HERB’S STORY

 

 

My name is Herb Bibbero.  I live in New Jersey and work as an actuary in Trenton, NJ.  I am 45 years old and am a bilateral CI user.  I started losing my hearing when I was 26 years old.  The loss was gradual and progressive.  I kept wearing stronger and stronger hearing aids.  By the time I was 41 years old, my loss was pretty much total and I decided to pursue the CI.

 

In November, 2002 I received a CI in my left ear.  It was an Advanced Bionics CII.  From the beginning, the sounds were very harsh and high-pitched and even painful at times.  I kept going back to my audiologist and she kept telling me to "bear with it" and "it'll get better" and that these things take time.  My surgeon told me the same thing.  Well, it didn't get better and it was so painful that I could hardly keep the thing turned on (sharp, shooting pain whenever there were high-pitched sounds like dishes clattering, doors squeaking, etc.).

 

After about 9 months of this I couldn't take it anymore.  I decided to go to another CI center.  I went to a reputable center at Beth Israel in New York City.  The audiologist at Beth Israel did her best and even called in people from AB.  But eventually she suggested that I get a CAT scan to see if everything was in place.  Sure enough, it turned out that the CAT scan showed that my electrode array was not where it was supposed to be.  It was outside of my cochlea.

 

The surgeon at Beth Israel suggested that I get my left CI repositioned.  He also suggested that, in addition, I should get a brand new CI placed into my right ear.  The reason was that it was possible that the repositioning wouldn't be successful, and he wanted me to have a workable CI in the other ear.  I agreed and in December, 2003 I had bilateral surgery.  My CII in my left ear was repositioned and I received a brand new HiRes90K in my right ear (also by Advanced Bionics).

 

The repositioning worked, sort of.  I don't have any more pain, but sounds are still very high-pitched and Mickey mouse sounding.  But my right side, the new 90K worked great!  I got most of my comprehension from my right side.  The sounds were somewhat low-pitched, so I used my left side CI to supply some of the high-pitched that were missing from my right side.  But, I could have used just my right side.  I was listening to talk radio, talking on the phone with no problems, even starting to enjoy music again a little bit.

 

That worked for about 3 months.  Then, I started getting what I called "popping" in my right CI.  What really was going on was the CI would shut down for no apparent reason, and then come back on instantaneously.  When it came back on, it would sound like a pop.  This went on for a few months - I kept going back and the audie would do some adjusting and it would get better but eventually it would start popping again.  Finally, last September the thing just failed - stopped working completely.  It would have to be reimplanted.

 

In December, 2004 my 90K was explanted and a new 90K

was implanted.   My new 90K is working well - as good

as the old 90K worked (when it was not popping!).  I can once again talk on the phone, listen to the radio, enjoy music to a certain extent, and carry on conversations easily.  I am even starting to go to Broadway shows and movies once again!  So, I am happy once again with my CIs.  My left still isn't that great, but my right is quite good.  All it took was three surgeries, 4 processors, and an untold number of audiological appointments, LOL.

 

Remember, that my case is an anomaly.   The vast

majority of CI surgeries are successful the first time, and last for years.