First/Second Appointment at YCIS

Was so excited when I got my first letter and said 3.00pm for hearing test then 4.00pm for Speech/Language tests…. Gosh I thought - but it was rather interesting. For the hearing tests, I had to listen for the usual bleeps and then sat in front of a TV and watched the lip reader with no sound on and see if I could lip-read what he said. My score for this was around 58% which is good as I was taught to lip-read and speak but never sign - mind you I still don't know the sign language and I've no intention to do any!

After that, I had to lip-read the man with sound but use my left ear and again for the right ear and boy it was good… my husband couldn't get any of them! For my Speech tests I had to listen what the therapist had to say - Ch, Sh, Th, etc and it wasn't too bad as I thought as you listen to your voice and say For, Four, Fore - they all sound the same don't they?? Both therapists said "more likely to be suitable"…. I thought great something is happening but was told…. I've yet more to come!

So last Thursday, I went to meet the Surgeon, Mr Strachan (no not from Holby City!) and wanted to know more about me and my hearing - luckily my mum came to this meeting as hubby is now in Afghanistan and hubby told them that anything to do with appointments must go ahead without him as I have mum as my sidekick! We asked him if the hearing can get worse even if they don't have the implant and his answer was yes so that is rather scary. We also asked him which ear would it be implanted? His answer was on the worse ear as what they will do is cut the hearing out and then drills some bones and inserts the electrode wires into the auditory nerves.

I have to have the CT scan to find out which ear they will put the implant on. BUT…It is not up to me… it's up to the Adult Team at YCIS to make the decision whether I'm suitable for this or not but I have had some hints from the surgeon that I'm more likely to be suitable and it also depends on the funding from the primary care trust. Gosh with all these things happening the more I get to know about it.

Now I have another hearing and speech tests on 18th July so I'll have to do my third blog for this.If I get to be suitable for this then I'm going to fundraise for them and they are fundraising for a new building for the Cochlear Implant. If interested please visit: http://www.ycis.org.uk/ - it does tell you what's is done.Thank you for reading this.