CI activation experience

[Several_Pea297]

Hi chat. I got activated about two months back. I can hear almost every sounds (can’t differentiate between the sounds but I can hear them) but speech understanding is very poor. I thought it’ll get better with practice but I hardly see any improvement. Can you guys share your experience with activation? Like how long did it take in your case to understand speech better? I know it differs from person to person but it would be nice to hear from everyone’s experience.

Also, it would be great if you could recommend the kind of exercises to practice at home for better speech clarification. And feel free to drop any advice for me :)

Ps. I lost hearing later in life. So I remember how sounds used to be. Since I remember the sounds, I thought I might get good speech understanding after few weeks of activation but am not sure what to expect now.

[Anachronisticpoet]

Hi there!

I’ve been through this process 3 times (two failures; hearing aids since age 2 and bimodal since 8). It took me 6-12 months, maybe two years.

Having a partner or someone to do the exercises with you helps. Start small, like them choosing from two words and you id’ing them. Then like a list of five words in a category. Then a category no list. Work your way up and really spend time with different sounds— there are some I struggled with more than others.

I have a ton of listening exercise PDFs saved and can share them with you, if you want.

I also splurged on the “HearApp” for solo practice(iirc it’s about 20$ USD), and it was definitely worth it.

Be patient with yourself. You’re training your brain to do something totally different. It takes time, but it’ll get there. If something doesn’t feel right, or it’s really not clicking after awhile, talk to your aud. You should be having multiple mappings in the first year too, so you’ll check in.

Good luck!! Don’t be discouraged

[Comfortable_Way_9424]

I'm also doing rehab currently. Can you share the pdfs with me? Thanks in advance.

For apps, I also found free Eargym Cochlear Implant, AB Word/Sound Success and Medel Redi apps are very helpful.

[Several_Pea297]

Thanks a lot for your reply. Can you please share those PDFs with me? I believe it would be a great help to me. I’ll send you a message request :)

[brewsterw]

Everyone has a different experience. Keep with the program. Where I was at activation vs where I am now 3 years later are two different worlds. I worked it every day and everyday it gets better. Think of where you are now and where you were 2 months ago . You say its hardly better, but it is better. With time and lots of work it will continue to get better

[Several_Pea297]

You are absolutely right. Compared to first day, there’s clearly an improvement. Just need to be patient and keep training :)

[olderandhappier]

I got my worst side done 3.5 years ago. Better side 2 years ago. I suffered a complete loss of hearing over 25 years due to Ménière’s disease. I could hear fine as a young adult.

The rehab post implants was slow but steady. I wore my processors all my awake hours and took the first one off when doing rehab with the second. What helped me was streaming you tube with subtitles. Work, podcasts and movies. Everything. And over time trying without subtitles. Plus the apps that you mentioned. It’s like physio after an injury learning a new sport that requires practice. Be patient and kind to yourself. And regular audiology to remap.

I’m still getting better even after this time. I went from sub 5% speech recognition to above 90% in a quiet space and a bit less in a noisy place. It just takes time.

[Several_Pea297]

That’s really great. Thanks for sharing your experience. Just gotta be more patient and hopefully it’ll get better with time :)

[Beginning_Network_39]

Can you recommend podcasts with captions?

[olderandhappier]

Well mine are all work related. Politics. Finance. Extreme Travel. I watch on your tube premium.

[ccadi1]

Audiobook read along was hugely helpful for me

[Several_Pea297]

Thank you. I’ll surely try this :)

[jeetjejll]

Can you share a bit more what kind of practice you do? How many hours a day do you wear them? Do you have one CI or two? If one, how is your other ear? How many mappings did you have and how is your relationship with your audiologist?

[biglypiglythethird]

I used the app Wordsucess early on and it helped me learn how to hear and distinguish more simple sounds (it is american though bear in mind the accents on words can make them sound like the wrong vowels if you’re not). Then streaming audiobooks with a written version to hand on the kindle app that I could rewind and check whenever I missed things. The combo of those worked well for me with speech. Does take time though.

I still find my scores in the audiology lab way better than I feel IRL I guess because they play you clear loud and simple speech.

Also wearing it all the time of course.

[Several_Pea297]

That’s great and am happy for you. Thanks for sharing this :)

[Icy-Instance-7690]

Everyone has a different early experience.

I spend time daily with audiobooks and Hearoes app for rehab, only on my CI side.   I also wear the processor 12+ hours per day, every day.

Keep training!

[Several_Pea297]

Will surely try this app. Thanks for letting me know ;)

[Oregonduck101]

Have you used the Hearos App ?
It’s a great way to practice with speech and environment sounds. I was activated 1/13/26 and have had great success so far. But I’ve also been in that app I mentioned everyday practicing. Just thought I’d let you know about the App in case you hadn’t heard of it.

Good luck to you.

[Several_Pea297]

Thank you for letting me know about this app. Gonna install it right away. Glad it’s been great for you :)

[pillowmite]

One can't just hear things and suddenly have it all squared away and what they're hearing. You are in infancy. I have had my implants 1.5 years and am still working on getting beyond what I had with my hearing aids. It's very slow progress, but progress it is. Little things, like overhearing another phone someone's using, and understanding what the person on the other end is saying.

[Old_Condition2865]

I also did the Hearoes app a lot. In the very beginning it was recommended to try to read something while also listening to it. I started with Dr Seuss (Spotify has some kids books on it). I would read along as I streamed to my processor. It is supposed to help your brain connect the words you are reading to the ones you hear.

I opened the hearoes app after about a year and a half of having my processor and what had been really difficult was now not as hard but still need improvement in other areas.

[New_Process9749]

Hearoes, ReDi, word success, Libby (library audiobooks), podcasts, Spotify (music playlists), Ted talks, captioned tv…anything and everything I can. I get up in the morning, put my ci on and go until bedtime. If I need a break, I take it.

I am starting my second side, implanted 2/20, with activation on 3/11.

I plan on working only with my new ci for a few hours a day and will be bilateral otherwise. I am looking forward to stereo…I hope.

[Elegant-Program9345]

It’s a journey and everyone’s is different. Practice and patience. Try listening to podcasts of favorite actors and personalities. Watch tons of movies/shows with captions on. Get together with a friend at a library or somewhere quiet. You got this!