Re: First CI Surgery on Thursday!

[Guest guest]

Tess you are too young to be so impatient. Just think about this....... you

have struggled so long and it doesn't get better. Once you are implanted, you

may or may not have to struggle. Either way, the one thing you know is that it

WILL get better...... patience my dear..... that is something I pray for always.

It's not easy but it sure helps any situation.

When I was implanted with my first CI, I didn't think it would work but I

figured that nothing else will so I had to take a chance because it was not fun

being where I was in life, struggling every day to hear.... to no avail. This

turned out to be a life changing event for me and I have been enjoying life ever

since.

Good luck with your surgery.

Happy Hearing!

Carol

Boca Raton, FL

Cochlear America Nucleus 24C - left ear - Sprint 12/11/01 then 3G then upgraded

to Freedom on 2/19/08

Cochlear America Freedom right ear -implanted 3/01/06 - activated 4/06/06

From: tesswheatley@...

Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 2:08 PM

Subject: First CI Surgery on Thursday!

I am a 28 year old SWF with postlingual deafness. I can still hear some

sound but conversation and communication is an everyday struggle. My

surgery is scheduled for next Thursday for one cochlear implant on my

left side. I am having a lot of anxiety today. Not so much for the

surgery but about how it is going to sound when I get hooked up. The

more I read the more I am understanding that it is not going to be an

easy year for me. I'm tired of being frustrated and held back by my

hearing loss but at the same time I don't know if the CI is something

that will really help me as much as I was thinking initially. I still

have my speech and most people don't even know how deaf I really am.

Any advice?

[Guest guest]

Hi Tess,

Although much older than you, I was in much the same position, post-lingually

deafened, and having spent many years increasingly struggling for comprehension.

We will all tell you that there can be no guarantees, but statistically you have

a better chance of good results, because you have an auditory memory of speech

and sounds, for your brain to work with.

Keep your hopes up, but your expectations limited, and know that even the best

of results comes with hiccups along the curve after activation.

We are always here for you to talk to!

>]

>

[Guest guest]

Tess,

Best of luck with your surgery. As some of the others have said, you'll probably

do well with the implant as usually the case with the late deafened. I'm

prelingually deafened myself and the CI has helped in my case. For starters, I'm

certainly doing better with it than I was when I was wearing just the hearing

aids prior to the implantation. There are also CI support groups you could go

too where you could meet with other users and sometime may also get helpful tips

and advice from those that've had the CI longer than you have and so forth.

Dan

>

>

> Hi Tess,

>

> Although much older than you, I was in much the same position, post-lingually

deafened, and having spent many years increasingly struggling for comprehension.

> We will all tell you that there can be no guarantees, but statistically you

have a better chance of good results, because you have an auditory memory of

speech and sounds, for your brain to work with.

> Keep your hopes up, but your expectations limited, and know that even the best

of results comes with hiccups along the curve after activation.

> We are always here for you to talk to!

>

>

> >]

> >

>

[Guest guest]

My advice Tess, is to stop worrying about it. Its almost certain that your

hearing will will be greatly improved by having a cochlear implant. The fact

that you still have some hearing left, actually works in your favour, because

people that went deaf later in life, as opposed to being born deaf, seem to do

better, quicker.

Trust in your surgeon and your audiologist and BELIEVE that you will get a good

result. The brain is a mighty tool and once it gets over the initial effects of

sound changes, it doesnt take long to adapt.

Wishing you well for your surgery and subsequent recovery.

In my opinion, you have made a very courageous and wise decision and I'm sure

that you will post here one day and say that it was the most important thing you

have done in your life. There isnt any reason for people to be deaf any more.

Ted F.

>

>

> I am a 28 year old SWF with postlingual deafness. I can still hear some

> sound but conversation and communication is an everyday struggle. My

> surgery is scheduled for next Thursday for one cochlear implant on my

> left side. I am having a lot of anxiety today. Not so much for the

> surgery but about how it is going to sound when I get hooked up. The

> more I read the more I am understanding that it is not going to be an

> easy year for me. I'm tired of being frustrated and held back by my

> hearing loss but at the same time I don't know if the CI is something

> that will really help me as much as I was thinking initially. I still

> have my speech and most people don't even know how deaf I really am.

> Any advice?

>

>

>

>