Nancy Delaney
Deciding to get a cochlear implant was a difficult decison and one that took a lot of courage. However, it was the best decison I have made in my life.
I have been hearing impaired since the age of eleven. My loss was steady and in the mild/moderate category as a child. When I reached my twenties, my loss began to worsen. By the time I reached age 30, my loss had progressed so that I could no longer use the telephone. It wasn't until I was 48 years old that I felt I was ready for the implant. I did a lot of research before coming to the conclusion that it was the right decision for me.
The Clarion System
The above picture shows the Clarion S-Series system. For more information about their latest system, the Platinum Series, visit Advanced Bionics web site.
This is the internal implant. It is inserted under the skin in a hollowed out area of the mastoid bone.
The wire is the electrode array, which is inserted into the cochlea. There is a magnet inside the implant which attracts a magnet on the outside headpiece.
The magnet is what holds the headpiece to the my head.
The Surgery
The surgery was an overnight stay and was done at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. There was very little pain with the surgery. The pressure bandage caused more pain than the incision. Vertigo affected me for about three months but was tolerable. By the time hookup came, I was feeling quite well. Hookup was on December 17, 1996.
More on my surgery and hookup
Images Courtesy of Advanced Bionics Corporation
The New BTE
The above photo shows the Clarion BTE on the left and my very first BTE hearing aid that I received in 1958 on the right. It was the first BTE on the market.
Note the sizes. The Clarion BTE is actually shorter than the hearing aid. Above photo property of Nancy Delaney
To read more about my first experience with the BTE go to My Diary BTE
The Internal Parts
This diagram shows the placement of the internal device and the array. It seems complicated but the surgery only takes about 3 to 5 hours.
Hookup!!! Hookup went extremely well. I was able to get sound! I could hear voices but they were very mechanical sounding and very high pitched.
In time, that all changed. By the time six months came around my speech discrimination had greatly improved!