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Cochlear Implant Advertures in Wonderland
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| Pre-Surgery Appointment |
[25 Oct 2006|02:04pm] |
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I went to see my audiologist today, this is the last appointment before my surgery. I got to pick out my colors. Base color is black with clip-ons in 4 different colors (hot pink, purple, green, and blue). I chose the Freedom, standard BTE...I did not want the mini's because if I ever get a iPod or a CD player or something like that I would like to be able to plug it in and practice listening and hopefully learn to enjoy music. (no, I know that enjoying music is not guaranteed, but I would like to try!) I have had to postpone my surgery because my boyfriend is having issues with kidney stones right now and so he is on medication for it...I do not want him driving at all if he is on that medication. Safety first! So, surgery pending Oct 11th...am waiting for the clinic to call me back to confirm it for sure. They have to make sure there is a opening for Oct 11th at the hospital.
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| Cpchlear Implants Myths and Lies |
[17 Sep 2006|01:01pm] |
Ignorant morons on a forum that I frequent has been throwing around a lot of misinformation like this about Cochlear Implants. People like them hurt my brain.
Lie #1: "Cochlear Implants Decrease Your IQ."
Uh, no. If you have a lower IQ, it's because there was something already wrong with you before you even got your CI. As far as I.Q. is concerned, I do not see how a CI can affect your intelligence. The CI never contacts your brain. Nothing ever goes through the skull. The entire implant stays between the skull and skin, with the exception of the wire that goes into your cochlea. And that does not go through your skull. A hole is drill into the mastoid bone and the wire is threaded through that. It then goes into your cochlea. Duh.
Lie #2: "Cochlear Implants increases OCD when you get older."
No. OCD is a mental illness. It is NOT caused by a CI or anything like that. There are SO many people that have OCD but DO NOT HAVE A CI. If you got OCD, it had NOTHING to do with having a CI. You must have some other reason that triggered the OCD.
And, OCD doesn't always develop when you are young. Some young children will develop OCD, some teenagers will develop OCD, some adults, young or old, will develop OCD. It can happen at ANY age.
OCD can be treated. There are medications for it. There is therapy.
Lie #3: "There are several cases where children became retarded after they get implanted."
Uh. No. The brain is never touched during the surgery, so there is NO way in hell you can become retarded unless your surgeon had too much to drink right before surgery and accidently stabs you in the brain. There are NO such cases.
This is NOT brain surgery.
There's so many morons that spread around this kind of misinformation, and they are what gives CI a bad name. They need to grow the fuck up and shut the fuck up.
More myths and lies about Cochlear Implants
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| Surgery Date Confirmed |
[14 Sep 2006|11:44am] |
My surgery date has FINALLY been confirmed...SEPTEMBER 21st at 1 pm. I have to be at the hospital at 10 am. No food or drink after midnight the night before surgery. No aspirin or ibuprofen for 2 weeks before surgery...I hope I don't get a headache! If I do get a headache I think I'll just fill a big bowl full of ice water and then stick my head in there, LOL.
I still have to meet with someone at the clinic one more time to tell them which of the 2 cochlear implant companies I want to go with, and to find out which ear they will be implanting.
FUCK, I'm excited!
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| CI evaluation appointment |
[12 Sep 2006|08:46pm] |
I went back to the CI clinic this afternoon for the evaluation and Abel came with me. It looks like I will be getting the CI, pending the CT Scan results. My doctor has not gotten the results yet but should get them tomorrow. So, if the CT Scan looks good, then it will be a go. They are starting the paperwork and stuff for the surgery while getting approval from Medicare and Medicaid at the same time. I should get my surgery date sometime this week, they will call me with the opening and I get to pick a day.
They also told me that I have the option of getting my CI activated the day after surgery if I wanted to, or I could wait a few days. I may end up waiting a few days due to possible swelling, but it's totally sweet to know that I can have it activated as soon as I want! They said they normally activate it the day after surgery.
I got an awesome interpreter this time, and the communication were so much better this time around! I was able to ask a bunch of questions, and I felt no negative vibes around. I think the negative vibes last week were due to the crappy interpreter I had.
My audiologist is very very very AWESOME. She signs pretty good and is very friendly. She answered many of the questions that I had, as did my doctor. She gave me some awesome information on the Nucleus Freedom and Advanced Bionics (2 of the 3 CI brands/companies). There is even a DVD included. I have to go back to my audiologist some time before the surgery to tell her which company/brand I have decided to go for. Most likely I will go for the Freedom but I will look through the literature that my audiologist gave me.
I also got the meningitis and the pneumonia/strep vaccines. The vaccinations will greatly reduce the risk of meningitis and infection that can occur.
It looks like my doc will be doing my surgery. He has done about 300 surgeries so far.
Now I'm crossing my fingers for the CT Scan results.
I'm so fucking excited!
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| CT Scan |
[07 Sep 2006|06:16pm] |
I just heard back from the CI clinic via email. The CT Scan appointment has been made for September 11th at 10:45 am. I emailed them back asking for an address, what intersection they are at, and whether or not I have to temporarily remove my body piercings for the CT Scan. I probably will have to. I have had MRIs and CT Scans in the past and they did not tell me I had to take my piercings out, but the people here might say different. Abel and I am going to one of the body piercing places on Austin Highway to have them loosen my piercings so that I can take them out right before the CT Scan and then when all is said and done I can put them back in. Either that, or buy a tool that they use to remove those piercings with (forgot what it's called). I could buy arcylic piercings, but I don't have the money for that right now.
I really hope we do not get lost this time and that it is not all the way over on the other side of town. San Antonio is huge and it takes a long time to get somewhere sometimes. I also hope that it does NOT rain!
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| first appointment |
[05 Sep 2006|02:54pm] |
I have been wanting cochlear implants for a long time and have decided to go for it. I recently found out that Medicaid and Medicare could cover it. So I decided to go ahead and get the ball rolling and see if I would be a candidate. So, I went to the clinic and got some hearing tests done. On the way to the clinic it was VERY rainy, and I and Abel had to take the bus there. When I called last week to make the appointment, they failed to tell me that their clinic would be in a big building with other offices and clinic, so we got lost. They should have told us that the clinic was in the Neuroscience building. The medical campus is just so HUGE! We spent about 20 minutes looking for the right building and we finally got there about 15 minutes late, but we were able to call ahead and tell them we would be late so it was okay.
I had an interpreter, Michelle waiting for me, but she could only stay for another 20 minutes before she had to fly off to her next assignment, so they got a replacement, Elizabeth.
I liked Michelle a lot, her sign language skills and pace were very good and we clicked, she understood everything I said, and I understood everything she interpreted. But Elizabeth, I'm sorry to say, is terrible signlanguage-wise. She is a nice lady, but I don't think she had enough training. She signed very slow and it was difficult to understand her. And I had a hard time making myself understood. So, because of Elizabeth, I am getting mixed vibes about the doctor that I met with, Dr. E.
But, my doctor said he will go ahead and do the evaluation next week and meet with him again as well, and he has ordered a CT Scan as well. I have an appointment for the evaluation at 3 pm on September 12th, and then an appointment to meet with the doctor again at 4pm on the same day. The CT Scan appointment is still pending - I am waiting for an email from the clinic on what day and what time it is scheduled. (I asked them to email me instead of calling me.)
As far as the interpreter thing, I requested that they do not get Elizabeth for next week, that I wanted Michelle instead. I also told them that if they are unable to get Michelle for next week, to please get someone else, not Elizabeth. I have no tolerance for shitty interpreters. I want to be able to myself understood! I do not want my doc getting confused when I try to explain why I want the CI and what my expectations are. He seemed confused today, thanks to Elizabeth. (Yes, I am keeping my expectations LOW).
So, hopefully, I will be able to make myself understood better next week.
Stay tuned for next week's entry! :)
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