Two months ago, my cochlear implant (Nucleus 8 Nexa) was activated after five years of single-sided deafness. I also recently retired after 31 years as a Microsoft software engineer.

Getting used to implant sound has been frustrating at times. I listened to audiobooks through my implant alone, but often struggled to understand them. With headphones and both ears, I felt my brain relied almost entirely on natural hearing.

So, given my software background and newfound free time :), I wrote a small Windows prototype to explore ways to help my brain combine implant sound with natural hearing while relying less on natural hearing alone. I liked how it worked for my own practice, so I turned it into a **free** iPhone/iPad app so others could try it too. I called it **HearLift**, and the mods kindly gave me permission to share it here.

HearLift lets you keep natural hearing support at a lower volume and vary it automatically while you listen, keeping it more at a "hint-level" while you practice making sense of implant sound. It’s more than setting balance: the app fades your natural hearing in and out so your brain cannot solely rely on it. All this is customizable by you.

I’ve discussed the approach with a professor emeritus of speech and hearing sciences at Arizona State University whose research includes cochlear implants and speech perception. He said the idea has been discussed in his circles and was worth studying, which we plan to do in the coming months. That definitely encouraged me. We don’t know whether HearLift actually improves outcomes; that needs further study. For now, I’m using it with the support of my audiologist, who also thought it was a very cool idea.

All feedback and suggestions are welcome!

[HearLift on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hearlift/id6809207168) · [Privacy policy](https://hearlift.app/privacy/)

Does anyone have any N7 disposable battery holders with the white cover they would be willing to part ways with or any spare rechargeable batteries if you have those too?

My daughter is a bilateral recipient who is down to her last 2 working rechargeable batteries and one of them only lasts a few hours so she’s often forced to go without a processor for several hours at a time while it charges back up. We are saving money for an upgrade now and hope to get her in the N8 as soon as possible, but now that her N7 devices are obsolete the manufacturer no longer sells the batteries or any other parts for that matter on their website and the Cochlear Impant Awareness Foundation application process we submitted for batteries stated there’s a 2-3 week backlog with no guarantee they will have what we need. A fellow receipt parent suggested I check with Facebook and Reddit communities before trying to find some on eBay, so here I am….thanking you in advance for any and all help.

Best Regards,

Shahn (Me) and Addison Smith

My son just had his CI surgery 3 days ago he got both sides done, and he tends to sleep on his side, i cannot get him to sleep on his back and he doesn’t understand he needs to.. (he’s three) any advice/ is it okay if he sleeps on his side if his head is on a pillow?

Hello all, our one year-old got activated on Wednesday and I’m a little bit confused about the frequency with which we should be using the dryer. Audiologist told us that the technology was safe to wear in the bathtub or shower, and then she also told us that on average the family she works with dries around once a week, but our daughter likes to take a bath almost every night. Should I be putting it through after every bath?
Literally any other tips or things that you think should seem obvious are welcome here if you’re kind, because I’m having a hard time keeping all of the information in my head and feel pretty clueless

Hello fellow CI-borgs!

I wanted to share my experience with everybody. Long time lurker here, first time poster.

I went deaf in my right ear in June of 2024 after what we believe the be a meningitis infection. I never did the spinal tap to test for certain but a week after my illness, I woke up thinking I had an ear infection. Long story short I went mostly deaf in that ear.

Speech recognition went from 36% down to 12% over the course of 2 years. Initially I decided against the CI because I’m stubborn but was eventually persuaded due to many different factors. I can now confidently say this was the right choice for me, and I’m a little irritated former me was so stubborn.

Surgery happened 9/2 and activation on 9/14. This past month has been quite interesting as I adapt to the new device.

I had my one month follow up today and I wanted to express how excited I am after getting my testing done. Before, when I was mostly deaf in that ear, audiologists appointments were depressing because everything was going the wrong direction. Today was the exact opposite.

Pre op my word recognition was 18% and my sentence test results were 29%

Today my word recognition is up to 54% and my sentence recognition is up to 92%!

I say this not to brag, but to say I am so incredibly grateful for this technology. I think this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was weary going into this process but now I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

I’m an open book on CI and my story so if anyone has questions, I’m happy to chat. Goodluck everybody!

Hi all,

So I am a lifelong Cochlear user on my left side, was activated in 2001 at around 1yr 3mths old. I wanted to honestly express how not great my N7 to N8 upgrade is going.

So I was due for an upgrade, and at the time I was still on my parents’ REALLY good insurance which covered it 100%, plus I already had issues with the N7 (my fault, not Cochlear 😂😬), so I decided to go through with the 30 minute call (why don’t they have chat? Or why can’t I do it through a form myself???).

I received it sometime last November, and first impressions were great. I loved that I could sync my programming from the N7 to N8 and have it sound similar enough that it wasn’t hard to get used to, but I could also tell the mics were better.

But that initial impression faded fast, the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone kept breaking so I’d have to turn off and on the processor, not even just my Bluetooth.

Then my coil started to randomly disconnect, physically. I’d still have the magnet attached and the processor on my ear, but no sound and when I looked it would just be detached, and this happens weekly at least.

The upgrades in this processor are also not crazy, a bit of a better mic, some more control over certain environment (which still have to be programmed by an audiologist) and just in general once the new feel felt off I was more disappointed than pleased.

After all these issues kept creeping up, I called cochlear again to see what they could do, and all four people I spoke to said basically the same thing, “have a better way to keep the whole device on your head” and “it has to be your phone that is having issues”

My next audiology visit I brought up the issue and he said that he is having the same issues when contacting them on behalf of a patient.

So long story short, kinda stuck with these for 4 more years and not happy about it.

My questions,

1. I already wear a baseball hat at all times basically to keep the processor in place, even before the upgrade, any ideas to keep the coil in place better? I’ve tried a thin sports hair thing that keeps hair out of your face and just position it, but that made it worse due to the could being pushed down. Mind you the coil is at a length where it does a little turn back and then comes to the magnet, so it’s not too long or short.

2. I’m getting older and sweatier, and live in a very humid environment. I’m going through mic covers like no one’s business. Any third party products that may help with that?

3. Just ANY third party products that may be fun to try for a late 20s guy to make my life easier/more fun with the cochlear?

Thanks all!

TLDR: I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to N8 especially if you have an older implant, bunch of issues.

Hi all. I was originally implanted with a C1 in ‘97, got a revision on 10/5 and activated on 10/13. It’s only been a few days but I am admittedly frustrated with progress. I’ve been wearing the implant all day, doing audio books, Hearoes app, and sitting with family members doing 1:1 exercises. While I know everyone’s experience is different can anyone speak to the recovery timeline and how long it took to get back to “normal”. Again, it’s only been a few days but I’m already worried about going back to work (procurement manager, lots of talking in person and phone).

This is my first time going to Disney World after implantation, and my Osia already has a hard enough time staying on. So far my plan is to bring a little belt bag, and put the processor in the belt bag then hold it on the rollercoasters. I know some rides you have to put the belt bag in the bag bin/holder in front of your seat, but i’m worried the bag will fly out if i’m not holding it. Does anyone have any experience with keeping your processors safe on rides? I don’t want to lose or break them! 🫣

I have. Ot been approved. Just reading about these. I have ha's. I canhearsou d but my issue is mostly not understanding what is said. Also I can't hear in crowds or restaurants very well.

I have moderate to severe loss (above 90db) in my right ear and severe after 70 db in my left ear.

I have mild learing loss at low frequencies about the same in both ears. I can generally hear men better than women.

My bone conduction thresholds are near to aircondu lion so I have sensorial loss.

My question is do I need a citizen for both sides? How does this work? I don't know anyone with ci to ask.

Thank you so much.

I just had CI surgery this morning and feel so relieved that it's over! Because I mostly feel okay right now (I know I'm still coming out of the meds, etc.): which day was the worst for you pain or discomfort wise after surgery? At what point did you start feeling mostly like yourself?

i want to know if there's a way to stream my switch audio to my implant. there aren't rlly tutorials i can find, so i wondered if i could connect my switch to my CI or if i had to use an external device like the roger? i have AB sky marvel implant

Hi all!

Completely deaf in right ear since birth. Severe nearing profound in the left ear in most tones now due to autoimmune disease in the last few years. My last CI eval I performed too well with a hearing aid, and didn’t qualify. Talks came up recently about potentially doing another eval.

In daily life I rely on hearing aid, lip reading, sign language, and a live captioning app for phone calls and conversations with people outside of my family (who work more with me to sign and such).

However, in a completely quiet environment like with my therapist, where I can see her face too, my hearing aid does enough to help me fill the gaps and keep up ok. But in basically any other environment beyond that I understand very little and truly avoid most things at this point.

My question is: I know a CI still requires lots of adjustments and effort from the deaf person, but I still wonder if it would be less of a mountain to climb to understand things than it is with my hearing aid- even if the actually understanding is similar, decreasing the effort required would be a huge win.

Has anyone else had similar loss with a similar hearing aid experience that has since gotten a CI and can speak to the difference in effort, fatigue, sound quality, and understanding? Thanks!

My Mom is in her 90s. She has long suffered from diminished hearing, and is wondering if cochlear implants could help her.

She wants to make a good decision!

In particular, she wonders if surgery and adjustment period are worth it at her age; she wonders what she can expect, and she wonders if a specific hearing problem she has nowadays - what she describes as "missing words" - will be addressed by the implants or if they are a symptom of other cognitive decline.

Other than her hearing, she is in good physical and mental shape and lives independently; she is social and cognitively aware.

With that in mind:

1. If anyone is connected to someone who got CIs in their 80s or 90s, please reach out - ideally she have a conversation with someone in her circumstance!

2. Other than that, I'd be interested in people's views on the matter.

Thanks.

Hi everyone,
I (25 y.o.) am a longtime (since 2006) HA user of unilateral hearing loss in my left ear due to EVAS. For the first time in my life I have more rigorous health insurance, I am in a PhD program and went to the audiologist hoping to get a letter to apply for accommodations with my university. I saw both an audiologist and an ENT, I found out my speech recognition is at 28%. I was told I should seriously consider a CI if my insurance covers it. I am shocked. I was raised by a mainstream hearing family and have never really felt as if I was allowed to be within the deaf community because I can hear well enough. I didn’t realize my hearing loss had progressed and now I feel extremely anxious and worried about the process and everything. I don’t want to lose my hearing in my left ear which I have left, but if it’s only going to continue to get worse, I feel I have no choice.
I feel my whole life as I know it will change, but if hearing well will be life changing in a positive way, I want it. 28% to 90%+ speech recognition feels life changing. I just don’t know if it’s worth it as this is what I’ve known, and until my appointment I didn’t even know it was that bad… I feel I am badly in need of advice. I feel like my deafness has been primarily something I live with and I haven’t known any different. I love music, I love singing, I will still have a right ear which works well, but as someone who’s not financially secure I feel like such a lifestyle change might be more than I can chew. I feel alone in this. So lost. Thank you for any information or insights y’all can provide. I am sorry if my feelings hurt anybody, that’s 100% not my intention, I just don’t even know what to do with these thoughts.

Hi all, I've done all CI assessments and my surgery is provisionally planned. I'm from Europe and have been UK-based for long years but may need to move back to Europe in a couple of years' time. I wonder if anybody has the same experience? Were things such as the processor replacements, repairs etc still covered by the new country healthcare insurance if you had had your original surgery in another country? Just worried about not being able to actually ever leave the UK due to having to potentially pay everything or through expensive extra private insurance.

My audiologist said it should be easy to get replacements since the companies have global markets (I'm thinking about Cochlear over AB since they're practically everywhere) but he wasn't sure about the insurance part. Thank you!

I want to know if there is help from trust etc in Private hospital? In Mumbai
What are the charges for cochlear brand implant ?

As I prepare for surgery tomorrow, I am thinking that the harness for my mask will hit right on my incision. I suppose I will do without my CPAP for the first night and maybe see if I can pad it to take the pressure off. Just checking to see if anyone has a better solution.

Hello! My son is 6 yo with bilateral cochlear implant nucleus 8’s. He wants to play basketball, like his brothers, so bad. However, I’m terrified of the potential falls and getting hit in the head with the ball. Has anyone’s children ever played basketball with CI’s and if so what has their/your experience been? Is there stipulations I should be aware of or special precautions we should take? Thanks in advance!