This isn’t about biking, but it is a journey and an adventure. I like adventures! So far it’s more like a rollercoaster ride.
Two decades ago just 3 months after having baby #2, I stood up and a major bout of vertigo hit me hard. I dropped to the floor. I was holding my three month old daughter. As I dropped and hit the floor hard, my daughter never even touched the floor. I’m still amazed at that to this day. Some how I managed to fall without hurting her.
After I finally stood up, I had major tinnitus.
Doctors told me it was a drastic blood pressure change, but the tinnitus stayed. Shortly after that, at work while wearing headsets (I worked as a broadcast engr), I was exposed to a loud noise and my hearing just disappeared. Knowing my employer, I kept my mouth shut. I never mentioned my hearing loss. I was damn good at my job, but without hearing my performance suffered. I was still good at my job and better than most, but I was really struggling.
I finally after a few years, had to admit to hearing loss. But my timing was bad. The company was in the process of cut backs and downsizing and I became a cut back. I was an easy way to get rid of a person. Without real ADA laws at the time, I had no protection to save my career nor did I have hearing.
My hearing has stayed the same for 25 years just a hair too good to qualifying for anything, financially or medically. Just recently my hearing finally it took a very slight nose dive. I hear worse! YAY!!!! Monday is the day! Cochlear implant day!
I’m ok with what I hear now, I don’t know what I’m missing, I can’t hear it. But it does seem like most people tend get far more upset that I can’t hear them. Yet they forget or won’t try to accommodate me just a tiny bit. Please pick a quieter restaurant or can we have a booth in a corner, if we’re here to talk. And if I ask you to repeat what you just said don’t sigh, roll your eyes or say never mind.
Am I getting cochlear implants for me to live life fully or am I doing it because the world is not accessible to me and it’s too hard for people to change their hearing ways?
Either way Monday is the day
No one can really help me during the recovery, but they can encourage and help me expose myself to sounds again.
I will suffer a lot when it gets turned on. I will be tired and frustrated. I’m sure I’ll get angry and have headaches. This retraining the brain to recognize sounds is going to be hard! No one can help me really.
But 3-9 months from now it will be amazing, so I’m told. I’m placing my trust in that and taking a chance. I’m losing what little I have to gain freedom and the ability to experience the world.
What’s 3-9 months I’ll be gaining so much!
On the 21st, I have to be at the Hospital ready to go for Cochlear Implant surgery at 10. It should be done by noon then 30 minutes-2 hours before I go home.
I’ll be wearing a fashionable 1/2 of a wrestling helmet for a day and I’m told not to get the ear or hair wet for 2 days. I’ve been given pain pills. Hmmm.
It takes the doctor 20 minutes to ever so slowly thread the electrode in to the cochlear. Oh Lordy is the surgeon giving me a chance to hear or is he building a Frankenstein? I’d better not wake up with bolts on my neck. Oh wait a minute he could have done that when I had thyroid and septoplasy surgery a couple of years back. Anyway he said the recovery for this is easier than that surgery. FYI septoplasty recovery really sucks!
I was told that if your Dr or Audiologist turn in the Cochlear Implant paperwork as hear assist devices/HA, nearly all insurance companies will say no to the CI. It needs to be turned in as a prosthetic device.
Right now I’m full of anxiety.
My surgery date is coming up and they get turned on Feb 6. For some reason I’m terrified. Both my ears only hear 20%. I’ve had to postpone the surgery twice, due to stuff beyond my control.
I use to be confident and out going, not so much now. I’m hoping the old me comes back. I’m really wondering what my 25 year old daughter sounds like? It’s her voice I’ve always struggled to understand. I know that she and I are really close but there’s a little wall between us and it’s because I can’t hear her. She has so much enthusiasm and life to share with me, but I can’t hear it.
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I sure would like to put that waiter from a local eatery in his place for treating me like an idiot and making my adult son order for me. I asked the waiter to just repeat what he said, then he never looked at me again and only spoke to my son. I’m right here dude. I’m not stupid. Ugh I’m still thinking about going back and complaining to the mgr.
I did go back and talked to the mgr of the restaurant. Evidently this guy is also an asst mgr who berates the employees. I was promised that they would take care of it, but I was also given the email of the high up GM.
I feel if we/people are mistreated and don’t say something it condones the bad treatment .
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Tomorrow I’m meeting with the Dr for my Pre-op visit. One week left! Thankfully I’m just about done with this cold. I was starting to get worried about the cold. Actually, now I’m beginning to believe it’s allergies.
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Today, I yelled at my ENT’s nurse when he called. “Just write it down send it via the groups email system and I’ll do whatever it says”.
It was an appt time change. I showed up at the new time and apologized for yelling at him. His reply was “thank you, but I should have know better than to just call you like that”. Then we laughed.
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I think,my kids are more nervous about the CI, than I am. They sent me flowers today, and the card said “you got this”. The flowers are just gorgeous!
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This is a little off topic but CI related.
I just dropped of the pain RX at the pharmacy for next Monday’s CI surgery. I’ve had this leftover runny nose for a week the Dr doesn’t seem too worried about it so far. That’s good.
But, CVS Pharmacy how about making your receipts out of Kleenex tissues. #priorities My receipt is over 5ft long. I don’t need cosmetics or razors, I needed a tissue. It’s downpouring rain, the parking lot is crowded and had to use the receipt to wipe my nose. 😂
Tissue receipts are a great idea unless you need to return something.
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UGH!!!
There’s got to be a better way! I just spent 15 minutes on the phone trying to converse with the hospital about Monday’s surgery.
Sure call my cell phone, I can’t hear it, but I recognized the number. I answered it and said, I can’t hear please call this number, it has an amplified phone. Then I spent the rest of the time apologizing and saying “what” and “can you repeat that”. I’m almost in tears!
Omg the
push 1 for this,
push 2 for that,
push 3 for what?
I’ll just push 0 and pray that someone with a clear voice will be there to help me! 😂
Yay! Another phone call from the hospital! This must be my lucky day! But this time they called the correct number and spoke clearly!
What a rollercoaster. Why is this process so awkward.