Why I Decided to Get a Cochlear Implant... Early

I relocated that year and found a new audiologist.  When I asked when to consider a cochlear implant, the audiologist was more colorful saying “Oh, you don’t want a CI, you will lose all your residual hearing!” To which I responded, “I feel quite deaf at the moment, so that prospect is not too concerning.”

Then, I found another audiologist at a teaching University and continued my own research.  What I found was that recent studies were showing that those individuals who got their CI sooner rather than later were having much better ultimate results in the booth and in real life.

The new audiologist had experience with CI patients and shared thorough information about options and brands.  I was particularly interested when she mentioned that Advanced Bionics (AB) had cochlear implants that directly “linked” with a hearing aid to work together.  (And they had super fun colors as a bonus). 

Again, I asked if I should get a CI and the answer was, “You are right on the fence for approval and could go either way, but you still have hearing in the lower frequencies in the high normal range and there is a risk that could go away.  There is also the possibility you would keep your residual hearing after surgery and benefit from using the AB M Acoustic Ear Hook to act as a “hearing aid” for your natural frequencies and the CI would pick up the rest of the frequencies where you struggle.  But…this is your decision, and it is not clear cut.”

I went into research overdrive and set up video calls with representatives from all three CI brands and talking with people who had them. By far, I was much earlier in the curve for considering the surgery than most people. My audiologist wisely suggested I get a full CI evaluation and meet with a surgeon and gather more information to help with my decision. This  led to the next big decision – where to go for the consultation. I did more research and learned that Vanderbilt University in Tennessee was one of the top CI research institutions in the world and they were about a 5.5 hour drive away. I wanted the most up to date information, so it was worth the drive. 

I qualified for a CI, but just barely, per insurance requirements. I asked the surgeon for his thoughts on whether I should take the plunge or wait, and his answers made so much sense to me. He said:

“You are still relatively young, do not currently take any significant medications, and are in great health. That may not be the case a few years down the road, which adds a bit to the risk for surgery in general. Our research does indeed tell us that those who transition to CI sooner show faster progress in their rehabilitation and tend to have better results in the booth.  I do not think it is too soon for you.” 

Well, that cemented my decision. Now, all that was left was to finalize what brand of CI to choose.

I cannot think of any other surgery where the patient has to select a medical device. When you get a new knee, the surgeon doesn’t bring in a bunch of titanium joints and asks you to pick which one you think is best for you.

I selected AB for several reasons:

• At the time, the technology was the newest upgrade of the CI internal implant of the three major brands
• There was room in the implant for expansion to add new developments. AB implants have the capacity to accommodate feature upgrades that may allow her to have even better hearing experiences in the future.
• The option is available to use the M acoustic ear hook if I retained some residual hearing, and if not, then the T-mic feature would help use the natural shape of my ear to guide sound
• The Phonak brand Marvel Link hearing aid worked together with the CI to provide more cohesive sound. (AB and Phonak have the same parent company, Sonova, which ensures future improvements will continue to work together with shared sound processing, controls, accessories, and more.
• The colors…like Caribbean Pirate Teal!