Tricare let me down...

I got the word from the Hospital as to what time to show up for my surgery the day before it was actually supposed to take place. My husband and I drove up that afternoon to spend some time with my oldest daughter in a town close by. I fasted as instructed, even used the nasty anti-bacterial soap they made me use. Showed up at the hospital at the appointed time only to find out that my insurance had denied everything the day before, with no notice. My Surgeon's office was back and forth all that day trying to get approval but to no avail. My surgery had been cancelled.

Having that happen was bad enough, but it was over little things that they either didn't have or misinterpreted. We drove home that afternoon and the next day got a call saying the surgery had been completely approved..day late and dollar short. So, now my new surgery date is March 24th..the first available day my surgeon had. Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

Update

Wow...hard to believe it has been over a year since I had my implant surgery. Time marches on and we lose track. It has been a rough year. Went to our family reunion in June and though I had a wonderful time, it was bittersweet. My mother no longer knew who I was most of the time I was there and her health was deteriorating. Shortly after I returned home, my mother had to be put in a nursing home as my father could no longer take care of her. Between the end stage Parkinson's and dementia, he realized she would be safer and healthier there. Sadly, on Thanksgiving, mother slipped into a coma and passed away on December 1st. Although it was not unexpected, it has been very hard and I miss her a great deal.

My CI has been adjusted to and I have been tested and have 95% comprehension in a quiet room with 85% in noise..lab noise, not real world noise where it drops much lower. I returned to my ENT in November and much to my surprise he recommended having a second implant. I was referred to UNC Chapel Hill to the head of the implant team as I have ossification in the cochlea. My second implant surgery is scheduled for February 3rd. I am half excited half worried as due to the ossification, he might not be able to insert the entire array of electrodes. If that is the case, the surgery will end with no implant.

However, if all goes well, I will have the new N5 from Cochlear America and they will use the backup processor for my other ear. Pretty cool gadget with remote and blue tooth capability.

On the home front, my husband, who was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx in April, after mega radiation treatments, has been cancer free so far. (knock on wood).

My granddaughter, Gabi, is the light of my life and is a very active, intelligent 2 1/2 year old. Christmas was a fun time watching her open her gifts and assist her "Aunt Sissy" with hers as well. Unfortunately, her mother and father are no longer together and it is difficult for Gabi to adjust.

Enough for now..will try to keep this thing current as best I can. Happy New Year to all!!!

My Goodness..hard to believe May is almost gone. I have had so much going on I just haven't had the time nor the inclination to post anything new.
My speech comprehension is still improving, in baby steps, and I go back to the Audi in two weeks for a "tune up". I should have gone back sooner, but sometimes life gets in the way. My husband/ best friend has needed my support and undivided attention these last few months and I have put me on the back burner.
In March, he complained that his voice was scratchy (which it was) and thought it might be bronchitis or something so he went to the doctor and described his symptoms. That Doctor thought he had acid reflux disease and prescribed meds and a new diet and told him that if things didn't improve to come back in a few weeks to be re-evaluated. After no real improvement, he went back and saw a different Doctor (military bases are like that). This one decided it must be something to do with his sinuses and referred him to an ENT specialist. Turns out it wasn't any of the above. It was 1st stage throat/larynx cancer and thank God it was caught early. He has been in radiation treatment for the past two weeks (after biopsy surgery, CT scans, etc) and still has another four weeks to go. Since it is stage one, and caught early, the Cancer ENT specialist he is now seeing says he has a 90-95% chance of a full recovery without the permanent loss of his voice. If all goes well, no surgery, no Chemo..just the hard core radiation. Will try to come back more often and update, time permitting.

Today was a great day. My oldest came home for the day and brought her friend with her. We all decided her Dad was going to grill out and we spent the day outside. It was wonderful. My youngest came by, with the grandbaby and the baby's daddy. The weather was in the 70's and just perfect for me. Sunny, no bugs (too early in the year) and though windy, it was nice.
It's been a long time since I have been able to be with the family and not feel left out because I couldn't understand what was being said. I still had a little trouble, especially when the wind picked up and drowned out voices, but for the most part, I had a lovely time.

Although I am still living in "Chipmunk Land", things are getting better with my new Maps. I was actually able to watch two TV shows without CC. Not that I had a choice, as for some reason my DirecTV is having trouble with CC on Fox. I will admit I didn't catch every single word, but I was able to catch most of them on both Bones and Hell's Kitchen. After my last mapping, I had to have the sensitivity set to 1 and the volume set to 1. Sounds were just too much and some even made me feel a vibration in my ear. I have since moved up to sensitivity 2 and volume 5, gradually, and things don't vibrate my ear any longer.
Just booked three airline tickets today for my family reunion/parents 65th anniversary in June. Also booked a room, and now I am totally broke. :( But, it is well worth it to see all my family at one time.

Went to see my CI audi today and got my first "real" mapping. I now have 4 programs. Normal, a noise reduction version of P1 (normal), P3 has a "narrowed" field of hearing and then P4 has a T-mix for cell phones. I tried the regular t-coil option and it bugged me that I could not hear my own voice, so this will allow me to hear myself while using t-coil. Plus, I don't have to use the < > keys to get there. My audi also tested with the lovely beeps again and set my settings towards the max range of my processor. It's funny, because none of the beeps ever got too loud or too uncomfortable for me, yet, in "hearing" mode, I almost got blasted out of my chair. But, I asked her to leave it there, since it was on V9 and S12. This gives me plenty of room before I have to go back, since I can now turn both S and V down to a comfortable range. Voices sound less like chipmunks and more human, which is wonderful and my audi says it will get even better, I just have to be patient..there is that dreaded word again. She did warn me not to turn the volume up too high as it could cause adverse reactions like ticks and face twitches. Lovely! Like I don't feel odd enough at times. I really did notice a change on the ride home. I was understanding more songs on the radio and able to sing along (in my head). Feeling pretty good about things as they are now.

I finally got tired of my hubby's surround sound competing with my TV volume and did something about it. No, nothing drastic like shooting his TV! I went and bought the cables I needed from Radio Shack to hook up my tv cable to my DirecTV. It is awesome! I can even understand a lot of spoken words without CC now. Which is a good thing as my receiver has had an issue with CC on two networks. I have always had trouble with my local FOX station, but I was actually able watch Bones and to follow along without CC (it came and went the entire hour with long stretches of just FOX BONES FOX BONES, which was totally annoying.). I am even prouder of the fact that I was able to watch Hell's Kitchen and understand the majority of it. Not easy with a main star having a strong accent. I also like the fact that I can turn the volume up and not have to worry about bothering the hubby. He, in turn, is able to keep the volume of his TV down so it is a win-win situation.
Speaking of volume, I think it is time for a trip to my CI audi again. I have to crank the volume to the max on the cable for most of the shows (commercials are an exception, as always). I am at level four on this set of programs and have been for three weeks. I know my audi wants to wait till my other processor comes back from the repair shop, but not sure I can wait. Guess I won't have a choice, since she is trying to save my money with the distance involved.
I still haven't tried using the phone since the automated call I had the frustrated me so bad. I can, however, make out messages left, after playing them back a time or two. So, I am getting there. I am even buying a cable for my cell phone. I have been told it is easier to understand than a land line phone and I really miss talking to my girls on the phone. I miss the little things that go in their lives.
I do get frustrated sometimes. I know this all takes time, but I can't help but get impatient, being human. Sigh. I shouldn't complain, I know it. I am lucky I can hear...period. More important, I am lucky I can hear what I hear and recognize it is getting better. It's just baby steps can be so slow.