The Evaluation

OK, well i had one really early start today, with my 730am doc apt. I was up at 530 just to get ready and leave. The whole time i was trying to wake up i was actually feeling a bit apprehensive since i new they were going to have to test my right ear for the first time in 15 years. I know i may have mentioned 12 years before but i found out today it is actually 15years. Well when i got there i was the first patient of the day and i was the only one at that point. My Audi came out and invited me back to the testing room. Basically a big room with a large safe like box in the middle. As we sat down she began to explain the procedures for the day and asked if i had any questions. having been through many hearing test i did not.

Once inside the box i had my right ear tested ( my left had been done 3 weeks ago and did not need it) . At first i ha no idea what i was listening for, since i have not heard in this ear for years. The first few sounds were the high pitch sounds, i never actually heard these but had to raise my hand just to stop the vibrations that bothered me. When she got to the low pitch sounds i was able to hear them but the had to be so loud the program almost couldn't do it. or so it seemed. Once that fiasco was done, my Audi programed 2 Oticon aids for my left and right ear levels. When put in i heard pretty good out of the left side, the right seemed to be only pressure and vibrations, no understandable sound. thus began the word comprehension testing. Beginning with my right ear i heard nothing at all the whole time. then moving on to both ears i heard some things after we discovered it wasn't set up right for me to hear inside the booth. after testing both ears we went back to the right ear. I heard sound but absolutely no words.

Then we tested the left ear, oh boy i heard words and i know from my Audi's reaction and from my own second guessing i didn't hear right. Heck i didn't say a few words i thought i heard cause i knew there was no way they would put those in a hearing test. When the test was over, she told me i heard 41.5% of the words given. however it seemed to high, so we added background sound. Oh yeah that made it fun, i never got the exact percentage i heard correctly but i do know it was probably a hell of a lot lower. Especially since when i asked my Audi seemed to get this look on her face like she felt she would depress me if she told. oh didn't really care i actually found it quite amusing how miserable i did. and I know i m eligible for a CI, and i will be getting one, if not two (one in each ear) it is now just a matter of when. I do know that if i had this test before with this outcome i don't remember it. Had i remembered it i probably would have gotten the CI sooner, but i also know i was to damn stubborn to want it. Now i know i need it and i will be meeting with the surgeon on May 28Th. well until then remember to be is to do, to do is to be, do be do be do!