Soon...

I'll be able to hear again!

My insurance approved my hearing aid! Though they only approved 1 hearing aid, it should still help me considerably. I went last week and had an ear mold caste and sent out to the manufacturers. It was an interesting experience.

The first thing that is done is the audiologist inserts a small piece of foam attached to several small strings deep into the ear to prevent any possible inner ear damage. I had expected the material they insert into your ear to be icky like the slime you got out of a quarter machine as a kid but it was actually a lot more like silly puddy. It's warmed up so that it's more pliable and then put into a needle-less syringe type contraption and squirted slowly into your ear. It expands a little bit once it's inside and feels kind of like it does when you dive really deep into water and the pressure builds up in your ears.

You have to keep your jaw open while the mold sets so that the inner ear is really opened up. This apparently will make the hearing aid more comfortable to wear while eating or speaking.

When the mold had set she gently tugged on the strings attached to the foam underneath the mold and the whole thing slid out cleanly.

My audiologist said I have very unique and "artistic" curves to my inner ear which may be difficult for the people at Phonak to recreate, but that it should be possible for them to make me one of the more discreet pieces that rests inside the ear and not the more obtuse looking one which is actually composed of two separate pieces one of which goes in the ear and the other connected to it which rests behind the ear.

I was approved for this a couple of weeks before I had the procedure done but a change in my medical insurance made me have to resubmit for all on-going medical issues. Lucky for me the second application was processed much faster than the first.

All in all I'm pretty excited, I just got a call from the audiology department at the hospital and my hearing aid is ready! I need to go down there on Thursday to be taught how to properly use and care for it.

Hear ya Thursday!

Update: Got a call at like 8am Thursday morning from the hospital informing me that there had been a family emergency and my Audiologist wouldn't be in but they could fit me in on Monday. So looks like I'll be hearing you all Monday!