Short version I’m in a position that my ENT wants to put in a cochlear implant in my right ear when they go in to do some other work. I have had no hearing in my right ear in 20 years and have tinnitus in both for the last 25 years. Looking for someone else that has had hearing loss and received the implant. How long have you had it? Is it worth all the hassle and expenses? Does the garbling sounds ever disappear? How comfortable are they? How differently do people look at you for wearing it?
What helps a lot of people is going “people watching” themselves.
Go somewhere public with a lot of people, and pay attention. Not just to the people, but how others interact with strangers.
You’re going to see people with quirks, doing weird shit. But more importantly you’re going to see that unless they’re screaming and throwing shit, most people never notice anything. Even a super crazy interaction, five seconds later it’s out of their head.
There is a very small slice of an already small demographic that may care about a cochlear.
The vast majority of people will never notice, if they do. They’ll immediately forget.
The more self conscious you are, the more noticable it will be. But that goes away as you get used to it.
It’s like that skit from WKUK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pFD8ic4Lu4
Nobody really cares
Love me some WKUK! People watching is one of my favorite activities when I go out. With the hearing and all usually live in my own head while out in crowds. You can absolutely learn a lot about people by just watching their actions.
To add to this. I’ve only noticed one person who had cochlear implants, and only really noticed because she also had a speech impediment (then I noticed the “hearing aids” that didn’t look like most hearing aids). Her hair partially covered them and I wouldn’t have noticed at all if I hadn’t been interacting with her.
I do notice more hearing aids and such these days, possibly because I’m getting older and am aware of what my near future holds. I don’t think most people will care too much.