Counting down....

So there I was last week, I hadn't heard anything since my pre-op, and was getting twitchy at the lack of communications. I emailed a different person, the person in charge of 'The List' and was shocked, stunned and quite excited to receive an email saying that my surgery has been booked for..... THE 5th of OCTOBER. THIS YEAR. As in.... less than a month away! Precisely 23 days. Holy crap. Oh my GOD WHAT AM I DOING?

I told my Boss the next day, they're all really supportive. Hopefully I will only be off for 2 weeks, there's a school trip the day I hope to be back so we'll see.... From looking at the dates, I would hope switch on will be in the half term but shan't find out until the day of surgery.

I've emailed a rep with Medel to ask a bunch of questions: I've copied them to here and I'll copy the reply once I've received it.

1 - So technically, the length doesn't matter, as long as it fits the cochlea. Mine is tiny, I think it's 12mm. Are you saying that a 12mm electrode will enable the brain to register the full set of pitches? 

2 - My right ear/hearing makes things sound 'normal' - as in, I enjoy music and can hold down a job! I have been told to wear it alongside the CI. Is this because the brain will be able to 'map' using the stimuli on the right to translate what is coming in on the left? For example: I can imagine a song in my head when my right hearing aid is off to try and recognise the sounds and lyrics on the left. (Does this make sense??)

So when I wear my CI, will my memory for songs and ability to recognise how things 'should' sound, help my rehab?

3 - I work as a primary school teacher (How? Nobody in my class talks when I talk and they speak one at a time, it's the dream.) and this week I tried two days with just my right to see how I managed, also I want to work up to switch on. I managed fine as my right ear is dominant. How will this affect my rehab? As in, I have been told that my CI will become the dominant ear, which is mind-blowing to me. I guess the simple question is, will there be a clash between what I hear with the right and the left? Also, after two days, I switched my left hearing aid back on and was super aware of hissing sounds in ss etc and high pitches but they became less noticeable after one hour or so, to the extent where I couldn't really detect I was wearing my left aid unless listening to music because it sounds fuller with two. 

4 - That leads me to this: How will things sound in my right with the CI? As in, apparently, for all I know, Pharrell might sound like X to me, but to everyone else he sounds like Y. Will the CI give me a totally different perception thereby leading to perceived deterioration in the right?

The whole thing has made me realise that I really need to step up my fitness. I used to be a total bootcamp fanatic but recently I haven't really been in the mood for it. I know it's ridiculous but I'm irrationally worried by the idea of dying on the table. The whole idea of having to be on my own before and after the surgery up to the point where I get put on the ward is upsetting me. Pretty pathetic, I know.