With the news of the new Cochlear Nucleus 5 device now out on the market, I read up on the info for the new device... and now I'm a bit torn as to which implant I would choose for myself. For the last few years I've been thinking Advanced Bionic's Harmony, for sure! I like the design of their BTE processor, and of the speech processing strategies they offer. But now with the new Nucleus 5 out, just the thinner BTE processor appeals to me. The thinner internal implant is nice too, and the processor is also made of titanium and such. Hm. I don't know! I've already shot off a couple of emails, and have requested an information packet from Cochlear about the Nucleus 5. And I plan on comparing Nucleus 5 with Harmony, and I will continue to talk to various CI users online and so on. I still have a while before I actually get implanted. I know both companies are excellent, and their products work well, so I can't go wrong with either one really.
I have an appointment on the 15th (next Tuesday) with a new local doctor. The person who takes care of the insurance approval process at Rocky Mountain Ear Center, she told me I needed to have a primary doctor (that has referred me to them) and such before she can even turn in the paperwork to get the pre-authorization from Medicaid. Well, gee! I haven't had a primary doctor in years, and really, no one actually referred me to Rocky Mountain Ear Center. A former school district audiologist told me they were an excellent center to work with if I should go down the implant path. And I did my research online, looking at the different centers available in Colorado (and even Boys Town in Nebraska), when I decided on Rocky Mountain Ear Center. Anyway, I made a couple of calls via internet relay and got an appointment set up. Turns out my stepdad's daughter used to go to school with the doctor I'll be seeing on Tuesday, so it's good to know that he's a good person and all.
Hopefully after that appointment, the Ear Center can finish filling out the paperwork for Medicaid and we can get going with the process, that is if Medicaid approves.
Also, my mom gave me more of my audiology reports from when I was in school. Excellent! I haven't closely looked at them yet, but I will soon enough. I'm just happy to have them now, in my file box.
EDIT: Ok, I think I'm still set on picking Harmony, regardless. Did a little more browsing and comparing of both devices on the manufacturers' websites, and I know I'll be happy with Harmony. I'm sure Nucleus is an excellent device, but it's going to be Harmony for me. Nothing against Cochlear. I'll still continue to follow the news and whatnot though.
