Re: trying to choose a CI

[Guest guest]

--- You wrote:

We are looking for opinions, as to which one you chose for your child

and why. As of right now, we don't have a strong preference for either

one, so advice, suggestions and opinions are welcome! Our son will be

one year old next week, and will tentatively be implanted in the

first ear sometime around October.

Thanks so much!

--- end of quote ---

I'll be interested to see what othes say as Tom's in the preliminary stages -

we're looking at a CI for him. DHMC implants either Cochlear or Advanced

Bionics. Our audiologist didn't strongly recommend one or the other. I will

say when Cochlear comes out with the water-resistant transmitter, that would be

compelling for us.

Barbara

[Guest guest]

We chose Cochlear for our two girls simply because the hospital where they

were implanted had a slight (very slight) preference over that one. They

said it wasn't any better than the other options, they had just been working

with Cochlear longer than the other companies. I know that doesn't help

much, but I think you may find that all opinions are stated on which device

anyone's child is implanted with. What matters most is how hard the child

wants to work at using the device, and using what hearing it so miraculously

gave them back. The surgery and the implantation is just the beginning of

very hard work and committment from the family. They are very, very,

expensive and need to be cared for meticulously. Tish

> We are looking for opinions, as to which one you chose for your child

> and why. >

[Guest guest]

Our son also has Cochlear. We looked at both of the options we were

given between devices and they both worked very similar to each other.

The doctor and audiologists said it really didn't matter which one since

they were very similar. However, there were two things that convinced

us to choose Cochlear:

1. Youth - our son is very active and runs around faster than Flash

Gordon (eats as much too). One of the options was a behind-the-ear

model where it was sort of like a larger hearing aid. We knew that this

wasn't a good option for Ricky because, like his normal hearing aids, he

tends to lose, damage, and even destroy them quite often.

So, we chose the Cochlear as it had a pack option. He now wears the

main processor (the most important piece) in a small backup pack that we

put under his main shirt. He doesn't even notice it's there, and when

he does (rarely) it's only to adjust it a bit so he can be back to

zooming around.

We still have to be careful with the pieces that are on his head as they

can still fall off and be damaged or destroyed but it's better then

losing the WHOLE thing!

2. Recall - Not long (maybe a few days to a week?) after we made our

choice the other company recalled their product as the internal piece

(the part that's put in during surgery) was having problems in some

people. So we were lucky there.

Also, just to provide a sort of follow-up to the aforementioned I wanted

to tell you that the Cochlear people have been great! Whenever we ask,

at NO CHARGE, they send us Cochlear Coloring Books for him AND his

schoolmates to help them all better understand what Ricky has and why.

They send us literature, videos, training books for us and teachers, and

whatever else we need all at no cost and very fast!

Our insurance allows our son to receive replacement parts every so often

(every few months or so) in case he breaks or loses them. However,

we've found in an emergency Cochlear ships VERY fast. We live in Iowa

and they ship from Australia and we normally have everything next day or

the next day after that so we have experienced very minimal downtime in

that regard.

As for how well the equipment works. It works. That's all I can say.

He is hearing a lot and making great strides everyday and we are very

thankful for everything Cochlear and the local teams have done for us.

We had one problem with the speech processor where it failed to turn on

and like I said.. they replaced it VERY quickly.

We would have to recommend you choose Cochlear for the following reasons:

1. How well it works. I give it 5 stars.

2. How well the company treats us. I give them 5 stars.

3. How parts replacement is speedy. Another 5 stars.

4. Ease of maintenance. 5 stars again.

5. Ease of use. 4.5 stars. Can be a bit difficult at first but easy

afterwards.

There you have it. Good luck to you! (BTW, my son is 4).

Sincerely,

Father of Ricky

Lavrenz wrote:

> We chose Cochlear for our two girls simply because the hospital where they

> were implanted had a slight (very slight) preference over that one. They

> said it wasn't any better than the other options, they had just been

> working

> with Cochlear longer than the other companies. I know that doesn't help

> much, but I think you may find that all opinions are stated on which

> device

> anyone's child is implanted with. What matters most is how hard the child

> wants to work at using the device, and using what hearing it so

> miraculously

> gave them back. The surgery and the implantation is just the beginning of

> very hard work and committment from the family. They are very, very,

> expensive and need to be cared for meticulously. Tish

>

>

> > We are looking for opinions, as to which one you chose for your child

> > and why. >

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each

> post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject

> to copyright restrictions.

>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> *

[Guest guest]

Just a suggestion --You may want to contact each company directly to

inquire about what future technologies are coming out and when--

Also, not sure if this is applicable but what about upgrade

compatibility issues etc.

Best,

> We are looking for opinions, as to which one you chose for your

child

> and why. As of right now, we don't have a strong preference for

either

> one, so advice, suggestions and opinions are welcome! Our son will

be

> one year old next week, and will tentatively be implanted in the

> first ear sometime around October.

> Thanks so much!

> --- end of quote ---

> I'll be interested to see what othes say as Tom's in the

preliminary stages -

> we're looking at a CI for him. DHMC implants either Cochlear or

Advanced

> Bionics. Our audiologist didn't strongly recommend one or the

other. I will

> say when Cochlear comes out with the water-resistant transmitter,

that would be

> compelling for us.

>

> Barbara

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/12/2005 10:26:34 AM Pacific Standard Time,

Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

<<I will

say when Cochlear comes out with the water-resistant transmitter, that would

be

compelling for us.>>

Although Neal has Advanced Bionics and he has done remarkably well with it

(and I really like the look and set-up of the components of it), I have to say

that if I were choosing right now, that water resistance would be hard to

pass up. I read that it has been tested under water up to 10 minutes safely.

I'm pretty sure that you could also run through sprinklers with it, or have a

water balloon toss, etc without worrying. If AB comes out with something

similar, we will definitely buy it even if we have to shell out $6000.

Rhonda

Mom to Audrey, 8 hearing; and Neal, 5 1/2, CII at 2.9 years

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure if this will apply to you since your son is one and ours

was 5/6 when he got his, but here goes:

We chose Cochlear because the FM system attached to the implants and

there were no wires...that was important to us because he's never had

wires...all BTE (behind the ear). The batteries last 3

days...sometimes 4 without the FM and 2 days with. We have had no

complaints whatsoever. Now, your son is still a baby so you'll

need the body unit, but I'd still recommend cochlear. HTH

[spelled the right way ;p ]

Mom to , 6, progressive loss at 2.9 CI right in 04 left in 05

, 4, hearing/listening/OBEYING (hope you're sitting down!)

, 7 months, hearing/crawling/sleeping all night Love her!!

[Guest guest]

Rhonda,

As we are in the middle of summer and just about to celebrate our 6th year

with the implants...thought you might enjoy a couple of these stories. I have

liked the girls body worn, and BTE to that battery that takes a liken and keeps

on ticken Over these years with the implant we have....sent the girls to the

pool with a friend, whom I thought I didn't have to remind it couldn't get

wet...got a call from the pool that Holly forgot to take hers off, and was head

under the water in the pool before she realized she hadn't! An over night trip

to the Dry aid kit, and BTE still kicking " We live in South Carolina, so

humidity is second nature here....we have never had a problem. Also can't name

the times the girls have come in hair wet from playing in the rain, or so and so

got them wet with the hose...BTE still kickin. I also could never get them to

let their hair dry first before putting in on...so after a shower, or after swim

team practice they both plop it back on their heads right away. This summer

Holly had to wear her body worn for a while. One day she came in and told me it

wasn't' working....it was hours later she admitted it had fallen into the

neighbor's kiddy pool. Again.....and over night trip to the dry aid kit...and

it worked perfectly the next day! Oh and one more thing....I can't tell you how

many times the batteries have gone through the washer and dryer and worked fine

after charging. These are just a few of our many wet stories..LOL...My hope for

the girls is that they could just be kids....they have been for sure!

Clarion 8/99

Holly Clarion 12/99

Re: trying to choose a CI

In a message dated 6/12/2005 10:26:34 AM Pacific Standard Time,

Barbara.T.Mellert@... writes:

<<I will

say when Cochlear comes out with the water-resistant transmitter, that would

be

compelling for us.>>

Although Neal has Advanced Bionics and he has done remarkably well with it

(and I really like the look and set-up of the components of it), I have to say

that if I were choosing right now, that water resistance would be hard to

pass up. I read that it has been tested under water up to 10 minutes safely.

I'm pretty sure that you could also run through sprinklers with it, or have a

water balloon toss, etc without worrying. If AB comes out with something

similar, we will definitely buy it even if we have to shell out $6000.

Rhonda

Mom to Audrey, 8 hearing; and Neal, 5 1/2, CII at 2.9 years

[Guest guest]

Cari,

All the devices are amazing, as they each will allow you to watch your

dreams come true, for your son So many people will have incredible stories

to share, and reasons why they choose one implant over the other. We are just

about to celebrate our 6th anniversary, of both daughters being implanted. It

is hard now to remember all my thoughts, way back when we where looking. For me

the technical aspects seemed overwhelming. I had gone to an AGBell conference

in Little Rock, just a few weeks after we had decided it was time to look at the

implant for my oldest daughter. I felt like I talked to everyone and their

brother that weekend, trying to decide. had a profound, progressive,

fluctuating loss. We had worked so hard with her since she got her first

hearing aids, and getting the implant was such a huge step for us. When we went

to the AB booth I found the answer we where looking for. After listening to our

story the rep looked at me and said " no matter which implant you choose your

daughters lives are going to be amazing " . I felt from that moment on that

Advanced Bionics cared more about my children then the sale of their device.

The girls are now 11 and 12, and live that amazing life everyday! If you have

any questions please feel free to ask.

Clarion 8/99

Holly Clarion 12/99

trying to choose a CI

We are looking for opinions, as to which one you chose for your child

and why. As of right now, we don't have a strong preference for either

one, so advice, suggestions and opinions are welcome! Our son will be

one year old next week, and will tentatively be implanted in the

first ear sometime around October.

Thanks so much!

Cari

All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the

intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

[Guest guest]

Please note: Each child's battery life depends on their MAP (implant

programming). As 's son seems to get some good results with battery

life, it's important to note that the type of implant will not always

dictate the battery life but the program your child has for the particular

implant makes a big impact. Good luck with making this important choice.

If I may add, our decision for the type of implant also included another

consideration: Which implant does your implant center have the most

experience with, including surgery and programming? You might want to ask

that question or something along those lines.....

Martha (mom of 2 children, CIs)

At 10:37 PM 6/12/2005, you wrote:

>I'm not sure if this will apply to you since your son is one and ours

>was 5/6 when he got his, but here goes:

>

>We chose Cochlear because the FM system attached to the implants and

>there were no wires...that was important to us because he's never had

>wires...all BTE (behind the ear). The batteries last 3

>days...sometimes 4 without the FM and 2 days with. We have had no

>complaints whatsoever. Now, your son is still a baby so you'll

>need the body unit, but I'd still recommend cochlear. HTH

>

> [spelled the right way ;p ]

>Mom to , 6, progressive loss at 2.9 CI right in 04 left in 05

> , 4, hearing/listening/OBEYING (hope you're sitting down!)

> , 7 months, hearing/crawling/sleeping all night Love her!!

>

>

>

>

>All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post

>is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to

>copyright restrictions.

>