R$ 45,552.81

I got this in the mail today. Glad it’s not a bill. This is just one more reason to be thankful to God in all things. He provides. When I moved to Brazil a decade ago as a missionary, I knew it would be with a humble life-style. I also knew that one day I might need this expensive surgery. In another profession, or even as a pastor in the USA, I probably would have putting aside a little each year for when the time came.

The letter simply asks for an evaluation of the hospital. At the bottom it says:

Total amount paid by SUS for your treatment: R$ 45,552.81

A Little Post-surgery Ear Pain

I was scheduled to see Dr Evandro yesterday. I am glad I had the appointment set. I got an earache in my implanted ear. The surgery includes a cutting of the ear canal, but that part does not require stitches. It does need to be watch and, in my case, he did a little cleaning and cauterizing and packed it with gauze. I will leave the packing in until Wednesday. My ear felt better right away after the appointment.

I am noticing more sound in my left ear, but it is still like the sound of a cricket in the distance. I mistake it for ear-ringing most of the time. I also learned that 3 pairs of electrodes are not activated in my processor. The high pitch sounds bothered me the most during my mapping, so they wanted to wait until the second mapping to turn them on.

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While waiting for the doctor in the clinic, I struck up a conversation with a 48-year-old man who just had his CI surgery 2 weeks ago. He was happy to hear about my experience up to this point. I talked with the doctor and the audiologists at the clinic and got permission to look into forming an association of implantees. There are over 50 who have received MED-EL implants in Juiz de Fora. This could be a good thing at thing at the right time.

Doctor Visit

This morning, I will visit Dr Evandro to get the plug in my ear removed and my ear cleaned. He was not available on Friday when my implant was activated. He has been very attentive and cautious to preserve my hearing in my right ear.

I have Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome. This means that I am prone to sudden deafness, and it has happened a number of times in my life. One of the causes can be a change in pressure in the head. Since I had a few episodes of severe ear-ringing after the surgery, he prescribed Betaserc. This medicine is used here in Brazil and Europe, but is not FDA approved in the USA. Many use it to treat Meniere's Disease and as a long term treatment for tinnitus. It has also been reported to prevent hearing loss in certain cases. I’ve been on it for a couple of weeks, and it usually starts taking full effect after a month of use.

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Several Youtube videos are up and my next post will be a link to those, along with a brief explanation.

This is my Implant, a MED-EL Sonata

SONATA

The World's Most Sophisticated Implant
with Titanium Housing

The thin, small-volume SONATA is the most advanced titanium implant available. The I¹⁰⁰ electronics platform supports both FineHearing and Complete Cochlear Coverage, two technologies which help users to enjoy greater sound clarity and detail. These technologies are especially important for music enjoyment and listening in difficult situations.

The energy-efficient SONATA is also extremely durable. With an over 99% reliability rating, the SONATA delivers peace of mind along with future readiness. SONATA is embedded with additional capabilities that are currently untapped. The capabilities are designed to be utilized in conjunction with future software or audio processor upgrades. This makes SONATA the ideal implant choice for both today and the future.

CI Surgery - My Experience

I am sure my wife stressed out and suffered more than anyone in this whole ordeal. My surgery date had been moved up, unexpectedly, so she had to go through a whirlwind of paperwork and meetings to make it happen. She is a special woman.

 

The day before the surgery, I was told to suspend my medicine, it wasn’t going to happen. There was another problem and my name “wasn’t on the list.” We fretted about that and then just decided, after doing everything we could, just to take off work and go to the mall. Just forget about it and let it go. A few hours later they called us and my name was back on the list, and the surgery was on.

 

When I arrived at the hospital, I was given hospital clothes. Not long after that a list of questions. Then I was taken to the operating room. I was given an IV and my hair was shaved a little more. Then they put some white stuff in my IV and I lasted about 10 more seconds. The next thing I remember, I was in the recovery room. I still had my hearing aid on in my right ear. It made me happy to hear something. That might be what the smiling is about in that second picture. About every two hours they came and gave me medicine for pain, nausea and swelling. That also might account for the smile in the second picture. Who knows?

 

I experienced no head pain or headaches. I’ve had no nausea. I have had some dizziness and lack of energy. The stitches are well done and there is no sign of inflammation or infection. I am still having some fluid drain (blood and water) from my left ear. I guess this is normal.

 

About half of my tongue feels like it was burned by hot coffee or soup. No flavor there. I hope it comes back.

 

My wife proved once again that she is God’s perfect person for me. She is special. What a wonderful helper she is.

The Implant Surgery in Pictures

A Cochlear Implant in a Hurry!

A person may plan his own journey, but the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Here I am at the computer, three days after receiving a cochlear implant surgery. It wasn't supposed to happen so fast, but God has a way of working things out in a way that stretches you a little bit.

Earlier this year, I had another hearing check-up. Things were as expected. No hearing in the left ear and a profound hearing loss in the right ear. My audiologist asked me again if I had considered a cochlear implant. I began to list my reasons for not really considering it.

1. I still hear well enough to function with a strong hearing aid in my right ear.
2. I don't want to destroy the hearing that I still have.
3. I am not sure I want to trade natural hearing for synthetic hearing.
4. The longer I wait the better the technology will be.

Finally she said. “Look, a cochlear implant can help you with your speech recognition and communication. We can implant it in your deaf ear, not your hearing one. Your supposed natural hearing really isn't natural, you are so greatly aided. The technology has really come along. But here is why you should really, really consider it. As a legal resident of Brazil you qualify for the implant through SUS (the Brazilian one health system). It would be free. Free surgery. Free rehab. Free processor.”

Now, it is pretty hard to turn down an argument like that one. My wife Loaise and I began to talk it over. We reasoned that if it didn't work, life would go on as usual. I just wouldn't use the implant, and I would have another nice battle scar.

Fast forward 6 months and here I am with a MED-EL Sonata TI 100 implanted in my left cochlea. It actually happened so fast that we weren't ready for it all. Now I am looking forward to activation. I will write all about the experience on this blog.