Today, my audiological evaluation lasted three hours. My right hearing aid quit working at the very beginning of the appointment. The audiologists were wonderful. They did not hesitate. They pulled out loaner hearing aids, programmed them to my hearing, and off we went to the magical sound booth. Testing, testing, testing-first the right ear, then the left ear and back again; in quiet environments and in noisy environments; sounds, words and sentences. My hearing (or lack of hearing) was thoroughly tested.
The results, as of today, three audiologists and one graduate students have determined I meet eligibility for a Cochlear Implant. Now, my file is sent to the surgeon. I may live in a city that is the capital of the state (and has two state universities) but the surgeon is located at a teaching hospital three hours away. The estimated time for response from the surgeon is two to three weeks.
If found eligible by the surgeon (and the insurance company) I will have to go to Jacksonville for the surgery but, I will be able to do the mapping and follow-up therapy here at FSU Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic. The cochlear implant services are fairly new at the clinic but they indicated they are already working with several people who were going out of town for their mapping and therapy. Also, they recently referred a person who will have implant surgery on July 21st. I suspect they have just touched upon the need in north Florida. As the word gets out, they will have people flooding the clinic.
I am excited to be involved with this progressive technology. I will do my best so that my efforts will somehow benefit others. Somehow today, the wonderful team at FSU Schendel Speech and Clinic made better hearing seem within reach. Hope is a priceless commodity
Showing posts with label Hearing aids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hearing aids. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Tommorrow
Tomorrow, I take the first step to see if I am eligible for a Hybrid Cochlear Implant. After a two hour appointment with an audiologist, I will know if I am eligible for the next step. I don't know what the next step will be at this point. However, at some point, there will be dealing with the insurance company. According to what I found online the insurance company is reviewing their policy on implants tomorrow. One can hope they will not be the stumbling block in this process.
I don't remember ever not being hearing impaired so, why would I want to change now? I have successfully made it through public school and university. I have worked over 30 years and I did well in my field. My husband and I raised two boys, took care of my mother-in-law, and helped keep a roof over my brother's head. But, at some point it all became too much. I am now on disability for a variety of reasons including my hearing impairment.
I tend not to wear my hearing aids during the day when I am home. I am comfortable with the silence. Then again, there is no one home but me now. My mother-in-law, Hattie, passed. My brother moved to Minnesota. My youngest son and my husband work during the day. My oldest son moved out years ago.
But, I am not always alone. When I am with people-- and wearing my aids-- I am aware I miss too much of the conversation. Speech reading only carries me so far in a conversation. I have to be able to see the person talking, they have to enunciate, and they have to be in a frequency that I hear. Thus, children and females are usually hard to follow as they are usually in the higher frequencies. In the car, especially at night, it is impossible to carry on conversation with a group of people. I do best with face-to-face conversations with males in well lit places.
Frankly, I am just tired of missing out on conversations, tired of asking for repeats, and tired of sitting in silence while the conversations flows around me. I am ready to expand my horizon again and hearing well is part of that plan.
I don't remember ever not being hearing impaired so, why would I want to change now? I have successfully made it through public school and university. I have worked over 30 years and I did well in my field. My husband and I raised two boys, took care of my mother-in-law, and helped keep a roof over my brother's head. But, at some point it all became too much. I am now on disability for a variety of reasons including my hearing impairment.
I tend not to wear my hearing aids during the day when I am home. I am comfortable with the silence. Then again, there is no one home but me now. My mother-in-law, Hattie, passed. My brother moved to Minnesota. My youngest son and my husband work during the day. My oldest son moved out years ago.
But, I am not always alone. When I am with people-- and wearing my aids-- I am aware I miss too much of the conversation. Speech reading only carries me so far in a conversation. I have to be able to see the person talking, they have to enunciate, and they have to be in a frequency that I hear. Thus, children and females are usually hard to follow as they are usually in the higher frequencies. In the car, especially at night, it is impossible to carry on conversation with a group of people. I do best with face-to-face conversations with males in well lit places.
Frankly, I am just tired of missing out on conversations, tired of asking for repeats, and tired of sitting in silence while the conversations flows around me. I am ready to expand my horizon again and hearing well is part of that plan.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
July 4, 2015
A wonderful birthday. In the morning we went riding in the forest and shooting pictures with Tom and Teresa. Then, friends and family gathered for dinner and to celebrate my birthday. Facebook was full of well-wishers. I am 59 years of age and embarking on a new journey for technology to improve my hearing.
In the evening we sat on Tom's and Teresa's front porch, with Gayla and Craig, and it was a perfect example of where my current hearing fails me. We were in the dark watching neighborhood fireworks. The conversation and quips were flowing. I missed 3/4 or more of the conversations. My husband was ever so gracious to check in with me every now and then. But, he could only do so much interpreting in that situation.
My research into Cochlear Implants includes joining blog communities, facebook communities, reading articles on internet and reading books. I am finding lots of success stories: some are fabulous stories of hearing immediately. Other stories are not so successful; where individuals are waiting months to hear and the progress is ever so slow. Then, there are a few who are so overwhelmed by the noisy world they stop using the implant. The facebook community, Cochlear Town USA, has made me aware of issues and solutions that I have not begun to consider. The good news is there are solutions.
The only thing, not known in advance, is whether the implant will work for me or not. By sheer numbers, the odds are in my favor but, I can't be sure until I go through the surgery. Not even the experts can predict beforehand how well the implant will or will not work.
Here I am ten days out from the initial evaluation and talking as if I am going to be declared eligible, insurance is going to approve, and the process is going to move quickly. The reality is this is probably going to be a slow process with stumbling blocks along the way. Therefore, I have to get a handle on this thing called patience. I have been obsessing on CI for 20 plus days already. I am not sure I am going to get a handle on this thing, called patience, in this lifetime.
In the evening we sat on Tom's and Teresa's front porch, with Gayla and Craig, and it was a perfect example of where my current hearing fails me. We were in the dark watching neighborhood fireworks. The conversation and quips were flowing. I missed 3/4 or more of the conversations. My husband was ever so gracious to check in with me every now and then. But, he could only do so much interpreting in that situation.
My research into Cochlear Implants includes joining blog communities, facebook communities, reading articles on internet and reading books. I am finding lots of success stories: some are fabulous stories of hearing immediately. Other stories are not so successful; where individuals are waiting months to hear and the progress is ever so slow. Then, there are a few who are so overwhelmed by the noisy world they stop using the implant. The facebook community, Cochlear Town USA, has made me aware of issues and solutions that I have not begun to consider. The good news is there are solutions.
The only thing, not known in advance, is whether the implant will work for me or not. By sheer numbers, the odds are in my favor but, I can't be sure until I go through the surgery. Not even the experts can predict beforehand how well the implant will or will not work.
Here I am ten days out from the initial evaluation and talking as if I am going to be declared eligible, insurance is going to approve, and the process is going to move quickly. The reality is this is probably going to be a slow process with stumbling blocks along the way. Therefore, I have to get a handle on this thing called patience. I have been obsessing on CI for 20 plus days already. I am not sure I am going to get a handle on this thing, called patience, in this lifetime.
Monday, June 29, 2015
16 Days And Counting
I checked my right hearing aid and it is working again. I think I will keep it in the dryer box until my eligibility evaluation. I need both hearing aids for the evaluation and the weather here has been rainy most afternoons. I don't want to take a chance on it quitting again. My left hearing aid has not had similar problems so I will continue to wear it.
Today, I sent Scott R.,Cochlear employee, a message with a link to the Cigna policy I found on line. I am trying to alert Cochlear that the current Cigna policy, that denies funding for Hybrid CIs, is up for review next month. The current policy considers Hybrid CIs experimental. I am hoping that Cochlear has someone on board that follows this type of information and who advocates with the insurance agencies during their policy reviews. The best case scenario is Cochlear will provide information that will promote Cigna to change their policy in advance of my needing the policy.
My hearing aids are nearing the end of their lifespan. The last quote from a for profit company was $7,000 for two hearing aids. Insurance covers the audiological evaluation but will not cover hearing aids. As I understand it, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will cover the expense for basic hearing aids but not the newer model that was recommended. After the quote from the for profit and my right hearing aid breaking, I went to Florida State University's Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic looking for more options. C. Johnson, audiologist, told me about Hybrid CIs.
But are Hybrid CIs really an option for me? I am reluctant to get more hearing aids. It will be more of the same. Hearing aids amplify sounds. My high frequency loss is a sensorineural type of damage. So no matter how loud you amplify the high frequency sounds, I am not going to hear them. Hybrid CIs offer something different. Hearing aids to amplify the low frequency sounds and CI to recreate high frequency sounds for the auditory nerve to pick up. If the insurance says no, I don't know what the next step will be.
For now, I must practice patience.
Today, I sent Scott R.,Cochlear employee, a message with a link to the Cigna policy I found on line. I am trying to alert Cochlear that the current Cigna policy, that denies funding for Hybrid CIs, is up for review next month. The current policy considers Hybrid CIs experimental. I am hoping that Cochlear has someone on board that follows this type of information and who advocates with the insurance agencies during their policy reviews. The best case scenario is Cochlear will provide information that will promote Cigna to change their policy in advance of my needing the policy.
My hearing aids are nearing the end of their lifespan. The last quote from a for profit company was $7,000 for two hearing aids. Insurance covers the audiological evaluation but will not cover hearing aids. As I understand it, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will cover the expense for basic hearing aids but not the newer model that was recommended. After the quote from the for profit and my right hearing aid breaking, I went to Florida State University's Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic looking for more options. C. Johnson, audiologist, told me about Hybrid CIs.
But are Hybrid CIs really an option for me? I am reluctant to get more hearing aids. It will be more of the same. Hearing aids amplify sounds. My high frequency loss is a sensorineural type of damage. So no matter how loud you amplify the high frequency sounds, I am not going to hear them. Hybrid CIs offer something different. Hearing aids to amplify the low frequency sounds and CI to recreate high frequency sounds for the auditory nerve to pick up. If the insurance says no, I don't know what the next step will be.
For now, I must practice patience.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Right Hearing Aid Died Again
My right hearing aid died again. In April, I went to Florida State University's Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic to get it fixed and it started working on its own. Lucky me. That appointment at FSU lead to discussion about a Hybrid Cochlear Implant. I have decided I am very interested in the implant. Well, my interest is to be able to better participate in conversations and implants are the only thing that offers that potential now.
However, I need both of my hearing aids to last through the evaluation process. The hearing aids are about ten years old so I think I am pushing their lifespan. As yesterday was a rainy day, I put the hearing aid in a dry box in the hope that it is just moisture fouling the connections. If it is not working by Monday, I will have to call C. Johnson to see what to do next. I am hopeful either that the aid dries out and begins working or this does not cause a delay in the evaluation process.
However, I need both of my hearing aids to last through the evaluation process. The hearing aids are about ten years old so I think I am pushing their lifespan. As yesterday was a rainy day, I put the hearing aid in a dry box in the hope that it is just moisture fouling the connections. If it is not working by Monday, I will have to call C. Johnson to see what to do next. I am hopeful either that the aid dries out and begins working or this does not cause a delay in the evaluation process.
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