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Thanks again Sam…I do feel more confident the more information I am given….today was a really big day for me…we scheduled my cochlear implant surgery for July 10th at Sisters Hospital…with Dr. (name removed to protect the innocent)….after all the information from you and the fact that (name removed to protect the innocent) says that after she was upgraded from the Clarion Device to the Harmony that her understanding of speech increased 90%…that is pretty impressive…I am now leaning toward the Harmony Device and have until 7/01 to let (name removed to protect the innocent) at the Doctors office know which implant I will get…we are seeking approval from our insurance company and then I get the MRI and if all goes well I will be good to go….I guess one thing that appealed to me about Med-El was the fact that is it said to be the thinnest and lightest implant of the 3….but what I really want is to understand speech and hopefully music again and my grandaughter(from the backseat of the car) that would be heaven!!! throw in the telephone and being able to watch tv and go to the movies and my life would be fantastic….I won’t be unrealistic…but boy it would be great…I take nothing for granted at all anymore…I know the road ahead is not going to be easy…but I hope in time I can be successful like you, (name removed to protect the innocent) and many,many others…thanks so much just setting up a date for surgery feels like a ton of weight lifted off my shoulders…I should sleep good tonight…(name removed to protect the innocent)

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Hi (name removed to protect the innocent),
I don’t know how much the Med=El device weighs but I can assure you that even with a larger battery, the Advanced Bionics processor sits snuggly behind the ear. I doubt very much the weight is significantly different to make a difference but I can tell you that if it device is small and light enough, it could fly off! The Advanced Bionics t-mic, which extends over the front of the ear to the bowl, can be shaped so that it firmly holds the processor in place. As a runner, I feel very comfortable and confident that my processor will not fall off. The Med-El device does not have that anchoring capabilities. Check them out! I am sure you’ll feel better knowing the Advanced Bionics processor is designed to stay in place even under the most strenuous of conditions (except for total upside down which I doubt you’ll do!).

So now that you have a surgery date, I am sure you’re excited! I guess we can move onto the surgery itself so if you have any questions there, please feel free to ask! Have you told your family yet and what has been their response? Can you still make it for this Saturday? I am sure you won’t be disappointed!
Sam