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Surgery for conductive hearing loss?
by simkenheights, Feb 07, 2007 12:00AM
My gf had a lot of ear infections when she was a child, and as a result, she has poor hearing in her left ear. I've been doing some research and my best guess is that she has conductive hearing loss caused by a build-up of scar tissue around the ear drum.
Assuming that's the case, what should we do next? The first question I have is whether or not this type of surgery is typically covered by insurance. She has decent insurance, but if this is considered elective surgery of course it wouldn't be covered.
And if she has to pay for it out of pocket, we'd like to have a ballpark figure of how much it would cost. $1000? $3000? $8000? There's not much pt in paying $150 for an appt w/ a doctor only to find out that she can't afford the surgery anyway.
Has anyone had experience w/ this type of surgery, like how long it takes, if it's painful, what the success rate is, etc? Thanx!
Assuming that's the case, what should we do next? The first question I have is whether or not this type of surgery is typically covered by insurance. She has decent insurance, but if this is considered elective surgery of course it wouldn't be covered.
And if she has to pay for it out of pocket, we'd like to have a ballpark figure of how much it would cost. $1000? $3000? $8000? There's not much pt in paying $150 for an appt w/ a doctor only to find out that she can't afford the surgery anyway.
Has anyone had experience w/ this type of surgery, like how long it takes, if it's painful, what the success rate is, etc? Thanx!
Member Comments (1)
by Sullenmoon, Mar 05, 2008 01:14AM
To: simkenheights
Be very careful with the surgery. If you or your girlfriend is thinking about a cochlear implant, do NOT go there. 1: They have to shave half of her head to even start the surgery. 2: There's at least a 6 inch scar on her head that hair won't grow and IS painfully obvious to other people. 3: There's a risk of facial paralysis. 4: Cochlear implant surgery ALWAYS destroys a huge part of what hearing she has left just so it can work, therefore the hearing is sort of still stuck at square one when the surgery's over. I have deaf friends myself, and I've seen the destructive effects of it first hand.
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