Sunday, June 10, 2018 - ANTICIPATION

Sunday, June 10, 2018 - ANTICIPATION

    Just three days left before my Cochlear Implant on Tuesday. I have great anticipation and a little trepidation! What if Doc bores through and finds nothing? Just blank space where the Cochlea should be. Would Medicare, which is paying for this blessing, demand a refund?

    After considering issues I think most important, My surgeon felt the AvancedBionics Naida7 should be my choice for the implant because their T-mike technology will provide the best hearing for me in small group and in noisy situations.

    The decision between Cochlear and Advanced Bionics and MedEL was difficult. All are excellent companies.

    Because I struggled for days trying to make that decision without a clear resolution in my own mind, I turned to a Decision Making Tool called Grid Analysis, also known as Pugh Matrix Analysis, and Multi-Attribute Utility Theory.

    The factors I considered were my Surgeon's recommendation, My Audiologist's recommendation, Feedback from all company reps and mentors, my Comfort level, Set and forget, in Noisy situations, in Small groups, On-line help. First scoring each factor from 0 – 5, then multiplying each by relative importance, again 0 - 5.

    I had no idea which would score highest. The difference was minimal, just 4 points: Cochlear 137 - AB 141. I feel comfortable with the result, confirmed again by my Surgeon, knowing that either option would provide far better hearing than I have now.

     For every CI recipient, the decision will be individual, personal, technical, distinct and emotional. If you are reading this, I pray you will have the sort of generous assistance I received from so many.