With surgery day fast approaching, Tammy received detailed instructions on preparing. The instructions told her what to do two weeks, 24 hours, and four hours prior to surgery.
Eating and Drinking
Two weeks prior to surgery:- No Garlic (she really missed this)
- No Vitamin E or vitamin E tablets (she really missed this)
- No Aspirin or Aspirin products
- No Ibuprofen or Motrin. Tammy has frequent headaches and earaches, so she was relieved to be able to have Tylenol.
Twenty-four hours prior to surgery:
- No eating
- No drinking
- Exceptions: water, apple juice or ginger ale.
- No eating
- No drinking
- No water, apple juice, or ginger ale
Vaccination Procedures
At least two weeks prior to surgery, Tammy had shots. The required shots were a pneumo 23 in her left arm and an HIB in the right arm. Arranging for the vaccinations was difficult because her primary care doctor did not want to give the HIB to an adult. NEMC specialists had to write a formal order for her primary care provider so she could get the HIB.After HIB vaccination, Tammy's right arm was sore and swollen to twice normal size, with a hard red round ball under the skin. After a week of suffering, Tammy asked if she could take Tylenol. Her arm returned to normal and the hard red ball slowly melted away.
Component and Accessory Choices
Getting ready had its fun moments too. Tammy chose implant colors, size, and style of accessories.- BTE color
- Headpiece color
- Backs and caps color
- Cord length
- Two BTEs, two BWPs or one of each?
- Batteries - two powercell slim batteries and two powercell plus batteries, or four powercel slims?
- Type of ear hook(s)
Tammy also got a t-coil, audio interface cable, powercell charger, charger supply, direct connect 36" cable, three power adapters, car charger adapter, powercell keychain wallet, carry case and a travel case.
Choosing Batteries
Tammy learned that an Auria Rechargeable Powercel Slim battery cost $150.00 and lasted up to eight hours before recharging. It needed to be replaced annually; if not replaced, the battery's performance declines. An Auria Rechargeable Powercel Plus cost more, $195.00, but lasted 17 hours.
Tammy also learned that the cochlear implant company would usually file claims with health insurance providers for reimbursement for battery expenses. This would result in about half of her money back. Tammy chose two PowerCell Slim and two PowerCell Plus batteries, as well as a battery for the Body Worn Processor that cost about $69 and would last 10 to 12 hours.
As Tammy enjoys camping, she was concerned about how to manage that. Research turned up an adapter that plugs in to the battery recharger.
Insurance Choices
The Advanced Bionics Standard Contract had a three year warranty on external components and a 10 year warranty on internal components. However, the Advanced Bionics Standard Contract only covered malfunction of the implant and components. It would not cover loss or theft of the speech processors, which cost between $5,000 and $10,000.Tammy learned ESCO covered accidental loss, theft, and repair of processors but not cords, batteries, or internal components. She remembered a friend who lost his speech processor and could not afford to replace it and lost the use of his implant. Therefore, Tammy decided to purchase optional ESCO insurance (approximately $155 annually to cover the speech processor) and in three more years will possibly get an extended warranty.
Pre-Op Timeline
As Tammy lives a distance from the hospital, she and her husband will be arriving in town earlier on the 12th and staying probably a few days after. They will stay at a motel near the hospital.On the morning of Wednesday, July 13, Tammy will have a pre-op history, physical and a battery of other tests (bloodwork, EKG, Xrays) done by a nurse practioner. This will also be her last opportunity to discuss concerns and the CAT Scan results with the surgeon, Dr. Shao. In the afternoon, Tammy will meet with the anesthesiologist.
