3G to Freedom
May 9, 2007 - Felicity Bleckly
Day One
My experience with the Cochlear Implant has been highly successful and today I upgraded my 3G processor to the new Freedom.
The first and worst thing about the Freedom was the power surge present for a few minutes each time the Freedom was turned off and then switched on. This seemed to improve the more often it was switched off and the shorter time between switch off and switch on.
The quality of sound from the Freedom is definitely improved when compared to the 3G, and I was already noticing this in a few minutes once the power surge died down.
My husband reports it's easier for me to hear him (and therefore easier for him to talk to me), even with the 'shadow effect' which indicates a more effective microphone than the 3G.
I am hearing more sibilant sound which is both good and bad. Speech is crisper and I hear close clicking sounds (eg typing on a keyboard) but these do not over-ride the clarity of speech which the 3G tended to do if I had the sensitivity at this level. I can hear my hair crackling against the case every time I move my facial muscles (smiling etc) and when I walk. However, in a normal noisy living environment; shopping, driving, with other people; this tends to fade into the background.
I do not like the short sound blackout when moving between programs. I find the push button controllers harder to use and must remove the processor to read the LCD screen. This makes it very difficult to control my sound environment particularly when I can use only one hand say, when I'm driving and I want to reduce road noise. With the 3G, controlling my sound environment was a bit like scratching my nose. I could do it by touch and feel while still remaining in control of my vehicle.
Day Two
I made sure I wore the Freedom in a no sound environment for the first 3 or 4 minutes. But even then I found the first time I heard speech or spoke myself was very, very loud and it took about two hours before my husband's voice sounded nice and normal (and much nicer than with the 3G). I find I resist taking the Freedom off even though I'd like to try the rechargeable battery, check the sensitivity etc.
Interestingly my husband has Alan Parson's playing on the CD. Normally it would be just a hissing type of background noise but I'm finding it rather pleasant even though it's playing in the next room.
Walking out in the country this morning was just gorgeous. The additional microphone range gives better balance. By that I mean my husband's voice was perfectly clear and not over loud yet I could hear a greater range of bird calls and cars coming from a greater distance. With the 3G if I wanted to hear the environmental sounds my husband's voice was too loud.
I am yet to try playing my Piano with the Freedom and since my Piano is in storage for the next four months I'm unlikely to have a chance to make a direct comparison for some time.
Overall, I have to say I am excited and very pleased by the improved quality in sound I am getting with the Freedom when compared to the 3G.
I am excited and pleased
by the improved quality in sound
Day Three
I put the Freedom on this morning without regard to noise to test whether I would get the power surge. While it was present it was relatively minor and went away quickly.
Today I had to go to work. This is the first time I've tested my new hearing in a familiar work environment. The increase in sensitivity was fabulous. The owner of the company works in the same office and we sit with our backs to each other (ie one desk facing the wall in opposite corners of the room). Wearing the 3G I was not able to understand him speaking to me from behind (and often face to face!). Today I had little difficulty in understanding him even when he spoke away from and behind me. This was a great improvement because he's the sort of bloke who gets a bit short if he has to repeat himself. I could also clearly know that he called out to the Receptionist in the next room, when before I wasn't sure if he had been speaking to me.
I tried the radio in the car travelling in to work. I found I could reduce microphone sensistivity to eliminate much of the road noise but was still able to clearly hear the radio at a lower volume. The quality of sound was excellent and the commentators much clearer than with the 3G. The only way I could hear the commentators clearly when wearing the 3G, was to totally tune out any competing road noise. If I forgot to turn the radio off before I turned the car off, the next time I started the engine the radio would blast anyone near (me included if I had my sensitivity up!) Today, once again, I forgot to turn the radio off before turning off the engine. When I started the car to drive home, of course the radio came on, but even with my Freedom sensitivity at normal the radio wasn't that loud.
A short time ago, my husband hugged me (ooh la la!) and in so doing knocked the coil off my head. When I placed it back on I was actually talking and for a few seconds my voice was overly loud, indicating the power surge is still there but not lasting for long.
Day Four
Again this morning there was a short burst of power. When I first switched on, there was background noise like a loud air conditioner and voices were too loud. The background noise receded within about 15 seconds. However, I switched sensitivity down for about half an hour before needing to increase it so that voices around me seemed at the right level.
Eating breakfast in Billy Baxter's, a familiar restaurant and I could hear the work, such as the dishwasher being unpacked, out the back in the kitchen. Yet this sound was in the background and did not detract from conversation with my husband. He told me these sounds while in his consciousness were quite a distance away. The capaccino machine did not 'wipe me out' as it had when wearing my 3G.
My husband says now he knows that if I say I can't hear him then I'm not listening, rather than I am actually not hearing him.
My first set of batteries in the Freedom beeped and then about 5 minutes later died. This means I got 3 full days from three batteries. I am now trying a rechargeable battery and will see how long this lasts. Battery life is important to me right now because we're going away for three months from mid-June and I need to make sure I have enough batteries for the trip.
Day Five
And once again this morning there was a short burst of power just like yesterday but I could cope with it. But the worst part of today!!! I have been working on my computer all morning. There is a lot of white noise (fridge, two computers, music), but at the same time I could hear myself breathing. It was quite annoying and very much like a scarey movie where someone on screen can hear someone heavy breathing off screen. I found I was shallow breathing so I couldn't hear it so much and found myslef breathless. I finally got sick of it and commented to my husband how much it had been annoying me. He suggested I check my program setting. I hadn't changed it so of course it was fine! But it wasn't I had somehow managed to set P4(ADRO). As soon as I returned to P1 the heavy breathing went away! So I'd spent the whole morning hating the sound only to find I could have changed it.
Day Six
My ear is now very, very sore and I'd like to take the processor off (but I won't!) The hardest part of today was using the phone. Although they do work, I find my 3G attachments don't work quite as well with either my mobile or land line phones. I find it difficult to switch to TCoil and especially so if I'm trying to do it quickly in order to answer the phone or while someone is waiting for me to hook up. Plus the sound isn't as clear unless I hold my TCoil adaptor hard up against my head and the processor. A remote control would make it so much easier. Perhaps this is when I need to use the body worn processor - but then I have to carry that around all the time?
One week
I tried going to the movies last night. We saw Breach (a freebie). I found the Freedom Tcoil and theatre hearing loop more effective than the 3G. However, just a small movement of my head upwards or a short twist sideways and I'd lose sound quality. But overall I heard most of the movie.
Second week
Trying the Freedom in lots of familiar circumstances and I can really hear the difference. My ear became so incredibly sore I switched back to the 3G for a while (so I could still hear and give my left ear a rest wearing the 3G on my right ear using a longer coil.) The difference in quality of sound was readily apparent. The 3G sound was considerably more monotone than the Freedom and I did not enjoy that.
Today we were out on a Jetty in Largs Bay. It was windy and the Freedom was so much better to wear in wind. The wind does not cut off my sound like the 3G does.
However, I was disappointed with the Freedom performance in a very noisy party situation. When I first tuned to a program I had very clear sound for the person next to me but within a few minutes the sound built up until I was struggling to hear the person closest to me. If I switched to a different program and then back, again the same thing occured. (ie at first it was fabulous to hear and then the discrimination deteriorated.) This seemed to me like a power problem. I was using rechargeables and did not have the Freedom battery holder with me (although I had batteries) so couldn't test this. I also found the BEAM program dreadful. My closest speaker sounded very small and distant while the party noise continued on loud around me. At this stage I am prepared to believe it's my use of the processor because in so many other circumstances the sound has been far superior.
Detail
3G experience/background
I have been a 3G user since implantation in Dec-2002 and had no experience with any previous processor technologies. Within a few minutes of my initial 3G processor activation I was able to understand speech without the need for lip reading, I used a phone within the first few days, radio was clear to me within a week and recognition of known music came a short time later. Music appreciation has been great enough for me to resume playing the piano.
I had not had a 3G mapping since August 2005 (18 months) and had not really noticed a significant deterioration in sound. (My husband tells me he had!)
With the 3G I used only one program, but switched to Telecoil for phone use (P1 75/25 microphone or P2 100% Tcoil). I also usually used the 100% Tcoil option for best hearing results in movie theatres.
I found the whisper setting of no benefit and in fact the sound available on this setting seemed far inferior (tinny quality).
I did reduce microphone sensitivity while driving to counter road noise and while travelling in a plane to reduce the engine noise. However, while using reduced sensitivity I could still quite easily understand speech with persons in my close vicinity including those in the back seat of a car.
TV was difficult to understand unless sitting very close to the speakers so some months ago I started using the Cochlear TV cord. This gave me success for the majority of programs without the need for sub-titles. However, recently, the small adaptor which fitted the audio cord to the 3G lost its integrity giving me a constant intermittent sound signal making using the TV cord almost impossible.
Freedom activation
The Freedom was first loaded with my 2005 3G map and then switched on.
At switch on I first noticed an enormous amount of sound. It was rather like sitting close to an airconditioner or a boiling kettle. I started to speak and stopped after saying just one or two words. My voice was extraordinarily loud, so much so that I could not continue to speak. I was startled and stunned and I tried lowering my voice two or three times until I was whispering. But still the sound level was extraordinary. When he saw my reaction my audiologist turned the Freedom off and explained (with me lip reading him) that some Freedom users had reported a power surge when they first turn the processor on (ie when the communication between the processor and internal implant commences).
After this first switch on attempt it was almost frightening to be switched back on because of the fear of the power surge. However, we made sure that no unnecessary noise was made in the first minute or so after the switch on and then I spoke. Once again my voice was extraordinarily loud and I had to reduce the volume to almost a whisper. However, this seemed to settle down within about 3 minutes, until I could listen to my audiologist and husband speaking without any discomfort.
We then did a mapping, which included mapping the two electrodes which had not been activated using the 3G. After the mapping I had to be switched on again, and once again I experienced the power surge for the first few minutes after the switch on.
It seemed that each time the Freedom Processor was turned off and then on again, if the time interval was short then the power surge was not as strong and did not last as long.
Differences
What do I notice as the differences between the 3G and the Freedom?
The first thing I noticed was that the tones when mapping the Freedom have a better tonal quality, they sound sweeter and more musical than when mapping the 3G. I also noticed I could more easily hear the gradations in scale between electrodes. With the 3G this tonal gradation was harder to determine. With the Freedom at some point there seemed to be a jump in pitch. By this I mean the first (say) 4 or 5 electrodes rose in a steady even pitch, then electrode 6 jumped a pitch to one which was higher than expected. Then I would find that maybe electrodes 11 and 12 both sounded the same before rising to a higher pitch on the next electrode. I did not notice this phenomenon with the 3G.
At switch on, the Freedom processor gave me an enormous amount of noise. At first I would have likened this to first time activation in 2002 (ie a lot of noise which my brain hadn't learned to tune out), however it was very different because my voice and the voice of others was overwhelmingly loud. But once this settled down the sound I am hearing is much nicer. The sound is crisper. I am definitely hearing more sounds and mostly this is good!
My husband is thrilled because I'm talking much softer than even with the 3G. He also maintains I am answering him better than I have been for sometime and this is probably partly due to a new map.
Usually I wear the processor on my right ear even though my left ear was implanted, but with the Freedom I don't yet have a 28cm coil and so have to wear it on my left ear. My husband says even with the shadow effect I am still hearing him speak at a much softer volume than he is used to using with me. (ie when my husband is on my right side and the processor is on my left side I am still hearing him easily). He maintains the Freedom is therefore giving me a better and greater range than the 3G.
After programming we went shopping and I found that some of the time I actually forgot I was wearing the new Freedom. I feel this means I am getting used to and enjoying the new sound very quickly. However, I did find it harder to tune out the road noise. If I want to listen to the radio while driving the road noise competes too much so I need to tune it out.
Programs
The 3G has only two programs with the option of Tcoil or whisper in either program and different sensitivity settings. The Freedom has 4 programs, with the options of Tcoil on 3 of them, plus the option of different sensitivity and volume settings. At the moment this seems like too many options.
3G |
Freedom | ||
| P1 | Normal usage, low pitch suppression TCoil 75% Microphone 25% | P1 | Normal usage TCoil 75% Microphone 25% |
| P2 | Same as P1 but TCoil 100% Microphone 0% | P2 | Same as P1 but TCoil 100% Microphone 0% |
| Not available | P3 | Beam TCoil available but not sure what % | |
| Not available | P4 | ADRO TCoil available but not sure what % | |
I did not notice improvement in quality or reception of sound when switching to different programs but this was partly to do with not knowing which sensitivity level I was on in each program.
I tried the different programs in Marion Westfield - a high noise environment. I found that P1 - my usual everyday program - with sensitivity turned down to about 4 or 5 gave me the best result. The background noise was bearable while my own voice and my husband's voice were still very clear and sounded normal. I tried Beam but found our voices took on a tinny quality, were very difficult to hear, while the background noise didn't fade away. I really could not sense any Beam type aspect even when sitting directly in front of the speaker. ADRO was marginally better with background noise faded a little, but still our voices sounded tinny and were harder to hear than on my normal program.
Usage differences
The Freedom fits more snugly behind my ear. I was finding the 3G often slipped or was knocked off by such things as a collar on a jacket, someone hugging me etc. Only time will tell if the Freedom will do the same.
Every time I smile the sound of my hair scraping/rubbing on the processor crackles. I liken it to wearing long dangly metal earrings which rattle with every movement. I can hear my glasses rub against the processor with every movement I make. I did not hear my hair with the 3G nor the glasses rub as much. However, the glasses rub is one of the reasons for wearing contact lenses when I can.
I do need to get used to the different switch technology. Physically the push button switches seem harder to use. I must brace the processor firmly in order to push the buttons otherwise the pushing movement makes processor move away without actually changing the program. The switches on the 3G were easier to use.
Programming changes, while quite easy to understand because of the beeps, cause the processor to temporarily switch off. While this is only for a second or so it is quite disconcerting when I wish to switch to a different program while actually in a conversation because I miss a number of words. Each program needs to be cycled through (ie P1, to P2, to P3, to P4 before going back to P1) so if I want to try say P3, I have to go through P2 to get there and then if I prefer P1 then I have to go through P4 to get back. I have to consciously listen to the beeps to know which program I'm on. With the 3G I could tell the program by feel and switching between programs did not cut out the sound.
Microphone sensitivity changes are more confusing than with the 3G. With the Freedom I can easily hear the difference as I change the sensitivity. However, the sensitivity setting remains with the program I changed it on, therefore when I switch programs I'm not sure if I'm getting improved (or worse) quality of sound because the sensitivity setting for that program may be different to the one I've just switched from. To check this out I need to remove the processor to find out what sensitivity setting level is on in each program.
I cannot read the LCD screen on the Freedom BTE if I am wearing contact lenses and must get out short distance glasses. If I'm wearing glasses and not contact lenses, I have to remove my glasses to read the screen. Because the LCD screen is not backlit I cannot read it easily if the light is poor. It would be great if the Freedom used a remote control.
When I used the 3G with the TV cord I generally removed all microphone sensitivity. Reason: Our TV requires the TV cord to be plugged into the set-top box (there are no available audio outlets from the TV). However, this means I hear the sound before it actually reaches the TV. Therefore there is an out-of-sync factor between the sound from the set-top box and the sound from the TV speakers. The result is like being in an airport terminal and hearing the echoes of a number of loud speakers. By removing microphone I could remove the sound (but not visual) out-of-sync factor, but of course I could not hear anyone in the room speaking either. It should be noted that we are currently living in fully furnished temporary accommodation and do not have our own TV so I am unable to make a direct comparison between using the 3G and the Freedom.
The 3G TV(audio) cord has to be plugged into the processor with the processor switched off. If the cord is removed while the 3G is still on the processor hisses, so the 3G has to be shut off and then turned on again. With the Freedom I am not yet sure how it works, although I did get it working :. With the TV at the accommodation we are living in I was able to use both microphone and the TV cord for best effect. This may change when I try it with our own TV.
Accessories
Body worn pack
Having never had a body worn processor I cannot see any need for the Freedom body worn option.
The dry & store
I never needed a dry & store with the 3G and simply used the simple carrying case it came in with the small drying canister. I see a real difficulty in carrying around the dry & store while travelling, due to added luggage weight as well as drying bricks and the different international currency voltages.
Rechargeable batteries
I have not yet tried the rechargeable battery pack, but I really like the idea of rechargeable batteries. My mapping says I will get 13 hours from the rechargeable mini controller and 29 hours from the battery powered mini controller. However, again while travelling overseas I do not expect to take the rechargeable batteries simply because of the extra equipment I need to take.
28cm coil
Especially important to me is the longer coil so I can wear the processor on my right ear again and I have ordered this.
Mini battery controller
I have also ordered the battery powered mini controller.
TV cable
I have ordered new TV cable because the one I have is on loan, old and the volume control moves from no sound to full sound with just a micro-millimetre change in the volume wheel!
Day case
Not really sure if I can use this. It's heavy and for me doesn't seem to have any practical use. I never remove the processor during waking hours and when I'm out during the day, I don't carry anything except spare batteries.
Lapel microphone
This seems to be a standard accessory (I got one with the 3G) but the least useful. I tried it with the 3G but found it of very little benefit.
Conclusion
I have written down my first impressions of Freedom vs 3G because if I don't do it now I won't remember them. I think I will very quickly become used to the improved quality of sound with Freedom and will probably adapt quickly to the usage changes.
However, there are four things which I think may always cause frustration:
- the initial power up surge each time the processor is activated
- the blanking out of sound when moving between programs
- the difficulty in knowing which program is on plus which sensitivity setting is being used without taking the processor off
- not being able to read the LCD screen unless I take the processor off and even then only being able to read it with some difficulty.