From the article: How do you define success with a cochlear implant?
Success with a cochlear implant is a personal thing. Everyone who has a cochlear implant, has their own definition of success. For me personally, success with my cochlear implant means that I can manage without an interpreter in small group meetings at work. Other people with implants might define it as just being able to hear environmental sounds. A parent might define success for their implanted child as being able to be mainstreamed without an interpreter. How do you define success with a cochlear implant for yourself?
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Different Priorities Define Success
- I recently learned I may be a CI candidate and have begun exploring my options. This post helped me to define what I wanted out of a CI. My brother has not wanted a CI but I asked him what results would make him consider one. For him, a successful implant would mean that he is able to communicate within a group of people. This was very important to him. For me though, a successful CI would mean that I could understand speech without lip-reading. I can handle not hearing in noisy situations and though I want to be able to communicate in groups, the most important thing for me would be that I could understand a person without concentrating so hard on hearing and lipreading. I would love to be able to talk on the phone, get rid of captioning, and carry a conversation while walking side by side. My discussion with my brother showed me though that what a person would value most from a CI probably has more to do with what they feel they are missing out on the most.
- —Guest Laura
Hearing the UPS Man and More
- Yes, hearing the patter of rain is part of my success story. I hear what people say from behind me in a checkout line, parts of other people's conversations, the UPS man said from the bottom of the steps, 'you are welcome' as he was getting back into his truck, my husband speaks to me from the basement while I am up in the living room. The list goes on and on. I am becoming a more confident person, more sociable - instead of avoiding people, knowing I wouldn't have heard them. The CIs for me are an amazing miracle - hearing with two deaf ears!
- —Guest AnneTaylor
Its Raining, Its Pouring...
- Some people are happy with their CI's because they can hear rain. With my listening practice, I learned to hear the various sounds of raindrops as it lands on specific objects. Rain on my skylight sounds different then the rain on my roof. Rain hitting my umbrella sounds diferent then the rain on the sidewalk. "STOMP Out Loud" is a wonderful DVD. At one point, they make music with rain hitting different objects. It's the perfect example of my "hearing" experience with CI's.
- —Guest jena
Family Success
- To me success with CI for a child would be that not only can they hear and sing, but that the mere use of CIs would not disrupt the family circle by using it to keep a Deaf parent or those that use ASL out of the child's life!
- —Guest Grandma
Understanding More People
- For me, success is the ability to understand what more people are saying even the ones that I couldn't understand before. (Guide comment: I agree!)
- —NancyHousner
Thirty DB or More
- In my opinion, Cochlear Implant success involves: Ability to hear with db of 30 or better AND ability to distinguish sounds and words (after appropriate training.)
- —Candysblog
