My Cochlear Implant Story - Part One

It took me two years to get a cochlear implant. The delay was because of two reasons. First, I was not really ready, and procrastinated even after I had decided to get an implant, and I also had minor difficulties with implant programs.

This is Part One of my cochlear implant story.

Part One Part Two

Seriously Considering an Implant

In March 2006, I decided to seriously consider a cochlear implant. I had not used hearing aids since 1995, and I wasn't getting any younger. I realized that I missed experiencing sound. In fact, three years earlier, at the 2003 National Technical Institute for the Deaf reunion, the reunited student band Prism and Company entertained us. I could not hear and enjoy the music from my teenage years.

Other reasons pushing me towards an implant were a desire to hear my boyfriend speak, to cut down the frustrations I had in communication with hearing people, and to improve my personal safety. A final reason was the fact that my insurance company would not cover hearing aids. The insurance company would spend many thousands on an implant, but would not pay anything for listening devices.

Fears of Getting an Implant

What had held me back from getting an implant since the 1990s was fear of surgery and fear of what would happen as a result of surgery. I had been one of those "anti-implant" deaf people, partially due to ignorance of what a cochlear implant really was. At that time, many deaf people including myself, did not know that an implant was like a hearing aid. All we knew was "they cut a hole in your head" and we freaked out.

Many of us in the deaf community viewed implanting deaf children as not right. But over time, we started to accept it for adults. As the years went by, it became clear that cochlear implants were not a miracle cure and that deaf children (and adults) who received them were still deaf. Most opposition to cochlear implants disappeared. Everywhere I go in the deaf community today, I see both adults and children with cochlear implants.

Qualifying for a Cochlear Implant

Now, I had to go through the cochlear implant candidacy process. That process started with a hearing test. Originally cochlear implants were limited to the most severely deaf, but the criteria had loosened over the years. I knew that based on my last hearing test results, I would probably qualify.

The first step was to have a new hearing test. Although I had not lost more hearing since 1997, the test done in late March 2006 only showed a small amount of hearing remaining in my left ear. The amount was probably too tiny for me to benefit from a hearing aid.

That meant I now faced a choice between a life of total silence and taking a risk to be able to hear again. Prior to getting the hearing test, I thought that maybe I still had enough hearing to be able to use hearing aids again, because the technology had improved so much since 1995. It was one reason I had delayed even considering an implant: I secretly hoped that hearing aid technology would improve enough that I would not need surgery to be able to hear again.

The audiologist told me I had several factors in my background that made me a good candidate: I had worn hearing aids since I was identified as a deaf rubella baby at age 1.5 years, I had good auditory training, and I already had oral language skills. Good candidate or not, I knew it was still a risk to get a cochlear implant. Getting a cochlear implant does not guarantee that it will work.

Seeing the Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist

Now I had to go to the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist. He was the one who would review my test results, order additional tests, and refer me to a cochlear implant program. He agreed that I was probably a good candidate and we would move forward. He ordered a CAT scan to determine if my cochlea was in adequate enough shape for an implant. I had the CAT scan done in April 2006.

The ENT reviewed the CAT scan, and referred me to a hospital in Washington, DC. I met with the hospital, and an audiologist there tested my hearing again. There were some delays due to the insurance company and the hospital's program, as well as my own procrastination. Almost one year later, I was able to try hearing aids again as part of a required three-month trial with hearing aids.

Hearing Aid Trial

For the hearing aid trial, I was lent a pair of digital hearing aids for three months. At first, I was delighted to hear sound again. Then I noticed the sound was weak, and I still needed to read lips to understand hearing people. I recognized some sounds due to auditory memory, and I heard some new sounds. In my opinion, the hearing aid trial is the most important part of the cochlear implant candidacy process because the trial determines whether or not there is enough benefit from hearing aids that an implant may not be necessary.

Going into the trial, I thought it would be a choice between hearing aids and an implant. I asked About.com readers how they chose between hearing aids and cochlear implants. A sampling of the responses received:

You have to remember that CI hearing is NOT natural hearing. Perhaps, if these new digital hearing aids work for you, then that’s what you should stick with.
- Ken

Most accounts I’ve read about CI experiences -- and I’ve read quite a few -- is that they don’t deliver as much sound quality or comprehension as hearing aids. So it seems to me as long as a hearing aid remains somewhat useful, it’s better to stay with that and leave a CI as a very last resort.
- Kevin

As the trial progressed, I became disappointed in the benefit I was getting. Although I could hear voices, I could not understand them. My frustration level was not improving, and I was still having to ask hearing people to write all the time. By the time the trial was almost over, I was so frustrated that I returned the loaner hearing aids two weeks early.