Medical (Cochlear implants)?

I highly recommend the book "Rebuilt" by Michael Chorost which chronicles the journey of someone who sounds similar to your brother -- hearing impaired his entire life, then goes completely deaf as an adult and receives a cochlear implant. I know Michael, and he does very well with one cochlear implant, though he is anxious to get a second one.

The process of turning the implant on is known as "activation". If you google

cochlear implant activation story

you will find a number of people who have blogged or otherwise chronicled their progress after getting an implant.

While it is possible that your brother might not benefit from his implant, it is actually extremely rare for that to occur. Post-lingually deafened adults with progressive hearing losses who wore hearing aids prior to going completely deaf are amongst the group of people who do best with their implants. Just keep up with the post-implant audiology appointments and as much therapy as is recommended, the implant is only part of the solution, and the first year follow-up is as important, if not more important, to getting the results he wants

All the best !

I'm sure the doctor who did this procedure explained the risks,

I'm guessing it was for very baed tinnitus, and the outcome of the implant could be, 1.you get all fixed up.

2.it gets worse, or you go deaf.

I'm have a hearing problem too, but i've decided to cope with it, .