-Any time the recall of an item involves a surgical procedure dealing with your head, it's a serious thing and there's nothing delightful about it.
-Any time the recall of an item threatens to take away your ability to hear, communicate and function on a daily basis, it's a frightening thing and there's nothing pleasant about it.
-Despite all this, I believe (and can see) Cochlear is very dedicated to providing a long-lasting durable product while helping any way possible to resolve situations like this that arise.
-At the end of the day, if I did have a defective device (or ever do) I would not hesitate to undergo surgery and be re-implanted with a working device.
It beats the alternative.
It's easy for me to forget just 9 months ago I was on the verge of a complete loss of hearing in both ears, wrapped up in a constant struggle to associate with the world around me while rapidly losing any sense of normalcy. It's easy to forget because most of the time I don't even realize I'm wearing anything on my head. I still double-take anytime I see a picture of my backside (insert joke here). My initial reaction is typically something like, "It's so noticeable, I mean, it's like SO big".
In all seriousness though, I'm forever grateful for the years of research, dedication and countless hours that have gone into designing a device that not only eliminated my severe state of disconnect, but sounds so good I forget I'm not normal.
But honestly, what is normal anyway?
Time once again to count my blessings. I mean seriously, I'm sittin' hear listening to Fergie sing the National Anthem on MNF and she actually sounds halfway decent.
Now THAT my friends, is a miracle.
(for further info on this "voluntary" recall of "un-implanted" devices, read HERE)
Nice article again bro. Wow, nine months have gone by quickly. I'm glad you weren't affected by the recall but agree thought everything you said was well put. I am constantly amazed and thrilled at the life these implants have allowed you to recapture.
ReplyDeleteUpon further review, I do in fact have a recalled implant in my Right ear, but not in my Left. I'm gonna sit tight on it for now and keep enjoying the sweet sounds until they stop.
ReplyDeleteAlso worth noting, it's less than 1% of devices that have failed since launch in 2009, and failures typically occur within the 3rd-7th month of activation (I am in my 8th month with the affected implant). People are freaking out (and understandably so) that their infants were implanted with this device recently while (obviously) the investigation was going on. Truth is, there's a greater than 99% chance it will work fine and give their child a life they never imagined. It's not like a Toyota recall. In the unlikely circumstance that you're in the less than 1% boat, it safely shuts down and you deal with it. Clearly, that's a terrible situation to be in. Never the less, I choose to believe Cochlear is trying, and will continue, to provide quality, long-lasting, life-changing products. They've certainly given me my life back.
ReplyDeleteWell I certainly hope the odds favor you. Will Cochlear cover everything if you needed a replacement due to a failure? Do you have a limited time to act like an auto recall, or can you just wait forever to see if it's unaffected?
ReplyDeleteThe internal implant is under warranty for a long time (can't remember exactly how long, 10, 20 yrs maybe?). So if it failed under warranty I would assume they pick up the cost of the implant and the replacement proceedure. Not entirely sure though.
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