If you blinked, you wouldn't believe how much time has passed...

To sum up the pass few weeks...

The last few weeks have been so busy, that I haven't had a chance to talk about what has happened. It's been a blur but a very unique one of that.

Meeting the surgeon-consultant...

Nearly a week just after seeing the Audiologist, I was told I had an appointment to see the surgeon-consultant to discuss the possibility of me going ahead with the operation.

The surgeon was a dude, who basically just went over my MRI again and then asked if I had any questions. I had non, since I knew pretty much what I was going in for and what I was expecting out of the process. Then he started asking me questions of my expectations if I went ahead with the procedure. My answer of course was 'to hear something, anything...' in which he replied was acceptable. I mean, come on seven months without any sound of course I was going to take anything on offer.
Then went the ritual of signing consent forms for the operation, he told me of all the risk I could be facing when I went into theatre. Here are a few, bleeding, frozen paralysis down one side of the face (the implant is placed close to the facial nerve), the lack/loss of taste, meningitis etc... Did I want to go ahead, hell yeah! The risk were 0.06 % or something like that and I always think; to think positive there will be a positive outcome. To prevent meningitis becoming a major factor I was told to be vaccinated at my GP's.

So I was just about to leave and shake the surgeon-consultant hand a question popped into my head. When was I going to have the surgery, as in a previous appointment they told me a waiting list has 'magically' appeared.   
At first I thought I misread his lips, but then he repeated it as my mother had the same response. 'September'.
My face must have shown what I really felt, as he responded by saying any cancellations or extra dates I would be considered for the slot. Yippee!


GP's...

Word of advice, when you go to the GP's appointment, do not say that your there for the meningitis vaccination. This really nafted off the Nurse I saw. Apparently, after being corrected with a sharp tongue; it is to prevent meningitis happening when the surgery is taking place, as its a greater risk of it happening. I had now been vaccinated with the preventive.
Leaving the GP's my mam gets a phone call from Nottingham offering me a place to have my surgery the following Friday. Yippee or not! It turns out I had to wait two weeks to allow the vaccination to get into my system.

Waiting for a date...

The two weeks slow passed by and I was waiting for a date. I knew at any moment in the future I could be considered for a slot when there was a cancellation or an extra date been put in place.
Finally my mam got a phone call, they were going to offer me a slot on the 12th of July 2013. The only problem was that it was a week away from when I found out. I couldn't tell my friends and other family members until it was confirmed the next day. This little secret was bursting to be told.

Once it was confirmed I told pretty much anyone who knew me. It was the best news I had heard in 7 months since my hearing skedaddled.
 Pannnniccc...

Two days before I was due to have the op, I had to get the all clear the doctors to say that I am fit and healthy. The only problem with this day was that my sister all of a sudden came out in this weird rash with spots. The doctor she saw said it could be chicken pox. My entire dream of having my op done of the 12th came crashing down. As my mam explained I could be at more risk if this was true. Fortunately it turned out to be a flux, thank god!

Two more sleeps to go... I kept repeating to myself like a little kid at Christmas.

Things are becoming INTERESTING

Back to the audiology clinic I go...

When back to Nottingham two weeks ago for further testing to make sure that I was eligible for the Cochlear Implant. The audiologist told me that I still met the criteria which was great as I knew that my hearing was not going to come back anytime soon (although that would have been lovely). 
Since I met the criteria I was wondering was the inside of my ears were like. Was the inner part of my ear able to cope with a implant being inserted, was my cochlea's 'normal'. Fortunately the audiologist actually had a report on my MRI scan which I had a month or so before. The report stated that I had normal, clear, obvious, etc. cochlea's. This was music to my mothers ears and the magic words that I have been wanting to read on a person's lip for a while.

Since that was one of my questions asked, I wondered about the make of implant that I could have. I knew out of all three companies I preferred both Cochlear and Advance Bionics. They seemed more jazzy and more appealing for my needs than the other company Medel, which I researched was only normally given to babies with a profound hearing loss.
The amount of research I found out about the two preferred companies for CI's was a lot. They were so completely different in terms of how they worked inside the body although the outside processors looked really similar. For the Advance Bionics there was 16 electrodes, but in Cochlear there was 22. From what I gathered 22 is better than 16 as this would mean I access a lot more sound than I would by having a CI with only 16. 
On the other hand, I like the Advance Bionics for the fact that the processors was water proof, so I could wear it swimming and not worry about the rain. It was also wireless which meant I could listen to music without having to actually connect to the IPod. 
On the plus side the Cochlear was bringing out a new model, the Nucleus 6 whereas the Advance Bionic had already brought out their new model the Naida CI.
I then asked the audiologist my next question, which make would I have. I only got one answer 'Cochlear', the reason behind this was that Nottingham audiology service, only deal with this manufacturer. Kind of glad that the choice was made for me, I am glad that I wouldn't even think 'what if..' about the other make. I had a choice and I had to stick with it.

Shortly after the audiology part was complete and my questions began to dry up, the speech and language therapist came into the room. It was a simple test to see how I pronounced my words since my hearing has gone. I wasn't exactly keen one the woman by the time I had finished. I think anyone would be put off when someone tells you, that 'you sound like a man, due to a husky voice.' Charming eh?

Well my next appointment after this would be meeting the surgeon-consultant. Hopefully it gets fast tracked soon!