difficulty. After a month, I no longer needed my

Voice Carry Over Telephone and was able to use the direct telephone

using my plug-in adaptor. I now listen to books on tape and I speak

independently on the telephone without assistance.

In February of 2004, I received my ESPrit™ 3G BTE for Nucleus 22. The

freedom of not having wires and a box to be mindful of is wonderful! I

now use the t-coil on my ESPrit 3G along with a device called a “Hatis”

on my cordless telephone and I hear clearly. I can wander all over the

house and outside and talk to people on the phone! I run a home-based

business using my telephone. I talk to people all over the country. It

is mind boggling that I can do this, knowing that when I take my ESPrit

3G off -- I am totally deaf! I also work as a sign language interpreter

for my local hospital and as a medical social worker as well.

I have had my implant for 20+ years. I have never had to have the

internal implant replaced. It has never given me any trouble. Over the

years, the external components have gone through multiple improvements

and changes. The original “box” measured about 5 inches by 4 inches, the

next one was 3 1/2 by 2 1/4 inches. Then I had a device that was just

slightly bigger than a normal behind the ear hearing aid. I have had my

ESPrit 3G for 8 months now and I have had no problems with it. I get at

least 3 days of uninterrupted performance between battery changes. I

love the fact that I can buy batteries anywhere and don’t have to worry

about recharging them. Cochlear Americas developed a unique drying

machine that the ESPrit 3G is stored in each night to dry any moisture

that may collect during the day. I believe this improvement has caused

the ESPrit 3G to be extremely reliable. I do not worry about

perspiration damaging my ESPrit 3G.

20+ years of hearing with my cochlear implant! When I volunteered 20+

years ago, little did I know what a miraculous journey I would begin and

continue to travel everyday for the rest of my life!

By C.C.

Fall, 2004

Neotsu, Oregon

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