Counting down.. 11 days left

My new blog IS set up! It feels like a significant moment, one of many in recent days. 10 days ago I was approached by the director of the CI team asking if I would accept a CI surgical date for the coming weeks. My mind spun with anxiety: Do I want it NOW? Will it be worth it? After a year or more struggling with my new digital hearing aids, I decided it was time to start the year 2006 with something different. The CI was the best possible answer for me. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am in hesitant anticipation because as the cochlea is invaded by the surgical procedure, I cannot change my mind and "go back" to my hearing aid. I have nothing to fall back on with regards to my residual hearing. There is hardly any hearing left, but I value what I do hear. I grew up passionate about sound. My parents, steadfast at getting the best hearing aid for me, persisted at every opportunity for me to hear sound and enjoy it. There are endless stories to share in this experience, past, and present. The term, "hearing aid" has been a part of my daily language for all of my life, and now I add the terms, "CI", "cochlear implant", or "my processor" to my vocabulary. A lot like when you bring a computer into your home for the very first time, all of a sudden you are aware of computer jargon: a "mouse" in your home, a "tower", "desktop" or a "URL".