I am forever looking things up on the internet to learn and research the newest technologies in anything related to me and what I have going on with my life. This would be an important habit for me regarding a few decisions related to my health. One search I am so happy I made led me to the coolest outcome I could have ever imagined!....
Mid winter 2011....
At this point in my life, I'm recovering from major reconstructive hip surgery (no, not a hip replacement) and can't do much with myself due to restrictions placed by my orthopedic surgeon. So, on to the internet I go, looking up things regarding assistance with hearing aids. I notice there are a few sites that talk about middle ear implants. They look really promising, sound a lot like cochlear implants but are actually for those with sensorineural hearing loss! That's what I have....I click on a link, and Envoy's page comes up. I read everything on this website, my heart started pounding, and I became utterly excited that I'd found something to answer my prayers on helping me to hear better and without a hearing aid! The first thing I did was email the company via their website to give me an information packet about their device. Then when my husband came home from work, I wouldn't shut up about this procedure I had found. From the look on his face he was happy and really interested too. A few days later I received not only an information packet about Envoy's Esteem implant, but also received a personal call from an Envoy representative. This began a relationship with the company over the next several months that would lead me to a whirlwind decision affecting my hearing health.
My rep was Doug, super helpful and informative (and yes a salesman, but not pushy). He answered every question I had, via phone or email, and almost always got back to me the same day, usually within the hour of my question. Envoy staff are arguably some of the nicest people I have ever dealt with. What came as the crushing blow to my questions was finding out how much the device and procedure cost. $30,000.00, per ear. And the closest implant center to me was in Chicago. Yeah, not happening. However, I told Doug to keep me on the list of hopefuls as I was determined that I would get this implant someday. Doug assured me that if any surgeons in Michigan became available he would let me know. This was a good step, but still didn't solve the cost issue. He was sympathetic to this factor however. So, my husband and I began tentatively planning a savings account that would someday allow me to get the device implanted once some other crucial things were paid off.
May 31st, 2011....
I was on my way to Detroit for my second reconstructive hip surgery when I got a phone call from Doug. He was checking up on me and wanting to know if I'd thought more about the implant. I told him that at this point in time, there was no way I'd be able to afford it. He asked if he could keep in contact with me anyway and would I still be interested in staying on the list of hopefuls? I told him that'd be great, because honestly, I really wanted this device! Secretly I was hoping that my husband would say "Screw paying off the truck and second mortgage first! Let's get you that hearing implant!"
August 4th, 2011....
Still recovering from my hip surgery and I get another call from Doug. This time the news is a little different, a little life changing....It turns out there is a newly trained surgeon from Henry Ford West Bloomfield hospital (Detroit area), named Dr. Michael Seidman, that Envoy has extensively trained for this procedure and he is up and running for his first device implant....and would I be interested in being his first patient...in two weeks? TWO weeks?! Number one, I was only a few weeks from being ready to go back to work, would I really be able to go two months without hearing? Number two, cost is still a huge factor. I expressed my concern to Doug and he said regarding the cost, due to this being so sudden Envoy was willing to cut me a deal. They had a list of a few people they really wanted to see receive this implant and my name was up there (I think due to being a medical professional). However, he said this was pretty much a one time deal, would not apply to my other ear if I chose to have it implanted, and I needed to make a decision soon. I had two days to decide.
I was uncontrollably excited and my husband knew he was in a losing battle on this one. We made a list of pros and cons with this new offer in front of us. We knew that no matter what, I'd be getting the surgery done, so why spend $30K when we could get a good deal now? Ok, so a pro. But, this surgeon has only done hypothetical Esteem implants, am I willing to be his "first", even though he is a renowned surgical otolaryngologist world wide? If there is one thing I learned from my hip surgical experiences, it's never to be a surgeon's first...big con. Yet something was telling me in my heart that this was the right decision to make. But it was still a LOT of money. We'd have to take out a loan and even then we'd be just making ends meet. I lost sleep over the next two nights, but my mother in law was an answer to my prayers. She offered to help pay for a portion of my expense so I could get this surgery done, no strings attached! Words cannot describe how I was feeling that day. I am truly blessed, in the simplest of terms. Was I feeling guilty? Slightly. I knew I'd set my husband and I back financially already by being on medical leave for several months already and now this surgery was going to take a big chunk out of our savings too, but for the benefit of my health. That's what my family had to keep reminding me. I called Doug back and promptly told him, "Let's do this!". And so the ball got rolling and in a few short weeks, I would be the newest recipient of the Esteem implant!
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