I Have a Surgery Date!

Cochlear Nucleus 6

My road to cochlear implant accelerated forward today. I received notice that my CT scan was normal and we are ready to schedule the surgery. It will be November 20.

This timeline makes it possible for me to have the latest technology from Cochlear America -- the state-of-the-art Nucleus 6 (N6) processor -- which recently received FDA approval in the US. The company plans to begin marketing the N6 on September 30. My audiologist will receive and train on the new "mapping" software in October. The nurse also said that my doctor will be taking a vacation sometime in October. Having my surgery in November when he is rested and refreshed seemed a very good idea to me! I can also piggyback my recovery time with a school holiday and save on using sick days.

I'm both excited and nervous. Excited that I will be able to "hear" out of my deaf ear and hopefully improve my speech recognition. Nervous that it's a lot of rehabilitation and hard work. And worried that I won't have good success with it. I'm a worry wart.

The diagnosing ENT doctor (the same one who referred me to my otologist) offered me a piece of really good advice. "It (your ear) is deaf. You can't hear anything out of it anyway. It can't get any worse. But, a cochlear implant could make living better." He said he'd do it in a minute if his ear was deaf. Along with my otologist and audiologist, all three of my hearing experts have recommended an implant for me. I have to trust their expertise and experience.

So, here I go. I ordered a black one.