Blog 8. Pre-Op

Had the pre-op today.  Tina was the nurse doing it and she was clearly used to implant patients – I could lip-read her easily.  A lot of the usual medical questions were asked and answered, a sample of blood taken, an ECG given and for good measure I was weighed and measured. All was well so all I’ve got to do now is worry about the actual operation, parking on the day and the lack of an O2 mobile signal to call home. Lisa was a mine of information. She covered everything I could expect to happen on the day, so no surprises.  They will do up to four implants on the day so I could be called early morning or around lunch time. I will definitely be staying overnight because they want to x-ray me to make sure the implant is in the right place. Because I can’t hear there will be no soothing nurse’s voice to wake me but instead a tweaked cheek.  Although my hearing aid has to be removed during the operation they will replace it before I do wake up so perhaps I will hear the soothing voice. I was told that I should not experience much pain but there could be transient head pain and perhaps tinnitus.  There is a chance that a facial nerve will be affected leaving me with some tingling on my face.

Blog 7. Time and Date.

TIME AND DATE

A few days after the balance test I received two letter from the hospital.  One called me to a pre-op assessment and the other was gave the time and date of the actual operation.  I’m down for an early start, 7.15am in two months time.

As the operation gets closer I’ve returned to checking on the Internet for information and thoughts from others. I came across some YouTube videos of the actual operation and I almost wish I hadn’t seen them.  All the gory detail is there with a great deal of drilling going on.  It’s no worse than watching hospital soaps on TV but much easier to identify with the blood and  gore when it might be yours. The YouTube links took me away from that to a much more encouraging area, videos of children and adults being switched on for the first time. It’s a moving thing to watch and a great reminder not only of the brilliance of CI’s but also of the impact being deaf has on so many people.

I haven’t had to wait long for my operation.  Much of the waiting time has been taken up with the necessary protocols, which lead up to the operation itself. But it can’t come soon enough really.  When I am with people I know who face me when they speak on a topic I’m aware of I manage quite well and most of the time I am with these people. It’s when I’m in less familiar circumstances that the extent of my hearing loss becomes all too apparent.  A stranger engaging in an impromptu conversation can leave me completely lost and more often than not I guess, nod my head and pretend I’ve heard rather than cause offence or deter future conversations. When it becomes clear that I’m not going to get away with this I have to come clean and ask the person to repeat the words and then repeat the words again. If my wife is nearby or a friend I am used to hearing I turn for a ‘translation’ at the risk of making the original speaker feel they are the problem.

Today I called into the chemist’s with a prescription. A simple thing except that this time the assistant began to ask how often I picked up prescriptions and went on to describe a service offered to make things easier. Well I think that’s what she was on about and she didn’t seem too upset when I said I was happy with things as they are so I must have guessed correctly what she was saying.  But as I wandered out of the shop I did wonder what it was that I was actually missing.  Whilst waiting for my prescription to be made up I called in to a local supermarket.  At the checkout all went well until I was asked a question.  I thought it must be some sort of offer the checkout person was on about so said no thank you. He smiled and repeated the ‘question’.  Still unable to understand I told him I was deaf by way of explanation. Other customers in the queue behind me were showing signs of amusement by now. Once again he repeated himself and I moved closer because this was now becoming an important issue.  Then I got it. “Enjoy the rest of your day,” he had been saying.  A minor courtesy becomes a major communication issue.  The cochlear implant can’t come soon enough.

Blog 6. Balancing Act

THE BALANCE TEST

I thought I might miss this one because I lead a pretty active life and have no problems with balance at all.  However about nine years ago I was walking along a narrow country road in Brittany when a small house to my left appeared to move.  It was sudden and shocking and had me clinging to the ground for stability. I could hardy walk because of the dizziness and felt constantly nauseous. My doctor diagnosed labrynthitis and after treatment I made a full recovery.  I mentioned this to the Consultant and as a consequence he wanted to find out whether the labrynthitis had affected permanently my inner ear.  The initial tests were simple.  I was asked to hold my arms out in front and to walk on the spot with my eyes closed.  Apparently some people begin to turn as they do this and end up facing a completely different direction when they stop. I was still pointing ahead.

I was then asked to sit on to the doctor’s examination bed.  He asked me to sit up then as he held and turned my head as I moved to a lying down position. Apparently my eyes were the clue to a balance problem but once again all seemed well. Some  goggles were placed over my eyes and I was asked to keep my head pointing ahead but to make my eyes follow a moving red light.  Not really difficult and I assume some sensor in the goggles was monitoring my eye movements. Still with the goggles on but this time with a shutter closed, putting me in complete darkness, warm water was poured in my right ear for about a minute.  I then sat in darkness for about five minutes before the same procedure was carried out on my left ear.  The whole procedure was then repeated but with much cooler water.  Apparently the warm water warms the fluid in the inner ear and it’s this fluid which helps control balance. Then it was over but I’d been there for an hour and a half! OK I’m a bit vague about this but that’s because I didn’t catch all of the explanations given to me by the doctor doing the tests. He didn’t seem to be unduly concerned and I didn’t ask for a verdict because I’d been told that the outcome of the test would not stop the CI going ahead. 

Blog 5. The Meeting

THE MEETING

This was the crucial meeting at which I would be told whether or not the operation was suitable for me. In attendance was the consultant supported by two colleagues – a speech therapist and an Implant person.  My attention was on the Consultant.  It was good news of sorts. I was deaf enough to merit the implant and he thought that I would benefit from it.  A large number of health related questions followed and the fact that I had not had a balance test was picked up. I had experienced the very unpleasant consequences of labrynthitis a few years earlier and there was some concern that the infection may have affected my inner ear and balance. The result of this further test would not prevent the CI procedure. Then having stated that I was happy to go ahead I said goodbye and was led to an office with the Implant colleague.  The NHS uses Cochlear Implants from the three major manufacturers: Cochlear, Medlec and Advanced Bionics. I’d been reading up on the pros and cons of each product.  Here I was shown each of the devices and asked which I would like to have. One thing I had picked up from my research and confirmed at this meeting was that all of the devices produce similar results and none was either significantly better or worse than the others in practice.  Still a choice had to be made.  Two of the devices came with remote controls, which was an attraction. Another was on special offer believe it or not and came with two external processors one which was no more than a single large button on the side of the head allowing for the device to be almost completely hidden.  I eventually opted for the Advanced Bionics Implant because I believe that the internal processor was more sophisticated than the others allowing for further upgrades of the external processor. Upgrades were available every five years as part of the package. So AB it was – now for the colour! Well hearing aid beige was definitely out!  I chose a dark blue with a hint of sparkle – just like my car. No wonder it was called petrol blue. So the device was on order, the contract in the post and in due course a date would be set for the operation.  A week or so later the contract arrived stating in very clear English the risks as well as the benefits of a Cochlear implant and also the commitment required from me to make it work. 

Blog 4. MRI Scan

MRI SCAN

The hardest part was getting through the traffic and parking in time in spite of an early departure for Bristol. The CRIC unit is part of the University Hospital and contains a state of the art Siemens MRI scanner.  First I was asked to verify that I was free of hidden metal parts, which may be attracted by the powerful magnet and was then led to a small changing room where I put on pyjama bottoms but kept my shirt.  All metal bits like my glasses and watch were left in a locker and I emerged for further instructions. The nurse spotted my hearing aid and was about to send me back to the changing room I suspect until It told her I wouldn’t be able to hear her instructions without it.  So I was introduced to the scanning room where the contraption lives.  With hearing aid confiscated I lay on the narrow, sliding bed which waited in front of the scanning tunnel.  My feet were raised slightly and my head  wedged gently into a frame to keep it still.  Eye protectors were  slid into place and I was offered ear plugs. Finally a rubber squeeze ball was placed in my hand in case I wanted to call it off I suppose. The nurses departed to a safe distance and I was moved into the tunnel. It is pretty claustrophobic.  I would guess my head is about six inches from the roof of the tunnel but all is bathed in a white light and I know what’s happening so just have to keep still and wait for ten minutes until it’s over.  I have my hands resting on my chest and I can feel my rings vibrating gently on my fingers so I assume the machine is working,  They are scanning my head only. There is no other sensation apart from a regularly paced whooshing sound which I can hear so it must have been fairly loud.  It sounds a bit like a scanner and so it should! I imagine I’m being scanned in slices but here are no sensations to reveal what the machine is doing at all. Eventually time was up and I slid out into the real world again. A nurse told me that the images would be sent to my consultant who would be in touch.  I changed to my work clothes and it was over.  I would think I was there for twenty minutes at the most and the good news is that my wife managed to find a parking space and was waiting in reception for me.