Well the first step: get an up to date test of your hearing. Profound loss? DEAF-one/both ear?
Examination of your ear re suitably of the operation. Can you "tolerate" a 3 hour operation?
How and who will cover the cost of an Implant/operation/hospital care?
If accepted/suitable it takes about 4 weeks for your head to heal- after the operation. Then the externals are hooked up. Turned on-mapped to you and will your brain accept.?
One doesn't get back to "normal hearing" but does have an improvement to when one used Hearing aids.
That succinctly is my experience at Sunnybrook/Toronto- almost 6 years ago.
Aside: their experience since 1984: 3000 adults tested. 2000- unsuitable-variety of reasons Of the balance-1000 only 18 were unable to benefit by their Implant-why?
Statistics: till late 2011- a patients meeting.
I became bilateral DEAF December 20, 2006 and the operation was July 12, 2007
Much success in your new journey re Cochlear Implant
I was born HOH, and gradually over the years it has gotten so much worst, I cannot hear without aids now. I can shoot guns and barely hear a pop.
Doctors called it inner ear nerve deafness.
The hearing aids I have are digital now and sound funny, music seems to "Warbble" at certain frequencies and it bugs the shit out of me, my audiologist didnt understand why the aids were doing it so he cut certain frequencies down to stop it, and things were just off. He said because of the power I needed to hear things, they were just maxed out and wont help me as time goes on, basically saying I am pushing them to the limits and I will need cochlear implants since there is not much more the HA's can do for me.
When I was young I remember being around 4 or 5, I had constant ear aches, severe aches that hurt so bad for days on end, when I laid down the room would spin or actually just my bed and it would throw me into the floor... because my equalibium was all out of whack, doctors back in the late 60's and early 70's didnt know squat of what was wrong with me. My parents took me to every specialist,ENT doctor and every test you could imagine done, I had tubes put in my ears at 7 to help them drain, got my first analog aids in 3rd grade... heard everything but what I needed to hear, picked up so much background noise, then the bullying started and I quit wearing them. Struggled through school as I couldnt hear to follow directions, but Im more advanced in alot of subjects from hands on i guess you would say, very artistic and mechanically inclined. When I was evaluated during my highschool years I was observed as "well guarded" but the special education program brought in a Deaf person to observe me ( she was some sort of Authority Figure) and she could not read my lips, I do not move them properly because i cannot pronounce the sounds. I used to read lips like a champ, I could see everything a person said and some were surprised I knew what they were saying from a good distance away, but during highschool, It was a rough school and the staring to read lips made some uncomfortable, and caused confrontations from so called Bullys, I earned a nickname in school due to the fights when I was jumped by a small group, I got tired of being bullied and I made my stand that day and I still stay in contact with alot of friends from school ( even some of the bullies as they learned a lesson and we became friends in the long run) Long story short, i want to hear my son grow up, hear his voice and laughter....
I have had several major surgeries most recently
1988 Facial reconstruction (wide awake no painkillers due to contussion)from a bike accident 6-1/2hrs
2009 Spinal fusion 2hrs
2011 Spinal fusion 2hrs
2012 Gallbladder removal 2hrs
So undergoing surgeries are no big issues and may need rotator cuff surgery soon... sucks getting old too.
