RE: Re: Any Other Aussies Here?

[Guest guest]

Hi Ted,

That's really interesting. I did consider going through the public hospital

system but it was going to take 3 years in Sydney and I couldn't wait that

long especially as I now get virtually no benefit from hearing aids and have

24 hour loud tinnitus that came with my sudden loss. Fortunately I already

had the appropriate level of health insurance so I was able to get testing

started right away last January and I was approved for a CI right after

that. (Approval means that they think that a CI is suitable for you).

It's great that Queensland has increased funding for adult cochlear

implants. I hope the other states follow suit, if they haven't already. We

go to Qld quite often as my inlaws live in North Lakes, which is near

Redcliffe. I love your winters! But not so fond of summer though!

So I assume that you'll be implanted with the Cochlear Freedom?

_____

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of

Ted F.

Sent: Saturday, 8 April 2006 6:53 PM

Subject: Re: Any Other Aussies Here?

>

> Hi Ted,

> Welcome!

Thank-you.

> I'm in Sydney and waiting for my implant surgery at Mater hospital

> in Sydney. How long did you have to wait between approval and

> surgery?

Hello

I'm on the Gold Coast in Queensland and was implanted at the Mater

Hospital in Brisbane on April 5th. I cant speak highly enough of the

C.I. team at the Mater. I'm not sure what you mean by approval. I was

just following the normal course and going to the appointments when

the Mater sent for me and I was given 3 appointments in the same

week, the 20th, 22nd and 23rd February. It was at the first of these

appointments that I was told I must be getting somewhere near the top

of the list. I asked how long, thinking I was still 2 years away. I

was told that they were talking MONTHS not YEARS. Then, later that

week, I was told my operation date was April 5th. This stunned me,

because I wasnt expecting it. So, for me, it all happened very, very

quickly. It kind of snook up on me. Which in my case might have been

a good thing, because it didnt give me much time to dither or

procrastinate :-).

I was told originally that the waiting list for adult C.I. was about

4 years. I had been on it for less than 2 years. I was told that the

QLD government had increased the funding for C.I.'s for adults and

instead of them doing about 6 ops a year, they now had the funding

for about 21, which must have whizzed me up the list.

> I've been waiting for about 2 months now with surgery maybe in

> about June. We only get notice 2 weeks beforehand!

I suppose I got about 5 weeks notice. Be ready :-)

>

> I was born borderline profoundly deaf and did very well with

> hearing aids until I had a sudden loss of my residual hearing last

> October.

>

I posted my deaf history in another post, but in a nutshell, 19 years

in underground coal mines in NSW, is the answer. Noise induced. I

have worn 2 hearing aids since 1978.

>

> Hope your activation appointments go well!

>

Thanks. I hope you get your surgery date soon and we can start on

this journey together. I read the messages at the website too,

because I couldnt handle all the individual emails. But that way, I

get to read just about everything.

Ted F.

>

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> I introduced myself yesterday.

> Are there any other Aussies here?

>

> Ted F.

>