I finally heard back from Michelle today. She said that she
thinks the big reason why I saw worse results at my last visit was due to my
illness and the fluid in my middle ear. She said that even a small amount of
fluid could disrupt how the device works as well as my ability to hear. Between my allergies and getting
over a cold, I was fighting quite a bit! She also mentioned that my hearing
should improve as I continue to heal over the next couple of months, and that I
should not be worried….just yet at least.
I had also asked her what type of results I should expect to
see and she said that most patients see an average of 30-40 decibels of gain (that would still put me in the moderate loss range in the high frequencies). Before going into this, I was told that my hearing would be close to normal again, so this scared me a little bit. I was definitely expecting a greater overall gain. She said that it is still too early in the process to tell what my gain will be and that I need to be a bit more patient with the process.
Why do people keep telling me this?
In thinking about my lack of patience, I found a very
inspiring quote:
“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with
yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but
instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.”
Saint Francis de
Sales
French Saint & Bishop of Geneva (1567 - 1622)
Although I must be patient with this process, I must also
never give up on this life changing journey. I must not lose courage in this process when I am feeling down or things are not going my way. Everyday is a new day and an opportunity for a new beginning.
I really hope the fluid will go down soon and you do notice an improvement! Michelle told me your fluid was really bad, so you were definately fighting through a lot. Hang in there! We're both going to see (hear) some more gain soon, I just know it:) I really appreciate your posts on patience and acceptance. I can't fathom having normal hearing and then losing it, knowing what you had and not knowing if you'll achieve it with the Esteem. You're a brave soul, girl! Do you need the other ear done too?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet and encouraging post! It has definitely been a struggle for me but I am so glad that I went through this experience as it has truly helped me find myself again and also has helped me to accept a lot of things in my life. My hearing loss is the same in both ears (severe to profound loss) so if the Esteem does end up working out for me I would love to have the other ear done. However, my hearing loss is so great that if I cannot get the gain that I need, I may look into getting the Cochlear Implant in the other ear. I have heard the the two together do pair very well.
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