I have been thinking for a week or so now trying to decide what to do about my hearing situation. I have not had the appt with the surgeon yet, however I do not think that is the way I am going to go. I have been weighing out all the options I know of right now between the two choices, hearing aids or surgery. The hearing aids are definitely the front runner right now not only will it be an instant gratification of sorts, there is no risk involved.
I am just hesitant about the surgery because of the recovery time and the length of time it takes to find out if the my hearing will be correct. Up to 4 months before I would know from what I have been reading. Then of course there is the risk of losing my hearing completely in the ear they do the surgery on OR even having to have the surgery redone later in life.
I am still planning on going to the surgeon just to find out more about the surgery, however since the insurance doesn't cover it I am still leaning towards NOT doing it anyway. I'll be post when I know more but it will not be til after Nov 14th.
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Down and Out ~Oct 10
Well I thought today was going to be a pretty decent day, had to go to the hearing aid specialist for a consultant at 1 pm and really thought the worst news would be how much the hearing aids would cost. Oh how I was wrong.
The hearing aids are quiet expensive and considering I need 2 of them we are looking at $2600 to $6000 a pair. Yes you read that right. I have been doing some research online the last few days and generally reading said that most insurance companies do not cover the cost of them. I am not sure why, because it's not like its a vanity item it's something required to hear and function in life.
Well we came home from the dr appt and hubby called the insurance company and lo and behold they do not cover the hearing aids. The company hubby works for does not have any type of hearing policy so no insurance for that. Ok fine, I kind of figured we would have to pay if we chose to go this route.
So the news that really pissed me off was the fact they will not cover the surgery for the stapedectomy. What the hell? It's a surgery it's not like its for a nose job or a boob job, its so I can function and live and be able to hear. I am so mad and so upset it's not even funny. I can't imagine the cost of the surgery, so it looks like I will definitely have to go the hearing aid route which I was sorta leaning towards BUT I shouldn't have to.
There's my rant for the day and I am now trying to figure out how in the world I can cover the cost of the 2 hearing aids I need and still pay down the credit cards I was working on.
The hearing aids are quiet expensive and considering I need 2 of them we are looking at $2600 to $6000 a pair. Yes you read that right. I have been doing some research online the last few days and generally reading said that most insurance companies do not cover the cost of them. I am not sure why, because it's not like its a vanity item it's something required to hear and function in life.
Well we came home from the dr appt and hubby called the insurance company and lo and behold they do not cover the hearing aids. The company hubby works for does not have any type of hearing policy so no insurance for that. Ok fine, I kind of figured we would have to pay if we chose to go this route.
So the news that really pissed me off was the fact they will not cover the surgery for the stapedectomy. What the hell? It's a surgery it's not like its for a nose job or a boob job, its so I can function and live and be able to hear. I am so mad and so upset it's not even funny. I can't imagine the cost of the surgery, so it looks like I will definitely have to go the hearing aid route which I was sorta leaning towards BUT I shouldn't have to.
There's my rant for the day and I am now trying to figure out how in the world I can cover the cost of the 2 hearing aids I need and still pay down the credit cards I was working on.
Follow Up With ENT~Sept 29
Well the news not so good... I am apparently pretty deaf in both ears with my left ear being the worst. It seems to be a hereditary issue as my mom is deaf in her left ear (she could have surgery) and also being fair/blonde is another factor per the dr. I had to do a hearing test that lasted about 30 mins between both ears and couldn't hear quite a bit of the sounds etc they were doing.
I have 2 options to "remedy" the situation. I can either have surgery in both ears to try to fix it or I can get hearing aids for both ears. I have not decided what I am going to do at this point, I am a bit down right now as I was worried that my hearing problem was serious. I do have a consultation with the hearing aid specialist in early Oct and then the surgeon in early Nov and once I weigh out all the options then I will make a decision on what to do.
The surgery isn't a "major" one, however 1% of the patients lose total hearing in the ear. If I was to have it done I would start with my left ear since its the worst , literally can barely hear anything at all. The dr showed me the chart on where I tested at, and there is the gray area which is average and anything in that is good, but I can barely hear the "average" on any of the sounds they were all below average and my left ear was way below closer to being zero hearing I think.
The name of the problem is Stapedial Otosclerosis if anyone is curious. I appreciate everyone's kinds thoughts as the last 2 days has been kind of rough.
I have 2 options to "remedy" the situation. I can either have surgery in both ears to try to fix it or I can get hearing aids for both ears. I have not decided what I am going to do at this point, I am a bit down right now as I was worried that my hearing problem was serious. I do have a consultation with the hearing aid specialist in early Oct and then the surgeon in early Nov and once I weigh out all the options then I will make a decision on what to do.
The surgery isn't a "major" one, however 1% of the patients lose total hearing in the ear. If I was to have it done I would start with my left ear since its the worst , literally can barely hear anything at all. The dr showed me the chart on where I tested at, and there is the gray area which is average and anything in that is good, but I can barely hear the "average" on any of the sounds they were all below average and my left ear was way below closer to being zero hearing I think.
The name of the problem is Stapedial Otosclerosis if anyone is curious. I appreciate everyone's kinds thoughts as the last 2 days has been kind of rough.
Welcome to My Hearing Loss Blog
Hi and welcome, my name is Frances and I am a hard of hearing adult who just found in Sept that I have severe hearing loss in both of my ears. My left ear more so than my right but they are both affected.
I am starting this blog to just vent, cry or scream about my situation and the things hard of hearing people go through. I am lucky enough that I can get hearing aids or surgery to correct my problem however not so lucky in the fact that insurance will cover neither.
I have another blog that I am going to copy some of my posts from and post here so you can see my updates as they came along and then I'll be able to update from there on out.
I am starting this blog to just vent, cry or scream about my situation and the things hard of hearing people go through. I am lucky enough that I can get hearing aids or surgery to correct my problem however not so lucky in the fact that insurance will cover neither.
I have another blog that I am going to copy some of my posts from and post here so you can see my updates as they came along and then I'll be able to update from there on out.
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