Anybody Here with Cochlear Implants?

I'm meeting with a CI surgeon this coming week to discuss whether getting a CI is something that would benefit me or not. I'm curious to hear others' experiences. Do you have a Cochlear Implant? If so, can you share your story? I'm especially curious to hear whether it has impacted your tinnitus in any way. And if you do have a CI, how long were you deaf in that ear prior to implantation? How much speech can you understand now?

I'm probably a more unique case in that I still have 100% speech recognition scores in my good ear and would be implanting my bad ear which has been profoundly deaf since I was a small child. It's hard to find many people in a similar situation (though there are some).

-Mike

 

Hi Mike,

Sorry this reply is a bit late.

I have one CI due to progressive sensorineural deafness. I had it at age 33 (36 now) and heard everything within 10 seconds of being activated. I gather this is NOT the norm, and I was told to expect beeps and robotic voices, possibly for weeks/months as your brain learns how to adjust. My speech scores went from 18% to 95% and my audiogram with it on is about 15-20 decibels below the norm - I gained around 70db across all frequencies.

I think I did well because I had experience of sound. It's people that were born with no hearing at all that are likely to take more time to adapt.

Now ... with regard to tinnitus, I'm presently having an awful time with 24/7 low frequency T that began in Feb. I am on meds to sleep, antidepressants, valium as needed. Sounds are distorted with my implant, my voice echoes/booms, and other sounds are literally reverberating through my head: it's obviously horrific. However ... I am getting a new map in less than two weeks which should improve things. It's quite possible I've 'outgrown' the settings I've had for the past 3 years. I can't afford to panic until I've exhausted all my options and a new map is just the beginning. If that doesn't work, then they should start looking for faults etc. Please don't let this put you off. I've had 100% suppression of my high frequency T with it on.

 

Wow that's a great outcome! Congrats!
How does the CI compare vs natural hearing? (that you presumably still have in the other ear?)

 

For me, it's very much like natural hearing (what I can remember of it!).

I have a profound loss in my other ear so only really hear very loud low frequency sounds. I use a hearing aid, but that's more to provide a sense of balance and to help me better localise where sounds are coming from.

 

Wow! That's a fantastic outcome. So you are able to discriminate pitch?

 

Sure. My hearing level and ability to discriminate sounds when its on is comparable to, say, an elderly person who doesn't quite catch everything on the t.v or the entire conversation. Which is why I'm particularly upset by whatever's happening to me now as, on some days, it's just unusable. Keep telling myself the worst possible outcome is reimplantation and we're a long way from that yet. Gotta start with the reprogramming as if that suppresses most/all of this new tinnitus, I obviously won't get all the ridiculous echo-booming-distortion effects.

 

Thanks for sharing. Yes, it sounds like you had very good results at activation. I hope an updated mapping will help with the latest difficulty you are having.

Did you have any side effects or tinnitus from the surgery itself? Or did the intrusive tinnitus come much later after surgery?

 

I have deafness from 1 ear but the deaf ear has no tinnitus.
The good ear has near normal hearing and tinnitus & hyperacusis.
If you hear from 1 ear don't go for CI.

 

Why not? Is this based on personal experience?

 

This is very unsual, how loud is your tinnitus?

 

Just wanted to post an update -- I had cochlear implant surgery this past Friday. It has only been two days, but I'm happy to report that I don't currently have any new tinnitus as a result of the surgery. That was one of my biggest fears with it. Just some dull pain and slight dizziness.

 

That's great! And since you have natural hearing in your "good ear" you're going to be able to help a lot understand how CIs "sound"!

 

did your tinnitus reduce after the CI? Keep us updated if it does fade.

 

Yeah, the hope is my natural hearing can help my CI ear learn the sound. With the long term deafness on that side I will need all the help I can get.

 

I hope it goes well. Good luck to you!

 

My tinnitus has actually faded over the years to where I barely hear it anymore. Usually when I do, it’s in quiet and only lasts a min or so. I just get busy doing other things and it just goes away.

 

OUTCOMES OF TINNITUS POST-COCHLEAR IMPLANTATION IN ADULT POPULATIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW by EVANGELINE WONG

ABSTRACT

Advisor: Donald A. Vogel, Au.D., CCC-A

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to conduct a systematic review on the outcomes of tinnitus, in both its characteristics and psychosocial impact, post-cochlear implantation in profound bilateral and single-sided deafness (SSD) adult populations. A longitudinal case study will also be presented to show long-term effects of tinnitus outcomes in a cochlear implant recipient in a clinical setting.

Objective: The investigation may, in turn, provide information regarding tinnitus in the selection criteria of which ear to implant, considerations in implantation eligibility for patients with bilateral and unilateral severe hearing loss associated with severe tinnitus, and to inform patients about the possible risk of postoperative tinnitus worsening. The collective data may also encourage further assessment of tinnitus in cochlear implant (CI) patients during audiological testing.

Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing various peer-reviewed databases accessible through the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center’s Mina Rees Library was conducted to identify relevant studies evaluating quantitative and qualitative outcome measures of tinnitus post-cochlear implantation. Inclusion criteria were studies with tinnitus and bilateral and unilateral cochlear implant users, bilateral hearing loss subjects, and SSD patients.

Results: A total of 13 articles were selected for review based on the inclusion criteria, research design, and publication date. 10 of the 13 studies focused on tinnitus outcomes in subjects with bilateral profound hearing loss, while the remaining three studies investigated tinnitus outcomes v in cochlear implant subjects with SSD. Evaluation of standardized questionnaires (THI, TQ), non-standardized questionnaires reporting on perceptual characteristics of tinnitus, speech perception scores, and psychosocial outcomes were included in the analysis. Various conditions of tinnitus outcomes (i.e., processor on versus off, hearing aid versus CI, one versus two cochlear implants) were additionally evaluated.

Discussion: All studies, both in individuals with bilateral profound hearing loss and SSD cases, noted an improvement in tinnitus outcomes both in standardized and non-standardized questionnaires. However, some of the included literature did report participants with either no change or worsening of their tinnitus. Despite the strong correlation between tinnitus outcomes and the included psychosocial measures, the following research did not indicate a relationship between speech perception and tinnitus outcomes. Assessment of the case study displays both an improvement and deterioration of THI scores as indicated by the literature. The case emphasizes the lack of follow-up regarding tinnitus measures in the current research and the demand for a more comprehensive examination of tinnitus in clinical settings.

Conclusion: Results from the current review broadly indicate improved tinnitus outcomes on standardized and non-standardized measures post-cochlear implantation in bilateral profound and SSD hearing. Expansion in the clinical report and management of tinnitus as well as standardization of tinnitus measures will be crucial to make more definitive statements regarding these outcomes as the indications for CI implantation in post lingually-deafened individuals continue to expand.

 

Influence of cochlear implant treatment on tinnitus and dizziness in the elderly

Introduction: Hearing rehabilitation using the cochlear implant (CI) has become the "gold standard" in Germany with severe hearing loss or deafness even in old age.

Many effects of CI treatment, such as the positive influence on speech understanding or quality of life have already been proven. The aim of this study was the influence of CI treatment on tinnitus and dizziness in old age.

Method: We included a total of 27 patients between the ages of 70 and 79 in our prospective observational study with a first unilateral CI implantation. At three defined times (preoperatively, at the first fitting of the speech processor and within the 6-month control), the survey was based on the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TF12).

Results: About half of the subjects (48.1%) suffered preoperatively from a tinnitus. Six months postoperatively, only 37% of patients were able to perceive tinnitus. There was a significant improvement in tinnitus intensity from the preoperative of 4.36 ± 2.9 points to 6,85 ± 5.7 in six-month follow-up (p = 0.006).

In the DHI, there was a non-significant decrease of 36.8 ± 11.8 in the preoperative survey to 31.6 ± 9.8 points six months postoperatively (p = 0.12).

Summary: Hearing rehabilitation using CI results in a significant reduction in tinnitus within 6 months after implantation without an increase in dizziness. Thus, CI treatment in the elderly is not only a safe treatment option in terms of possible dizziness, but hearing rehabilitation also has a significant positive effect on tinnitus.

Source: https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0040-1711110

 

Effects of Cochlear Implantation on Tinnitus and Depression

Introduction: Tinnitus is prevalent in 66–88% of cochlear implant users. The reason for this high prevalence is that hearing impairment is the most common cause of tinnitus.

Objective: This study aims to determine the effect of cochlear implant and to compare the severity of tinnitus and depression in adult cochlear implant users with tinnitus.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with tinnitus filled out the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory during CI candidate evaluation. The audiological follow-up in the present study included only patients suffering from tinnitus before the cochlear implant surgery. This study included only patients who had tinnitus handicap inventory and Beck Depression Inventory clinical records pre- and postoperatively, including 23 adult cochlear implant users (13 males and 10 females) aged 18–76 years.

Results and Conclusion: There was a statistically significant decrease in the severity of tinnitus and depression after cochlear implant. As the participants’ tinnitus level and grade decreased, their depression levels also decreased. Depression levels decreased after the use of a cochlear implant compared to before cochlear implantation. Cochlear implantation is currently used only for hearing restoration. However, cochlear implantation may be used in rehabilitation for tinnitus in patients with severe hearing loss and in tinnitus patients. In addition cochlear implantation can be a depression rehabilitation method by reducing tinnitus.

Source: https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/508137

 

Cochlear Implantation in Cases of Asymmetric Hearing Loss: Subjective Benefit, Word Recognition, and Spatial Hearing

Tinnitus is not mentioned neither in the title nor in the abstract, but it is studied in the full article.
See attached file