Jimbolions

...following a visit to my doctor in Philly on February 19th, I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it is.

We are hoping to do a CI on my left ear in March, if I can clear any insurance hurdles.

I hope we can move forward with this. I'll be a lot more comfortable if both of my ears have CI's.

Why?

Because I am Irish, and therefore a worst-case-Murphy's-law type of guy. With only one ear benefitting from a CI, I will always have a nagging list of "what if" fears:

What if I have an accident and something happens to the implant?

What if something else causes that implant to fail?

Etc., Etc.

And, of course, the farther down the road such a disaster happens, the longer my other ear remains deaf, and (in my mind at least) the less chance there is that a future CI will be as effective as it would be right now. And I could find myself back at square one, with a diminished prospect of restored hearing.

There are, of course, a number of other benefits to having a second CI. I'd love to know where the heck sounds are coming from. Right now, I hear them, but I'm often clueless about the source. Did that noise come from my left? My right? From above? Below? From the planet Krypton?

I'd also enjoy an improved ability to function in noisy environments. To see even more improvement in speech perception.

But the reality is that right now it is in the hands of the insurance company. They may see the benefit. They may not (and then we have to appeal).

So, for now ...it's wait and see. I'll keep everyone posted...

--Jimbo