This is the day after my cochlear implant in my skull above and behind my left ear. 👂 I’m as good as can be expected under the circumstances 👌 Baruch HaShem 👏🎶👏 🌈✡️
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Okay, here's the story. I have severe hearing loss in both ears. Sharon, the manager in the Audiology section at Costco in Tucson, tested me for suitability fir a new set of new and improved hearing aids. She advised me to not waste buy money and go for a cochlear implant.
A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that does the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.
My friends at the Tucson branch of ALOHA, Adult Loss Of Hearing Association agreed and provided me with lots of information and emotional support. I decided to bite the bullet and get a cochlear implant in my worse ear.
My cochlear implant operation was on Halloween, Wednesday October 31s. This selfie was on the day after Halloween, Thursday, November 1st 2018.
Here’s the status of this process I am just beginning:
After a coupe of days, I became pain free❣️
The operation was just to remove bone in my skull and place a large computer chip the size roughly of a 35mm slide, which is an imbedded processing unit, attached to a magnet. It is all in the bone somewhat behind the ear. The surgeon also inserted a long embedded wire from the skull into my left ear's cocleus. It is internal and not visible.
In another three weeks I will have an external unit fitted behind my ear just like a regular hearing aid. It will have a magnet to hold it against the implanted magnet in my skull. The magnet is about the size of a quarter. The audiologists will activate it and tune it for me.
Then it can take typically from 3 to six months for me to retrain my brain to recognize signals it’s getting from the bone and any residual hearing in the ear.
Right now, I hear nothing from the left ear.
A normal side effect is that my balance is reduced. I have had to retire my signature walking stick. Hopefully, it will be temporary 🙏. I’m back to the aluminum stroller with green tennis balls 🎾 on the rear legs.
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P.S, On Wednesday, November 7th, I went back to using my walking stick, at least some of the time.
I am being somewhat successful at keeping my courage up. The glass is two thirds full❣️LoL
Tags:
"Bionic Man" Bionics "Cochlear Implant" Stroller "Walking Stick" TMC "Tucson Medical Center" Ear Pain Antibiotics Tylanol Stitches "Retrain The Brain"
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