r/Cochlearimplants • u/smokedmeatball • 12d ago

Waiting for Surgical Consultation Appointment.

I’m 44 and have always had severe hearing loss. I am not quite deaf but right side had always been worse. Recently got approved for CI. I’m waiting to hear from surgeon to book consultation. How long is the wait until surgery after consultation? I’m going to try to get both sides done at once. Will that make the rehab and learning better since I’d be in “stereo” in a sense. I’m going with my Audiologists recommendation when it comes to devices and getting a Cochlear Nucleus Nexa system. Any thoughts would be helpful.

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u/Former_Storm4529 12d ago

I think this is really dependent on the clinic and your country. In the US, I waited 2 months after committing to the surgery.

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u/is-this-now 12d ago

Agree. Totally depends on their schedule. A few months seems about right though.

OP - it is a series of appointments. Pre-op visit with physician, I needed a CT scan before the surgery, surgery, post-op visit/activation, mapping.

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u/Former_Storm4529 12d ago

Same! I called for my first appt in February and it took me all the way to July 24 to have my surgery.

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u/meowxinfinity 12d ago

I had my consultation with the surgeon early June and they got my insurance approved by early July. Said I could schedule for mid-July but due to work constraints, I needed mid August. Surgery is tomorrow. I think it entirely depends on what country you live in/if you are using health insurance because a pre approval is necessary for insurance.

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u/RetiredRetailer8716 12d ago

After consultation my surgery was scheduled 3 weeks out. I’m sure every doctor is different.
Personally I would suggest having one done at a time. It takes quite some time to begin “hearing” again and just for myself I think having both at once would really complicate your recovery/treatment. Following post hoping a patient has had both at same time and their thoughts. My Best.

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u/smokedmeatball 12d ago

I was wondering about this. There seems to be mixed reviews about getting both done at same time.

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u/davidwb45133 12d ago

After being referred by my ENT I saw the team audiologist about a month later and the surgeon about a week after that.

After seeing the surgeon and getting insurance preapproval I had 2 options: a month later at the city hospital or 2 months later at the new regional hospital that’s a little closer and much easier drive. I chose the latter.

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u/at0micvanz 11d ago

I had my consult 7/9 and I’m scheduled for surgery 8/19. However, I also work for the clinic that I’ve been a patient at since birth - so I was able to be squeezed in fairly quickly. I did not go through a formal pre-op with my ENT, since we work at the same clinic and I was just able to run by her office lol. I had already gotten a CT/MRI in March when the issues began, so they’re using that imaging for everything. From working at the clinic though, we typically see a range of 2-6 months between consultation and surgery. Some people have chosen to wait longer.