20+ years between implants...(for Ted)

[Guest guest]

>

> >>>>If you don't mind me asking Muriel, was there any particular

> reason

> why it was 21 years between the two implants? What was the most

> pleasant surprise about your most recent implant, compared to the

> first one?

> Ted F.>>>

Ted,

Why did I wait for 20+ years for a second implant? Back in 1987 I was

told that there was a single sound center in the brain and a person

only needed one ear to hear with. Bilateral implantation simply was

not done.

In succeeding years, research with bilateral implantation

showed that people did indeed hear better with two ears than one.

Insurance companies were slow to approve what they considered an

experimental procedure. The day I found out my insurance company had

begun to approve bilateral implantation, I decided to go for a second

implant and five months later I was hearing out of two ears.

My first implant gave me better hearing than I had ever remembered

having. As for my second implant, the biggest surprise I had when I

went bilateral was that my " old " ear wanted the new ear turned on

right from day one. It no WANTED to be alone in sending sound signals

to my brain. It's hard to explain, but I am sure other bilateral ci

users understand what I am saying.

I'm trying to keep this short...I'm so happy being bilateral that I

could go on and on and on..........

....muriel in fort worth