A week ago, I had surgery for a Cochlear Implant. I have worn hearing aids since birth but over the past 5 years or so my hearing in my right hear has drastically changed to the point of not being helped by hearing aids. During the surgery, electrodes are inserted into the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve is severed from the rest of the ear so that, I can no longer pick up any sound from my right ear. After 4 weeks, when the 12 staples are removed, the wound healed and the swelling down, I will receive an external device, similar to the hearing aid that magnetically attaches to the implant. Then begins months of auditory retraining to teach my brain to understand sounds coming from a different source. The Cochlear Implant is the most successful medical prostheses. Currently, it just hurts, but I will trust it gets better from here.
~ Kaja

July 28, 2020