The stage is set. The actors are taking their places. The curtain is about to come up.

Tuesday, Oct 15^th I will be at Kansas University Medical Center for surgery to do my Cochlear Implant. Everything is set as laid out in my last entry under The Gene Therapy. The only change is the surgery date. It’s a week later than originally scheduled, but my “turn on” or activation date is the same. Oct 31, 2019.

I think my world is about to be divided into B.C (Before Cochlear) and A.D. (After Deployment).

It seems that the surgery should be fairly easy. I’ll be able to fly home within 24-48 hrs after. That they’re hollowing out a spot in my skull to glue a piece of hardware is still a little creepy to think about though, to be honest.

Unlike the gene therapy, what I am about to go through is a pretty well proven surgical and technical methodology.

It works…its just a little kludgy.

In my mind, its as if I am about to get the equivalent of an old time diving suit … you know the one with the round helmet and a hose that goes back up to the ship….versus the freedom of a scuba tank and regulator. Both will let you breathe underwater though. Cochlear Implant versus Successful Gene Therapy.

If I am going to play analogy here, I probably should go with the more accurate pairing….a diving suit versus gills. That’s how dramatic gene therapy will be when it arrives.

Someday Cochlear Implants will in fact go the way of the diving suit, but in the meantime I am fortunate to be getting the best hearing assistive solution there is in the world.

I am so ready for this. I’ve learned that my brain and I have a lot of work to do–training it to recognize this new electrical information as sound. I’ve learned that training is rapid at first but then can take months and years to get the full benefits of the implant.

It is my fervent hope that I will be one of those who is able to restore the ability to hear music. I am willing to do the work. If I can stop saying “huh?” and listen to Stairway to Heaven again, the miracle will have happened.

He’s Alive

A Play in Several Acts

Well the Stage Was Set and the curtain came up on Act I of “He’s Alive” (with apologies to Mary Shelly) These next Acts for me really are an exercise in bringing my right ear “back to life” after a too early demise.

And the lead actor here does feel a bit like a cross between Steve Austin and Dr Frankenstein’s creation at this point.

This first Act was an ensemble performance with a lot of surgical scrubs and hardware in play. All the lines were delivered. No one missed a cue.

Now our protagonist did sleep through most of this First Act but held his place on stage for an impressive revival as the Act came to a close. Still a bit groggy so not sure if I hit all of my lines on cue.

Besides acquiring some bionic hardware our hero woke up with what looks like either a take home Whataburger styro box or half a headset for a fighter pilot over the right ear. I’m going with fighter pilot if that’s ok.

Now it about healing and reducing the inflammation from the surgery and wait for the activation day back here at Kansas Univ. Medical Center.

For those readers who are really in to horror flicks, the entire OR procedure was captured on video and will be available to show in a theater near you.

But now the first Act has come to a close, and there will be a brief intermission (two weeks) before the curtain on Act II