| My Comparisons... |
| Like I said earlier, one of the things I like about the Clarion was the rechargeable batteries. I like this because I considered the cost of buying disposable batteries and to save money, I wanted the rechargeable kind. However, after my research, I changed my mind on this. The reason I decided not to get the rechargeable battery was because I travel a lot and there are many times my hearing aid batteries would die and I would be out somewhere and have to find a store to buy more batteries. With the rechargeable battery, I wouldn't be able to do that. For example, we were in NYC last year and my hearing aid battery died. I couldn't hear a thing! We were visiting in the city and had taken the Ferry to Manhattan so even if I had any spares in the car...it was across the river. We just went into a store and bought more batteries. A more recent experience...I was at school the other day and I am using the BWP with rechargeable batteries (just until I get my 3G BTE) and my battery went dead. I couldn't leave class to go to my car to get the extra batteries. With the small hearing aid batteries (like the 3G BTE uses) I can carry them in my purse. |
| As for the Med-El implant...I have a friend who has this one and she absolutely loves it! The only thing she had to say about Nucleus was that the new 3G BTE was not available yet in the US and the Med-El BTE was already available. Well...now that has changed and is no longer an issue. FDA released the 3G BTE on March 22, 2002. I was tempted to go with the Med-El, but I just didn't get that total peace with it. Maybe because they haven't been around as long as the others. I also didn't like the appearance of it as well as I did the Nucleus and Clarion processors. |
| With the Nucleus...there wasn't really anything that I didn't like, just maybe the fact that I would have to wait for the release of the 3G BTE. Also, I had decided to get the bilateral implants and was told by my doctor that he didn't think Clarion offered bilateral implants. I wrote to Advance Bionics and they confirmed this. I haven't gotten the bilateral implants yet because the hospital board has to approve this procedure first. It is my understanding that it has to go through many cycles of board reviews, etc. One thing I really liked about the 3G BTE is the adjustable battery covers! It comes with 12 different colors! I like to dress for the occasion and I think it would be neat to wear my daughter's school colors to her basketball games. And if you don't want to be too eccentric, you can always go neutral with the beige, black or brown to match your skin tones and hair. As for the MRI capability...that is an added bonus; however, I don't anticipate having a MRI unless something unexpectedly comes up. |
| My Decision... When I finally made my decision to get the Nucleus 24 Contour implant, I felt relief and peace. I still think it needs to be a personal choice based on your gut feelings and with much research including, but not limited to, personal experience from other users. Keep in mind, someone who tries to tell you that one brand is better than another...is only commenting on the success of their own brand. If anyone tries to discourage you from getting a different brand than their own...I would be leary of their advice. However, if they are trying to encourage you to go with the same brand they have without making negative comments about the others, that is okay...they are obviously pleased and very happy with their implant. These are just some of the things I considered while doing my research. I have only been hooked up for one week so I can not really comment on any experiences at this time. But please check back frequently as I will update my web page after each mapping. |