I began losing my hearing in my mid 30"s..and was 46 when I had the surgery. I had the surgery done at Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville, Fl. I am only an hour north of there, here at my other home in GA. I had about 10% hearing left in my left ear and have 3 or 4% in my right. When you have the surgery, you will lose what hearing you have, because the implant bypasses you ear and sends the sound directly to your brain. So, I had only my left ear done, becuse I didn't want to be totally deaf. Part of the "appliance" is actually a magnet, that "sticks" to your head, the implant is under your scalp. The magnet is strong enough to stay attached through your skin. And then you have an earpiece, that looks like a hearing aid, but you wear it behind your ear, instead of inside like a hearing aid. That's where the microphone is, it sends the sound waves up through the magnetic piece through your scalp to the computer placed under your scalp. Really amazing. There is actually no part of it in my ear. Hope that makes sense. I'm confusing me..lol..I go in every six months to have the program updated, because as you loose your hearing, your brain actually forgets those sounds, and you have to learn them all over again. Which takes time.It would be overwhelming to have it all at once, if you, like me..hadn't heard birds singing for about 8 years. Wow, small things like that, and grandchildren speaking to you, and you can hear them..make it all worthwhile!
The surgery at that time, in 2002 was something like 80,000. But Thank God for insurance, which paid for it all except about $2000, or I wouldn't have been able to have it done. It is covered by insurance, where a hearing aid isn't. And has rechargeable batteries, which last about 18 hours they say, I don't last that long..so I'll take thier word for it.
www.advancedbionics.com
will tell you all about it..
Hope you find something to help you, and sorry I have rambled forever..
I look forward to meeting you..I enjoy reading your posts and laughing with you!
Pam