DAC,
I'll add a 5th or 6th to that list agreeing with Katie. The difference with/without doesn't
seem that much - until you forget it one day, or suddenly realize you just heard something you wouldn't have heard without it.
My personal recommendation, since you just had the surgery, is to wait at least 2-3 months, and get used to what it's like
not to have the TransEar. I honestly don't believe I would have appreciated it, and may very well have turned it back for a refund, had I gotten it in the first month or so. The shock of a one-sided hearing world can be a bit overwhelming at first. You may end up expecting (hoping for) too much, and not realize just how much you do gain from the TransEar. It's almost impossible to explain to someone who hasn't already experienced it, but that subtle difference that is actually so significant, would likely not be noticed (or appreciated) in the first couple of months.
I woke up without left side hearing (not from surgery) in July 06, but didn't get the TransEar until January 07, mostly due to finances. That 6 months was a real blessing in disguise, I think. I'd moved out of the "seriously irritable" stage to only mild to moderate irritability.
I was getting used to what it sounded and felt like with just one ear providing hearing. In other words, it was sort of a new normal by the 6 month point. So when the TransEar came, and after several months of hassling with my audiologist to finally get the programming reasonably right, I really appreciated the device. I was walking down the sidewalk at church, leaving before my wife that day (she had a later meeting to stay for). She was walking with me part way, we said good bye, and I turned and continued walking toward the parking lot. Suddenly, with her almost directly behind me on my O.O.O. ("Out Of Order") side, I realized she was talking to me again - and I understood her! I tried to explain it away by assuming I was getting some sound bouncing off a wall of the church building not too far from me, but I really didn't think I would have heard her before the TransEar. I turned around and asked her if she thought I'd have been able to hear her with my back almost toward her and my bad ear slightly facing her with my good ear somewhat away from her. She looked shocked - I can still remember the look on her face. She hadn't realized I had turned around so far and walked as far away as I had. When I turned back around to ask the question, she replied, "You heard that?!?!?" To check it out, I went across the street, turned my O.O.O. ear directly toward her on the other side of the street, Remember, we were also in the "great expanse of the outdoors" (a tough hearing situation with nothing to bounce sound back to your good ear). She was at least 20 feet away. She started talking and I repeated back everything she said. Having been used to SSD for more than ½ year by then, we
both knew instantly what the TransEar was actually doing for me - and appreciated it all the more. You don't know what you've gained back, until you really know what you're missing, and that only comes with time.
Long response, only occasional visitor these days, but hope this helps. I'm now two months past the warranty period, and not at all sorry I bought it. I'd do it again now, if I had to. Best wishes to you DAC. It can be very frustrating, even depressing at times, when you're suddenly without good bilateral hearing. But it's not the end of the world, I found out, and I hardly think about it much anymore - other than still being aware I have to say, "What was that, again?" more than I'd like - but not as much as the 6 months without the TransEar. And crowds with lots of noise are still unpleasant, but not nearly as bad as they used to be.
Chris B.
