Results

I QUALIFY! So my hearing is even worse than I realized. To qualify for an implant, you have to get below a 50% on sentence recognition in your "best aided" situation. As I'm used to lip reading and getting the majority of a conversation if the enviroment is set up right, I was not confident I would pass the test (or fail it, depending on how you look at it). I was very wrong. Without background noise, with my hearing aids, facing the speaker (where the sound was coming from), I understood 32%. With background noise, I understood 18% of the sentences. These tests were done without me being able to lip read, which means I totally qualify. I had no idea just how much I relied on lip reading.

I also had to have an MRI to determine if my physiology is compatible with an implant. It is. The MRI is not a very pleasant experience. One I will never have to repeat if I get an implant. A lot of my questions were answered today. The surgery is not as invasive as I originally thought. They make an incision behind your ear and place the internal device between your skin and skull. The implant team is all in agreement that I am an excellent candidate.

So now, the insurance game begins. Surgery costs $70,000. Insurance at this point, will pay half. So the expert will appeal my insurance to see if they will cover the entire amount. I'm hopeful!