It was like switching from a black-and-white TV to color.
Table of Contents
- Living with hearing loss after streptomycin injections
- My decision to get a cochlear implant
- Sounds that matter to me
- Why I chose Advanced Bionics
- The astonishing transformation of hearing with a cochlear implant
- Going Bilateral: Getting a second Cochlear Implant
- How cochlear implants transformed my life
- If you’re going through something similar...
- I couldn’t have done it alone
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My cochlear implant experience: “An overwhelming sense of happiness."
Monday, May 5, 2025
Sato Shinji is a 65-year-old bilateral Advanced Bionics cochlear implant user from Japan. After using hearing aids for most of his life, his cochlear implants have given him a newfound confidence, ability to communicate with friends and family, and enjoy music again. This is his story:
Living with hearing loss after streptomycin injections
I was born to hearing parents and initially had normal hearing. However, when I was six years old, I was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss due to the side effects of streptomycin. I have an older brother and a younger sister. My brother is hearing, but my sister also developed sensorineural hearing loss due to streptomycin injections administered at the same hospital around the same time. Many other children also suffered hearing loss due to the same cause.
There is no other history of hearing loss in my family. I have a daughter who is hearing, and my sister has two daughters, both of whom also have normal hearing. I have been told that hearing loss caused by streptomycin is not hereditary but rather due to individual susceptibility.
I started using a hearing aid in my right ear when I was six. However, my left ear only picked up noise, even with a hearing aid. Since I was able to communicate with my right ear aided, I attended a mainstream school. Despite this, my hearing was never perfect. During my teenage years, I resented my parents for my hearing loss, but they always treated me with deep love and care. In those days, there was no information or support for people with hearing loss, making school a significant challenge. Nevertheless, I graduated from university and pursued a career in accounting.
My decision to get a cochlear implant
While I managed conversations with a hearing aid, my hearing gradually deteriorated after turning 50, affecting my work. This caused me deep distress.
Choosing to undergo cochlear implant surgery was a major decision. My family questioned whether I should continue with hearing aids instead, as there was no guarantee that a cochlear implant would be effective.
I was also anxious about having an implant placed in my head. However, since my hearing aid had become nearly useless, I decided to take the leap, clinging to the hope that the surgery would help me hear again.
Sounds that matter to me
It has now been 10 years since receiving my cochlear implant on the left ear and 11 years since my right ear surgery.
With my cochlear implants, I’ve regained the ability to follow conversations, which is the most important sound for me. Equally important is music. Being able to enjoy music beautifully is one of life’s great joys.
Why I chose Advanced Bionics
- The T-Mic microphone technology from AB improves speech clarity.
- AB’s HiRes sound processing technology (which simulates 120 virtual channels) allows me to enjoy music with greater richness.
- The Naída CI sound processor has a slim and stylish design.
- A single processor could store programs for both my left and right ears, allowing seamless use without distinguishing between them.
The astonishing transformation of hearing with a cochlear implant
With a hearing aid alone, I could not hear high frequencies. After receiving my first cochlear implant in my left ear, I could suddenly hear them! It was like switching from a black-and-white TV to color. My right ear could still process sound with a hearing aid, but my left ear only picked up noise. The fact that my left ear, which had been useless with a hearing aid, could suddenly pick up speech was an incredible surprise. One day, I was shocked to realize I could understand weather forecasts on TV and train announcements. Previously, I could not comprehend voices from speakers at all.
Going Bilateral: Getting a second Cochlear Implant
After my initial surgery, I was using a hearing aid in my right ear and a cochlear implant in my left. However, the volume difference between both ears was significant, and I became dissatisfied with the sound quality from my right hearing aid. Since my left ear, which previously could not process speech, could now hear well with a cochlear implant, I wondered if implanting my right ear would lead to even greater improvement. I consulted the same surgeon who performed my left ear surgery about implanting my right ear, and he agreed. One year after my left ear surgery, I underwent surgery for my right ear. As expected, my hearing improved dramatically.
One year after my left ear surgery, I underwent surgery for my right ear. As expected, my hearing improved dramatically.
How cochlear implants transformed my life
- With sound entering both ears, the volume doubled, making it much easier to hear.
- Conversations with my family became effortless. (I rarely need to ask them to repeat themselves).
- I can now clearly hear high frequencies that I couldn’t hear with hearing aids.
- I can enjoy music in stereo.
- Communicating in stores and noisy environments has become easier. (When I only had one implant, I often just nodded without understanding.)
- I can now converse with people wearing masks. (Previously, I had to ask them to remove their masks).
- I no longer worry about missing my name being called at hospital receptions or cashiers. (Previously, I wouldn’t hear it at all).
- Thanks to the T-Mic, I can wear headphones, listen to music on the train, and talk on my smartphone.
My Advanced Bionics cochlear implants have truly given me a new life, allowing me to experience sound in ways I never imagined possible.
One day, as I lay on the sofa listening to ‘70s music through my headphones, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, as if a shower of sparkling shooting stars was raining down. At that moment, I truly felt that choosing bilateral cochlear implants was the right decision.
If you’re going through something similar...
Through my journey, I have learned that cochlear implants are effective for those who experience hearing loss later in life. I underwent surgery at the ages of 55 and 56. I wish I had known earlier that even individuals with sensorineural hearing loss (as long as the auditory nerve in the cochlea remains intact despite wear on inner ear nerve cells), could benefit from cochlear implants.
I believe many people struggle with declining hearing, even with hearing aids. Every day, the time we have left in life diminishes. I sincerely hope that cochlear implants will bring the gift of better hearing to those who need them.
I couldn’t have done it alone
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Katsunori Ishida from Chigasaki Central Hospital, who performed both of my surgeries, as well as speech therapists Ms. Y and Ms. S, who supported me during my rehabilitation period. I am also deeply thankful to Mr. N and Ms. M from Nihon Kohden, who patiently answered my repeated inquiries, and Ms. Fukui and Ms. Chen from Nihon Bionics, who suggested adjustments to my mappings.
Furthermore, I am immensely grateful to my wife, who provided unwavering support throughout my surgery and recovery. Lastly, I would like to tell my late mother—who passed away still carrying the burden of responsibility for my hearing loss—that thanks to cochlear implants, I can now hear again.
One day, as I lay on the sofa listening to ‘70s music through my headphones, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, as if a shower of sparkling shooting stars was raining down. At that moment, I truly felt that choosing bilateral cochlear implants was the right decision.
Note: The views expressed in this post are those of the author. Each person's situation is unique so your experience may not be the same. Talk to your hearing care provider about whether a cochlear implant is right for you.
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