From Upgrade to Adaptation: A Cochlear Implant User’s Lived Experience

 

From Upgrade to Adaptation: A Cochlear Implant User’s Lived Experience

Introduction

There are many phases in a cochlear implant journey.

One of the most challenging is the phase that begins after a sound processor upgrade or sound change and continues until adaptation settles.

This phase is not always visible to others, but it is deeply felt by the person living through it.

It is the period when sound feels different, listening requires more effort, emotions fluctuate, and confidence can temporarily shift. It can happen more than once across a CI user’s life, especially for long-term users.

This blog focuses specifically on that phase — from upgrade to adaptation.

It is not written from a clinical or professional point of view.
It is written from lived experience, including the emotional, mental, and everyday realities that are often left unsaid.


What the “In-Between Phase” Really Means

For many cochlear implant users, sound is not automatic.
Sound is something the brain learns, maps, and remembers over time.

When a sound processor is upgraded or when sound settings change, the brain does not instantly adjust.
Even small changes can feel big.

This creates a gap between:

  • what the ear receives

  • and what the brain understands

That gap is the in-between phase.

How Sound Feels During This Phase

During this time, hearing still exists, but it feels different.

Common experiences include:

  • Familiar voices sounding unfamiliar

  • Family members’ voices feeling changed

  • Conversations taking extra time to process

  • Difficulty following fast speech

  • Mental fatigue after listening

  • Increased effort in noisy environments

It is not silence.
It is effort.

The brain is working harder than before.

Why This Phase Feels Harder in Adulthood

As a child, adaptation often happens in protected environments.
Home.
School.
Familiar people.
Slower pace.

As an adult, adaptation happens in real life.

  • Meetings

  • Phone calls

  • Public places

  • Work pressure

  • Conversations with strangers

Life does not pause while adaptation happens.

This makes the emotional load heavier.

The Emotional Cost of the In-Between Phase

This phase is not only about sound.
It is also about emotions.

Many cochlear implant users experience:

  • Frustration

  • Anxiety

  • Self-doubt

  • Fear of social situations

  • Pressure to perform normally

  • Grief for the old sound

This emotional cost is often invisible to others.

Music: The Most Personal Loss

Music is often the first thing to change.

Before the sound change:

  • Music felt natural

  • Songs brought comfort

  • Notes felt familiar

  • Playing an instrument felt joyful

During the in-between phase:

  • Notes become difficult to identify

  • Songs feel incomplete

  • Favourite music no longer feels the same

  • Listening becomes emotionally heavy

Stepping away from music is common.
Not because the love for music is gone,
but because listening hurts.

This is grief, not rejection.

Why Many CI Users Fear Upgrades

Fear around upgrades is often misunderstood.

It is not fear of technology.
It is not lack of gratitude.

It is memory.

CI users remember:

  • how long adaptation took before

  • how exhausting the in-between phase felt

  • how confidence temporarily dropped

Avoidance is often self-protection.

The Role of the Brain

A cochlear implant delivers electrical signals, not natural sound.

The brain must:

  • interpret patterns

  • relearn meaning

  • rebuild familiarity

This takes time.

Long-term users feel changes more strongly because the brain has a stable sound memory.

Why This Phase Is Not Failure

Struggling during this phase does not mean:

  • the device is wrong

  • the upgrade was a mistake

  • the user is weak

It means adaptation is happening.

Adaptation is work.

The adaptation phase after a sound processor upgrade or sound change can take months or even years.
This time frame varies for each person and is a normal part of the CI journey.

The Hope Beyond the In-Between Phase

This phase is temporary.

For many cochlear implant users:

  • sound slowly becomes familiar again

  • listening effort reduces

  • confidence returns

  • music can come back

  • joy returns, sometimes in a new form

Not instantly.
Not identically.
But meaningfully.

Why Sharing This Matters

Many CI users experience this phase silently.

Sharing lived experience:

  • validates others

  • prepares new users realistically

  • helps families understand

  • supports better counselling

This is not negativity.
This is honesty.

Closing Reflection

Cochlear implant users do not resist change.

We adapt.
Again and again.

All we ask for is time, understanding, and space to relearn.

This blog reflects lived experience. Every cochlear implant journey is unique, but many share similar in-between phases.

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