John's Blog

I had a mapping appointment last Tuesday to try going back to a mapping that I had in 2006 that had been the highlight of my cochlear implant experience.

Unfortunately that mapping would not work, even with channels 4 and 17 turned off. It was actually worse than it was when I had the mod in December 06. Both pain and my facial muscles going awry.

I had asked for the cochlear rep to attend the appointment to provide any ideas that she may have. We ended up enhancing the latest mapping by changing the frequency table and bumping up the volume on the individual channels.

The frequency table change added a little more crispness and I can hear the common white noise again. This was kind of lost to me since the December 06 Mapping.

Also they are questioning about the array moving in the cochlear. They are planning to have me get a CT scan to compare with the one done after the surgery to see how much it has moved. The assumption is that the lowest numbers have shifted outside the cochlear. That is why I'm getting the painful sensation with channels 1-4 as the electrodes are hitting the tissue on the outside.

Ah well, I guess I'm not exactly a cochlear implant success story like many of my cochlear friends. However, it is still a huge improvement regardless. I just hope I can retain where it is currently... Wish me luck.