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Just in hospital ward after having cochlear implant surgery today.
Went well, should be home tomorrow.
3-1/2 weeks wait for processor fitment and turning it on.
Very open to hearing (no pun intended) your hearing loss experiences, and sharing my journey in more detail.
I believe the info here for prosperity would help many others in the future.
Not easy posting at the moment, see threads I’d like to help out somewhat, but just hard on the phone pad and seeing right with glasses skewed a bit on bandaged head !!
Oh heck, don’t make me laugh
More in the coming days and beyond.
Editing . . . constantly while I do updates, will link below to the post containing that section info.
1. (below) My background story on my hearing loss. Preventative advice.
2. Hearing aids through to Cochlear. < link to post
3. The Cochlear surgery. < link to post
4. Post install < link to post
Turning them on, tuning, results and my personal experiences, I will simply post to timeline when / as things happen.
1. Background The story begins when I left school at 17yo, took up a trade as a panel beater, someone who fixes accident damaged cars, restores car panels, also picked up spray painting fairly easily, so I could do full jobs start to finish.
After 12 years my wife said one day I should have a hearing test as I was struggling sometimes in the car etc hearing her.
Did so, and found I had a 14% loss, quite a high loss at just shy of 30yo.
It was mostly very high frequency loss, due to heavy use of grinders, sanders etc.
In those early days, there was no OH&S (occupational health and safety) as such in many places, even trade school didn't mention it or have hearing protection there.
So I got onto a private workplace insurer and obtained a hearing aid, a single in ear type, right side as this was the stronger ear at the time.
I recall walking out of Laubman & Pank audiology store in Rundle Mall Adelaide, and having to turn it off with all the lades high heels clicking on the pavers outside !
This was about 1992 and these devices were cheap, would have been lucky to last a year, and for the next 14 years I didn't have anything to help combat the loss of hearing.
Also, left the crash repair trade full time at that time, though my hearing did deteriorate further due to me doing whatever I did work wise to look after family etc.
Still had / have all my tools, and of course would help family friends with their car repairs when they came up.
During this time, I did use hearing protection when I used noisy equipment in general, but there were situations in some of the contract shutdown work I did that was probably not good for my hearing.
Confined spaces etc where earmuffs were unsuitable, the small plugs are hopeless protection.
In 2007, when taking up a particular job I was determined to make the best of it with a new set of hearing aids, purchased myself, only $2k or so at the time, still a lot for 16 years ago.
They were fine and helped a lot with bluetooth to phone ect.
I was struggling after a year, had a test and found a loss in that 12 months of another 10%, which was really a shock.
Shortly after I discovered this was due to ototoxic chemicals I was using in that job.
So now my only option was to get much stronger hearing devices, much more expensive too, so went through our workplace insurer Workcover to get these with future medical for updates periodically.
These new aids were for both ears, and around $10k a pair, so it was good to get them through the insurance fund, was a fight though !
Stopped using those chems, religiously wore hearing protection class 5, hearing really didn't deteriorate more than a % or so in the next 3 - 4 years.
Left that job in 2012 to do my own thing full time again in biz, so just on 50.
From 50, most peoples hearing naturally declines slowly, so over perhaps the next 4 - 5 years I was having more and more trouble getting the best from the hearing aids.
In that time I got a new pair, but really only wore them for a short time, the hearing aid journey was over as they just couldn't cope with the high frequency loss any longer.
Hadn't worn them for the past 5 years or so.
My loss now is about 73 - 74 % bilateral, mostly high end frequency, regarded as profound hearing loss.
I'd like to say to people now . . . protect what hearing you have, as best possible.
Once the hairs in the cochlear lie down when damaged by noise, that's it, it's all over, they die and don't come back.
Wear earmuffs, good ones like class 5 level.
If you are 30 - 40 yo or even beyond, it's certainly worth making a start looking after your hearing.
Younger people, please be aware of loud places, concerts particularly, keep your music through earphones / ipods etc down a bit, that will kill your hearing as good as industrial type noise, gunfire, and anything that makes you grimace a bit from the level of discomfort.
Lawnmowers and trimmers, all those petrol driven things, yes drag cars.
I was told too if your parents had a hearing loss, you are more likely to suffer from it.
It is hereditary in a way.
My dad was a blacksmith, hammer and anvil work etc, and he was deaf as a post in his latter years.
Ok, enough background, can answer any questions re this, happy to hear your story.
Next chapter will be a new post in this tread, and linked from the contents above when done.
Thanks for reading, just posting up chapter 2, will do some more in the coming days.
Went well, should be home tomorrow.
3-1/2 weeks wait for processor fitment and turning it on.
Very open to hearing (no pun intended) your hearing loss experiences, and sharing my journey in more detail.
I believe the info here for prosperity would help many others in the future.
Not easy posting at the moment, see threads I’d like to help out somewhat, but just hard on the phone pad and seeing right with glasses skewed a bit on bandaged head !!
Oh heck, don’t make me laugh
More in the coming days and beyond.
Editing . . . constantly while I do updates, will link below to the post containing that section info.
1. (below) My background story on my hearing loss. Preventative advice.
2. Hearing aids through to Cochlear. < link to post
3. The Cochlear surgery. < link to post
4. Post install < link to post
Turning them on, tuning, results and my personal experiences, I will simply post to timeline when / as things happen.
1. Background The story begins when I left school at 17yo, took up a trade as a panel beater, someone who fixes accident damaged cars, restores car panels, also picked up spray painting fairly easily, so I could do full jobs start to finish.
After 12 years my wife said one day I should have a hearing test as I was struggling sometimes in the car etc hearing her.
Did so, and found I had a 14% loss, quite a high loss at just shy of 30yo.
It was mostly very high frequency loss, due to heavy use of grinders, sanders etc.
In those early days, there was no OH&S (occupational health and safety) as such in many places, even trade school didn't mention it or have hearing protection there.
So I got onto a private workplace insurer and obtained a hearing aid, a single in ear type, right side as this was the stronger ear at the time.
I recall walking out of Laubman & Pank audiology store in Rundle Mall Adelaide, and having to turn it off with all the lades high heels clicking on the pavers outside !
This was about 1992 and these devices were cheap, would have been lucky to last a year, and for the next 14 years I didn't have anything to help combat the loss of hearing.
Also, left the crash repair trade full time at that time, though my hearing did deteriorate further due to me doing whatever I did work wise to look after family etc.
Still had / have all my tools, and of course would help family friends with their car repairs when they came up.
During this time, I did use hearing protection when I used noisy equipment in general, but there were situations in some of the contract shutdown work I did that was probably not good for my hearing.
Confined spaces etc where earmuffs were unsuitable, the small plugs are hopeless protection.
In 2007, when taking up a particular job I was determined to make the best of it with a new set of hearing aids, purchased myself, only $2k or so at the time, still a lot for 16 years ago.
They were fine and helped a lot with bluetooth to phone ect.
I was struggling after a year, had a test and found a loss in that 12 months of another 10%, which was really a shock.
Shortly after I discovered this was due to ototoxic chemicals I was using in that job.
So now my only option was to get much stronger hearing devices, much more expensive too, so went through our workplace insurer Workcover to get these with future medical for updates periodically.
These new aids were for both ears, and around $10k a pair, so it was good to get them through the insurance fund, was a fight though !
Stopped using those chems, religiously wore hearing protection class 5, hearing really didn't deteriorate more than a % or so in the next 3 - 4 years.
Left that job in 2012 to do my own thing full time again in biz, so just on 50.
From 50, most peoples hearing naturally declines slowly, so over perhaps the next 4 - 5 years I was having more and more trouble getting the best from the hearing aids.
In that time I got a new pair, but really only wore them for a short time, the hearing aid journey was over as they just couldn't cope with the high frequency loss any longer.
Hadn't worn them for the past 5 years or so.
My loss now is about 73 - 74 % bilateral, mostly high end frequency, regarded as profound hearing loss.
I'd like to say to people now . . . protect what hearing you have, as best possible.
Once the hairs in the cochlear lie down when damaged by noise, that's it, it's all over, they die and don't come back.
Wear earmuffs, good ones like class 5 level.
If you are 30 - 40 yo or even beyond, it's certainly worth making a start looking after your hearing.
Younger people, please be aware of loud places, concerts particularly, keep your music through earphones / ipods etc down a bit, that will kill your hearing as good as industrial type noise, gunfire, and anything that makes you grimace a bit from the level of discomfort.
Lawnmowers and trimmers, all those petrol driven things, yes drag cars.
I was told too if your parents had a hearing loss, you are more likely to suffer from it.
It is hereditary in a way.
My dad was a blacksmith, hammer and anvil work etc, and he was deaf as a post in his latter years.
Ok, enough background, can answer any questions re this, happy to hear your story.
Next chapter will be a new post in this tread, and linked from the contents above when done.
Thanks for reading, just posting up chapter 2, will do some more in the coming days.
Last edited:
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