In late April, I visited my audiologist to verify if I was a candidate for the cochlear implant program. For this verification process, I needed to go through an audiology exam as well as a medical exam:
* The audiology exam was performed by my audiologist. She placed me in an isolated booth and I underwent several tests on both ears (as well as individual ears) to check my hearing. My audiologist basically wanted to know what I can hear and what I can't hear and as usual...I could hear sounds in the low frequency range, but not in the high frequency range. After performing the frequency test, I had to perform another test...that is to repeat what was said on the tape. I ended up flunking this test...with a nice 0%...no surprise here. I'm hoping that the cochlear implant would help me improve on this test score.
* Next I ended up visiting my doctor for a medical exam. He basically performed simple tests like checking my lovely ears, checking my heart rate, pulse, breathing, etc. He was also checking for abnormalities...but he didn't find anything. So the end result...I passed both the audiology exam and the medical exam and thus I am a qualified candidate for the cochlear implant program! Woohoo!!! :-)
So the next step was to ensure if my insurance company would cover a majority of the costs of the cochlear implant surgery. I'm telling you...this surgery is by no means cheap. It can run in the range of $100,000. :-( But luckily after a month of waiting, I heard that my insurance company would pay for the majority of the costs as they have deemed this surgery as "medically necessary". :-) So basically, I only need to pay my annual out of pocket deductible. Not bad.... :-)
So what are the next steps before the surgery?
* This Wednesday, I need to have a CAT scan. This is necessary as the doctor needs to know what he should prepare for...as well as look for any abnormalities in my ear. I would also be speaking to my doctor AFTER the CAT scan on what I should do (and don't do) before the surgery.
* I would also need to get a vaccination for meningitis as this is only precautionary.
* I have another scheduled visit with my audiologist so we could finalize plans for the surgery. This visit mainly resolves any last minute questions, the color of the external device, etc.
I will keep you all updated and in the loop.
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