Looking back, I wish I had done this a lot sooner.
LIFE WITH A COCHLEAR IMPLANT
Hearing With A Cochlear Implant
The way to better hearing with a CI takes time and work.
Remember when you first took up a new hobby or tried to learn a new skill? At first, you were challenged to learn new skills. With time and practice, the skills became natural to you. Hearing with a cochlear implant is a similar process. With time and practice, you will hear better and better as you become familiar with the new sounds heard through your CI.
Cochlear Implant Surgery & Activation
What's the success rate of a cochlear implant?
Your doctor will be able to tell you how likely you are to do well with a cochlear implant.
In order for you to hear with a cochlear implant, your doctor needs to put it inside your inner ear through surgery. While any type of surgery has risks, it is important to know that complications are extremely rare. Keep in mind that surgery is a necessary but quick part of the process, and that hundreds of thousands of people have had it all around the world. Most of them go home after the surgery the same day, or the very next day.
Usually, two to four weeks after the surgery, you would go to your audiologist’s office for cochlear implant activation, to “switch on” your CI.
This is a very exciting and emotional step. During this appointment, the audiologist will also show you how to use and take care of your CI system.
Follow-up cochlear implant programming appointments to improve your hearing are typically scheduled in the weeks and months after the activation. Long term, adults typically have yearly check-ups.
"I have no regrets in having this surgery. I am looking forward to having my right ear implanted, too, so I can hear with both ears. If you are out there and you have hearing loss that is progressing beyond the help of hearing aids, let me tell you that you don't have to suffer anymore. Make an appointment with your audiologist and see if you qualify for a cochlear implant."
– Daniel Layne, hears with an AB Cochlear Implant
Getting The Most Out of Your Cochlear Implant
Getting used to hearing and living with your cochlear implant is a journey. Along the way, Advanced Bionics will always be there to help.
We want you to get the most out of your cochlear implant in the months and years to come. That’s why we offer a wide range of support, rehabilitation, and programs, all designed to get you hearing your best.
Related Content
Hear from others who have taken this step.
The AB Connections blog has stories from people living with CIs, and helpful articles written by CI experts. It is a great source of information and inspiration as you start your own journey to better hearing.
A powerful sense of community.
Join this free network of CI wearers just like you so you’ll never have to go at it alone.
Education and rehabilitation.
Try our rehabilitation resource, HearingSuccess, created for anyone using hearing aids or cochlear implants. The exercises, tips and tricks there can help you get the most out of your hearing devices, and have better conversations.
As technology improves, so does your hearing.
The Advanced Bionics and Phonak teams will always be on top of the latest innovations. Our work is to make sure that as technology gets better, so does your hearing.
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