It was time. On January 12, 2017, I received my cochlear implant (CI) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. This was a huge step—one I had never expected to take in my lifelong pursuit of better communication.
This article is the first in a series called “Changing Cochleas”. The series starts with my decision to have a cochlear implant and continues with the surgery experience and through the rehabilitation process.
As a writer about hearing loss, the brand of my hearing aids has seldom been relevant to my writing. But unlike hearing aid manufacturers, cochlear implant organizations not only produce the technology but also play an important role in helping recipients successfully adjust to the implant. So, the story of my CI experience is also about the brand I chose, Cochlear. I know many people who have happily and successfully chosen to be implanted with other brands of CI technology.
What’s important is that we have all been given the opportunity for improved hearing—and took it.
Why A Cochlear Implant?
What is it like not to hear? What lengths would you be prepared to go to hear, to hear well?
Please continue reading this post at HearingHealthMatters.org Better Hearing Consumer.
Stay tuned for Part 2: “A Perfect 1 ½ Turns”