CI no 2?
About six months ago, only a year after I obtained CI on my left ear, I wanted CI no 2. I am 100% confident I’ll be able to hear better with CI on both ears. I could be able to obtain directional hearing (something I’ve never had before) and much better chances to understand sounds and speech when there’s two apparatus receiving sound. When you have two sound sources you have a much better chance to receive and interpret sound, because the apparatus’ll support each other if one of them were not able to perceive. Nowadays I’m walking around without hearing aid on my right ear, because in my opinion the good hearing I receive through my CI kind of disappear in all the noise perceived by the hearing aid. In practice I’m walking around with one wellfunctioning ear and the other completely deaf. To hear with only one ear require effort, concentration and much excess energy, and I realize this won’t work much longer. All this combined with gradually worsening hearing on my right ear made me look at the possibilities of CI no 2.
I was told already at the CI no 1 evaluation adults today only are offered one implant. Children under 18 years of age have the right to receive two implants, and babies are operated with two implants simultaneously. But adults can only have one CI! It’s like giving someone glasses with only one actual lens, or just one hearing aid to someone who need two.
Why adults only get one CI is a political and economical issue. A CI-surgery is expensive for the state to perform. One surgery can come up at 6-700 000 to 1 million Norwegian kroner, and that’s more expensive than e.g. a heart transplant. Politicians don’t see the use of offering two implants when you already have one, compared to the costs. There are not established good reasons that people function better hearing with both ears before one ear. The fact that all people and animals are born with two ears – and that’s a reason why everyone has two ears to listen with in the first place – seem to be forgotten.
It has been some coverage about two implants for adults in media, but far from enough to have some real effect. In the articles below you can also read the reasons why adults are offered only one CI: (PS: Articles are in Norwegian)
- Deaf can hear – with one ear: Article in Dagbladet (published 14.03.2006)
- Two cochlea implants too expensive: Article in Dagens Medisin (published 11.10.2007)
- Cochlea Implantat at adults – one-sided versus two-sided implantats: Case in Nasjonalt råd for kvalitet og prioritering i helsetjenesten. (from 08.10.2007)
In the last link above (Nasjonalt råd for kvalitet og prioritering) is a note from Association for hard of hearing in Norway (HLF) stating they’d look at the case. But after some research very little has been put in effort by HLF. This is disappointing because HLF is in practice the only associations hard of hearing can use and get help from in such cases. I have also uncovered some research on CI, but only one paper adress one ear versus two – the main focus lies on other factors, such as age. We need specific and tangible research and/or media coverage stating people function better with two ears, not just one. We may need to speak “the language of politics” and present calculations and cost statistics where the costs of two CI’s are put up against long-term costs for people with only one implant – e.g. disability insurance, “poorer” labour because of reduced capability and other implications.
I could go on forever why people function better with hearing on two ears before only one, but I neither have time or effort to dig through this thoroughly. I don’t have a foot (or brain) inside politics, but if I have to fight in order to receive CI no 2 I will definitely contribute! I know several young adults with one CI who want number two. If we becomes many enough I hope we can convince the politics to put aside enough money to offer two implants – for everyone who need it.
