4 Days to Countdown

What are we counting down to? Cochlear Implant Surgery.  Not just a Cochlear Implant surgery but a bi-lateral implants surgery.  That's right, I will have two implants installed, implanted, embedded, or if you prefer "slapped on my head" in just over three days time. 

Not many people are implanted both sides at the same time.  Most people I know think I am a lunatic for trying it. People say "its too much at once", "you're gonna go crazy", "your brain will not be able to handle it", and "wow".  I am an all or nothing kind of dude and always have been.  This is my personality, "lets do this and get it over with"!

Am I scared or nervous? Heck yeah!  These are the main things that I am worried about ranked in order from worst to not as bad as the worst:

• I will die on the table.
• The Doctor will drill into my brain.
• The surgery will somehow destroy my sense of balance (think semi-circular canals damage). 
• The doctor will sever a nerve causing either; loss of taste or facial droop.  I like watching cook-off shows on the Food Channel, last thing I want to do is have my family watching "Chopped", while I sit there rolling in agony because I cannot taste food anymore.  

Am I scared to lose the rest of my natural hearing, not really.  As one doctor asked me "what functional hearing do you have to lose ?!"

I have been prepared to get CI surgery 4 times before, all ended in failure to launch the surgery.  You ask, what happened?

1st Time  (1980's): Scheduled for surgery at the House Ear Institute Los Angeles when I was 13 years old.  My Mom decided at the last minute to cancel the surgery.

2nd Time:  Referred to University of San Fransisco Medical Center.  My family and I decided to move to the East Coast which essentially ended my short term affair with UCSFM.

3rd Time: All set up to do the surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University medical Center and a week and a half before surgery my insurance denied coverage.

4th Time:  (One month ago) All set to do CI surgeries on each side, 4 days apart from each other.  A week before the hospital calls and says that the Surgeon is having vision problems, and we need to reschedule.

5th Time: (Present Day) I am set to have the bi-lateral CI surgery this coming Friday at a very prestigious Medical Center.    

Call it jinxed, I don't!  Maybe a miracle!  This time the insurance company approved both implants to be done at the same time, with out even letting out a hiccup.

Its dinner time, I will report tomorrow!