While I’m on a roll, I’m gonna blog about something I never thought I would. The cochlear implant. Yes, that damn thing. I could describe it as an infestation, of biblical proportions, but I will try to be impartial and abstain from making any sarcastic comments, but irony, there will be aplenty. I’m Australian. How can you be Australian and not do irony?
For along time, I’ve harboured some serious ambivalence towards the implant, I still do, BUT I’ve always understood the choices that people were making, and WHY they were making those choices. I am a lot more savvy of the Deaf, deaf, hearing issues, surrounding the implant, than most bloggers profess to do. Sure, sometimes it’s not always apparent from what I write, but then again, many of the criticisms I have received, ignore many of the issues I raise. Perhaps, the menace of probing questions threatens the borders of their comfort zones? Or is it simply easier to accuse Deaf people of bias, critical and non accepting of diversity?
Meanwhile, the implant infestation continues unabated. It has invaded my family home.
Yes. SHOCK! HORROR!
Another B-Grade Science Fiction movie, "Let’s Do The Time Warp Again!"
Cue: Dr Frank’n’Furter, "How u do I, see you’ve got yerself, a cute little implant-tee!"
Sorry, couldn’t resist. Hard not to do the sark.
Anyway, my first encounter with the implant was when me mate Slakbarsted, not BARSTUD, but BASTARD, decided to succumb to the surgeon’s knife, and get himself the latest in hearing accessories. He did it twice, and is now bilateral [which makes me think, is there heterolateral and homolateral? Hmmm!? maybe heterolateral is someone who wears a hearing aid and an implant, and a homolateral is someone who wears an implant of the same model and make. Then it begs the question, what if a person only wears one, does that make them sololateral. The connotations of this word, are just too awful to contemplate!]
My second encounter, was when my Deaf brother’s partner, decided to get the implant. She wears a hearing aid too, thereby making her heterolateral. Even my Deaf Brother is contemplating the implant, labouring under some new age thesis, that the universe meant for us all to hear. That’s why we have ears.
My third, and recent encounter, was with a deafie who is also bi-lateral, and Deafie who grew up with an implant, and has rejected it when she came of age.
One thing that has become clear, is the implant is a more advanced hearing aid. Sure it does things a hearing aid doesn’t do, but it is still simply a hearing aid. The wearer still has to take it off, just like u would a hearing aid. I know Rachel., for one, was been huffing and puffing this very point, many times in her blog, but monotonous "Hosanna’s!" render’s any receptivity mute! Quite frankly, anyone who walks the Hosanna! Hallelujah! Route when discussing assistive listening devices, methods of integration, and how much more fulfilled they are because they are part of the mainstream, la, la, la, gets stonewalled.
Whereas my mate Slakbarsted, is alot more level headed, and so I am able to talk, discuss and ask all the questions I want.
When Slakbarsted told me of his decision to get the implant, I made it quite clear that I would not reject him. I haven’t and I won’t. He is my mate. But I did harbour a fear, that he would reject me, and the Deaf world, in favour of the hearing world. Slak, a revelation for you mate!
Of course, there is alot more to the story than this, which I’m not going to divulge, as it belongs to our personal sphere. If he wishes to elaborate why he decided to have the implant, he is welcome to speak for himself in the comments, or another blog post.
Happily, it turns out he has rejected neither. He has embraced both worlds. When I complimented him on his improved signing, I was actually expressing an appreciation of his embracing both world’s.
The first thing I hate about the implant, is how fucking awful it looks. I’m sure that one day, it will improve to the point, where it is virtual indistinguishable from a hearing aid. But until that day, you have to content yourselves with looking like freaks. That is one of my personal idiosyncrasies, my hatred of looking freaky [there’s alot more issues at play than just the aesthetics of the implant]. After all, I grew up with the box in the bag and a ear piece, before I progressed to the more normal looking behind the ear aids.
The second thing I hate about the implant, is the horror of subjecting myself to the surgeon’s knife. Then comes all the other attendant bullshit, which I can do without. I already have enough trouble adapting to new hearing aids, which take me a while to get used to. The new digital aids, require attending your friendly audiologist for any adjustments required. So, why would I put myself through all the other crap? Granted, everyone is different [see, I can acknowledge people making choices different to mine!]
The third thing I hate, and along standing one, is the kudos you get from hearing people, who loudly proclaim how lucky you are to be able to hear, and blah, blah, blah. In doing this, they actually make you feel more like a freak than you already are. The assumption that you have become more normal, and a better person than you were [already are], is patronising. For all th rhetoric about diversity, equality, and tolerance, there is the underlying assumption that normal is something they are and you’re not.
The fourth thing I hate, is how hearing people still make the assumption because you wear an assistive listening device, your deafness is obliterated, and that you can hear, even if you take them off. Hell, they don;t even think you take them off. I use to get that a lot. "Do you take them [hearing aids] off when you go to sleep, have a shower?" Ask my mate Slakbarsted about that one. When he told me about a particular incident, it reminded me, that the implant is still a mechanical device that can be switched off, or taken off.
It is actually a relief to be able to deal with the implant issue, and express my curiosity about it, without the attendent "Hosannas, it’s a miracle!" But then again, the golden rule is to ask a Deafie, never a hearing person, and make sure they are Aussie. You will be guaranteed some sense of level headedness. Then again, I could be wrong!
But, can the implant peacefully co-exist with Deaf people? Of course it can. Like any technology that has gone on before, it has its detractors, but if the truth be told, us Deafies are a lot more level headed than the rest of you rabble, give us credit for. Take out the bullshit, sorry, the "Hosannas and Hallelujahs", preach a little more level headedness, knock that integration chip off shoulder’s… and maybe, just maybe…
New Words For The Implant Lexiconography. Deafinitions welcome:
Sololateral
Heterolateral
Homolateral
Bilateral
12 Responses to “Now For Summat Interesting About The Implant..”
Tony: Hallelujah! Hosanna! You finally have some level-headed Aussie deafies with CIs. Hopefully they will inject some common sense and a dash of reality into your diatribes about the quote, meaning, unquote, that underlie a person’s choice to get the device. But be warned. Asking questions and getting the straight facts is the first step down the slippery slope of getting one yourself. That’s how I started, and look what happened to me!
Loved the new vocabulary and hereafter declare myself a heterolateral. I’ve met all the flavors of ‘laterals and could set up an SHHBT organization with bylaws and a conference next year. howzat? Give those rabble rousing DBC and AFA folks something to protest.
You made me laugh out loud today. thanks! just a couple of points. Honestly, the surgery isn’t that bad. I was up and around the next day. I didn’t even need a painkiller. I’m sure Slakbasted gave you a good look at his incision, right? It was the size of a hairpin, right behind his ear, and now you can’t see it any more, right? On the other hand, there’s that cyborg thing attached to his head, yuck. But some guys just get used to it. I know a bilateral deafie who proudly goes to the Folsom Street Fair in SF wearing his leathers, muscles, a buzz cut, and both implants stuck on his head.
just don’t get too carried away with the level-headed business, or I won’t have anyone to take potshots at.
I can be a big girl and admit you made me laugh, even though I was cringing and forcing myself to read past “the damn thing” and “infestation of Biblical proportion” comments…. I guess I’ve been pretty lucky with the expectations from others around me… I don’t think anyone has known what to expect, and they are so used to me being deaf that they just appreciate anything new I can hear. Most of my closest friends either work in the deaf education field or are deaf themselves so I haven’t felt any pressure from anyone else’s expectations, and I totally agree that it’s a tool… a very advanced type of hearing aid… The surgery was the easy part and that’s what most people seem so fixated on (although I can see why to a certain degree…) Anyway, thanks for the laugh. I’m sure your friends and family appreciate you.
What slippery slope Anonymous? Did I mention that it is also fucking expensive?
Yup, it’s fuckin’ expensive, but my medical insurance paid for everything.
What it did not pay for was the auditory rehabilitation afterward. (that’s the part where someone, like an audiologist or speech therapist, teaches you to recognize sounds and words. AVT for adults, sorta. I had an advantage anyway because I was born hearing, lost my hearing gradually, and wore hearing aids part of the time, so the learning curve wasn’t too steep.)
To my knowledge, no one’s medical insurance in the U.S. covers auditory rehab for an adult implantee. But I was lucky — the place where I worked had an audiologist, fluent in ASL and very deaf-friendly, who agreed to practice on me for free. Just 30-45 minutes, 1 or 2 times a week, for about 6-7 months or so. We had fun and laughed a lot. Anyway, I never paid out of pocket for any auditory rehab. The audiologist at the cochlear implant center gave me tons of tips for how to work on my listening skills at home, and I also found stuff on the Internet.
It’s too much work for what it is. I don’t like control being taken out of my hands, as it happened with digital aids. I know what I need, want, and I want the tools to do so myself. Not the fucking appts etc…
I have very good residual hearing and sensitivity to sound. So if I lost all my hearing, yes I would be an ideal candidate as it wouldn’t take as much work to train me, as it would someone else.
It still doesn’t attract me!
In my case, the appts. were not onerous. after activation, mappings were scheduled at intervals 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month later, and then every 6 months. I haven’t been religious about keeping my 6-month appts. My CI has 4 programs, plus controls for both volume and sensitivity. I told the audiologist what listening situations I typically encounter, and she tailored the 4 programs according to my specs. Can your hearing aid do that, huh? huh?
kidding aside, I had some residual hearing too (not excellent like yours) and thought I did fine with a hearing aid, but the CI gives me way more amplification, especially in the higher frequencies, and more selectivity as to the sounds I want to hear. I know you’ve heard this said before, but there’s just no comparison. Granted, someone else runs the mapping program on the computer but you’re the one who gives input as to how things sound. I consider it a small cost compared to the benefit.
just sharing info here. I know many deaf people are happy with their hearing aids, and I’ve heard of one or two who got a CI and then were not pleased with the results. Sounds, especially music, really sound a whole lot different with a CI because of the expanded range and gain. I have to admit I don’t like my old acid rock albums quite so much any more.
As it stands, and from what me mate has told me, if I had the implant now, I would lose a lot in the lower frequencies.
You can info share as much as you want. I’m not above expressing my curiosity.
No, my hearing aids cannot do what the implant does, but whatever the choice, still means some adaptation. Right now, I just can’t be arsed to do that much adapting.
The funny thing is, when em mate says, he doesn’t wear his implant 24/7 and when he is at home, he is oft without it. That demythologised a lot of it for me. Which is a good thing.
Hey Tony, for a bludger that don’t care about CI choices one way or another, you got a lot to say against it. Hey! you are even a hearing person, now I’m confused… Ci’s don’t hurt… really, we don’t HAVE to read about them if we don’t want to. When you can hear nothing, you’ll take what you can get believe me.
G’day
AndyK
AndyK,
Yes I sure have a lot to say abt it… and why shouldn’t I?
But no, I am not a hearing person, perhaps you ought to read my blog posts a little more carefully! *Arched eyebrow*
AndyK, speak for yourself. If hearing at all costs is what makes u happy, then well and good. I don’t judge my happiness by what I can hear…
No offence mate, I just read you like listening to music, so assumed you could hear it, so wondered if you don’t hear it how you can dimiss that so lightly. Sound like you aint really been tested yet. Always an interesting read your blog..
When I was using the one hearing aid, the lower frequencies were all I had. That’s what allowed me to enjoy the thumping, pelvic-pumping bass of acid rock (showing my age here, aren’t I?) without having to listen to the screeching of some vocally talentless guys who couldn’t sing to save their lives. Post-implant, it felt like ALL I could hear was the higher frequencies, and I hated them. The audiologist told me I still had access to the lower frequencies and showed me the map on her computer to prove it. I told her what was happening was that when I entered the kitchen at work and turned on the light, I heard the low drone of the exhaust fan, then turned on the faucet and heard only the high-pitched hissing of the water hitting the sink. Ick. talk about torture, I felt like I was being electrocuted or something.
Situations like that are what mapping is for. It’s part of the adjustment process, as you get used to hearing sounds you may not have heard before. The audiologist can either shut down those high frequencies completely, or lower them to a tolerable level. Plus, I had 3 other programs to choose from, with or without other excruciating sounds, tailored to specific listening environments. I could lower the volume/sensitivity myself, or just take the damn thing off, period. Silence really is bliss sometimes. I feel like I have the advantage over hearing people who can’t turn off their hearing completely like I can.
I too go for long periods without wearing my CI. Nowadays, I use it mainly for talking to hearing people in shops, especially when I have to ask and answer a lot of questions and get information. Those high frequencies come in handy when listening to and lipreading human speech. There’s a great deal of sound information in the upper ranges that I was missing before, so there are fewer blanks to fill in as my brain plays the guessing game of “what’d he say?”
I’m told that there is a hybrid CI/hearing aid that has electrodes inserted in the upper part of the cochlea, where the high frequency sounds are, but none in lower part of the cochlea alone, allowing access to the low frequencies via the hearing aid part. I don’t know too much about them, though, and don’t know anyone who has that type of CI.
Folks this is slakbarsted whom Tony was referring to in his post. Somehow I feel compelled to respond to a few things which need to be discussed.
His assertion that “hearing people still make the assumption because you wear an assistive listening device, your deafness is obliterated” is a commonly held view by people who are largely ignorant about deafness in general. I don’t blame them for holding such views instead I seek to educate them about deafness in general.
If said ignorant person continues to preach their ignorance or if I see signs that the “education” is not sinking in I change tack to help them see it from a different perspective otherwise I just let them go on their merry way knowing they’ll be happier believing their ignorance.
Tony made an important point about “adaptability” if I can call it that, the willingness of a person to adapt to change is something audiologists look for in a CI candidate. Here in Australia the implant centres do not force their ideologies (if they have one) on candidates. They merely provide as much information as they can about the risks of getting an implant, encourage you to meet other recipients (as their experiences are invaluable and is something an audiologist can never provide) and they often stress it is the candidate’s decision to go ahead with it all.
If the audiologist believes you’ll have great difficulty in adapting to the implant there is a very strong likelihood they’ll knock you back.
I caught up with an acquaintance who is a deafie last weekend, she was telling me about her experience in deciding to go ahead with the implant. When she received notice to attend hospital she back tracked and explaining she’s wasn’t ready to go through with it all yet. I told her that’s fine and she did the right thing. I also told her that once you go under the surgeon’s drill there’s no going back and it goes without saying that it’s a major decision in someone’s life.
Oh and Tony is right about me not wearing the implant 24/7, often I will take them off when I’m working late at night and it’s just me & my computer. When I’m at the gym I leave the newer implant on to give it some practice during my work out.
Right I’m going to take my implants off (hang on they’re already off and safely tucked away in it’s drying box) and go to sleep!!