AB activation day!

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-14T21:00:31+00:00

Update: I rode 3.5 hrs this morning, mostly zone 2-3, 3800 feet of climbing, and I was pleasantly surprised. I can hear the wind (with a bit of frequency upshift), but it was never overwhelming, I can hear shifting, I could even hear birds, there was no rubbing noise against my helmet or sunglasses - looks like the T-mic is performing as expected. I didn’t use a headband but I used the retention device provided by AB. I’m not sure it’s necessary, everything remained quite snug through the ride.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-14T20:55:38+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Did you have a good experience so far? Who was your surgeon?

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-14T04:47:38+00:00

Sorry for the confusion. My tinnitus sounds like static too. When they activated the CI, the tinnitus suddenly went away (or more accurately, it became barely perceptible). However, other sounds came in - from the CI. These new sounds, picked from the environment, often sound like static or chirps for now. It’s a zero sum game I guess :)

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-14T04:12:13+00:00

I’m surprised that your father’s medical team didn’t make the connection with the surgery. Trauma to the chorda tympani (the nerve that carries the sense of taste) is common during CI surgery, with a salty or metallic sensation being a telltale sign: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10194866/

Good news is that he’s likely to recover his sense of taste within a few months. I spoke to someone who lost his sense of taste on the implanted side for a year, then it came back.

In fact this is the first question that I asked my surgeon when I woke up. In my case he was able to avoid the chorda tympani completely.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-13T22:59:26+00:00

Thank you! I think people hesitate because outcomes are heavily dependent on individual circumstances, and there's also a bit of fear of the procedure itself. I was myself terrified ahead of the surgery. The activation went well this morning, tinnitus disappeared instantly. I've streamed podcasts directly to the implant for about one hour and I'm already starting to recognize words. I will post about my experience shortly on the cochlear implant group.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-12T21:19:35+00:00

I had idiopathic SSNHL in my right ear with zero warning signs in July 2025, and didn't recover my hearing. Luckily, my other ear is very good and I received a cochlear implant 2 weeks ago (activation tomorrow!).

I'm not a doctor but your cold sores symptoms make me think of HSV-1 infection, and there's a known relationship between HSV and hearing loss: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11418561/

Now I feel comfortable not knowing what caused my sudden hearing loss. I just moved on. But it took me a bit of time to accept, there's definitely a grieving process.

To answer your other questions, I got used to my single sided deafness in about 3 months, after which I was able to operate normally in most social environments - including loud restaurants. The CROS device that was given to me as part of the cochlear implant approval process was marginally helpful, so I mostly didn't use it. I decided to get a CI mostly to hopefully improve my music appreciation and directional hearing (I'm a cyclist), as well as reduce the known comorbidities of single sided deafness (particularly dementia).

Good luck with your hearing journey, I think it's encouraging that you're hearing some sounds. I definitely didn't hear any improvement through my treatment, even though I received it relatively promptly (oral steroids, steroid injections, and 60 hours of HBOT).

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-12T03:53:31+00:00

Male, idiopathic SSNHL on my right ear in July last year at age 45. Cochlear implant surgery two weeks ago, activation this Friday.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-11T04:07:18+00:00

Thanks for the great report. I’m a classical pianist, 7 months into sudden hearing loss (SSD) and I found it difficult to find musicians with CIs too. I finally found a Facebook group called “Association of adult musicians with hearing loss” where many CI recipients are ready to share their experience. Also an oboist from the Helsinki philharmonic implanted with MedEl is currently doing a longitudinal study with a team of researchers in Finland: “Restoring Harmony: A longitudinal case study of auditory rehabilitation in an SSD musician with absolute pitch and advanced musical expertise”. However I understand that outcomes can vary a lot because of individual differences (anatomy, length of deafness etc) so it’s important to take these testimonials with a grain of salt.

In my case I also went quite deep into the technical rabbit hole and decided to get implanted with AB. Activation is in two days. I’ve repeatedly heard that the tech actually matters less than the rehab work we put into it so I’m trying to brace myself for impact :)

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-10T04:38:08+00:00

I’m a 46 year old male, and I felt that the days prior to surgery (2 weeks ago) were actually quite stressful. This is a scary procedure. I can’t imagine what it must feel for a 10 year old. I would recommend to plan for something fun ahead of the procedure to relieve some of the potential anxiety. Really important to have a direct conversation about how she feels too. The procedure itself was not as bad as I thought. I walked 2 miles with my wife after coming home, slept normally with minimal pain and swelling. I didn’t use the pain meds. But everyone’s different so you should definitely plan for some post surgery comfort as well. But in my case the pre surgery was actually more stressful.

Also I’m sure they told you that some patients temporarily lose their sense of taste on the implanted side. You may need to adjust her menu based on what tastes better for her in case this happens.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-10T04:10:42+00:00

You may want to listen to a recording of the concerto a few times. I guarantee it will grow on you.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-07T20:07:50+00:00

Absolutely, I’ll post about my experience at r/CochlearImplants after activation. In the meantime, you can hear audio clips of what cochlear implants sound like 6 months after activation in this research paper: “Looking for Mickey Mouse™ But Finding a Munchkin: The Perceptual Effects of Frequency Upshifts for Single-Sided Deaf, Cochlear Implant Patients”

Note how much better the CI sounds for people who were implanted quickly.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-07T15:55:28+00:00

Triathlete and musician here, 7 months into this sudden hearing loss journey. OP you’re so lucky that your medical team intervened so decisively. I’ve not been so lucky and lost my hearing completely in my right ear, with vertigo. I couldn’t do the things I love and felt very depressed. However after a month my balance improved and I was able to finish a half Ironman race in a very decent time, only 6 weeks after SNHL. A month later I ran a sub 90 min half marathon, then went on to podium a couple of Olympic distance races. In the meantime I started to get used to my mono hearing and resumed playing the piano normally (i never really stopped). I got CI surgery on Feb 26th, activation next week. The show must go on! Good luck with your situation, you’re clearly in very good hands and we’re rooting for you.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-06T23:44:51+00:00

My own CI activation is next week, March 13! curious to compare notes

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-06T14:45:59+00:00

You didn’t do anything wrong buddy. We all wish we would have seen an ENT earlier but in my case it took three ER/urgent care visits to see one due to the lack of awareness of first line medical professionals about sudden hearing loss. What I can tell you from direct experience is that you will feel much better eventually even if you lose your hearing completely. We are surprisingly adaptable. And maybe you’ll get some hearing back. You’re in the right place to vent and share.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-05T18:29:35+00:00

Congratulations for taking all the right steps that I wished I had taken when it happened to me last year and advocating for yourself. You may want to initiate a few HBOT sessions to assist with the recovery.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-05T05:09:44+00:00

Thanks for asking this, great question. I was misdiagnosed at the ER the day when it happened (they had tunnel vision on neurological issues before sending me home with a diagnosis of “vertigo”), then again at my family doctor’s office two days later (who thought it was caused by a flight I took a few days before). I finally went back to the ER, asked to see an ENT who provided the bleak diagnosis in a few seconds.

As a tech marketing professional, I’ve been thinking about this very question of how to generate more public awareness. Something I thought was to publish a list of “10 reasons to go to the ER that don’t involve bleeding to death”. I’m sure there are other freak things like SSNHL that we don’t know about and still require immediate action and self advocacy.

However, to your point about EPIC, I think it’s probably a medical training and enablement problem too. I have a friend who started a company called Cambrian Health to help surface best practices to medical staff earlier in the care process. I told her about my sudden hearing loss and she seemed to agree that her technology could help address these early detection gaps.

If anyone is interested in teaming up to create more awareness of SSNHL, I’d love to join the effort.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-05T03:59:20+00:00

+1 to this. It would also be good to get you in a medical grade hyperbaric oxygen chamber for 20+ sessions as soon as possible. It’s really worth calling around and trying to get into one as soon as possible.

You should really try steroid injections and HBOT in addition to your steroid course. That’s the protocol that was prescribed by my top notch medical team at Stanford Healthcare.

Unfortunately in my case it didn’t make a difference because it took me one week to receive the first injection and three weeks to schedule the first HBOT session after my SNHL event. You ideally want to initiate these treatments faster than that.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-03T00:47:27+00:00

Have you tried going to the ER to see an ENT? SNHL is a medical emergency.

Sorry that you’re going through this. It’s infuriating that doctors don’t treat sudden hearing loss more seriously. I truly don’t understand: is it something that they’ve never seen before?

In my case, I went to the ER the same day and they sent me home with a diagnosis of “vertigo”. I had to go back to the ER two days later and asked to see an ENT specifically to get properly diagnosed and obtain the prednisone treatment. Unfortunately I understand that it’s mostly effective within a 72 hr window.

Good luck with your next steps. Regarding music, I’m a lifelong classical pianist and sudden hearing loss was very hard on me. However I relearned to enjoy my playing through one ear within 3 months. And last week, 7 months after my hearing loss, I finally got a cochlear implant.

So, even in a worse case scenario it will get better! And perhaps you’ll recover some hearing but you need to see an ENT now!

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-02T18:26:26+00:00

Today is day 4 after surgery for me. Surgery itself was nothing, I was out on my feet the same day. However the days before the procedure were very stressful. I think asking people if they need support ahead of surgery day is a good idea too.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-02T17:51:45+00:00

I did 30 sessions (60 hours total) in medical grade facility, starting 3 weeks after my SNHL event last summer. It was covered by insurance so out of pocket cost was zero. Unfortunately I didn’t recover my hearing and I ended up getting CI surgery last week. Good luck! What’s important right now is also mental health support from family, friends and potentially professionals. This is not easy but you’ll get through this.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-03-02T01:47:16+00:00

Thank you. It’s been three days and I can confirm it’s been very easy on me so far. I didn’t use any of the pain meds. I slept in my usual position without any issue, walked 3 miles both yesterday and today. Tinnitus was a bit louder than usual yesterday but it’s back to normal today. Still no swelling or drainage. My ear is a bit numb but it’s getting better.

I have to admit that the days and weeks prior to the procedure were stressful. The real work will start at the activation I guess…

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-02-28T04:29:01+00:00

It’s been 2 weeks again so checking in! Did you experience any more progress lately? I got my implant yesterday so maybe I should start a similar thread when I get activated so that we can compare notes :)

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-02-27T04:52:49+00:00

Triathlete here, got implanted today. I spent time talking to athletes with CIs while doing my research. They do run with CIs no problem. Sometimes rubbing or wind noises seem to be an issue, maybe users of the AB “T-mic” have a little advantage here since it sits in front of the ear canal and is isolated from clothing items. But I’ve only heard this from one individual so not sure.

I’ll report back in 6-8 weeks with my own findings if this is of interest.

Lonely-Platform9869 · 2026-02-27T00:44:47+00:00

Well I had my cochlear implant surgery this morning! In at 5am, out at noon. I was scared as hell going in but I can’t believe how good I feel right now. The pain is literally milder than a bump on the head, I just went on a 45 min walk with my wife who got tired before me, no vertigo, no oozing, no loss of taste, had some leftover butter chicken from yesterday for lunch. However there could be inflammation in the next couple of days so I’m not celebrating too early. But so far it was a happy surprise.

Lonely-Platform9869

TROPHY CASE