“Socially…I’m not social” 😂😂😂 I felt that and can totally relate!

I am genuinely grateful for this video but what I am hearing is - you hear noises but not clear voice comprehension from the cochlear ear. So it's basically the same constraint before the surgery except louder noise. My biggest fear realised lol!

Hi Nikki, congratulations on your new CI journey. I will be bilateral recipient on 3/26/25. My first CI activation was robotic and Mickey Mouse sounding but after a few weeks and months voices sounded normal to me no longer robotic. I practice with audiobooks for weeks listening to different readers and I can tell or recognize different voices and my own voice. I was profound for over 30 years in my right ear and severe in my left ear, now profound in my left ear. I know each person has their unique experiences. I am lucky I can say I hear as normal when I lose my hearing. Is it perfect? No. but it is close. I hope your CI gets better, I am a year and month into my CI journey. I am 89% WRS (Word recognition score) and it progressively getting higher. Thank you Nikki, for sharing you story.

Thank you for sharing your story, Nikki.   I am where you were emotionally a year ago and it really is tough to deal with the sudden hearing loss and all the changes that it has brought to my life.  You give me hope that things will get easier in time.  Congratulations on your new C.I. and the joy of being a new Mom!

Your videos about your hearing loss are very helpful.   I experienced single sided hearing loss and I am scheduled for a CI.   In one of your previous videos you mentioned a processor that would indicated you chose a Cochlear brand CI.  In this video you mentioned that you chose JBL headphones to use with your CI.  It would be very helpful if you could make a video about the processes you went through choosing the brand of CI.   Also, if you wouldn’t mind, tell us what model of JBL headphones you finally chose and how are they working for you.

Great video, I really appreciate your honest answers.  I just got an implant 10 days ago and am 3 days into my first mapping; so far can't really hear anything of use yet, but I'm hopeful it will get better.  Also, the person asked really good questions, which made the video very helpful.

Hi Nikki! Thanks for sharing 🦻🏻
A year ago, in August 2025, I experienced tinnitus and a profound hearing loss in my right ear. The diagnosis was a sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). After treatments with oral steroids and injections in the inner ear, and after trying different hearing aids, none of it helped me recover my hearing. My doctor and audiologist recommended a cochlear implant, which I had surgery last May. My cochlear implant was activated on May 29th, two weeks after my surgery. I've been quite busy with auditory therapy and rehabilitation through phonetics exercises and auditory practice to recognize vowels, consonants, words, and now complete sentences. Today I had my third mapping with the audiologist, and I'm at 70% hearing with my new bionic ear. I'm very happy because everything has gone according to plan, and my bionic ear is helping me to do my job again because  I'm a translator and interpreter and work in different languages.

It is so good hearing (no pun ) back from you,it is fantastic knowing your doing so well.

Grateful for this video.  My 25 year old daughter lost hearing in her left ear in November.  Currently considering/being evaluated for a CI but it’s terrifying.  Helpful to have you walk through all of it, from surgery to adjusting to robotic hearing. ❤

I'm so delighted how well things seem to be working out for you! Excited for you and your lovely family being so joyful and it's obvious how much thankfulness you feel. Keep it up, sweet lady! You are loved! ❤❤❤

I stumbled upon your channel because I was looking at your gardening videos. Totally awesome to see you have a cochlear implant! My niece was born profoundly deaf and has bilateral cochlear implants. Fast forward to today, she's an active, happy, college junior living her best life. ❤  So thankful for advancements in science. ❤

I’ve have a CI too, hearing will never be normal but we can hear. A blessing to be able to fix it, but also honesty and bring light to this issue.😊

Hi Nikki,  Thank you for this video.  I am 71  and  have had sudden single sided deafness for the past 4 years.  I am exited to say that ten days ago I had cochlear implant surgery and am now healing and waiting for activation in another ten days.  Your video is quite comforting.  After 4 years of SSD I'm so ready for a change. Tinnitus, balance and anxiety has been alleviated mostly due to self isolation for most of those  past 4 years.  My wife and I have a small acreage and a few gardens.  They have expanded to many gardens during this time. This has occupied most of my time, as socializing and crowds has been very difficult.  Thank goodness for the tranquility and the gardens, I'm sure that has preserved my sanity.  I especially enjoyed the part of your video where you were asked if you could look back a year what you would say to yourself, looking forward to today and your response. I will put that question in my diary and ask myself that question one year from now and hope I have the same response.  Thank you for that. Was the Plant, Flower and Garden Inspiration part of your life prior to your hearing loss or possibly magnified due to it? Just curious.  Thanks so much

Way go Nikki well said

Thank you for sharing your story and answering all these questions. I had sudden one sided hearing loss after a severe case of BPPV. I am currently trialing hearing aids and I find them to be uncomfortable and painful so, you're story gives me hope that a CI would be the right decision.

Thank you for sharing. This was an excellent interview in my opinion.

Thank you for your video.  I had my CI put in January 24, and have had one mapping so far.  Your insights are very much like mine.  I hear high tones, bells, whistles, birds, etc. on the CI side, and the hearing aid side provides the base tones. So the sounds blend together. Jekyll and Hyde maybe?  I picked up that after 9 months you are still hearing robotic monotones on the CI side.  I expected that I would eventually hear more normal tones from the CI side, but now I am beginning to understand that, like you, it won't happen that way. Or maybe it will over time.  I also have the extension on the CI that helps with residual hearing, so I do get some base. Anyway I do think I am hearing better after the surgery and it was the right choice for me.  I am much older than you (71 yrs) and my hearing was degenerative, so I decided to get the CI instead of pouring more money into expensive aids.  Good luck on your hearing journey.

Thanks for this. My wife in her 30's went deaf in the same ear in Oct 2022. We had no coverage with our Healthcare plan and ended up buying the CROS out of pocket. Recently I found out coverage changed and she might be covered for a cochlear. We're in the process of getting the ball rolling, but so much of your experiences, questions, concerns, and etc. are exactly what we've been going through. I appreciate how thorough you were and for sharing.

Thanks for sharing your story. We recently found out that our 4 year old daughter has single sided deafness and trying to decide if a CI is right for her. Hearing personal experiences like yours helps a lot.

What a thoughtful thing to share. I have tinnitus. Have lost some hearing. Wearing hearing aids since 2015 off and on and solidly from 2022. They really help. But wondering if I’ll ever have to have a CI. Also, I wear an AirPod at night listening to videos. I can’t bear the tinnitus at night. Nighttime is the worst. Good for you that you’ve found something to improve your life so much.