My First Month Using a Cochlear Implant (Cochlear Nucleus 7) [CC]

[@SilverGypsyWeed]

You are already learning and sharing small work arounds, and it sounds to me like you have a good audiologist that has you set with the necessary tools to hear as much as possible.

[@nellefindlay]

My audiologist and the implant team at Southampton University have been fantastic. :)

[@suzanneking7433]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I will eventually get a cochlear implant. At present my hearing loss is 85+% bilaterally. I wear a BAHA and with it my speech recognition is 92%. I needed this video of your experience to encourage me in my decision to get the cochlear implant when the time comes. Again, thank you so much.

[@nellefindlay]

I'm glad you found my video helpful. I'm guessing you have a mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss then? I don't know about where you live, but in the UK, to get a CI on the NHS your speech recognition needs to be below 50% with hearing aids so hopefully you don't need to worry about an implant for a while. My experience with my CI has been great and I would imagine that if you're already used to a BAHA a CI wouldn't be a massive change. Nelle :)

[@nelsangelin9667]

One more thing. At work (that caused most of my deafness), I can depend on my processor to protect me. It will automatically block all sounds that are above a certain level. I can hear conversations well through the shop noises. If necessary, I can use the forward focus to limit background interference just as you mentioned too.

[@summerlake356]

Hard work to be deaf! But Nelle speaks beautifully - would have never guessed there was a hearing problem.Just sounds educated, intelligent and charming.

[@nealeburgess6756]

First, Nelle, may I say I am so sorry to hear of your Grandmother passing away. It must be devastating for you. However, I am so pleased to hear your positive comments about your CI. Also well done for reading the instructions. It seems to be a recurring theme, your reading instructions. I am confident that has a good influence on your positive results. Also pleased you have found the telecoil so helpful. Many years ago (early 90s I think) I took a very elderly friend, who was hard of hearing and used a conventional hearing aid, to a Jehovah's Witness convention at Twickenham rugby ground (audience of about 30,000 people). We sat in the hearing aid loop section, and he used his telecoil for the first time. He was so enthusiastic about it afterwards. Said he could hear every word, with no distracting ambient noise. The result was that we installed a loop system in our local Kingdom Hall, so he could hear our weekly meetings. It worked so well that he could even hear the meeting when he went to the bathroom. Nobody else could. Great presentation Nelle. I didn't hear "like" once!

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your kind comment. I had no idea how much of a difference the telecoil would make. I was so impressed. It's good you decided to install a loop at your local Kingdom Hall, that was a while ago, so you were probably an early adopter. I don't know about Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Halls, but most churches now have them, I think. I'm glad you liked the presentation. There were a couple of 'likes' but I think it was reduced to an acceptable level.

[@Zinnias2go]

When we get back to the meetings at our KH (still using zoom here in the US because of Covid) I will mention the loop. Getting my first Hearing Aid soon, have a consultation this Tuesday. This is all new to me. Nice seeing a comment from one of our JW family ☺️ Agape love ❤️

[@kelvinmorris1991]

@@nellefindlay do they make Skeleton Earmolds where you live?

[@nellefindlay]

@@kelvinmorris1991 Hi, I think they do make skeleton earmolds in the UK, but because my hearing aids are really loud they gave me solid earmolds to reduce the feedback. It really just depends on your individual needs. I hope this answers your question.

[@kelvinmorris1991]

@@nellefindlay thanks I have skeleton Earmolds with my recently fitted Phonak Nadia paradise P50 hearing aids

[@crackerbarrel6965]

I’m so glad I didn’t jump at getting one of these. I have profound hearing loss, but knowing the side effects and that the operation is not reversible is not worth it. I’ll take my 80% loss and maintain what little acoustical hearing I’ve got over hearing everything electronically any day of the week. The tech has a long way to go before I’d seriously consider it. I hate having one hearing aid as it is, let alone wearing even more hardware in my head, and being female it’s so much easier concealing all that stuff than a guy with a crew cut. To each their own though.

[@nellefindlay]

It's a super personal decision and absolutely isn't right for everyone. For me, I lost my hearing really quickly and had virtually no speech recognition with hearing aids and am not great at reading lips, so for me, the cochlear implant was worth it purely for speech discrimination (which is pretty much the main thing it's good for). It's a super big adjustment and takes a lot of work to be able to hear with it and for me at least, things still sound tinny and robotic, but it has drastically increased my ability to discriminate speech so it's definitely a trade off. I personally, am not really bothered by the way the processor looks, but I know some people are very self conscious of their hearing devices. Thank you for commenting with your experience :)

[@nahnahbethr661]

@@nellefindlayit still sounds tinny and weird? How long have you had your CI for?

[@pastorkendallmeyer7056]

Thank you so much for your information. I am receiving a double cochlear implant on March 9th. So your videos have been so extremely helpful for me. You are a blessing!!!

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm glad you've found my videos helpful. I wish you the best of luck with your implants. Nelle xx

[@pastorkendallmeyer7056]

Can you do me a favor and possibly do a video on your emotions before and after the surgery. I would like to know how what emotions you may have had prior and how you handled them prior to surgery and then what emotions you dealt with afterwards.

[@joopvervaart]

Loved your energy and your video, really great listening to you, Enjoy your implant. Keep making videos please

[@spillips13]

Thanks for posting I've found this really helpful. I'm 2 weeks post surgery and waiting to get my N7 switched on.

[@nellefindlay]

I'm glad you've found it helpful. Good luck for your activation day! :)

[@Travyola]

Have had two implants now for 3 or so years. Best thing I did was go for the second implant and that really improved my hearing. Music is fantastic and you wouldn’t know any difference from when you had “normal” hearing. No robotic Boris’s whatsoever - just give it time for the brain to adapt. I think it takes a good 6 months but in honesty it’s the second ear and the aid that’s hindering progress. Pairing to my iPhone is wonderful in particular listening to music, watching Netflix and talking on the phone, but I find noise cancelling headphones are clearer.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I really hope that I'll be able to get a second implant, but it's not usually available on the British National Health Service for adults (unless you are also blind) so it might not be an option for me. I'm trying to make a case to see if they will make an exception for me to get another one though so hopefully I'll be able to. I'm getting on really well so far with my implant and I'll keep the internet updated on my progress. Hopefully in 6 months I'll be able to hear even better. It's interesting that you think it sounds better with noise cancelling headphones, I'll have to try that at some point and see if that works better. Nelle xx

[@englandcalling9721]

So sorry to hear of your Grandmother's passing, my thoughts to you and your family. On a more positive note, delighted you’re making progress with the cochlear implant. Great to know it’s made a difference for you. Maybe in the New Year you could try a new episode of Deaf Karaoke, or Cochleoke even.

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you for your kind comment. I'll definitely be making more Karaoke videos (because I find it completely hilarious, probably more so than it actually is). Next on my list is Elan by Nightwish and The Raven Child by Avantasia. I'm not sure if The Raven Child is too long to be entertaining, but I really like that song so I'll try it and see whether it works or not.

[@justmeonly986]

Thank you. I've had so many questions and you've answered most.

[@nellefindlay]

Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them in a comment. :)

[@Zinnias2go]

Thnx for sharing. I think this awesome 👏 for you. It wasn’t dry, very informative 👍

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. xx

[@curiouscat4052]

Thank you for a very helpful practical video. Your attitude is so positive.

[@nelsangelin9667]

You can compare how my cochlear works for me. I don't use the remote anymore at all. My favorite is the mini mic2. Here is an interesting comparison. My wife is terribly hard of hearing. (another story). She has the TV turned up to about 45 and 55. That is getting unbearable for me. My personal normal level is about 30 but often down to 20 to 25. With the mini mic2, I need to set the TV at 15 but can still hear at level 5. The min mic's nice as it goes directly to my implants. It doesn't matter how far I am from the TV, the sound is all the same. I have been back in another room (bath) and the sound can come through at a certain point. I use the mini mic for my ham radio because there is no dependence on ambient sound. Again, the sound goes direct which is very helpful. When my wife is making too much "noise" (TV, etc), I can use the app to turn the volume down to the bottom so it is not so painful.

[@nellefindlay]

I love the mini mic and the ability to adjust the volume. It makes such a difference.

[@KuscosPoison]

Hello from the USA Nelle. When you said it sounded robotic I got a bit of a giggle. My audiologist said that with my 1st implant, I progressed very well. BUT when listening to people talk they all sounded robotic. I had 2 main characters when trying to explain to hearing people I used to explain the sound of voices in the beginning. They either sounded like a Robotic Micky Mouse or a Robotic Donald Duck.

[@nellefindlay]

That sounds exactly the same as what it sounded like to me. I'm used to it now though so it doesn't bother me at all.

[@tarmo8943]

It's been a while when i did send a comment into this channel. I have been pretty busy with life, work and especially with CI. After christmas i actually stepped out from CI scene and didn't follow any CI related because i was busy and i didn't had time to think about CI heh. CI is just a normal thing for me now and i don't feel it being there on ear. I started to follow CI things again because i'm going to get another CI in 3 months. Post surgery really sucks and i hope i will progress much better than i did with first CI. I've been waiting for Nucleus 8 but no information about it so far... I'll try to follow you from now and i hope you will get another CI very soon

[@nellefindlay]

Good luck getting your second implant. Now I've had my implant switched on for 6 months it feels completely normal to me and it's slowly getting better all the time.

[@aila1991]

The last thing on your mini mic is if you want to use roger pen. Then you need a extra roger shoe and a roger pen (a different kind of microphone, but for me, I don’t like that you can’t control the volume on the roger pen)

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thanks for your comment. I completely forgot to mention that. I've never tried an fm system such as the roger pen, but I'd be interested to try it out. It's interesting that you don't like the roger pen as much, lots of people have told me that it's great. Do you use the cochlear nucleus 7 processor? Maybe how well it works depends on what processor or hearing aids you have, but it might just depend on the individual person. Nelle xx

[@morbidgirl6808]

Interesting information! I already got CI since I was 3 (I was born deaf). I always wondered what was it like to get CI after hearing aids at your age. I like that processor and telecoil. Seems like they are efficient. About music thingy, I can't believe it's unbearable to some people with CI. Personally, I'm very much into loud music like metal, rock, noise, harsh noise wall etc. Lol. My condolences to you for your grandmother.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, I'm still getting on well with my implant. Music is much better now, I think it's just a bit of an adjustment period. Now I'm 6 months into having an implant, I listen to music a lot (I'm also into rock and metal among other things). Thank you for your positive wishes. Nelle xx

[@ankewynmalen1186]

I can't stand hearing music with my hearing aids. But now, having applied for implants, I am worried to learn that CIs can be bad also for listening to music.

[@tsaers5192]

WOW........What a beauty !

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

Hi Nelle first off I am sorry you lost your grandmother,it's not been your year! And I love your hair & jumper! I am glad you got new earmoulds or mould! Is there a chance on your next video to see the colour please! Your video was not dry! It was very informative! So detailed! I am pleased your hearing so much with your implant! And all the stuff you heard at the funeral! Just imagine what it would have been like now with just hearing aids! You must keep wearing the one you got as i am no expert but may help if you get the other ear implanted! You need to speak to your doctor or your consultant in the new year to get your other ear implanted! You did say that if you had visual problems they would do it! I remember you saying you had eye problems with your eyes moving or something like that! If you had been 18 or younger you would have had both ears implanted! Perhaps speak to other CI users on Facebook & Instagram etc! They may have found ways to get the other ear implanted! I can see how much it will benefit you! I think you have done so well! You should be proud of yourself! You did say you keep knocking your processor off! I am sure I read you can use a different ear hook so you can fit a hearing aid mould to hold your processor in place! I hope you do another update please in the new year to tell us all what the implant centre had you learn & how you got on at Christmas with the family & going to church for the midnight mass or Christmas day church service! As for me my hearing aids broke I got them back Friday (10th) the hospital replaced like for like! But as soon as I put them in the same fault occurred! It's was like everyone sounded deaf & had a lisp,what little I could hear! But if I put only one in at a time what few words I could hear sounded normal! So I have emailed audiology for further advice I don't fancy having no working hearing aids for Christmas! I would gladly buy your hearing aids if I had £3000! Any news about you getting the NHS hearing aid? Did they do your earmoulds? I think in 2022 I might join your CI club! Get covid numbers down first! If you don't post again before Christmas I hope you,Will and your family have a lovely Christmas & you got one good gift already some hearing back! Plus I am glad the mic helps! Don't give up on the other implant Nelle keep pestering them & show how well you are doing until they give in! Offer to have it done at short notice if someone gets cold feet! Thank you for making these video's & all your kind replies! You are helping so many people to decide whether to have a CI! When your hearing aid gets you down just stop & think without being fast tracked for the CI your Christmas would have been a very deaf & frustrating one! Ps I hope you gave in your notice at the dental practice 💖💖💖

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you for your comment. With regards to my eyesight issues and getting another implant, the guidelines for getting another implant is if you are registered legally blind. My eyesight issues are very mild. I just have a strabismus in one eye, amblyopia in both eyes (basically I have two lazy eyes which is apparently a thing). I also have some weird pigment on my retinas (it seems to be genetic because my mum and both my brothers also have it) but that doesn't seem to cause any problems, they just monitor it. My eyesight is slightly worse than normal vision even with glasses or contact lenses, but nowhere near being legally considered visually impaired so I'm not eligible for another implant because of this. (For anyone who is interested, my best corrected vision in my better eye is 20/40 which is just about legal to drive in the UK the point at which you would be legally considered visually impaired is 20/200 vision, so I'm not even close.) I hope you get your hearing aids sorted by Christmas. Still waiting for an NHS hearing aid appointment, but to be honest, I'm just hoping to get a second implant. My hearing aid doesn't do that much to help me hear. I only wear it to keep the nerves alive. I'll definitely keep pushing to get a second implant, so don't worry about that. Apologies for the long and rambly reply. Nelle xx

[@barrytaylorprofoundlydeafi2479]

@@nellefindlay it's me that rambles & probably says silly stuff! If your eye sight was that bad you would not be daft enough to take a driving test! My left eye is definitely 20/200 I had a measle spot in it then a dendritic ulcer & had to have an injection in it to save it so it's like looking out of a frosted glass window & the right eye has got worse this year! As for my hearing it's in the hands of my audiologist! My health authority only issue Siemens/Signia hearing aids! It seems it's the whole of Kent hospitals! So I have to take what I am given but I am not complaining as they are free! If I had to pay I would have lost every bit of hearing by now! Your audiologist was right I got told off for leaving my hearing aids out during lockdown & I got told that my auditory nerve in both ears could have easily have died! If you did not have a CI & just hearing aids in both ears! I think like me you would have struggled! I am just happy the implant is working your a nice lady,kind & helpful! Without your video's from the start a lot of us deaf people would still not know whether a CI was the way to go! There you go normal ramble! Barry xx

[@durantandpop3792]

Thank you for sharing

[@jimlyon7311]

Also, I custome make hair and ponytail clips from acrylic pouring for women...

[@amyleach829]

Thank you for putting this video together. It was very helpful as I get activated in a few weeks. Have you had the second side done yet?

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Good luck with your activation. I haven't got a second one yet, but it's in the plans thanks to some very generous donations. :)

[@xTheBigDealx]

I have exact same CI as you. Mine was activated TODAY. I know it will get better from what everyone says but today was really awful. I hear EVERYTHING and it’s too much. Very overwhelming. Sounds like I’m in a bird cage with 100 birds all chirping at once when outside noise is around. If it’s a quiet setting then I can pick up language decent from the person I’m talking with but currently it’s just too much noise in a regular setting. Hoping as the weeks/months go by I can block all that out.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, it definitely is a lot when it is first switched on. You will probably start to get used to it in 3-6 months, but for me it still gets a little overwhelming sometimes. Just remember that it's fine to take breaks whenever you need. You have a volume control for a reason so definitely use it whenever you need to. The Nucleus 7 and 8 have a feature on the app called 'forward focus' which allows you to only hear the sounds in front of you which helps cut out some of the background noise. I hope this is helpful. Good Luck :)

[@jerrysabino9079]

Nelle, sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother. I am due to receive my implant this coming April. Do you have any words of wisdom. Thanks Jerry USA

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, my advice would be to keep your expectations low for when they first switch it on. It takes a lot of time and patience to get used to it. Also expect to feel completely awful during the recovery from the surgery. Some people say they were back at work the next day and stuff, but I certainly wasn't so just be prepared. My implant was totally worth it though so don't let me put you off! Good luck Nelle :)

[@michaelmissenberger8782]

Sorry about your granny. Just found your video as i am looking for new CI videos from time to time. Great video, really. And I really like your dialect. Where does that dialect come from?

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I'm from the south coast of England, but I just sound really posh. Nelle xx

[@weatherdevil9029]

I wonder if they will ever incorporate binaural information onto the sound so that you can focus on individual sound sources.(edit, i understand that two implants would be better for the stereo aspect, and much better for the binaural cues).

[@ChadWaddell-c3e]

Thank you for your words. Where do I get microphones to have people wear if I can't hear them well with my Cochlear Implant?

[@nellefindlay]

I got one as a 'free gift' from the cochlear implant company. Depending on where you live, you may be able to get them through your job or various other schemes. You can also buy one privately, but they are pretty expensive, so it's worth researching to see if you can get one free first.

[@c.n.5286]

Nelle, do you know what implant it is? I have the choice between Cochlear 612 and 632. And I really am not sure which one to choose.

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, I have the CI632. It seems to work fine for me.

[@c.n.5286]

@@nellefindlay Thank you! I got my implant 2 weeks ago and chose the same, 632. I am really happy with it.

[@oddfellowfloyd]

For as incredibly expensive CIs are, you'd think they'd put a, "Forward Focus," programme in the remote!

[@nellefindlay]

Yes, well maybe they'll put it on the next model or something. Some brands have different settings and things so I don't know exactly what other brands have. I think forward focus might be unique to Cochlear so it might not be that established yet.

[@iulianatatianina2160]

Dear Nelle! I need your advice. It's my first week with Cochlear Nucleus 7 and I am still learning my way around it. So, I do every night cleaning with drier device. Instruction to drier says I can put batteries and accumulators inside. Video from Cochlear company says to put inside processor without batteries. What is your routine like? is it ok to put everything to dry? including magnet

[@iulianatatianina2160]

I will be grateful for your reply :) Maybe, we could become Cochlear friends?

[@nellefindlay]

I'm not an expert in cochlear implants or anything, but from what I'm aware and what I do (which seems to be working) If I'm using rechargeable batteries I charge the batteries overnight so I don't put them in the dryer. If I'm using disposable batteries I put everything in. The magnet and coil and everything are fine to put in the dryer. It also probably won't break anything if you don't use the dryer for a night or two (if you forget to bring it when you go on holiday or something). My personal philosophy is to treat it with the same care as I treat my smartphone and it should be fine. As long as you're fairly gentle with it and you use the dryer as much as you can, it should be fine. I hope this helps. If you have any more questions I'm happy to answer them here, or you can send me a message on Instagram @nellefindlay. Nelle :)

[@iulianatatianina2160]

@@nellefindlay oh thank you very much! I just needed to talk about it with someone who is having implant and does the same routine❤️ i also use rechargeable batteries 💪

[@nedgermany]

My dad has a tv streamer. Also mini mic2. Can he use both? How does he switch back and forth? 😊

[@nellefindlay]

I don't think you can use both at the same time, but you can switch between them using either the cochlear implant remote or the Nucleus Smart app.

[@oddfellowfloyd]

Have you listened to the whole thing of music being tuned down to 432 Hz, instead of 440??

[@nellefindlay]

No, what does that do? I'll have a google and see if I can find out about that. Nelle :)

[@rks2543]

Hi , since I have been using HA for past several years on both the ears . If cochlear implant made on only one ear , can we get normal hearing function and understand all kind of speech ??? Else need implant on both the ears for better understanding??

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. A cochlear implant doesn't restore normal hearing function, but just provides a "sensation of hearing to a severely or profoundly deaf person"; so even with two cochlear implants, you can't hear exactly the same as a hearing person. Having one implant allows me to be able to hear a bit in one ear. I can understand speech pretty well when there is no background noise just with the one. However, having two cochlear implants is better because it allows you to hear the direction of where a sound is coming from and also gives improved speech understanding in noise. Cochlear implants are not the recommended treatment for all forms of hearing loss and some people would be better suited to conventional hearing aids or another type of auditory implant. I'm not an audiologist so I can only speak from my own personal experience and research. If you are interested in whether a cochlear implant would work for you, I suggest you speak to your audiologist. I hope this helps! Nelle xx

[@KawtherHaneefa]

I have a question, will the cochlear implant fit,suites for 31 years old lady

[@nellefindlay]

I'm not an audiologist so I can't offer any specific advice. People of all ages can get cochlear implants, but they are not suitable for everyone with hearing loss. If you are interested in getting one, definitely speak to an audiologist who can see if it would be right for you. :)

[@michaelgrant6862]

I just had my Cochlear Implant two weeks ago and I tested to see if the Kanso 2 would attach #4 magnet. Cannot feel any magnet pull. Cochlear representative said it takes several weeks for the swelling to go down. I do not feel any swelling. A paper click will not even stick. Has anyone experienced this?

[@nellefindlay]

Yes, that's completely normal. Please don't panic! I can't stick paper clips to my head and I am on magnet strength 1. Normally, when you're first activated you need a stronger magnet and then after a couple of months you'll need to change it down. I started on 3 and am now on 1. I also have the N7 BTE processor so I only have the weight of the coil on magnet not the whole processor. With the off ear processors, my implant centre said that they usually need slightly stronger magnets to keep them on. If you've been back to the implant centre to get it activated and they can't get it to stick, even with the strongest magnets, then would be an appropriate time start panicking, but even then, there are things they can do.

[@avinashchandrababu9025]

Why are you planning to do CI in other ear?Why not continue using hearing aid?

[@nellefindlay]

Because due to my level of hearing loss, the hearing aid in that ear doesn't really help at all. My cochlear implant gives me much more hearing than hearing aids. I want a second one because having two implants allows for better speech understanding in background noise which is something I really struggle with still. I hope this answers your question. Nelle :)

[@avinashchandrababu9025]

@@nellefindlay can I know the level of hearing loss in your other ear

[@nellefindlay]

@@avinashchandrababu9025 Hi, I'm profoundly deaf in both ears. The quietest sound I can hear in my non implanted ear is between 95 - 130db depending on the frequency.

[@avinashchandrababu9025]

@@nellefindlay Oo I see.I lost hearing in my left ear and considering implant.My other ear has 90 dB hearing loss.So I guess eventually will have to do implant in both ears.

[@SC_jamesbond007jua]

Have you heard Cued Speech (Cued Language Transliteration)?

[@nellefindlay]

Yes, I've heard of it. It seems like a super clever way of making speech visible, but I haven't learned to do it yet. I'd definitely be interested to learn though.

[@先生-e7q]

Hello, ma'am, how much does this probably cost?

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, thank you for your comment. The price of a cochlear implant varies based on the country etc. I didn't have to pay anything for mine because it is covered by the British National Health Service. However to buy a cochlear implant privately in the UK it costs around £40,000. I'm very grateful to the NHS for my cochlear implant as I wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise. I hope this helps. Nelle

[@先生-e7q]

@@nellefindlay It's great to see your reply, I understand thank you, cochlear implants are indeed very expensive, ordinary families generally can't afford to buy, I am also a hearing impaired person, your national medical policy is very good, I hope to cherish the expensive cochlear implants that are not easy to get!

[@nekiya4926]

Do you have severe hearing loss?

[@nellefindlay]

Hi, I have a profound hearing loss in both ears. My right ear is completely deaf and my left ear has hearing between 95-120db depending on the frequency. When I started the process of looking into a CI, my hearing was more in the severe to profound range between 85-90db depending on frequency.

[@jasminethomas2800]

Hey my name is Jasmine I’m deaf too

[@kathyhulse9822]

Your new hairdo is very becoming.

[@nellefindlay]

Thank you xx