Pre cochlear implant audiograms
The following graphs show the results of my hearing tests before receiving cochlear implants.
To put it simply, they show the number of decibels a sound needs to be (for each frequency shown) in order for me to hear it. The lines marked with circles represent the right ear, and the crosses represent the left. Arrows pointing downwards mean that my score was zero, that is, I couldn't hear the sounds at that volume.
Just to give you a better idea, here's a list of the decibel ranges for the various classifications of hearing / hearing loss:
Normal hearing = 0-20 dB
Mild hearing loss = 21-45 dB
Moderate hearing loss = 46-65 dB
Severe hearing loss = 66-90 dB
Profound hearing loss = 91 dB and above
Here's my audiogram from November 2008, the point at which I was recommended hearing aids for both ears:
Here's one from December 2008, showing the deterioration in the left ear. This meant that only one month later, a hearing aid was already of no use on the left side. I used it for directional sound, but most of the time, it just crackled when there was a loud noise!
There have been many others, but this is the last milestone - the one from November 2009. It shows a profound loss in both ears. The left ear doesn't register any sounds at all. The right can still be assisted with a hearing aid, but speech discrimination is very poor. This is why I was able to be referred to the Cochlear Implant Clinic in Melbourne, at last!
Post cochlear implant results
Hmm ... I asked my audiologist about getting an updated audiogram, at the three-month mark. She explained that they don't do that at this clinic though. The reason is, the post-operative audiograms look fantastic ... but don't show any indication of how your brain is using the information it receives. That does make sense. After all, if I turned up the sensitivity levels all the way, the recording of sounds would probably show a line that looked close to normal hearing!
So instead, I've included my speech testing results. They show my speech perception with a hearing aid, prior to the surgery, compared to with the left CI only, right CI only, and both CIs together.
Prior to surgery, I had total deafness on the left side, so testing was not completed on that side. Therefore, it's effectively '0%'. Also, prior to surgery, I was never tested on sentences in noise. My hearing was so poor for testing in quiet, that there was really no point. So that's marked as 'N/A'.
Similarly, my results for hearing sentences in noise with a cochlear implant were too high to deem testing in quiet to be of any value. So results for those fields are also 'N/A'.
Test | Pre-Op Right HA | CI Left 3 months | CI Right 3 months | CI + CI 3 months |
CVC word score | 6% | 96% | 92% | 96% |
CVC phoneme score | 35% | 99% | 97% | 98% |
CUNY sentences in quiet | 20% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
CUNY sentences in noise | N/A | 86% | 88% | 99% |
It's pretty clear from the results that being bilateral is a huge help for hearing sentences in background noise!
And it's pretty clear that I made the right choice to pursue cochlear implants ... instead of stabilise the last of my hearing with a lifelong relationship with Prednisolone.
I have definitely been given the gift of hearing ... and life is good! In fact, it's brilliant. :-)
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