So with only 10 or so days to go, the key is to keep Alice well.  Any infection in her ears, clearly surgery won’t go ahead.  Additionally, if she is unwell, it makes her tolerance to anaesthetic lower, so we need to keep her away from bugs. 

What’s the first thing that happens…. Alice gets a cold.  Not a bad one, but a cold is not welcome.  We’ve tried our best to avoid people and busy places and are currently offending friends and family with draconian hygiene measures.  Bugger….. lots of orange juice and TLC and she should be fine, just another little stress to pile on. 

However, the good news is, Alice is now wearing her BTE (behind the ear) hearing aid bits.  For what ever reason she doesn’t like the mold any more, but as the implant doesn’t have a mold, that’s fine by us. I even suffered the shame of going into La Senza to buy boob-tape  to stick them behind her ears.

Are we right or wrong, will we ever know ?

Alice will have her right ear implanted with a cochlear implant on the 6th March 2009.  Even when we were writing the email to confirm, we weren’t sure….

However, our reasoning is sound, her doctors agree and we can always add another ear soon after. 

It came down to 3 simple facts.  Alice does not need bilaterals to start her journey into hearing / sound.  She does need a positive experience.  Focusing on 1 ear and 1 CI allows us time to get her used to wearing it and used to the new world, without the stress and worry of trying to do both.  It also allows for the faint possibility of her left ear improving. 

So now its anti-bac handwash everytime we enter the house, its no parties, playgroups, swimming or fun. Its keep her safe and most importantly well and focus on getting those aids back on.  Bribery and diligence are key.